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Author Archive | Alex Kamody

Sustainability Series: OUT THERE: A NATIONAL PARKS STORY with Dr. Geoff Buckley

Director: Brendan Hall

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the establishment of America’s National Park Service, a young filmmaker and his best friend embark upon a journey that ultimately covers 10,000 miles as they explore the beauty, majesty, variety, and spirit of our nation’s most amazing natural landscapes. During their travels, they document not only the topographical uniqueness of the parks, but also insightful stories from park employees and visitors to reveal the rich history of the National Parks Service. Hop aboard for this road trip where  stunning vistas, spiritual satisfaction, and amazing folks will show you what makes our National Parks system a true national treasure.

About the Speaker

Dr. Geoff Buckley is Professor of Geography and Interim Associate Dean in the Honors Tutorial College for Ohio Honors and 1804 Scholars. Dr. Buckley’s focus lies in the study of the environmental legacy effects of past decisions, practices, and processes: In order to make wise decisions regarding the environmental problems we face today, we must understand the complex web of human and physical processes that, over time, have contributed to their existence. Geoff is particularly interested in environmental history and historical geography; environmental justice; mining landscapes; public lands, esp. national parks; urban environments; and urban sustainability.

Check out the rest of our line-up of Sustainability Films

The series is made possible thanks to the support of: University Libraries, Honors Tutorial College, Office of Sustainability, and The Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program.

Learn more about the Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program 50th Anniversary

 

 

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Running Time: 75 MIN75 MIN
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OU Family Weekend: MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

Watch Trailer Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam

Seek no further, for thou hast found the Holy Grail!

Continuing our long tradition for OU Family Weekend, we’re thrilled to announce a special event that will make your “knights” in Athens unforgettable — Join us Friday, September 13th and Saturday, September 14th at 7 p.m. for some classic medieval British comedy as we screen one of the craziest films of all time: Monty Python and The Holy Grail!

About the Film

Poking fun at the revered legend of King Arthur and his Knights of The Round Table, the troupe of Pythons pull out all the comedic stops for a wild (and irreverent) ride through the misty Dark Ages! Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam are in top form as various characters in some of the most side-splitting material ever put on screen. Bits like “The Knights Who Say Ni!”, “The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch”, “The Trojan Rabbit”, and “The Black Knight” have etched themselves permanently on the landscape of comedy like the ornate letters in an old biblical manuscript!

Maybe your mother isn’t a hamster, and perhaps your father doesn’t smell like elderberries, but one thing’s for sure — watching this film together will give you and your family a (Came)lot of good times to share!

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Running Time: 91 MIN91 MIN
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Ceramics at the Cinema: Glazing Beer Steins

Join us for the “holy grail” of all Ceramics at the Cinema events!

Saturday, September 14th at 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.

During this year’s OU Family Weekend, we’re screening the classic medieval comedy Monty Python and The Holy Grail, so we thought it’d be fun to celebrate by having a couple of special Ceramics at the Cinema events where folks could have the chance to make a grail (or, rather a stein…more or less the same thing, really) of their very own!

Participants will get a chance to decorate a bisqueware ceramic beer stein with ceramics glazes of their choice. Once glazed and final-fired, the finished steins will be available for pick up the following Wednesday after the Ceramics at the Cinema event.

Registration Admission:

Ceramics at the Cinema $30: includes instruction fees, ceramic beer stein, and all other materials for decorating and firing your project

The Ceramics at the Cinema series is a monthly ceramics series that allows participants the opportunity to glaze a bisqueware ceramic project at The Athena Cinema on a weekend afternoon.

Be advised that open slots to attend the glazing tutorials will be limited to 30 people. These events often sell out fast, so don’t wait to claim your spot.

Feel like having some laughs afterward..? Come see Monty Python and The Holy Grail at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday after the Ceramics event. Get tickets and more info here:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

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From the Hills and Hollers: HILLBILLY with Tom Hansell

Watch Trailer Director: Ashley York, Sally Rubin

The term “hillbilly” has been tossed about casually in America for well over a century, usually as a (derogatory) reference to people from the region of Appalachia. Moreover, rural culture has been heavily stigmatized in media like films, TV shows, and literature, with hill-folk characters who are by-and-large uneducated, poor, devoid of morals, and/or worthy only of being exploited. As a result, most people fail to stop and think about the historical origins, let alone the modern nuances and cultural complexities, of those to whom the word gets applied. In the 2018 documentary Hillbilly, filmmakers Sally Rubin and Ashley York do just that.

Training their cameras on the people, places, and culture of Appalachia, Rubin and York seek to reclaim the dignity of the term and to portray Appalachians in a more positive and realistic light. By examining over a century’s-worth of media representation of Appalachian culture, and through interviews with people who live in the region, this film is an attempt to shed light on the richness and proud heritage of one of America’s most misunderstood communities.

About the Speaker

Tom Hansell is a filmmaker, author, and professor of Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.  He worked on Hillbilly as a field producer for the documentary film.  Prior to the screening, he will provide context about the documentary’s intersectional approach to Appalachian Culture(s) and politics.

Check out the rest of our films for the Appalachian Stories series

This series is sponsored by the Ohio Honors Program, University Libraries, College of Health Sciences and Professions, The Department of Social and Public Health, GO Local, University College, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The Multicultural Center and The Black Student Cultural Programming Board, Center for Campus and Community Engagement, and The Women’s Center.

 

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Running Time: 87 MIN87 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

'Hillbilly' offers a wide array of subjects, all unique, revealing the fallacy behind any attempt to define anyone, anywhere, with just one word.

Christopher Llewelyn Reed
Film Festival Today
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Friends of India Present: MONSOON WEDDING

Watch Trailer Director: Mira Nair
Cast: Vasundhara Das, Parvin Dabas, Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz
Awards: Golden Lion - Venice Film Festival
Language: English, Hindi

“One of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature.” – Roger Ebert

This joyous love story involves an arranged marriage between Aditi and Hemant, two modern young Indians who come from different backgrounds and who lead different lives. Nevertheless, as their two families come together for the celebration in Delhi during the onset of monsoon season, the two ultimately discover their true love for one another amid the chaotic and comical events surrounding the preparations for their grand wedding ceremony.

Mira Nair’s turn-of-the-century comedy drama was an instant international hit with critics and cinema audiences upon its debut in 2001. The film garnered a Golden Lion Award for Vasundhara Das at the Venice Film Festival, as well as winning a British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Monsoon Wedding has since found new life as a Broadway musical, and the film still continues to entertain audiences nearly a quarter-century after its original release.

All members of the Athens community are welcome – Admission is FREE but tickets are required.

Claim tickets in person at The Athena or by clicking the showtime link below.

“Friends of India” will provide Indian snacks and Chai during intermission.

 

“A movie to fall in love by and with, a wedding to unite both the two film families and the dazzled multicultural movie audiences who watch them.” – Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about the Ohio University’s Friends of India Endowment visit their website here

 

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Running Time: 114 MIN114 MIN
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Sustainability Series: GREEN WARRIORS: CHILDREN OF LEAD with Dr. Michele Morrone

Watch Trailer Director: Martin Boudot

Across the globe, the Earth bears the past scars and current open wounds of mineral extraction operations. Of particular concern is the toxic metal Lead. Though it has been outlawed as an additive in everyday consumer goods like gasoline, house paint, and plumbing materials, lead is still highly valued as a component for the manufacture of building materials, weapons, and batteries. Wherever lead is extracted, refined, or turned into essential products that keep economies moving, the element leaves a poisonous legacy behind.

This issue is particularly troubling in Évin-Malmaison, a small village in France where contamination from lead refining has left the surrounding environment so damaged that farms, schools, parks, and homes now sit on ground that is too toxic to be safe for families. A team of journalists and scientists have taken up an effort to study and document the area – especially the effect of lead poisoning on the IQ levels of the local children – so as to reveal not just the environmental impacts of lead, but also its more damaging effects on the quality of life of Évin-Malmaison’s residents.

About the Speaker

Dr. Morrone is a professor and coordinator of the nationally accredited Environmental Health Science program at Ohio University and the Chair of the Department of Social and Public Health. She is the author of numerous books and papers about the health impacts from environmental exposures with a specific focus on health equity and environmental justice.

 

 

Check out the rest of our line-up of Sustainability Films

The series is made possible thanks to the support of: University Libraries, Honors Tutorial College, Office of Sustainability, and The Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program.

Learn more about the Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program’s 50th Anniversary

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Running Time: 53 MIN53 MIN
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The Met: Live in HD: Offenbach’s LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN

An ensemble of leading lights take the stage for Jacques Offenbach’s fantastical final work, headlined by tenor Benjamin Bernheim in the title role of the tormented poet. Hoffmann’s trio of lovers are sung by soprano Erin Morley as the mechanical doll Olympia, soprano Pretty Yende as the plagued diva Antonia, and mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine as the Venetian seductress Giulietta. Marco Armiliato conducts Bartlett Sher’s evocative production, which also features bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the Four Villains and mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya in an important company debut as Hoffmann’s friend Nicklausse.

The screening will begin at 12:55 p.m. and will conclude at approximately 5:00 p.m.

Admission $20 (Senior $18, Children $8)

OHIO Students Free with valid ID*

*Thanks to support from Arts for OHIO, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE student tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Must have valid student I.D.

Click here to view the rest of the Met: Live in HD schedule

Special thanks to George Weckman and the following supporters:

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Running Time: 245 MIN245 MIN
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Sustainability Series: FOOD AND COUNTRY with Dr. Sarah C. Davis

Watch Trailer Director: Laura Gabbert
Cast: Ruth Reichl, Grant Achatz, Reem Assil, Eric Deeble

As a a well-known chef, author, critic, editor, and TV personality, Ruth Reichl has spent her media career bringing the subject of food to the forefront of popular culture. In recent years, she has become more and more concerned about the rising trend of processed food flooding the country’s stores and tables. Moreover, Reichl sees the effects that this trend is having on American farmers, ranchers, chefs, and other food-centric workers who make a living trying to put wholesome food into America’s kitchens. In Food And Country, director Laura Gabbert follows Ruth Reichl as she travels across the nation (and across political and social divisions) to examine the crisis of our broken food system and speak with the people on the front lines who are trying to do something about it.

About the Speaker

Dr. Sarah C. Davis is a professor of environmental studies in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service at Ohio University, and is an expert in ecosystem ecology and bioenergy systems. She researches system-level energy conversion efficiency, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and greenhouse gas fluxes in managed ecosystems. Her work includes assessments of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) in drought-tolerant plants, perennial grasses, and system designs for waste and fertilizer management. Dr. Davis is author of over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She teaches courses in Ecology and Environmental Issues, Bioenergy, Environmental Science and Public Policy, and Strategies for Resilient Agriculture.

Check out the rest of our line-up of Sustainability Films

The series is made possible thanks to the support of: University Libraries, Honors Tutorial College, Office of Sustainability, and The Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program.

Learn more about the Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies Program’s 50th Anniversary

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Running Time: 100 MIN100 MIN
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ENO – Special Screening, One-Night-Only!

Watch Trailer Director: Gary Hustwit
Cast: Brian Eno

Join us on Thursday, October 10th for a special one-night-only, one-of-a-kind screening of the career-spanning documentary about musician/multi-media artist Brian Eno!

Come and be part of an event shared simultaneously with art house cinemas all across the nation!

Whether you realize it or not, you’re probably a huge fan of Brian Eno. In addition to creating some of the most groundbreaking albums of the past 50 years, Eno has also produced critically-acclaimed albums from many of the world’s most influential bands and performers – acts as wide-ranging as Roxy Music, U2, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Seun Kuti, and countless others. He even created the unmistakable startup sound for the Microsoft Operating System. So, chances are, if you don’t think you’re familiar with Eno’s work, you’ve actually heard the results of his artistic labors.

A self-described “non-musician”, Brian Eno helped to pioneer the establishment of many genres like ambient music, new wave and no wave, art rock, and electronica, all the while approaching his solo and collaborative projects from a uniquely philosophical and method-based standpoint rather than relying on any inherent musical talent. The results have been a consistent flow of remarkable music and visual art that has kept him at the forefront of an industry where true creativity is often in short supply.

Filmmaker Gary Hustwit, with unparalleled access to Eno’s vast audio and visual archive (including hundreds of hours of never-before-heard/seen material), has assembled ENO, a career-spanning documentary that takes viewers inside the life and mind of one of the most creative and prolific musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. Moreover, in keeping with Eno’s penchant for using generative technologies to create A/V art projects that unfold uniquely each time they are exhibited, Hustwit’s film uses bespoke software that rearranges the scenes, interviews, transitions, and music for each unique showing of ENO – in other words, no two screenings of the film will be exactly alike. In fact, it has been estimated that there are potentially 52 quintillion different versions of the film to be seen!

Our screening of ENO will include a 15-20 minute on-screen, pre-recorded Q&A with director Gary Hustwit

 

 

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Running Time: 105 MIN105 MIN
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There’s a pure joy to this documentary, a sense that creativity is miraculous and we ought to be grateful that we get to participate in it.

Alissa Wilkinson
The New York Times
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POOR THINGS: Last Day Thursday, February 8th

Watch Trailer Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Writer(s): Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo
Awards: Venice Int'l Film Fest - Golden Lion

A steampunk fantasy with a black-comedy bent, Poor Things is the story of Bella, a young dead girl resurrected by her guardian, the scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. As she sheds her naïveté, her eagerness to discover the wonders of the world leads her to run off with a hedonistic lawyer to explore not only the globe but also her inner self. Bizarre, visually stunning, and critically-acclaimed, Poor Things is, at its heart, a tale of the liberation of the spirit.

From the visionary mind of Academy Award-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favorite), this film features a cosmopolitan ensemble cast including such Hollywood heavy-weights as Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo.

 

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Running Time: 141 MIN141 MIN
Closed Captioning is available for this film. Open Captioning is available for this film. Listening Aids are available for this film. Descriptive Aids are available for this film. This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

This grand buffet of a film, likely the year's most audacious effort and certainly one of its best, comes from visionary director Yorgos Lanthimos and is his most out-there film yet.

Adam Graham
Detroit News
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