Summer is over, and with it the need to mooch free air conditioning from every available source. But even so, there are still plenty of reasons to go to the movies.

The Neighborhood Film/Video Project of the International House returns from summer vacation with a seven-film Mary Pickford retrospective (Sept. 18-24) that kicks off with an outdoor screening co-presented by the Fringe Festival. Those whose hunger for Indian cinema has been whetted by the recent cluster of Satyajit Ray re-releases will flock to the NFVP's "Jubilee of Indian Cinema" (Oct. 24-30), which cherry-picks 10 movies (including Ray's Charulata) from the last six decades.

Also on tap at I-House: East Side Story (Oct. 1-6), a look at the storied history of Communist musicals; Anthem (Oct. 8-11, 13-15), in which two women take a trip across the United States and hang with George Stephanopoulos, Michael Stipe and Hunter S. Thompson; and Christopher Munch's lyrical Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day (Oct. 17-19), which sold out several screenings at last year's Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema.

The International House will also play host to the renamed UFVA Student Film & Video Festival, now known as NextFrame (Sept. 26-28). In addition to the full-length Herbert's Hippopotamus, a fascinating portrait of leftist intellectual Herbert Marcuse, NextFrame will showcase a panoramic sampling of short films from around the world. Highlights include Double-Handed, Curan Hartsfield's reflective take on North Philly rope-skipping, and Watch Me Jumpstart, about four-track superstars Guided by Voices. Watch for the Oct. 3 Experimental Program at Big Jar Books and Temple University, and the free Sept. 28 talk by indie-film guru John Pierson, author of Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes.

Secret Cinema's Jay Schwartz promises an expanded focus this fall, adding more new movies and rediscovered treasures to his normally campy bill of fare. Most of SC's fall lineup is either unfinalized or under wraps, but we can tell you that the feature-length documentary So Wrong They're Right will screen Sept. 12 at Moore College of Art and Design, the latest venue to fall under SC's spell. (See Brian Howard's Critic's Pick) It will also surface Sept. 13 and 14 at Fergie's Pub.

The Roxy continues its schedule of first-run (and sometimes second-run) features with Cafe Society (Sept. 19), a moody tale of corruption in 1950s New York nightclubs. Also coming up at the Sansom Street space: Fire (Oct. 3), a repeat from this year's Gay and Lesbian Film Fest in which an Indian woman has an affair with her sister-in-law; A Life Apart (Oct. 17), a documentary about Hasidim in America; and Alive and Kicking (no date set), which details a love affair between a man with AIDS and his counselor.

Film Forum Archives continues its commitment to the classics with a host of French films, including La Femme Nikita (Sept. 27), Au Revoir les Enfants (Oct. 4), Blue and The Earrings of Madame de... (both Nov. 22). And arrive early for the brilliant Night of the Hunter (Sept. 27), which stars the late Robert Mitchum at his most classically warped.

Also on the repertory front, the Museum of Art's regular Wednesday night screenings will spotlight such notable directors as Luis Buuel (Wuthering Heights, Sept. 17), Luchino Visconti (Death in Venice, Oct. 29) and Pedro Almodovr (Law of Desire, Nov. 26). But where would they be without the granddaddy of them all, John Waters, whose cheerily sadistic Serial Mom gets the introductory lecture treatment Oct. 11 as part of the Museum's Saturday afternoon "Members Film Club," as well as a talk-free showing Oct. 15. (Other Members Film Club lectures/screenings: Shine [Nov. 5] and The Celluloid Closet [Dec. 10].)

Villanova gets into the act with its Cultural Film & Lecture Series, which adopts a "Rites of Passage" theme for the fall semester. Girls Town (Sept. 20-22), Neil Jordan's The Miracle (Sept. 27-29), The Chosen (Oct. 4-6), Ruby in Paradise (Oct. 25-27), The Brothers McMullen (Nov. 1-3), Household Saints (Nov. 8-10), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Nov. 15-17) and Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud (Nov. 22-24) will take you up to finals week.

Speaking of culture, the GCC Franklin Mills Cinema continues its midnight tribute to Hong Kong action star Jet Liwith Dr. Wai in the Scripture with No Words (Sept. 13), Fist of Legend (Sept. 20) and Tai Chi Master (Sept. 27).

And what would autumn be without the re-release of at least one unquestionable classic? This year it's Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt, which makes its way to the Ritz on Sept. 27. Starring Jack Palance, Brigitte Bardot and Fritz Lang, it's one of Godard's sharpest and most enjoyable movies.

Even if all these cinematic temptations can't lure you out of the house, there are plenty of independent and short film offerings on TV these days. In particular, check the teeming schedules for WYBE TV-35 and DUTV Cable 54, both of which showcase experimental and documentary filmmaking you can't see anywhere else. WYBE's Through The Lens series of independent film and video begins its seventh season, Beyond Boundaries, on Sept. 16 at 10 p.m.

Secret Cinema, Moore College of Art and Design, 20th & Parkway, 568-1515; Fergie's Pub, 1214 Sansom St., 928-8118. Call 742-4224 for reservations.

Film Forum Archives, Philadelphia Senior Center, 509 S. Broad St., 732-7704.

Villanova Cultural Film, Connelly Center Cinema, Villanova, PA, (610) 519-4750.