“A movie to be watched as many times as physically possible... It really is that astounding.” - David Jenkins, Little White Lies
“A tangled knot of memories, fears, fantasies, nightmares, paradoxical impulses, and a yearning for something that's simultaneously beyond our reach and yet intrinsic to every one of us.” - Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
One of the most immersive and rarefied experiences in the history of cinema, Andrei Tarkovsky’s STALKER embarks on a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic post-apocalyptic landscape. A hired guide—the “Stalker” of the title—leads a writer and a scientist into the heart of the Zone, the restricted site of a long-ago disaster, where the three men eventually zero in on the Room, a place rumored to fulfill one’s most deeply held desires. Adapting a science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and making what would be his final Soviet feature, Tarkovsky created a challenging and visually stunning work, his painstaking attention to material detail and sense of organic atmosphere further enriched by this vivid new digital restoration. At once a religious allegory, a reflection of contemporary political anxieties, and a meditation on film itself—among many other interpretations—STALKER envelops the viewer by opening up a multitude of possible meanings.
Awards and Nominations
Winner - Winner, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes Film Festival
Nominee - Best Film, Cahiers du Cinéma
LO-FI SCI-FI | January 30–February 24, 2026
Big ideas with small budgets, practical effects over digital enhancement, and human-scale story are the hallmarks of LO-FI SCI-FI films. These eight titles engage our love of the science fiction genre, employing a bevy of imaginative approaches: high concepts in quotidian worlds, imaginative production design to approximate mind-bending alternate realities, and the scientific questions of their time in relatable themes of love and self-discovery.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu