Discover Bleak Week: A film festival celebrating cinema of despair

Bleak Week, a film festival celebrating “cinema of despair,” started as a counter to the demand for feel-good movies after the pandemic.

Programmers at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles thought, why not do the opposite?

The festival coincides with the city's June Gloom and features world cinema's most austere offerings.

Five years later, Bleak Week has gone global, with events in 100 theaters across 73 cities.

Despite its name, programmers say the festival is a celebration of the human experience.

It includes a wide range of genres, from wartime to family-friendly films, but excludes documentaries.