Tucson International Jewish Film Festival. Celebrating their 29th year, this festival is putting an emphasis on International, with this year's theme of "Jews Around the World, a Global Perspective." The films come from France, Ethiopia, Cuba and, of course, Israel. This year's selection includes Carl Laemmle, a documentary about the German Jewish immigrant who founded Universal Studios; The Mamboniks, all about the Cuban dance the mambo; and The Catcher was a Spy, featuring Paul Rudd as Moe Berg, a baseball player who spied for the U.S. ahead of WWII. In Fig Tree, a Jewish teenager plans to escape the Ethiopian civil war and flee to Israel. The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival takes place at multiple locations around town, including SaddleBrooke Desert View Performing Arts Center and The Loft Cinema. From Jan. 5 to Jan. 19. For more information, and to buy tickets, visit TIJFF.org
Where the Border Wall Ends. The Screening Room is hosting a series of short films created by Bryan Sanders, documenting the "now of the border." The films include a short movie about The Battle of Ambos Nogales; Hard Man to Get to Know, a music video starring Tucson's Howe Gelb; and the titular film, Where the Border Wall Ends. This evening of film, music and dance also includes performances by Jillian Bessett and Kinetic Arts Tucson. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. 127 E. Congress St. $10.
Circle of Poison (Free screening!). This community rental of the Loft Cinema follows what happens once a pesticide is banned in the United States for its dangerous health and environmental effects. It's a documentary examining how pesticides are still exported, leading to the impression that American lives are more valuable. Yet ironically, these toxic pesticides find their way back into the U.S. Featuring interviews with Noam Chomsky, Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama and more, this screening is presented by Physicians for Social Responsibility Arizona and International Indian Treaty Council. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Free. Sunday, Jan. 5 at 4 p.m.
The Hunt for Red October. Starring Sean Connery as a Soviet submarine commander, this "technothriller" is based on the Tom Clancy novel about war, stealth, and of course technology. For their Tuesday Night Classics series, Harkins Theatres is screening the 1990 film that brought the Cold War back from the brink, just enough to scare American audiences. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7. 5755 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive & 5455 S. Calle Santa Cruz. $5.
2019 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour. The Loft Cinema is hosting a 96-minute theatrical program of seven short films selected from this year's Sundance Film Fest. This series includes documentary, animation and fiction. This year includes Suicide by Sunlight, about a Black vampire protected from the sun by her melanin; Crude Oil, about a woman with a magical, useless superpower; Brotherhood, about the son of a Tunisian shepherd returning home after a long journey. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $10.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day. James Cameron really is just too good at making sequels. He managed to follow up one of the best sci-fi sequels ever, Aliens, with the best action sequel, Terminator 2. Casa Video is screening the film that taught robots to cry, Linda Hamilton to fight, and the movie-going audience that CGI villains were the wave of the future. But unlike much of the computer animation that came out after it, the effects in T2 somehow look good as ever, even though they're coming up on 30 years old. 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. 2905 E. Speedway Blvd. Free.
