BSFI Free Movies RETURN in April to BSPAC!

By Matt Bosson - BSFI Board Member

We are very pleased to announce that the free bi-weekly screenings will return to the theater at BSPAC in April 2026.  A full schedule of the film screenings will be available shortly and will be posted on the BSFI website:  www.borregospringsfilminstitute.org.

Here are the first two movies being screened in April:

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 7pm – One Battle After Another – 2025 – Rated R – 2h 42m

One Battle After Another is an American black comedy action-thriller written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland. The story follows Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a washed-up left-wing revolutionary living under an assumed identity, in a state of stoned paranoia, and surviving off grid with his spirited daughter, Willa (Chase Infinity). When his nemesis, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a corrupt military officer in charge of an immigrant detention center, who was victimized by Bob’s former lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to escape and find his daughter, as they both battle the consequences of their pasts. The plotline is layered and complex, but, like the best stories, returns to a simple, effective idea, and explodes with visceral energy on almost every frame.  One Battle was filmed in various locations around California – Humbolt County, Sacramento, Otay Mesa near the Mexican border – and the stupendous climax was filmed in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Borrego Springs. The film is notable for filming in widescreen 35 mm format with VistaVision cameras, giving the film a 70s cinematic quality akin to movies like The French Connection. Blending humor and political drama, the film explores themes of rebellion, legacy, and redemption. It received widespread acclaim and dominated the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, winning six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn), Best Film Editing, and the inaugural Best Casting award. 

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 7pm – The Ox-Bow Incident – 1943 – Not Rated – 1h 15m

The Ox-Bow Incident is an American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, written by Lamar Trotti, and based on the novel of the same name by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. The film stars Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews, with Harry Morgan, Harry Davenport, Anthony Quinn, and Mary Beth Hughes. The story begins in a small town in Nevada, in 1885, where it is learned that a local rancher has been murdered. The townspeople immediately form a large posse and set off to pursue the murderers. That night, they find three men sleeping with what are presumed to be stolen cattle nearby. The posse interrogate them, and the men claim that they purchased the cattle but received no bill of sale. No one believes them, and the posse decide to hang the men at sunrise. When dissent develops among some members of the group, a vote is taken on whether to hang the trio or take them to town to stand trial, but the majority support a hanging. After the lynching, they return to town, and on the way, they encounter the town’s sheriff, who reveals the rancher is not dead and the men who shot him have been arrested.  The Ox-Bow Incident is one of the earliest films to be called a psychological Western, because of its strong themes of morality and the rule of law. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture in 1943 but lost to Casablanca. In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” 

This season’s BSFI movie screenings are being generously underwritten by the Borrego Valley Endowment Fund (BVEF).

Donations appreciated to keep these events accessible for everyone.

Location:
Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center
590 Palm Canyon Dr., Suite 301
Borrego Springs, CA 92004

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