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IU Cinema opens spring 2017 with notable Jorgensen Guest Filmmakers

In its six years, IU Cinema has brought over 200 filmmakers to Bloomington audiences

• Jan. 13, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Cinema will kick off its Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture Series in 2017 with DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid aka Paul D. Miller on Feb. 3.

IU Cinema has brought over 200 filmmakers to Bloomington audiences since director Peter Bogdanovich presented the first Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture on Jan. 28, 2011. Half of those guests, including Meryl Streep, Edward James Olmos, Kevin Kline and Ava DuVernay, have come to the university through the generous support of the Ove W Jorgensen Foundation.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of a programming endowment like what the Jorgensens have gifted to support visiting filmmakers,” said Jon Vickers, director of IU Cinema. “These funds have helped us bring some of the world’s leading filmmakers to Indiana, setting our program apart from most university cinemas. We are proud of this semester’s diverse line-up of filmmakers, each coming at the art form with their own unique style and perspectives.”

DJ Spooky aka Paul D. Miller will deliver his Jorgensen lecture at 3 p.m. Feb. 3 following a screening at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 of his documentary "Rebirth of a Nation."

The documentary "deturns" D.W. Griffiths’ racist epic “The Birth of a Nation” (1915), using radical aesthetics to make its own pointed and profound commentary on race hatred in the United States. The film is recut and re-edited so our attention is drawn to raced elements in the frame. The film is presented with a recorded score by DJ Spooky and the Kronos Quartet. 

DJ Spooky is a composer, multimedia artist and writer whose work immerses audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. In 2012, he was the first artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His work as a media artist has appeared in the Whitney Biennial, the Venice Biennial for Architecture, the Andy Warhol Museum, and many other museums and galleries around the world. He has also produced and composed work for Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore, and scores of artists and award-winning films.

Additional Jorgensen Guest Filmmakers for spring

Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lectures at IU Cinema are free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but seating is limited. All of the talks begin at 3 p.m. Additional details will be updated on the IU Cinema website closer to each event. The Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lectures are featured thanks to the Ove W Jorgensen Foundation.

• Thursday, Feb. 16, Dany Laferrière -- The Haitian and Québecois writer is the second black writer inducted into the Académie Française. In his films, he describes America’s social and racial structures. Along with his lecture, Laferrière is scheduled to be present at the screening of his film “La dérive douce d'un enfant de Petit-Goâve” at 7 p.m.
• Friday, Feb. 24, Ana Lily Amirpour -- In addition to her Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture, the Iranian-American director is scheduled to be present at three events, at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, and at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24. She will be screening “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” her feature-film debut, at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23.
• Tuesday, March 21, David Gatten -- The engaging filmmaker’s works explore the relationship between image and word. He is scheduled to be present at the screening of his film “The Extravagant Shadows” at 6:30 p.m..
• Friday, April 14, Patricio Guzmán -- An international documentary film writer and director, Guzmán began his career in filmmaking after a coup d’etat in Chile, being held in solitary confinement, receiving a threat of execution and ultimately fleeing the country in November 1973. Guzmán is scheduled to be present at screenings of six of his films between April 11 and 14.

Other guest appearances

In addition to the Jorgensen Lectures, IU Cinema will host several other notable visitors as part of its spring 2017 schedule. A full listing of other films and guests is available on the IU Cinema website.

• Thursday, April 6, Alice Waters -- Owner of Berkeley, Calif., restaurant Chez Panisse, Waters is a champion for fine and fresh food. Waters’ restaurant was inspired by Marcel Pagnol’s films. Waters will be present at a screening of Pagnol’s “La femme du boulanger (The Baker’s Wife)” at 7 p.m., sponsored in part by the IU Food Project.
• Friday, April 7, Philippe Falardeau -- “The Cinema of Philippe Falardeau” is a series highlighting themes of alienation, identity and modern life. Falardeau, a Québecois director, is scheduled to be present during a free showing of his film “Monsieur Lazhar” at 6 p.m. The film is based on the play “Bashir Lazhar” written by Evelyne de la Chenelière.

More spring highlights

A partnered series with the Dhar India Studies Program, “Fans of the Indian Cinema” will bring Bollywood to Bloomington with the films “Arshinagar (City of Mirrors),” “Kabali,” “For the Love of a Man” and “Om Shanti Om.” The series explores fan culture and love of Indian cinema.

The Jon Vickers Scoring Award is presented to a Jacobs School of Music student each May to commission a score for a silent film. Eun-Chul “Charlie” Oh, the 2016 winner, scored Oscar Micheaux’s “Body and Soul” (1925); the world premiere of Oh's score will take place with a screening of "Body and Soul" at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Tickets are $6.

“Double Exposure,” a program that combines the talents of Jacobs School of Music and Media School students, will premiere its films at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, March 5.

Online and in-person ticket sales for IU Cinema spring 2017 events have begun. Tickets are available online or at the IU Auditorium Box Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more detailed ticketing information, visit the IU Cinema website or call 812-855-1103.