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Fall Sustainability Series: TAKING ROOT: THE VISION OF WANGARI MAATHAI

Watch Trailer Director: Alan Dater, Lisa Merton
Cast: Wangari Maathai

About the film

Taking Root tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy—a movement for which this charismatic woman became an icon and an international inspiration. This film, by co-directors Alan Dater and Lisa Merton, weaves a compelling and dramatic narrative of one woman’s personal journey in the context of the turbulent political and environmental history of her country.

About the series

Athena Cinema, University Libraries, and OHIO’s Environmental Studies Program present the 11th annual Sustainability Film Series.

This year’s batch of films will be centered on reflecting the urgency of what is before us. After a decade of screening movies and hosting discussions led by experts from the OHIO student body and faculty and the Athens community detailing the problems facing the world, this semester’s focus will be on solutions.

The films will demonstrate that a collaborative approach to problem-solving — involving all members of our global community, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender — is a necessity. Education is the first crucial step in both understanding the world’s problems and developing sustainable solutions.

Following the screening of each of these beautiful, thought-provoking, and timely films, audience members are invited to join us for a panel discussion hosted by OHIO faculty members, students, and members of the Athens community.

This screening will take place at The Ridges Auditorium located at 135 Ridges Circle.

The series is possible thanks to the support of: Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, OHIO Honors Program, Honors Tutorial College, Cutler Scholars, Office of Sustainability, Center for Campus & Community Engagement, University College, Athens International Film and Video Festival, and beloved nonprofits and businesses.

Free admission and post-show discussion as part of the Fall Sustainability Series.

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Running Time: 81 MINS81 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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The Met: Live in HD: Jake Heggie’s DEAD MAN WALKING

American composer Jake Heggie’s compelling masterpiece, the most widely performed new opera of the last 20 years, sees its premiere at the Met: Live in HD in a haunting new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie’s beautiful and poignant music and a brilliant libretto by Terrence McNally. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato starring as Sister Helen. The outstanding cast also features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher, soprano Latonia Moore as Sister Rose, and legendary mezzo-soprano Susan Graham—who sang Helen Prejean in the opera’s 2000 premiere—as De Rocher’s mother.

Due to the current repairs going on at the Athena Cinema, this program will be presented as a pre-recorded encore at the Ridges Auditorium. The screening starts at 12:55pm and is estimated to end at 4:09pm. 

Content Advisory: Dead Man Walking contains a depiction of a rape and murder, as well as other adult themes and strong language.

Admission $20 (senior $18, children $8)

OHIO Student: Free

Thanks to Arts for OHIO, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE student tickets available on 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: 194 MIN194 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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From the Hills and Hollers: MATEWAN with Christy Zempter

Watch Trailer Director: John Sayles
Cast: Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham

About the film

Filmed on location in the coal country of West Virginia, “Matewan” takes the audience inside the gritty world of labor union organizing during the early part of the 20th century. Inspired by true events that took place in “Bloody Mingo” County in 1920, John Sayles’ critically-acclaimed film follows the efforts of union organizer Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper) and scab “Few Clothes” Johnson (James Earl Jones) who join forces with the local mayor and police chief to push back against the bosses, hired thugs, and spies of the Stone Mountain Coal Company who threaten to break a strike initiated by the town’s coal miners to petition the company for fair treatment, safe working conditions, and worker’s rights.

About the speaker

Christy Zempter is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Shawnee State University and a native Appalachian. Prior to the screening, she will briefly discuss the significance of the events represented in Matewan in the context of a regional tradition of organized labor and demands for economic justice that continue today.

About the series

Due to the resounding success of the series launch during 2022-2023, we are thrilled to present the 2nd annual From the Hills and Hollers: Appalachian Film Series for 2023-2024.

The series seeks to foster a deeper connection between the Athens city and university communities and the cultural legacy of the surrounding region through films that examine the many facets, both positive and negative, of life in Appalachia. This batch of films is, in large part, the product of filmmakers who have intimate knowledge of living in this environment and, as a result, are well-suited for representing the realities of Appalachia on the big screen.

Short introduction/lectures will provide context for the film and introduce the underlying issues represented in film and other media. All events in the series are presented with free admission.

This screening will take place at the Ridges Auditorium located at 135 Ridges Circle.

This series is sponsored by the College of Health Sciences and Professions, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, OHIO Honors Program, Center for Campus and Community Engagement, Athens County Public Libraries, University Libraries, GO Local, University College, the Center for Law, Justice, and Culture, and the Ohio Arts Council.

 

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Running Time: 132 MIN132 MIN
PG-13 Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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The Met: Live in HD: Anthony Davis’s X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X

Anthony Davis’s groundbreaking and influential opera, which premiered in 1986, finally sees its premiere at the Met! Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an Everyman whose story transcends time and space. An exceptional cast of breakout artists and young Met stars enliven the operatic retelling of the civil rights leader’s life. Baritone Will Liverman, who triumphed in the Met premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, sings Malcolm X, alongside soprano Leah Hawkins as his mother, Louise; mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis as his sister Ella; bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as his brother Reginald; and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Kazem Abdullah conducts the newly revised score, which provides a layered, jazz-inflected setting for the esteemed writer Thulani Davis’s libretto.

Due to the current repairs going on at the Athena Cinema, this program will be presented as a pre-recorded encore at the Ridges Auditorium. This screening starts at 12:55pm and is estimated to end at 4:17pm.

Admission $20 (senior $18, children $8)

OHIO Student: Free

Thanks to Arts for OHIO, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE student tickets available on 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: 222 MIN222 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Holiday Film Series: ELF

Watch Trailer

This event will be held at The Ridges Auditorium. See event schedule below.

About the film

Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a regular-sized man who was raised as an elf by Santa Claus. When the news is finally broken to Buddy that he’s not a real elf, he decides to head back to his place of birth, New York City, in search of his biological family.

Schedule of Events:

12:00-3:30 Take a ride with John Hutchison and his beautiful Percheron horses. John will share information about the history of the Ridges. Just the sounds of the jingle bells and hooves on the bricks puts us in the holiday mood.

12:30 Join us for a performance from the Ohio University Trombone Choir

1:00 & 3:00 We will be screening ELF two times to ensure that everyone will have a chance to laugh out loud to this Christmas Favorite.

About the series

Athena Cinema, Arts for Ohio, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Athens Uptown Business Association present the 11th annual Holiday Film Series & Canned Food Drive!

As is tradition, admission to all Holiday Film Series showings is either a non-perishable food or cash donation supporting Athens Food Pantries. Tickets are available starting now, both in-person and online! Online purchases have the option for a cash donation.

Click here to view the other films coming to this year’s Holiday Film Series.

 

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Running Time: 107 MIN107 MIN
PG Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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The Met: Live in HD: Daniel Catán’s FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS

Sung in Spanish and inspired by the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s 1996 opera tells the enchanting story of a Brazilian opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house of Manaus—and to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle. The performance stars soprano Ailyn Pérez as Florencia Grimaldi, with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium to lead a spellbinding new production by Mary Zimmerman that brings the mysterious and magical realm of the Amazon to the Met stage. A distinguished ensemble of artists portray the diva’s fellow travelers on the river boat to Manaus, including soprano Gabriella Reyes as the journalist Rosalba, bass-baritone Greer Grimsley as the ship’s captain, baritone Mattia Olivieri as his enigmatic first mate, tenor Mario Chang as the captain’s nephew Arcadio, and mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera and baritone Michael Chioldi as the feuding couple Paula and Álvaro.

Due to the current repairs going on at the Athena Cinema, this program will be presented as a pre-recorded encore at the Ridges Auditorium. This screening starts at 12:55pm and is estimated to end at 3:30pm.

Admission $20 (senior $18, children $8)

OHIO Student: Free

Thanks to Arts for OHIO, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE student tickets available on 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: 155 MIN155 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Holiday Film Series: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Watch Trailer

This event will be held at The Ridges Auditorium on Saturday, December 23rd at 5:00 p.m.

About the film

Frank Capra’s classic stars the great James Stewart as George Bailey, the eternally-in-debt manager of his late father’s bank in the typical American small town of Bedford Falls. Long considering himself a failure and now facing financial ruin, George concludes that his life is not worth living when an angel sent from Heaven arrives to show him how life would be in Bedford Falls if he never existed.

About the series

Athena Cinema, Arts for Ohio, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Athens Uptown Business Association present the 11th annual Holiday Film Series & Canned Food Drive!

As is tradition, admission to all Holiday Film Series showings is either a non-perishable food or cash donation supporting Athens Food Pantries. Tickets are available starting now, both in-person and online! Online purchases have the option for a cash donation.

Click here to view the other films coming to this year’s Holiday Film Series.

 

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Running Time: 130 MIN130 MIN
PG Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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The Met: Live in HD: Verdi’s NABUCCO

Ancient Babylon comes to life in a classic Met staging of biblical proportions. Baritone George Gagnidze makes his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska reprising her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor SeokJong Baek are Fenena and Ismaele, whose love transcends politics, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy repeats his celebrated portrayal of the high priest Zaccaria. Daniele Callegari conducts Verdi’s exhilarating early masterpiece, which features the ultimate showcase for the great Met Chorus, the moving “Va, pensiero.”

Due to the current repairs going on at the Athena Cinema, this program will be presented as a pre-recorded encore at the Ridges Auditorium. This screening starts at 12:55pm and is estimated to end at 4:01pm.

Admission $20 (senior $18, children $8)

OHIO Student: Free

Thanks to Arts for OHIO, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE student tickets available on 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: 186 MIN186 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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A TRIP TO THE ATHENA: Paint & Sip

Calling all cinephiles and dreamers!

Join us for a movie-themed Paint & Sip event inspired by Méliès’ iconic 1902 silent film A TRIP TO THE MOON. Register for this two-hour paint lesson and bring home your own 16×20 A TRIP TO THE MOON inspired painting.

Taught by Graduate Art Student, Brooke Ripley. Brooke will lead a 2 hour course using acrylics and exploring the technique of glazing to reflect the style of film colorization explored in early film. Brooke Ripley is a multimedia artist who works with speculative fiction to represent the experience of the climate crisis. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design, with minors in Art History and Social Practice, and is currently a third-year MFA candidate at Ohio University in the Painting and Drawing Department. Visit her website here.

“Laugh, my friends. Laugh with me, laugh for me, because I dream your dreams.”-George Méliès

We have very limited availability for our first class, so register today!  

SOLD OUT: Saturday, January 20th at 5:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT: Sunday, January 21st at 1:00 p.m.

 

 

Paintings will make a great holiday gift!

Registration for the course is $30.00 and includes all supplies for your 16×20 painting.

Or opt for one of our inclusive package:

$40—includes all supplies and 2 drinks of your choice (we offer a limited menu of beer, wine and seltzers, plus we will have mimosas)!

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Heroes In Color: BLACK PANTHER

Watch Trailer Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman
Awards: Oscar for Best Picture

About the film

T’Challa, prince of the hidden nation of Wakanda, must return to his homeland in the wake of his father’s death to assume the throne and take up the mantle of the “Black Panther”. Killmonger, a rival from another tribe, also returns, seeking to take the throne for himself and reveal Wakanda’s advanced technological secrets to the world at-large.

Starring the late-great Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, BLACK PANTHER won three Academy Awards and was the first superhero film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. It is the unquestionable jewel in the crown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Each show will feature added content such as trivia, introductions, raffles, themed drinks and more!

Seating and pre-show activities at 7:00 p.m., film start time 7:30 p.m.

About the series

The mission of this film series is to synergize education and entertainment, creating a unique experience for our community. At the heart of the Heroes in Color film series lies a commitment to celebrate voices and stories of people of color that have traditionally been marginalized within popular culture. By showcasing a kaleidoscope of cinematic heroes who reflect the spectrum of human stories, backgrounds, and aspirations, we strive to redefine heroism, proving that anyone, regardless of their origin, can rise to greatness.

Click here to view the other films coming to this year’s Heroes In Color series.

Sponsored by Ohio University Division of Diversity & Inclusion, Multicultural Center, Black Student Cultural Programming Board, Division of Student Affairs, Office of Global Affairs, Ohio Men of Excellence Network and Ohio Arts Council

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Running Time: 134 MINS134 MIN
PG-13 Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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