Description

Shadows and Secrets, a Film Noir Festival

Introducing the first annual Reel Liberty Film Festival, presented by the Liberty Arts Commission in partnership with B&B Theatres. The film festival will transport audiences to a bygone era of crime-ridden streets and smoky nightclubs with Shadows and Secrets – A Film Noir Festival, January 24 and 25, 2025.

The festival will showcase two classic noir films from the 1940s and 1950s, “Sunset Boulevard” and "The Big Sleep” and two neo-noir films from 2005, “Brick” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” Guests can expect film introductions, live music performances, and retro-themed cocktails at Johnnie’s Jazz Bar after the films on Saturday night. Immerse yourself in the gritty world of film noir, where the lines between good and evil blur and the shadows hide secrets waiting to be uncovered. Tickets are now available.

Friday, January 24, 6:30 p.m. - "Sunset Boulevard" is a 1950 film featuring Gloria Swanson as a faded silent film star, Norma Desmond, and William Holden as a struggling screenwriter, Joe Gillis. The film is an exploration of Hollywood's obsession with fame, blending film noir and satire to critique the movie industry's treatment of aging stars. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards.

Friday, January 24, 9:00 p.m. - "Brick" is a 2005 neo-noir mystery thriller set in a high school where a teenage loner, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, investigates the murder of his ex-girlfriend. To do this, he must infiltrate the high school cliques he previously avoided. The film blends classic noir elements in a modern setting.

Saturday, January 25, 4:00 p.m. - "The Big Sleep" is a 1946 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart as private detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge. Marlow finds himself in a web of love triangles, blackmail, murder, gambling, and organized crime. The film is known for its complex plot, sharp dialogue, and on-screen chemistry between Bogart and Bacall.

Saturday, January 25, 7:00 p.m. - “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is a 2005 dark comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. as a two-bit thief who literally stumbles into an audition for a detective role while on the run from the police. Val Kilmer stars as the private detective tasked with training him for the role. The film is a parody that combines sharp wit, fast-paced dialogue, humor, and mystery with a modern twist.

 **We’ll See You in the Shadows**