6621 ST. Claude ave. arabi, la 70032
(504) 352-1150 rene@zeitgeistnola.org
"Something for and against everybody"
Zeitgeist is a non-profit, art house cinema that was founded in New Orleans in November 1986.
Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge is still open! Following the Governor's press conference returning the state to a "Modified Phase 2" the theatre as well as our bar are both still allowed to be open. "Unessential Businesses" are allowed to be open with 50% capacity and 6 foot social distancing (which we continued to do even when the state went to Phase 3, meaning we currently have 38 seats in our theatre and 20 seats in our lounge).
We installed 3 UV air-scrubbers in our ventilation system for your safety. Masks are required. We are social distancing. Our theatre and lounge is professionally cleaned and sanitized by Jani-King of New Orleans. Check out our new Dolby sound system.
Zeitgeist is a non-profit, art house cinema that was founded in New Orleans in November 1986.
Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge is still open! Following the Governor's press conference returning the state to a "Modified Phase 2" the theatre as well as our bar are both still allowed to be open. "Unessential Businesses" are allowed to be open with 50% capacity and 6 foot social distancing (which we continued to do even when the state went to Phase 3, meaning we currently have 38 seats in our theatre and 20 seats in our lounge).
We installed 3 UV air-scrubbers in our ventilation system for your safety. Masks are required. We are social distancing. Our theatre and lounge is professionally cleaned and sanitized by Jani-King of New Orleans. Check out our new Dolby sound system.
Thursday, February 25th
in the Zeitgeist Theatre 5:15 pm - HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS The iconic performance documentary saw filmmaker James Szalapski travel to Texas and Tennessee to capture the radical country artists reclaiming the genre via an appreciation for its heritage in folk and bluegrass and a rejection of the mainstream Nashville machine. Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Young, David Allan Coe, Steve Earle and many others “The best music and the best whiskey come from the same part of the country”. Outside of a couple festival screenings, the movie remained unreleased for five years after its completion, finally hitting screens in 1981 and finding a cult audience ever since. Held Over - 3rd Week! 7:00 pm - DAYS OF THE BAGNOLD SUMMER The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird’s directorial debut is a funny, charming and wince-inducingly accurate adaptation of Joff Winterhart's graphic novel, with a soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian. Days Of The Bagnold Summer sweetly draws you into the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold and her black-clad teenage son Daniel, who'd rather listen to Metallica than his mother. Daniel was meant to spend the summer in Florida visiting his dad, but is now stuck with Mum following the trip's cancellation. The film boasts supporting turns by Rob Brydon and Alice Lowe, but belongs to its two leads. Long-suffering Sue is sympathetically portrayed by Monica Dolan, with Earl Cave's Daniel a suitably lank-haired, pale-skinned picture of adolescent metal-head angst. 8:35 pm - TEST PATTERN Part psychological horror, part realist drama, this exhilarating debut feature from Shatara Michelle Ford is set against the backdrop of national discussions around inequitable health care and policing, the #metoo movement, and race in America. Test Pattern follows an interracial couple whose relationship is put to the test after a Black woman is sexually assaulted and her white boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital in search of a rape kit. Their story reveals the systemic injustices and social conditioning women face when navigating sex and consent within the American patriarchy. Winner of top prizes at the BlackStar and New Orleans Film Festivals. Held Over - Third Week!
5:15 pm daily HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS Sometimes, a documentary maker is present at precisely the right moment to capture lightning in a bottle. It happened with essential punk doc The Decline of Western Civilization, it happened with Bob Dylan’s Don’t Look Back and Chet Baker’s Let’s Get Lost, and it happened with 1976’s Heartworn Highways. The iconic performance documentary saw filmmaker James Szalapski travel to Texas and Tennessee to capture the radical country artists reclaiming the genre via an appreciation for its heritage in folk and bluegrass and a rejection of the mainstream Nashville machine. Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Young, David Allan Coe, Steve Earle and many others appeared on both screen and soundtrack, where musical highlights include Clark’s brilliant “Desperados Waiting For A Train,” Young’s stirring “Alabama Highways” and Van Zandt’s emotional “Waiting Around To Die.” The hard living – and hard partying – lifestyles of outlaw country’s figureheads are played out on screen as we visit Van Zandt’s Austin trailer, see Coe play in Tennessee State Prison, join the gang in Nashville’s notorious Wig Wam Tavern and witness a liquor-fueled Christmas at Clark’s house. No wonder the film’s original tagline read: “The best music and the best whiskey come from the same part of the country”. Outside of a couple festival screenings, the movie remained unreleased for five years after its completion, finally hitting screens in 1981 and finding a cult audience ever since. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL] 7:00 pm nightly
DAYS OF THE BAGNOLD SUMMER The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird’s directorial debut is a funny, charming and wince-inducingly accurate adaptation of Joff Winterhart's graphic novel, with a soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian. Days Of The Bagnold Summer sweetly draws you into the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold and her black-clad teenage son Daniel, who'd rather listen to Metallica than his mother. Daniel was meant to spend the summer in Florida visiting his dad, but is now stuck with Mum following the trip's cancellation. The film boasts supporting turns by Rob Brydon and Alice Lowe, but belongs to its two leads. Long-suffering Sue is sympathetically portrayed by Monica Dolan, with Earl Cave (Nick Cave's son)'s Daniel a suitably lank-haired, pale-skinned picture of adolescent metal-head angst. [TRAILER] in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
8:35 pm nightly TEST PATTERN Part psychological horror, part realist drama, this exhilarating debut feature from Shatara Michelle Ford is set against the backdrop of national discussions around inequitable health care and policing, the #metoo movement, and race in America. Test Pattern follows an interracial couple whose relationship is put to the test after a Black woman is sexually assaulted and her white boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital in search of a rape kit. Their story reveals the systemic injustices and social conditioning women face when navigating sex and consent within the American patriarchy. Winner of top prizes at the BlackStar and New Orleans Film Festivals, this gripping social thriller offers a unique exploration of institutional racism and sexism from a Black female point of view. Content warning: This film includes a depiction of sexual assault. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL] Watch this acclaimed shorts program for Free!
Filmmakers Usama Alshaibi and Adam Sekuler announce CINEMA-19, a collection of 190 second short films commissioned in response to COVID-19. The films in CINEMA-19 do not attempt to summarize the pandemic, but instead focus on the personal, the political, the sensual, the distant, the abstract, and the absurd.
Sarah Ema Friedland, Matt McCormick, Kalpana Subramanian, Christin Turner, Mila Zuo, William Brown, Kelly Gallagher, Lori Felker, Courtney Stepehens, Scott Cummings, Amir George, Eman Akram Nader, Alex Megaro, Mehrnaz Saeedvafa, as well as the two commissioning artists; Usama Alshaibi and Adam Sekuler. The films are presented in association with Anthology Film Archives (New York), Zeitgeist Theatre and Lounge (New Orleans) and Northwest Film Forum (Seattle). The films are available for free public viewing on Vimeo. [Watch films here] ZEITGEIST – NOUN, GERMAN. THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES; GENERAL TREND, MOOD OR FEELING CHARACTERISTIC OF A PARTICULAR PERIOD OF TIME, ESPECIALLY AS IT IS REFLECTED IN THE ARTS, LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY, ETC. \ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt-\
_________________________________________________________ Zeitgeist is ALL- AGES & SMOKE-FREE
Zeitgeist has received a "Performing Arts Exception" which means we can operate as an ALL-AGES venue and still serve alcohol. Children and minors may attend Zeitgeist films, concerts and events, but can not sit at or approach the bar. They may not also consume alcohol. To purchase and consume alcohol you must have a valid ID.
Now serving in the
ZEITGEIST LOUNGE: |
ZEITGEIST'S VIRTUAL ARTHOUSE CINEMA
NOW SHOWING IN YOUR OWN HOME SUPPORTING ZEITGEIST Click in the Virtual Link to rent the film and stream it at your own schedule on your computer, tablet or other device. Your rental supports indie filmmakers, distributors and theaters...in this case Zeitgeist. Thanks!
MAYOR
MAYOR is a real-life political saga following Musa Hadid, the charismatic Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city's Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine. Rich with detailed observation and a surprising amount of humor, MAYOR offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing a question: how do you run a city when you don't have a country? Please Note: The Virtual at home rental includes a Q & A with director Steve James. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
WHITE RIOT
Britain, late-1970s. Punk is exploding. The country is deeply divided over immigration with the National Front, a far-right political party, gaining strength. Outraged by this xenophobic agenda and a racist speech from Eric Clapton, music photographer Red Saunders teams up with like-minded creatives to form Rock Against Racism. Focusing on issues that the mainstream British media ignores, the RAR zine challenges the status quo and sparks a grassroots youth movement that The Clash, Steel Pulse, Sham 69, Poly Styrene, Alien Culture and other top punk bands jump on board. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
![]() JIMMY CARTER: ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT
If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. The documentary charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this engaging portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history. Starring Jimmy Carter, Madeleine Albright, Bono Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, Chip Carter, Rosanne Cash, Bishop Michael Curry , Bob Dylan, Chuck Leavell, Willie Nelson, Nile Rodgers, Paul Simon, Trisha Yearwood, Andrew Young, etc. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL LINK]
![]() BLOODY NOSE EMPTY POCKETS
[TRAILER] [VIRTUAL CINEMA LINK] On the eve of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and on its final night before closing, a Las Vegas dive bar becomes a stage where its employees and barflies commiserate one last time. Directed by local documentary heroes, brothers Bill and Turner Ross train their keenly observed quasi-fiction on the lived-in atmosphere of a haunt, whose massed warmth and love conceal its patron’s worries—at least for a little while. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets is a carefully constructed yet oddly affecting record of an American sensibility at once straining to survive and ready for the end. Zeitgeist would like to acknowledge the indigenous history of New Orleans, and more broadly, Louisiana, and recognize the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana. We would also like to acknowledge the state-recognized tribes of Louisiana, which include the Addai Caddo Tribe, the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogee, Choctaw-Apache Community of Ebarb, Clifton Choctaw, Four Winds Tribe Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy, Grand Caillou/Dulac Band, Isle de Jean Charles Band, Louisiana Choctaw Tribe, Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe, and the United Houma Nation.
We are now 34 years old...
over a 1/3 of a Century! We have exhibited countless films, concerts, performances and events in those long years. We want to thank all of the artists, volunteers, organizations, members, donors and patrons who have kept us going. We've come a long way. Let's keep it going! Special thanks to the Meraux Foundation, The Old Arabi Neighborhood Association, Councilman Gillis McCloskey, The St. Bernard Chamber Of Commerce, Shotgun Cinema, Ellis Fortinberry & Chalmette Movies, the people of St. Bernard Parish and those who have followed us from New Orleans for all of their support. We couldn't have dreamed of a better venue or neighbors.
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C O M I N G S O O N !
All films are in the Zeitgeist Theatre.
We will also be hosting special outdoor Drive-Ins
We will also be hosting special outdoor Drive-Ins
Opening February 26:
in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
7:00 pm nightly
A DRAMATIC FILM
Commissioned as a dedicated artwork for the newly constructed Dora Maar middle school on the outskirts of Paris, Un Film Dramatique is a lively portrait of the first class to attend the school, filmed over the course of four years. The group of 21 middle schoolers discuss the drama of their daily lives and experiment with cameras and equipment. They are the film’s subjects, and also its makers. With a refreshingly uninhibited approach, Eric Baudelaire (Letters to Max, The Anabasis of May...) offers a new perspective on the realities of our current socio-political moment that is both playful and purposeful. As the students debate the approaching elections and the immigration crisis, they also seek to answer a key political question—what are we doing here together? [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
7:00 pm nightly
A DRAMATIC FILM
Commissioned as a dedicated artwork for the newly constructed Dora Maar middle school on the outskirts of Paris, Un Film Dramatique is a lively portrait of the first class to attend the school, filmed over the course of four years. The group of 21 middle schoolers discuss the drama of their daily lives and experiment with cameras and equipment. They are the film’s subjects, and also its makers. With a refreshingly uninhibited approach, Eric Baudelaire (Letters to Max, The Anabasis of May...) offers a new perspective on the realities of our current socio-political moment that is both playful and purposeful. As the students debate the approaching elections and the immigration crisis, they also seek to answer a key political question—what are we doing here together? [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
Opening March 5:
SISTER TEMPEST by Joe Badon
Anne Hutchinson's troubled relationship with her missing sister is under alien tribunal. Meanwhile, her new roommate's mysterious illness causes her to go on a cannibalistic killing spree. This is your chance to see the multi-award winning locally produced and shot sci-fy, fantasy, horror epic fresh from the festival circuit. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
SISTER TEMPEST by Joe Badon
Anne Hutchinson's troubled relationship with her missing sister is under alien tribunal. Meanwhile, her new roommate's mysterious illness causes her to go on a cannibalistic killing spree. This is your chance to see the multi-award winning locally produced and shot sci-fy, fantasy, horror epic fresh from the festival circuit. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
Opening March 5:
in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
KEEP AN EYE OUT
The latest deranged delight by French absurdist Quentin Dupieux (Mandibles, Deerskin, Rubber), Keep An Eye Out is a breakneck-paced cop comedy that packs more laughs into its 73 breezy minutes than some filmmakers manage in their entire careers. Belgian funnyman Benoît Poelvoorde (Man Bites Dog) is Commissaire Buran, a good, bad cop interrogating Fugain, (Grégoire Ludig), an average Joe who discovered a dead body outside his apartment building. As the film begins, Fugain must, on an empty stomach, explain how and why he happened to leave home seven times in one night before coming across a corpse in a puddle of blood. Since he’s the investigation’s only suspect, Fugain’s anxiety is already sky-high when Buran leaves him alone with Philippe, a one-eyed rookie cop with bizarre speech patterns and a few minutes to live. Bloody, batshit hijinks ensue, and before long, we’re in Buñuel territory. Between the opening sequence, when a man in just red briefs conducts a philharmonic orchestra in the open air, and the triple-meta denouement, Dupieux’s whip-smart script disregards audience expectations, the fourth wall, and the laws of time and space. You’ll never look at a protractor or an oyster the same way again. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
[TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
KEEP AN EYE OUT
The latest deranged delight by French absurdist Quentin Dupieux (Mandibles, Deerskin, Rubber), Keep An Eye Out is a breakneck-paced cop comedy that packs more laughs into its 73 breezy minutes than some filmmakers manage in their entire careers. Belgian funnyman Benoît Poelvoorde (Man Bites Dog) is Commissaire Buran, a good, bad cop interrogating Fugain, (Grégoire Ludig), an average Joe who discovered a dead body outside his apartment building. As the film begins, Fugain must, on an empty stomach, explain how and why he happened to leave home seven times in one night before coming across a corpse in a puddle of blood. Since he’s the investigation’s only suspect, Fugain’s anxiety is already sky-high when Buran leaves him alone with Philippe, a one-eyed rookie cop with bizarre speech patterns and a few minutes to live. Bloody, batshit hijinks ensue, and before long, we’re in Buñuel territory. Between the opening sequence, when a man in just red briefs conducts a philharmonic orchestra in the open air, and the triple-meta denouement, Dupieux’s whip-smart script disregards audience expectations, the fourth wall, and the laws of time and space. You’ll never look at a protractor or an oyster the same way again. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
[TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
Opening March 19:
in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
WOJNAROWICZ
Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker is a fiery and urgent documentary portrait of downtown New York City artist, writer, photographer, transgressive filmmaker and activist David Wojnarowicz. As New York City became the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Wojnarowicz weaponized his work and waged war against the establishment’s indifference to the plague until his death from it in 1992 at the age of 37. Exclusive access to his breathtaking body of work – including paintings, journals, and films – reveals how Wojnarowicz emptied his life into his art and activism. Rediscovered answering machine tape recordings and intimate recollections from Fran Lebowitz, Gracie Mansion, Peter Hujar, and other friends and family help present a stirring portrait of this fiercely political, unapologetically queer artist. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
in the Zeitgeist Theatre and our Virtual Cinema
WOJNAROWICZ
Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker is a fiery and urgent documentary portrait of downtown New York City artist, writer, photographer, transgressive filmmaker and activist David Wojnarowicz. As New York City became the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Wojnarowicz weaponized his work and waged war against the establishment’s indifference to the plague until his death from it in 1992 at the age of 37. Exclusive access to his breathtaking body of work – including paintings, journals, and films – reveals how Wojnarowicz emptied his life into his art and activism. Rediscovered answering machine tape recordings and intimate recollections from Fran Lebowitz, Gracie Mansion, Peter Hujar, and other friends and family help present a stirring portrait of this fiercely political, unapologetically queer artist. [TRAILER] [VIRTUAL]
V I S U A L A R T E X H I B I T I O N S
JOSEPH BEUYS: POSTERS AND PRINTS
on permanent loan and exhibition in the
BEUYS + BEYOND Gallery
(which connects Zeitgeist Theatre and the Lounge)
Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German Fluxus, happening and performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, medallist, installation artist, graphic artist,art theorist and pedagogue. His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, anthroposophy and the “zeitgeist”. It culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social sculpture as a gesamtkunstwerk, for which he claimed a creative, participatory role in shaping society and politics. His career was characterized by open public debates on a very wide range of subjects including political, environmental, social and long term cultural trends. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century.
on permanent loan and exhibition in the
BEUYS + BEYOND Gallery
(which connects Zeitgeist Theatre and the Lounge)
Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German Fluxus, happening and performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, medallist, installation artist, graphic artist,art theorist and pedagogue. His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, anthroposophy and the “zeitgeist”. It culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social sculpture as a gesamtkunstwerk, for which he claimed a creative, participatory role in shaping society and politics. His career was characterized by open public debates on a very wide range of subjects including political, environmental, social and long term cultural trends. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century.
Z E I T G E I S T ' S O N G O I N G F I L M S E R I E S :

BEUYS AND BEYOND
Contemporary Artists On Film
In 1989, Zeitgeist curated a city-wide film series BEUYS AND BEYOND: CONTEMPORARY GERMAN ARTISTS ON FILM which also featured artist talks and performances by area artists.
For the premiere of Zeitgeist's great new Theatre & Lounge, we have decided to resurrect the series monthly, but this time expand it to include artists beyond just Germany...
Contemporary Artists On Film
In 1989, Zeitgeist curated a city-wide film series BEUYS AND BEYOND: CONTEMPORARY GERMAN ARTISTS ON FILM which also featured artist talks and performances by area artists.
For the premiere of Zeitgeist's great new Theatre & Lounge, we have decided to resurrect the series monthly, but this time expand it to include artists beyond just Germany...
CANADA IS BIGGER THAN THE U.S. Since 1993, Zeitgeist's ongoing SERIES OF FILMS, MUSIC, PERFORMANCES AND VISUAL ART celebrating the innovative, utterly bizarre and extremely vast body of work from our neighbors to the north. Their films may be smaller, but at least their country is bigger! Size does matter. |
Schedule is subject to change as films are held over – please check the website for updates nightly.
Zeitgeist is a non-profit, artist run media arts center that celebrates its 33rd anniversary this November.
Zeitgeist is a non-profit, artist run media arts center that celebrates its 33rd anniversary this November.