SPACE, 538 Congress Street, Portland, ME (2026)

08/30/2026

🎞️ SEPTEMBER FILMS AT SPACE
$10, $7 for members (except 9/20 • FREE)
Scroll for descriptions ➡️
🎟️ SPACE538.ORG

Sep 1 • Tue 7 pm
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙
dir. James N. Kienitz Wilkins • 88 min.
Screened with an in-person director Q&A

Sep 9 • Wed 7 pm
𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚
dir. Ross McElwee • 112 min.
Co-presented with pmafilms_maine

Sep 11 • Fri 7 pm
𝙂𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙧
dir. René Laloux • 83 min. • 1987 • In French with English subtitles

Sep 20 • Sun 1 pm
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙙𝙨
dir. Luchina Fisher • 72 min. • FREE; RSVP
Presented by GLAD Law

Sep 21 • Mon 7 pm
𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚
dir. Chris Huang • 2000 • 99 min. • In Taiwanese Hokkien with English subtitles
Co-presented with Mayo Street Arts and Puppets in Portland

Sep 23 • Wed 7 pm
𝘼𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤
dir. Shaun Michael Colón
Screened wjth a panel discussion with director Shaun Michael Colón, Channel Paschal AND Amy Beth Grumbling
Co-presented with Salt Institute

Sep 27 • Sun 1 pm
𝙁𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙩
dir. Jan Svankmajer • 1994 • 93 min. • In Czech with English subtitles
Co-presented with Puppets in Portland

08/30/2026

🎥 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 is one of the most powerful documentaries of the year. Called “a truly singular piece of art” (Salon) and “a masterful reflection on the passage of time, the vagaries of memory, the inevitability of loss and the solacing role of cinema” (Arts Fuse), the new film by master documentarian Ross McElwee screens on Wednesday, September 9. Tickets at SPACE538.ORG.

A kind of companion piece to McElwee’s 1986 masterpiece 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 is an ever-expanding hall of mirrors built from decades of home movies, spanning American social fabric and personal histories, over McElwee’s life behind the camera. His son Adrian grew up inside those films, and eventually began experimenting with the camera himself. When a Hollywood producer acquires the rights to adapt McElwee’s 1986 breakthrough 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 into a work of fiction, 21-year-old Adrian sees a chance for his father to finally reach a wider audience. As the adaptation stalls, Adrian gets swept into a deepening drug addiction and dies from a fentanyl overdose, leaving behind hours of personal video footage.

“You will know if you can handle it, and if you believe you can, it’s absolutely worth it.” - NPR

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘔𝘤𝘌𝘭𝘸𝘦𝘦’𝘴 1986 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 4𝘒, 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 29 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘱 3.

September 9 • Wed 7 pm, doors at 6:30
𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 🎞️
dir. Ross McElwee • 112 min.
$10, $7 for SPACE members
Co-presented with pmafilms_maine

08/28/2026

🟥 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆 𝘼𝙏 𝙎𝙋𝘼𝘾𝙀
🎟️ AT SPACE538.ORG

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨: 𝘼 𝙅𝙖𝙯𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮
Out There Theater Company
Through August 30 • Fri-Sat 7:30; Sun 1 pm
$18 adv, $22 day of • $2 off for SPACE members

August 29, Sat 3 pm &
Sep 3, Thu 3 pm
𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣’𝙨 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 (1985) 🎞️
at Portland Museum of Art
dir. Ross McElwee
$10, $7 for PMA members
Co-presented by pmafilms_maine and SPACE Gallery

Aug 30 • Sun 8 pm
Undertow Brass Band with dj red tide
$16 adv, $20 day of • $2 off for SPACE members

Sep 1 • Tue 7 pm
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 🎞️
dir. James N. Kienitz Wilkins • 88 min
Screened with an in-person Q&A with director James N. Kienitz Wilkins
$10, $7 for SPACE members

Sep 3 • Thu 7:30 pm
Darksoft, Ci******es for Breakfast, Crystal Canyon, X.O BAND
$15 adv, $18 day of • $2 off for SPACE members

Sep 4-5 • Fri 5-8 pm; Sat 11-4 pm
New England Art Book Fair 2026
FREE admission

Sep 4 • Fri 5-8 pm
Opening receptions for exhibitions 𝘼 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢 + 𝘼 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 (see below)

Sep 9 • Wed 7 pm
𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 🎞️
dir. Ross McElwee • 112 min.
$10, $7 for SPACE members

Sep 11 • Fri 7 pm
𝙂𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙧 🎞️
dir. René Laloux • 83 min.
In French with English subtitles • 1987
$10, $7 for SPACE members

Sep 12 • Sat 7 pm, doors at 6
LADY LAMB with Greg Jamie
at Penn Landing, Norway
$30 adv, $40 day of • $3 off for SPACE members
Presented by Lights Out in conjunction with SPACE Gallery

Sep 12 • Sat 8 pm
Alela Diane with Alexa Rose
$22 adv, $27 day of • $2 off for SPACE members

𝑬𝑿𝑯𝑰𝑩𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

𝘼 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢
Works by Stephen Benenson & Michael Berryhill
July 3–Aug 20
SPACE 534 Congress Gallery
Reception Sep 4 • Fri 5-8 pm

𝘼 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚
Installation by Tyler McPhee
Sep 4 – Oct 26
SPACE Window Gallery
Reception Sep 4 • Fri 5-8 pm

𝘿𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠
Mural by carla weeks
Through 2026
Main Venue
Exhibition photo by Art Archival | Joel Tsui

𝑶𝑹𝑮𝑨𝑵𝑰𝒁𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳 𝑵𝑬𝑾𝑺

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 2026 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒔

ℹ️ Doors open half hour before show time unless otherwise noted.

08/27/2026

You’ve never seen anything like 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙, the new film by Maine-raised, NYC-based artist and filmmaker James N. Kienitz Wilkins. We’re screening it on Tuesday, September 1, and James will be in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

September 1 • Tue 7 pm, doors at 6:30
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 🎞️
Screened with an in-person Q&A with director James N. Kienitz Wilkins
$10, $7 for SPACE members

08/27/2026

Just announced! 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 come to SPACE on October 26. One of the titans of fourth-wave emo, whose 2024 album came after an 8-year hiatus, the Pennsylvania-based post-hardcore / rock band make their SPACE debut. Tickets on sale Friday, August 28 at 10 am via SPACE538.ORG.

with you in spirit, the fourth 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 LP, is an arresting, atmospheric collection of melodic post-punk and towering rock. Released in 2024 on long-time collaborator and Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip’s Memory Music, it’s the band’s first LP in eight years, and a thrilling full-length comeback after their four-year hiatus. It thunders and stirs, dipping between beautiful, crystalline arrangements and punishing, earth-shaking climaxes; in between all, a gripping, near-physical tension crackles and growls and grooves, waiting to rip open.

It’s an intensely self-reflective record for vocalist and guitarist Jon Simmons, an uprooting and examination of the supports on which a life is built. Preemptive grief, wrestling with god and faith, familial responsibility, familial mortality—these are the things Simmons was carrying while writing this material. They’re also things he was trying, for better and worse, to avoid—hence the record’s title.

with you in spirit feels like the work of songwriters reaching new heights, exploring new depths. Sometimes, the record itself feels like a band grappling with its own avoidance, its own mortality, and deciding to face these things the only way they know how. 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 are with us in spirit, yes, but in the flesh, too, for now.

October 26 • Mon 7:30 pm, doors at 7
BALANCE AND COMPOSURE
$27 advance, $32 day of • $2 off for SPACE members

08/27/2026

💧

08/27/2026

We’re tuning the heart strings for a warm Thursday night of indie rock with 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧, the homespun songwriting vehicle of Noah Weinman, plus Clarke Sondermann’s 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 and 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙠, the Newburyport trio of Linc Halloran, Sean Hood, and Alex Decato. Enjoy this set of clips and join us — tickets at SPACE538.ORG and at the door. 👟

Originally launched as a lo-fi project in 2017, 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 recorded almost exclusively in bedrooms and home studios, where Noah Weinman’s poignant and self-deprecating lyrics float over beds of banjos, guitars and reverberant horns crescendoing to cathartic peaks. But on A Welcome Kind of Weakness, Weinman soars for the first time in high fidelity, 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧‘s first studio record, it recalls the larger-than-life highs of the early aughts rock that Weinman grew up on, bands like Coldplay, Radiohead, and Snow Patrol with their pristine vocal presence, scintillating guitar riffs, and astral synth sparkle. This is rock music in its most delicious form, music that gave Weinman something to look forward to when he could finally play live again (after a torn achilles).

𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 works in the tradition of Ed Askew, Lavender Country, Nicholas Krgovich, and Rufus Wainwright, singer-songwriters who’ve captured the texture of gay life with detail that’s as funny and precise as it is heartbreaking. Like any young, doom-scrolling New Yorker, Sondermann’s rich inner life plays out against a constant, ambient thrum of minor annoyances, headline making horrors, and sudden, blink-or-miss-it epiphanies.

Known for gentle, crushing and enigmatically personal songwriting, 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙠 stands as one of the most influential yet misprized artists in today’s indie/lo-fi scene.

August 27 • Thu 7:30 pm, doors at 7
runnner with Clarke and Hello Shark
$18 advance, $22 day of • $2 off for SPACE members

08/26/2026

𝙈𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 is an original, experimental, intimately spun play by theater-maker Madeline Bugeau-Heartt. After an extended run for audiences in Midcoast Maine, the show will make its Portland premiere for one-night-only on September 20 on our stage, co-presented with the Belfast-based theater group counter/current:collective. Seating is limited, and tickets are available at SPACE538.ORG.

𝙈𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 is a haunting exploration of the artist’s imagined romance with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German prophet, theologian, and martyr living under the oppressive Third Reich regime. Amidst an eerily similar landscape, how might we look to Bonhoeffer’s seemingly impossible acts of resistance to ignite our own courage?

Part pillow-talk & part ghost-story, this experimental theater piece explores desire, humanity in turmoil, and the strange role spirit plays when the forces of history appear stacked against us.

September 20 • Sun 7 pm, doors at 6:30
𝙈𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 by Madeline Bugeau-Heartt
$20 advance, $25 day of show • $2 off for SPACE members

08/26/2026

Support for 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 this Thursday night comes in the form of 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨, the vessel for the sharp, witty, and tender NYC-based songwriter Clarke Sondermann.(Support also comes in the form of longtime SPACE friends 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙠, who we’ll discuss later). Tickets at SPACE538.ORG

On 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨’ latest album, Leave It in the Sand, Clarke Sondermann tenses and relaxes to the music. The all-encompassing depression of his debut has given way to a much broader and more open-hearted perspective. Sadness is still a texture of life but one that butts up against everyday happiness and worldly anxiety. And other people! Working alongside an all-star cast of collaborators with legendary DJ and producer Ivan Berko at the helm, Sondermann widens his scope and amplifies his sound. On a scale that’s both bedroom intimate and compositionally vast, Sondermann navigates the straits between an over-active life of the mind and being present and attuned to his loved ones while he still has them.

𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 works in the tradition of Ed Askew, Lavender Country, Nicholas Krgovich, and Rufus Wainwright, singer-songwriters who’ve captured the texture of gay life with detail that’s as funny and precise as it is heartbreaking. Like any young, doom-scrolling New Yorker, Sondermann’s rich inner life plays out against a constant, ambient thrum of minor annoyances, headline making horrors, and sudden, blink-or-miss-it epiphanies.

August 27 • Thu 7:30, doors at 7
runnner with Clarke and Hello Shark
$18 advance, $22 day of show
$2 off for SPACE members

08/24/2026

𝙂𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙧! The ‘80s French animated sci-fi fantasy cult classic explodes onto the SPACE screen on September 11. Called “free-floatingly cerebral yet impishly id-driven” (Slant), 𝙂𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙧 is a milestone in pioneering filmmaker René Laloux’s oeuvre of adult-oriented sci-fi/fantasy films — and we’re showing a new restoration of the original French version, a chance to see Laloux’s vision as he intended it. Tickets at SPACE538.ORG.

An entire civilization must confront its destiny in alternative-animation pioneer René Laloux’s final feature, a cult classic of mind-bending science fiction. In a distant world, a merciless army of automata attacks Gandahar, turning its peace-loving people to stone. Hoping to discover the source of these Men of Metal, a council of matriarchs enlists the brave yet inexperienced warrior Sylvain (Pierre-Marie Escourro), who, while journeying through his planet’s outer regions, teams up with the Deformed, a race cast out from Gandahar after failed science experiments rendered them mutants. Soon, Sylvain learns that a gargantuan brain called Metamorphis (Georges Wilson) is responsible for his utopian society’s strife and—together with the beautiful Airelle (Catherine Chevallier)—travels through time to defeat him, in the process risking their lives and Gandahar’s very existence.

Featuring stunningly surreal creatures and wondrously bizarre environments designed by renowned comic-book artist Caza, Gandahar is a visceral, visionary head-trip in which animation opens a gateway to the furthest reaches of the imagination.

Sep 11 • Fri 7 pm, doors at 6:30
𝙂𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙧 🎞️
dir. René Laloux • 1987
83 min. • In French with English subtitles

SPACE

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