The Criterion Channel has rolled out its September 2025 lineup, bringing an eclectic mix of auteur spotlights, exclusive premieres, rediscoveries, documentaries, anime, and freshly restored Criterion Collection editions. Highlights include expansive collections dedicated to Robert Altman and Jodie Foster, a showcase of ‘70s paranoia thrillers, and new Criterion editions of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer and Olivier Assayas’ Carlos. Here’s the full breakdown:
Directed by Robert Altman
Featuring a new introduction by critic Sean Fennessey, this collection celebrates Altman’s centennial with films spanning his wide-ranging career.
Featuring: Countdown (1967), That Cold Day in the Park (1969), MASH (1970), Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), California Split (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976), 3 Women (1977), Quintet (1979), A Perfect Couple (1979), Popeye (1980), Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), Secret Honor (1984), Fool for Love (1985), Tanner ’88 (1988), Vincent & Theo (1990), The Player (1992), Prêt-à-Porter (1994)*, Dr. T & the Women (2000), Gosford Park (2001), The Company (2003), A Prairie Home Companion (2006).
Starring Jodie Foster
Spotlighting Foster’s extraordinary career, from her child-star breakout to her directing credits.
Featuring: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Bugsy Malone (1976), Five Corners (1987), Stealing Home (1988), Little Man Tate (1991), Shadows and Fog (1991), Sommersby (1993), Nell (1994), Panic Room (2002), The Beaver (2011).
’70s Thrillers
A paranoid showcase of American cinema post-Watergate.
Featuring: The Anderson Tapes (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Sisters (1973), Chinatown (1974)*, The Parallax View (1974), Night Moves (1975), Obsession (1976), Sorcerer (1977), Winter Kills (1979).
Nunsploitation
A wild, transgressive dive into films where convent life goes off the rails.
Featuring: Häxan (1922), The Devils (1971), To the Devil a Daughter (1976), Alucarda (1977), Behind Convent Walls (1978), Killer Nun (1979), Ms .45 (1981), Dark Habits (1983), Benedetta (2021).
Alan J. Pakula’s Paranoia Trilogy
Three classics of 1970s political paranoia.
Featuring: Klute (1971), The Parallax View (1974), All the President’s Men (1976).
Exclusive Premieres
- Union – Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s documentary on the Amazon Labor Union’s Staten Island fight, led by Chris Smalls.
Criterion Collection Editions
- Grey Gardens (1976) – 50th anniversary edition with The Beales of Grey Gardens and more.
- The Wind Will Carry Us (1999).
- Sorcerer (1977).
- Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005).
- Carlos (2010).
- Tanner ’88 (1988).
Rediscoveries and Restorations
- City of Ghosts – Matt Dillon’s neo-noir debut.
- Fresh Kill – Shu Lea Cheang’s eco-anarchist satire.
- Undercurrent – Kozaburo Yoshimura’s melodrama with cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa.
Director Spotlights
- Two by Paul Thomas Anderson: Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002).
- Documentaries by Alain Kassanda: Trouble Sleep (2020), Colette and Justin (2022), Coconut Head Generation (2023).
- Two by Walerian Borowczyk: La marge (1976), Behind Convent Walls (1978).
Anime
- Millennium Actress (2001) – Satoshi Kon’s meta journey through Japanese cinema.
Twenty-First-Century Cinema
- Pamfir – Ukrainian thriller.
- Marcello mio – Christophe Honoré’s playful meta-comedy.
International Classics
- Possession (1981) – Andrzej Żuławski’s fevered marital breakdown.
Documentaries
- Celluloid Underground – Iranian film preservation.
- Europe Endless 1: The Spectre of Eurocommunism – Cine-essay by Colin MacCabe.
Music Films
- ANOHNI: Turning and five music videos curated by ANOHNI.
Featuring: Hope There’s Someone (2005), Another World (2008), Cut the World (2012), TURNING (2012), Drone Bomb Me (2016), Marrow (2016).
American Independents
- Towheads – Avant-garde motherhood psychodrama.
New Additions to Previous Programs
- The Crow (1994)* – Added to ’90s Soundtrack Movies starting September 1.
Tags: criterion channel, robert altman, jodie foster, 70s thrillers, criterion collection sorcerer, criterion channel lineup, criterion documentaries, criterion anime, criterion exclusives
