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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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ALL OF US STRANGERS: Last Day Wednesday, February 21st

Watch Trailer Director: Andrew Haigh
Writer(s): Andrew Haigh
Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell

About the Film

Adam, a lonely writer living in a mundane London apartment block is immersed in writing a screenplay dealing with his parents who died 30 years ago. As a result, his day-to-day world is often one of surreal fantasies wherein his mother and father are still alive and residing in his childhood home. A chance encounter with Harry, his mysterious neighbor, leads to a passionate love affair that may be just the thing Adam needs to help him set aside his grief and return to a sense of reality.

Andrew Scott (Fleabag, 1917) and Paul Mescal star in Andrew Haigh’s adaptation of the critically-acclaimed 1987 Japanese novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Thematically rich and nuanced, the film and the cast have been nominated for and won numerous awards, including Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Direcor at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards.

 

 

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Running Time: 105 MIN105 MIN
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BEST IN SHOW: Fundraiser for Friends of the Shelter Dogs

Watch Trailer Director: Christopher Guest
Cast: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard

Come to the Athena for a special, pet-friendly screening event – it’s sure to be a dog-gone blast!

Wait…I can bring my dog to the Athena Cinema to watch a movie??! In a word…YES!!

Join us on Saturday, October 12th at 1:00 p.m. for a one-time screening of the classic canine comedy from Christopher Guest – BEST IN SHOW!

This event will be a fundraiser for the Athens County Friends of the Shelter Dogs organization. So, bring your own furry friend or simply come and hang out with adoptable dogs from the Athens County Dog Shelter…and, maybe think about taking one home.

Red Carpet Photos and more

Every dog can feel like Best in Show with their very own red carpet photo! During the first hour of the event, we’ll have a photographer standing by to shoot portrait photos of you and your pet on the red carpet. These keepsakes will be available for purchase for $5.

We’ll also have homemade doggie treats for your furry friends!

Admission for the film is $10 and includes a treat for your furry friend.

Red carpet photos are $5.

All proceeds will be donated to Friends of the Shelter Dogs.

Event Schedule

1 – 2pm: Open house (photos, treats, hang-out)

2pm: Film starts

2:45 – 3:15pm: Film intermission

4pm: Film ends

Requirements

All dogs must be on a regular, non-retractable leash. We require that all dogs be current with vaccinations and in good health. Aggressive dogs will not be welcome, so please be considerate of everyone’s safety and think twice before bringing your dog to the event.

About Friends of the Shelter Dogs

Friends of the Shelter Dogs is a is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides assistance to the dogs in the Athens County Dog Shelter by offering services like veterinary support for sick and injured dogs, spaying and neutering, rescue operations and promotion for potential adoption. All of this is done in order to save the lives of lovable dogs who are looking for a good home.

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Running Time: 90 MIN90 MIN
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OU School of Film: 1ST YEAR MFA SCREENING

Come celebrate the excellent work of budding filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film’s 1st-year MFA Program!

Saturday, October 12th at 7:00 p.m.

The event is FREE and open to the public. The screening will consist of a series of short films created exclusively by film students who are completing their first year in the Master of Fine Arts program. We’ve done these screenings numerous times, and the quality of work is always top-notch…you don’t want to miss this special event!

Films and Filmmakers

Red Flags by Salome Sulaberidze. Runtime – 8 min 24 sec

Synopsis: An amateur Chinese vlogger decides to document her day out in America, while reflecting on a harassment situation that left her feeling unsettles.

 

Eldritch by Deric Bucher-Reinholdtsen. Runtime – 5 min

Synopsis: A bright-eyed newcomer attends her first audition, but strange occurrences continue to happen in the waiting room.

 

Sorcerer by Zinn Rogers. Runtime – 1 min

Synopsis: Deep within the Sorcerer’s forest, dark spells are conjured.

 

Mido of the Bubbles by Andrew Bowman. Runtime – 8 min

Synopsis: A boy leaves home in the quiet Bubble Jungle in search of his aunt and a family heirloom she possesses in the distant Flashing City.

 

Silent Echoes by Gift Sukez Sukali. Runtime – 9 min 15 sec

Synopsis: A desperate mother, blackmailed into covering up a murder, must confront her deepest fears and navigate a deadly wilderness while her son’s life hangs in the balance.

 

Ernie by Chuck Sipps. Runtime – 6 min 19 sec

Synopsis: When he receives his estranged father’s ashes in the mail, Gabe is forced to come to terms with is dear old dad.

 

Carpool by Mohamed Esam Abouelenain. Runtime – 12 min

Synopsis: An elderly man offers free rides to university students, sharing stories of his lifelong love, unknowingly leaving a lasting mark on those he meets as he navigates his own journey of connection and loss.

 

A Dive Into Memories by Omnya Abdel Wahab. Runtime – 14 min 35 sec

Synopsis: After a tragic accident at Egypt’s Blue Hole takes the life of her best friend Sarah, proefssional diver Anna returns to the U.S., abandoning her diving career as she struggles with haunting memories. But, when a surprising offer comes her way, she’s forced to embark on an emotional journey to confront her past.

 

The Routine by MJ Golzari. Runtime – 22 min 3 sec

Synopsis: In a surreal world where conformity is enforced, a prisoner challenges the system by refusing to adhere to his daily routine, leading to a battle of wills that tests the limits of his resolve.

 

Little Big Sister by Alaa Al-Shameri. Runtime – 24 min 47 sec

Synopsis: A young girl must endure the weight of abandonment and rising responsibilities, all while caring for her brother and fight to survive.

 

The Omen by Abisola Mohammad. Runtime – 10 min

Synopsis: On her first day of work in a new country, Eva stumbles upon a squirrel statue, setting off a chain of chaotic events.

 

Luminescent by Bernard Agorsar. Runtime – 

Synopsis:

 

More Films May Be Added Soon, So Stay Tuned!

 

 

 

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Horror In Color: CANDYMAN

Watch Trailer Director: Bernard Rose
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd

One Night Only: Thursday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for a special event screening of the classic horror film from 1992!

Admission is FREE, but tickets are required

Halloween will be here before you know it! So, as a spin on the fantastic Heroes In Color Series we did earlier this year, we’ve teamed up once again with local movie-lovers Dr Gordon Briggs and Brandon Thompson to bring you a scarier version: Horror In Color!

Our special cocktail for the event will be “The Candyman’s Sweet Revenge – a riff on “The Bees Knees” with West End Distillery Eleven Square Dry Gin, honey, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice…yum!

Enter our raffle for a chance to win a sweet-as-honey Candyman tee or a wicked Candyman Funko Pop figurine!

We’ll also have a pre-show trivia contest, and we’d love for everyone to dress in costume…you know Gordon will!

About the Film

In her effort research a thesis on contemporary folklore and urban legends, grad student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) finds herself exploring Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project as she seeks to track down more info on the mysterious “Candyman” – a murderous, hook-handed boogeyman who is said to appear out of nowhere if someone utters his name five times in front of a mirror. Skeptical at first, Lyle figures the story to simply be a coping mechanism for the downtrodden residents. However, when a Lyle unearths more of the story, she ends up getting more than she bargained for as she comes face to face with The Candyman himself!

Directed by Bernard Rose (Paperhouse, Immortal Beloved), this classic horror film was adapted from a short story by horror icon Clive Barker and features an excellent performance by Tony Todd (Platoon, Star Trek: TNG, Star Trek: DS9). Three decades later, both the film and the character continue to rank highly on horror film-related “Best Of” lists.

 

This event has been made possible by the following sponsors: The Mathson Family and The Pub, The Ohio University Division of Diversity & Inclusion, and The Ohio Arts Council

 

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Running Time: 99 MIN99 MIN
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