Anthology Film Archives
May 14-21, 2026
A committed skeptic who balked at so-called facts and assumed knowledge, Charles Fort (1874-1932) was the preeminent chronicler of inexplicable natural phenomena in the early twentieth century. Guest curators Peggy Ahwesh and Andrew Lampert present a sampler of favorite films and videos that both speak to Fort’s contrarian ideas and take baby steps towards addressing the unanswerable mysteries of our universe. Included are eclectic works dealing with aliens, ghosts, the cosmos, technology, magic, and other Fortean topics, as well as two popular 1980s features concerning young girls with psychic powers, or as Fort called them “wild talents,” that trigger chaos and destruction around them.
Special thanks to Christine Burgin; Canyon Cinema; National Film Board of Canada; Park Circus; Sony Pictures; Universal Pictures; and Video Data Bank.