• IUB Newsroom »
• IU Cinema's fall lineup features legendary cult classic filmmaker John Waters

IU Cinema's fall lineup features legendary cult classic filmmaker John Waters

Other highlights include appearance by Penelope Spheeris as part of 'Directed by Women' series

• Aug. 18, 2015

EDITOR'S NOTE: This release was updated on Sept. 23, 2015, to include the cancellation of John Zorn's appearance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Often described as outrageous, the filmmaker behind cult classics such as "Hairspray" and "Pink Flamingos" will deliver anything but a standard lecture when he visits Indiana University Bloomington this fall as part of the Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture Series.

Baltimore-born writer and director John Waters will make two appearances Oct. 2 at IU Cinema. His Jorgensen lecture at 5 p.m. will be a free but ticketed 45-minute adaptation of his one-man show "This Filthy World: Filthier & Dirtier." Waters also will participate in a moderated question-and-answer session after the 7 p.m. screening of his 2000 film "Cecil B. DeMented."

"The Inimitable and Incomparable John Waters" series kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 28 with "Polyester," presented complete with authentic scratch-and-sniff Odorama cards. "Female Trouble," "Cry-Baby," "Serial Mom" and "Pink Flamingos" also will be screened in the series.

Jorgensen Guest Filmmakers for fall

"We are thrilled to offer a diverse slate of visiting filmmaker events this fall and from so many masters of their craft," said Brittany D. Friesner, associate director of the IU Cinema. "We are especially looking forward to students and the public discovering some new voices in filmmaking in the coming months."

Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lectures at IU Cinema are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Tickets are not required for most lectures, with the exception of John Waters. Each event begins at 3 p.m., except for Waters. Additional details will be updated on the IU Cinema website closer to each event.

• Friday, Sept. 4, Ja'Tovia Gary and Stefani Saintonge -- These two New York filmmakers are members of the New Negress Film Society, a collective founded in 2013 to create community, raise consciousness and support the exhibition of films made by black women. After speaking in the afternoon, they are scheduled to attend a 6:30 p.m. short film program that includes Gary's "Cakes Da Killa: NO HOMO” and Saintonge's films "Seventh Grade" and "La Tierra de los Adioses." 
• Friday, Sept. 11, Penelope Spheeris -- A prolific director of documentaries and early music videos, Spheeris also directed numerous feature films, including "Wayne's World." She is expected to attend screenings of her "The Decline of Western Civilization" punk rock and metal documentaries at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sept. 10. The following day she also will attend screenings of "Suburbia" at 6:30 p.m. and "The Decline of Western Civilization Part III" at 9:30 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 2, John Waters -- His one-man show "This Filthy World: Filthier & Dirtier" will begin at 5 p.m. Afterward, Waters will sign copies of his books "Role Models" and "Carsick," which will be available for purchase. Please note: Due to expected demand, tickets will be required and limited to two per person. These free tickets will only be available in person at the IU Auditorium box office, starting at 10 a.m. Sept. 18.
• UPDATE: Wednesday, Oct. 7, John Zorn -- The eclectic composer and performer had been scheduled to speak at IU Cinema in conjunction with the inaugural Wounded Galaxies Festival of Experimental Media, presented by The Burroughs Century Ltd. in partnership with The Media School. Zorn has canceled his events, but the Wounded Galaxies Festival will continue. 
• Friday, Oct. 23, Tony Buba --  This documentary filmmaker has chronicled the plight of former steel workers and the post-steel struggles of his hometown, Braddock, Pa. Buba appears at IU Cinema as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Themester, "At Work: The Nature of Labor on a Changing Planet." He is scheduled to attend screenings of "Lightning Over Braddock -- Rustbowl Fantasy" at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 and "Struggles in Steel" at 6:30  p.m. Oct. 23. 

Other highlights

"One of the greatest challenges of programming the IU Cinema each semester is simply having room to include everything we would like to present," Friesner said. "For this fall, we believe we have crafted a balanced program that we hope contains something for everyone, from underground cult classics and family favorites to seminal film masterpieces and bold and challenging new international releases."

• "Directed by Women" -- From Sept. 1 to 15, IU Cinema will feature work exclusively by female filmmakers. Jorgensen Guest Filmmakers Gary, Saintonge and Spheeris and their films are part of this global viewing party spearheaded by Barbara Ann O'Leary, the cinema's social media specialist. Director Hannah Fidell, an IU alumna, is scheduled to introduce her 2015 drama "6 Years" at 3 p.m. Sept. 12 and participate in a question-and-answer session afterward. Also, a discussion will follow the Rory Kennedy documentary "Last Days in Vietnam" at 7 p.m. Sept. 3. A complete list of other films in the series appears on the website.
• "President's Choice" -- In celebration of the new School of Global and International Studies, IU President Michael A. McRobbie has selected three films with international themes. "City of God" (7 p.m. Aug. 24) follows two boys on different paths in a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum. "The Battle of Algiers" (7 p.m. Nov. 2) focuses on the Algierian struggle for independence from France in the 1950s. "The Last Emperor," a winner of nine Academy Awards, tells the story of Pu Yi, who ascended to China's throne as a toddler and lived a life of tumult (7 p.m. Nov. 30). Screenings are free but ticketed.
• "Sinatra at 100" -- This film salute to singer and actor Frank Sinatra includes "Guys and Dolls" (3 p.m. Nov. 2),  "The Man With the Golden Arm" (3 p.m. Nov. 14) and "From Here to Eternity" (3 p.m. Dec. 5), the winner of eight Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Sinatra. The Dec. 5 bill also includes "The House I Live In," a rare, 10-minute film courtesy of the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive that Sinatra made to combat racism and antisemitism. The series wraps up with "Oceans 11" at 7 p.m. Dec. 12, the date that would have been Sinatra's 100th birthday.
• "Sembène: Father of African Cinema" -- Senegal's Ousmane Sembène drew upon African storytelling traditions in a film career spanning more than 40 years before his death in 2007. The biographical documentary Sembène!" will be presented at 7 p.m. Oct. 20, with directors Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman scheduled to be present. Gadjigo and Silverman also are slated to appear at the 7 p.m. Oct. 19 screening of the Sembène short "Borom Sarret (The Wagoner)" and his first full-length feature, "La Noire de … (Black Girl)," both newly restored.
• The Apu Trilogy restoration -- More than 20 years ago, fire destroyed the original negatives for Indian film masterworks "Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)," "Aparajito (The Unvanquished)"  and "Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)." Now, The Apu Trilogy from Satyajit Ray has been painstakingly restored by The Criterion Collection, in collaboration with the Academy Film Archive. The films will be shown at 7 p.m. Dec. 4, 5 and 7.

Ticket information

Tickets will be offered online starting Aug. 17 for all fall events, except those noted in the IU Cinema program. A surcharge of $1 per ticket applies to online orders. Patrons are encouraged to obtain tickets in advance (IU Cinema has 260 seats). For more detailed ticketing information, visit the IU Cinema website or call 812-855-1103.

Related Links

• Brittany D. Friesner assumes key role at IU Cinema