Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

IU Cinema announces fall semester lineup

IU Cinema

The IU Cinema will be putting on more than 300 events this year, including films, festivals, series and guest lectures, IU Cinema associate director Brittany Friesner said.

“We are so proud of our fall lineup,” IU Cinema director Jon Vickers said in a release.

“An incredibly diverse group of filmmakers is coming, each bringing unique perspectives on what they do.”

These filmmakers will include two-time Academy Award-nominated director John Boorman, director Julie Dash and IU graduate and producer Todd Wagner.

Each of the aforementioned guests — along with five others — will be scheduled to participate in the IU Cinema’s Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lectures, Friesner said in an email. These lectures are free and open to the public.

Another highlight featured this semester will be the Trailer Fest Film Festival on Nov. 12. The festival is a free two-hour celebration of mock trailers for television and films featuring submissions from around the world.

While the IU 
Cinema serves as a venue of 
entertainment for students on campus, Friesner said it is also an academic unit where students can explore their creativity and have an artistic dialogue about film.

“Part of our mission is to advance IU’s long-standing commitment to excellence, research and public engagement in the arts by providing educational, entertaining and enriching cinematic experiences,” Friesner said.

One way the IU Cinema does this is by showing challenging and foreign films alongside more popular films, said Jessica Davis Tagg, IU Cinema events and operations manager, in an email. These types of films can be difficult to viewers not used to the style, she said.

“I think that often you might watch a challenging film at home or in a classroom and come away completely turned off by the experience,” Tagg said.

However, Tagg said she believes one of the most attractive aspects of the IU Cinema as a venue is its ability to help the audience understand these kinds 
of films.

She said if the viewer has the opportunity to recognize the intentions of the filmmaker, the viewer may have a different perspective on the film.

Therefore, Friesner said she wants the patrons of IU Cinema to be able to explore beyond standard classic and popular films.

“We want to provide a venue and program that provides the greatest opportunities for exploration and discovery of all genres of film,” Friesner said.

With a large number of events, more than half of which are free to the general public, Friesner said she believes any IU Cinema attendant can find something they can enjoy.

Being located in Bloomington has been helpful to IU Cinema, Davis said, because of its access to many creative minds.

“People can enrich their activities and studies with a film screening, introduce to us at the Cinema amazing movies that might easily be lost in the shuffle and impart their unique knowledge before and after films,” Davis said.

Friesner said the IU Cinema is dedicated to being a world-class theater, a goal which she said is reflected in their interactions with their patrons.

“We aim to ensure all of our guests walk away with a unique experience, whether it was being able to see one of their favorite classic films on the big screen for the first time or having unparalleled access to one of our visiting filmmakers,” Friesner said.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe