Special Events
Fruitvale Station with Community Leader Conversation
- Wed, Feb 25
Wed, Feb 25 @ 7:00 pm: Special post-screening conversation with a panel of local community leaders
Director: Ryan Coogler Run Time: 82 min. Release Year: 2013
Starring: Melonie Díaz, Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer
Every step brings you closer to the edge.
Pillion
- Fri, Feb 27
- Sat, Feb 28
- Sun, Mar 1
- Mon, Mar 2
- Tue, Mar 3
- Wed, Mar 4
- Thu, Mar 5
Director: Harry Lighton Run Time: 107 min. Release Year: 2025
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Douglas Hodge, Harry Melling, Jake Shears, Lesley Sharp
Colin, a timid gay man, is swept off his feet when Ray, an enigmatic and impossibly handsome biker,...
A Red Carpet Affair 2026
- Sun, Mar 15
Run Time: 240 min.
About the Event Join us for a one-of-a-kind celebration of film’s biggest night. We are transforming Varsity Cinema...
Untitled Home Invasion Romance w/ Screenwriter Q&A
- Wed, Mar 18
Wed, Mar 18 @ 7:00 pm: Q&A with Des Moines based screenwriter Josh Johnson.
Director: Jason Biggs Run Time: 85 min. Release Year: 2026
Starring: Anna Konkle, Arturo Castro, Jason Biggs, Justin H. Min, Meaghan Rath
Join us after the film for a Q&A with Des Moines based screenwriter Josh Johnson. As a last-ditch...
The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde – Presented with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, Mar 21
Director: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Run Time: 312 min. Release Year: 2026 Language: German
The electrifying Lise Davidsen tackles one of the ultimate roles for dramatic soprano: the Irish princess Isolde in...
Science on Screen: Project Hail Mary
- Wed, Mar 25
Director: Christopher Miller, Phil Lord Run Time: 156 min. Release Year: 2026
Starring: Ken Leung, Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller
Believe in the Hail Mary.
The Music Man w/ Panel Conversation
- Sun, Mar 29
Director: Morton DaCosta Run Time: 151 min. Release Year: 1962
Starring: Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold, Robert Preston, Ron Howard, Shirley Jones
The story of that man and his 76 trombones, and the wonderful, wonderful tune he played on every heart in town!
The Metropolitan Opera: Eugene Onegin – Presented with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, May 2
Director: Timur Zangiev Run Time: 245 min. Release Year: 2026 Language: Russian
Soprano Asmik Grigorian returns to the Met as Tatiana, the lovestruck young heroine in this ardent operatic adaptation...
The Metropolitan Opera: El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego – Presented with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, May 30
Director: Deborah Colker, Yannick Nézet-Séguin Run Time: 158 min. Release Year: 2026 Language: Spanish
American composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s first opera, a magical-realist portrait of Mexico’s painterly power couple Frida Kahlo and...