April 9 - April 17, 2025 This Is Not a Fiction 2025 Festival | This year’s festival will feature more than 15 premieres and special events with over 35 guests including Errol Morris, Kazuo Hara, Conan O’Brien, Mark Frost, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Charles Burnett, Jeff Probst, Chris Smith Courtney Stephens, Michael Almereyda, Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss and more. Stay tuned for lineup announcements!
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL: The American Cinematheque is proud to present the second annual ‘This Is Not a Fiction’ festival celebrating documentary and non-fiction art forms from April 9-17. This year’s festival will feature more than 15 premieres and special events with over 35 guests, including Conan O’Brien (World Premiere of Max Original series CONAN O’BRIEN MUST GO Season 2), Bill Hader and Fred Armisen (DOCUMENTARY NOW! 10th anniversary), Jeff Probst and surprise SURVIVOR guests (Tribute to SURVIVOR: An Evening with Jeff Probst), Charles Burnett (KILLER OF SHEEP 4K Restoration), Errol Morris (CHAOS: THE MANSON MURDERS), Kazuo Hara (THE EMPEROR’S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON), and more legendary filmmakers in-conversation. Taking place at AC’s historic Aero, Egyptian and Los Feliz 3 theatres, this year’s edition furthers the inaugural edition’s mission to offer an ever-expanding view of nonfiction filmmaking, featuring not only the pantheon of classic documentaries and cutting-edge contemporary work, but also everything from live television sports coverage, reality TV, experimental cinema, travelogues, playful mockumentary form and more. The centerpiece of the festival features two legendary documentarians, Errol Morris and Kazuo Hara, together for a historic conversation following a screening of THE EMPEROR’S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON introduced by Bill Hader on April 12. Morris will be honored with a retrospective that includes GATES OF HEAVEN, VERNON, FLORIDA, THE THIN BLUE LINE, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME, FAST, CHEAP & OUT OF CONTROL and his latest film with Netflix CHAOS: THE MANSON MURDERS. Kazuo Hara will also receive his first ever Los Angeles retrospective featuring his early films GOODBYE CP, EXTREME PRIVATE EROS: LOVE SONG 1974 and the West Coast premiere of MINAMATA MANDALA. The festival will open at the Aero Theatre on April 9 with the World Premiere of Season 2 of the hit Max Original series CONAN O’BRIEN MUST GO followed by a Q&A with host Conan O’Brien. Closing night of the festival at the Aero features the Season 3 return of the critically acclaimed HBO Original documentary series 100 FOOT WAVE with an L.A. Premiere and Q&A to follow on April 17. Other special events include a 10th anniversary screening of DOCUMENTARY NOW! at the Egyptian Theatre featuring a panel with creators, actors and writers Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, creator and director Rhys Thomas, director Alex Buono and writer Micah Gardner on April 13. AC will celebrate over 60 years of NFL Films sports coverage as part of NFL Films: A Documentary Dynasty featuring surprise guests, on April 13 at the Egyptian Theatre, and in celebration of the 25th anniversary of SURVIVOR, Emmy award-winning host Jeff Probst will join the festival at the Aero Theatre on April 13 to look back at the show’s enduring legacy. Featured premieres include the L.A. premiere of I KNOW CATHERINE, THE LOG LADY followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Richard Green and Twin Peaks creator Mark Frost on April 17 at the Egyptian Theatre, and the West Coast premiere of Rodney Ascher’s expressive and dream-like film GHOST BOY. Additional special events at the Aero include Reginald Hudlin and Shola Lynch for two nights on April 14 and 15 for the Apple TV+ two-part documentary film event NUMBER ONE ON THE CALL SHEET, filmmaker Thom Zimny for a conversation following a screening of Hulu’s ROAD DIARY: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND on April 12, and a screening of Onyx Collective and Hulu’s SLY LIVES!, another detailed look at a band’s rise, reign and fade, will be followed by a Q&A with producer Joseph Patel, also on April 12. As part of closing night at the Los Feliz 3, filmmakers Courtney Stephens and Michael Almereyda will join the West Coast Premiere of the acclaimed JOHN LILLY AND THE EARTH COINCIDENCE CONTROL OFFICE. Premieres featuring in-person guests at the Los Feliz 3 include the L.A. premieres of MIDDLETOWN with returning filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss on April 11 and PREDATORS with filmmaker David Osit on April 16. Additional premieres at the Los Feliz 3 include the World Premiere of the 4K restoration of WINTER SOLDIER, West Coast premieres of Radu Jude’s EIGHT POSTCARDS FROM UTOPIA and SLEEP #2 on April 12 and Marta Mateus’ FIRE OF WIND on April 11, the L.A premiere of Jem Cohen’s LITTLE, BIG AND FAR and NEON’s MEN OF WAR on April 15. Additionally, the AC will host the L.A. premiere of the KILLER OF SHEEP 4K restoration, co-presented by the UCLA Film and Television archive and featuring a discussion with filmmaker Charles Burnett on April 16 at the Aero Theatre. The Los Feliz 3 will also feature advance screenings of PAVEMENTS with actor Tim Heidecker on April 10, HENRY FONDA FOR PRESIDENT with Alexander Horwath on April 12, and Albert Serra’s exploration into bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey’s career in AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE on April 11. This second edition will feature the first THIS IS NOT A FICTION shorts program with 9 short films on April 13. Cinematic Void will likewise host a screening of “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” paired with Todd Phillips debut documentary HATED: GG ALLIN & THE MURDER JUNKIES on April 12.