The Harvard Film Archive is officially back in full swing following a long summer off, and with it comes another round of fascinating retrospectives and repertory series you’re unlikely to see anywhere else. On Friday, the HFA kicks off another tribute to a cinematic hero in a series titled “João César Monteiro, Poet-Provacateur.” Though often overlooked in discussions of world filmmakers, Monteiro was an essential figure in Portuguese cinema, mixing subversive political commentary with a unique and idiosyncratic aesthetic sensibility. The series begins Friday with Monteiro’s breakthrough, “Silvestre” (1981), an arch feminist fable in which a young damsel (Maria de Medeiros, in her film debut) disguises herself as a male knight errant to search for her missing father. Then, on Monday, the series jumps to “Snow White” (2000), Monteiro’s radical interpretation of the fairy tale, told via dialogue over an almost entirely black screen. The series will continue through October, with more works from this unsung visionary.

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On Friday, the Brattle Theatre partners with Mass Mini Con and Spoke Art for a special screening of Mamoru Oshii’s anime classic “Ghost in the Shell” (1995). A technological nightmare set in the not-too-distant future of 2029, “Ghost” is a touchstone not just of animation, but of science fiction writ large (the Wachowskis famously pitched “The Matrix” by showing “Ghost in the Shell” to producer Joel Silver and telling him, “We want to do this in real life”). To celebrate this cyberpunk triumph, illustrator Rory Kurtz will be on hand to unveil a brand new print inspired by the film, which will be available for sale in the lobby prior to showtime. (Note: at press time this event is sold out, but additional tickets may be available at standby).

On Saturday, the HFA welcomes back students with their annual all-night movie marathon. This year, in honor of the class of 2027, the theme of the program is Marathon ‘77, bringing together seven features which will celebrate their semicentennials next year. The typically eclectic selection begins with “Citizens Band” (1977), an oft-overlooked early comedy by the late, great Jonathan Demme, followed by Robert M. Young’s socially conscious character study “¡Alambrista!” (1977). The tone then shifts radically with Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), representing the blockbuster spectacle which would come to define the late ‘70s. From there we move onto a pair of top-shelf thrillers with William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer” (1977), here presented in its rarely screened “roadshow cut” (featuring an extended overture set to Tangerine Dream’s iconic score), and the classic grindhouse revenge flick “Rolling Thunder” (1977), an essential influence on the films of Quentin Tarantino. The marathon will send you out on a suitably delirious note with “Pumping Iron” (1977), the bodybuilding documentary which put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map, and David Lynch’s iconic midnight-movie nightmare “Eraserhead” (1977). That these selections only scratch the surface of the year’s offerings speaks to what a watershed year 1977 truly was.

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On Tuesday, the Somerville Theatre launches a new weekly repertory series sure to bring some old favorites back to the big screen. The title, Cult Cinema Tuesdays, speaks for itself. Each week for (at least) the next two months, the Somerville will screen a seminal midnight movie classic at the much more bedtime-friendly hour of 7:30pm. The series begins, appropriately enough, with one of the most beloved cult classics of the 1970s: Hal Ashby’s “Harold and Maude” (1973). The late Bud Cort plays Harold, a sullen young misfit who delights in tormenting his mother with elaborately staged mock-suicides. His life is turned upside-down when he meets Ruth Gordon’s Maude, a free-spirited octogenarian who teaches him to find joy in life. It’s a perfect romantic comedy for people who hate romantic comedies, effortlessly blending life-affirming spirit with a pitch-black countercultural sense of humor. A forebear of filmmakers from Tim Burton to Wes Anderson, “Harold and Maude” remains a perfectly offbeat date movie more than half a century later.

On Thursday, moviegoers have their choice between two amazing local film festivals. At the Somerville, the Taiwan Film Festival Boston continues with a screening of Julian Chou’s sweeping family drama “Blind Love” (2025), followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers (moderated by Cambridge Day’s own film editor Tom Meek). Meanwhile, at the Brattle, the good folks from Grrl Haus Cinema return with a brand new program of experimental shorts from women, trans, genderqueer, and non-binary filmmakers from around the world. There is vital cinematic work being produced far outside the reach of the multiplex; thankfully, we live in a place with programmers and festivals bringing the good stuff to the surface.

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