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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
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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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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The Met: Live in HD: Jeanine Tesori’s GROUNDED

Tony Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori’s powerful new opera premieres at the Metropolitan Opera, wrestling with often-overlooked issues created by 21st-century war-making: the ethical conflicts created by the use of modern military technology and the psychological and emotional toll supposedly safe remote technology takes on our servicepersons. Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo stars as the hot-shot fighter pilot whose unplanned pregnancy takes her out of the cockpit and lands her in Las Vegas, operating a Reaper drone halfway around the world. American tenor Ben Bliss costars as the Wyoming rancher Eric in a production by Michael Mayer that brings this story to life in a high-tech staging which presents a variety of perspectives on the action. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Tesori’s kaleidoscopic opera.

The screening will begin at 12:55 p.m. and will conclude at approximately 3:40 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: 165 MIN165 MIN
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Sustainability Series: FARMING WHILE BLACK with Tony Noble

Watch Trailer Director: Mark Decena
Cast: Leah Penniman, Blain Snipstal, Karen Washington

At the turn of the 20th century in America, the proportion of Black-owned farms was roughly 1-in-7. Today, however, that number has fallen precipitously to about 1-in-50. In 2018, author Leah Penniman, an educator, food-sovereignty activist, and co-founder of the Soul Fire Farm, penned a book called Farming While Black that examines this trend and reflects on the plight of Black farmers in the US. Through her efforts to educate, her activism, and now through this documentary from filmmaker Mark Decena (Dopamine, Watershed), Leah and others seek to inspire a new generation of Black farmers with a deeper understanding of the legacy of African agrarianism — and how this legacy may hold the key to saving the planet.

About the Speaker

Anthony Noble is a manager at the OHIO Student Farm where he integrates his love of teaching, nature and healthy living. He has studied engineering, urban planning, permaculture, conflict resolution, herbs and many other things that have peaked his curiosity. Tony believes play and creativity are essential to understanding and pursuing regenerative 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: 77 MIN77 MIN
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From the Hills and Hollers: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS with Dr. Tiffany Arnold

Watch Trailer Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Awards: Oscar - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay

Jodie Foster stars as FBI agent Clarice Starling who is tasked with investigating a string of murders involving overweight women that appears to be the work of an emerging serial killer. To gain insight into the psychological profile of the suspect, Starling pays a visit to Dr Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, a highly-intelligent ex-forensic psychiatrist who himself has been incarcerated in a mental hospital for his predilection for killing (and eating) a series of victims. As the Starling inches ever closer to her quarry, she steps deeper into the Lecter’s sphere of influence and has to fight hard to stay out from under his spell.

Silence of the Lambs swept the Academy Awards upon its release in 1991, winning 5 of the top honors. Not only has it been recognized as one of the best films of all-time, the character of Clarice Starling (as portrayed by Foster) has been ranked as the “greatest heroine in film history” by the American Film Institute: Foster expertly conveys Starling’s back-story as a young woman with roots in rural West Virginia, showing that a person from Appalachia is capable of overcoming insurmountable odds.

About the Speaker

Dr. Tiffany Arnold is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the College of Health Sciences and Professions where she coordinates the Appalachian Studies Undergraduate and Graduate Certificate Programs. Additionally, she teaches Public Health and Environmental Health Courses Focused on Appalachian studies.

One of Dr. Arnold’s interests is the way that the Appalachian Region is portrayed in films and in the media, and she draws upon this interest to help others think critically about their own perceptions of the region and most importantly, where these ideas come from. She will be discussing both the common and unlikely ways that Appalachian culture appears in the film “The Silence of the Lambs”. A film that is not often thought of as a representation of Appalachia.

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: 118 MIN118 MIN
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Horror In Color: TALES FROM THE HOOD

Watch Trailer Director: Rusty Cundieff
Cast: Clarence Williams III, Corbin Bernsen, Rosalind Cash

One Night Only: Friday, October 25th 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 riff 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!

About the Film

With its prefect fusion of horror and black comedy, Tales From The Hood is a laugh-out-loud 90’s classic that weaves together an anthology of four stories that deal with issues related to life in the inner city. Clarence Williams III (“Link” from The Mod Squad) stars as “Mr Simms”, an eccentric, drug-dealing funeral parlor owner who encounters Stack, Ball, and Bulldog – three gangstas who come to the parlor for a hook-up – and takes the young G’s on a tour of the stories associated with the bodies awaiting their final resting place.

The stories include: “Rogue Cop Revelation”, a tale about the revenge of a murdered civil rights activist who haunts some perpetrators of police corruption; “Boys Do Get Bruised”, a voodoo-esque story about a boy who suffers domestic abuse from his mother’s boyfriend; “KKK Comeuppance”, a racist politician is tormented by an evil doll; and “Hard-Core Convert”, a homicidal gangster is sent to prison where he is torturously forced to atone for killing so many innocent black people from his own community.

With its nod to classic anthologies like Tales From The Crypt and Dead of Night, this fun film is an excellent mix of edge-of-your-seat horror and biting satire. The supporting cast includes Corbin Bernsen, Tom Wright, Brandon Hammond, David Alan Grier, and Rosalind Cash; and, the soundtrack is rife with great rap songs from some of the best artists of the genre, including Wu-Tang Clan, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, MC Eiht, and Gravediggaz.

 

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: 98 MIN98 MIN
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McCarey for Progress Campaign Event: Special Screening of HEAD OF STATE

Watch Trailer Director: Chris Rock
Cast: Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Robin Givens

Join us Friday, November 1st at 7:00 p.m. for a special campaign event featuring a screening of Chris Rock’s 2003 political comedy Head of State!

This is an exciting opportunity to gather together in the final days of Micah McCarey’s campaign for Ohio’s House of Representatives, District 95. Come for laughs, camaraderie, and to show your support for a candidate who’s committed to progress and positive change in our community.

Admission is free and open to the public – Tickets are still required

Meet-and-Greet: 7:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Film Begin: 7:30 p.m.

About the Film

Written and directed by Chris Rock, Head of State tells the story of Washington, DC alderman Mays Gilliam who finds himself unexpectedly chosen to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States when the original nominees for prez and vice-prez are accidentally killed in a plane crash. Gilliam is considered a local hero because he selflessly saved the life of a woman who fell victim to an explosion, and the Dems think that, even though he is not likely to win, Gilliam’s visibility will serve their chances for a victory in an election down the road. Plus, he’s infinitely likeable! When Mays finds himself actually rising in the polls, he starts to take his campaign seriously and begins to speak his mind about what he thinks are the real problems facing the country…in the hilarious way that only Chris Rock can!

 

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Running Time: 95 MIN95 MIN
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OU School of Film: 2ND YEAR MFA SCREENING

Come celebrate the excellent work of budding filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film’s 2nd-year MFA Program!

Saturday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m.

The event is FREE and open to the public – Tickets are required for entry

The screening will consist of a series of short films created exclusively by film students who are completing their second year in the School of Film MFA 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!

The Films and Filmmakers

The Lost Party by Aram Riazi. Runtime: 21 min

Synopsis: After the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of morality police in Iran, three Iranian women living abroad confront feelings of homesickness, loneliness, and alienation. Their stories reflect the emotional toll of displacement, as they yearn for a homeland they can no longer fully return to.

 

 

Christ Complex by Constanze Brodbeck. Runtime: 5 min 10 secs

Synopsis: Connie explores her relationship to the divine during Easter season.

 

 

 

Janet by James Joseph Valiyakulathil. Runtime: 14 min

Synopsis: Janet, a 17-year-old from a rural town, realizes her water has broken during a late-night shift at her retail job. Panicked, she drives toward a distant hospital, but the journey is too long. Alone and terrified, she delivers her baby in the car, deep in the middle of the forest, transforming her life forever.

 

 

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Henna Stain by Nimco Yuusuf. Runtime: 14 min 33 sec

Synopsis: Magool, a first-generation Somali-American, exists in two worlds – the Somali and the American worlds. As an interpreter, she experiences firsthand the clash between the two worlds, which makes her question her place in the two spaces and the place of women in Somali culture.

 

 

Flower Thief by Peter Owusu. Runtime: 15 min 11 sec

Synopsis: Flower Thief tells the captivating story of Kofi, a teenage boy who sells flowers on the bustling streets of Athens after stealing from graves. His life takes an otherworldly turn when he becomes trapped in the underworld. To escape his ghostly existence, Kofi must navigate the transformative power of selfless acts, ultimately finding hope in the most unlikeliest of  places.

 

First Date by Mira Steuer. Runtime: 3 min 56 sec

Synopsis: A young man drives his grandmother to her first date since the death of her husband.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sustainability Series: THE VELVET QUEEN with Kristeena Blaser

Watch Trailer Director: Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier

Award-winning wildlife photographer Vincent Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson join together to comb the frigid highlands of Tibet on a quest to track down and document the region’s elusive big cat – the snow leopard. The two Frenchmen learn hard lessons of patience and perseverance while enduring the harsh environs in the hopes of revealing the beauty and magnificence of this rarely-seen phantom of the mysterious mountains. It is a journey that compels them to reflect upon not only their own individual humanity, but also the larger role that humans play in the grand scheme of life on Earth. For anyone who has read Peter Matthiessen’s National Book Award-winning account of his similar attempt at making contact with Nepal’s snow leopard in the 1970’s, The Velvet Queen promises a visually satisfying experience equivalent to Matthiessen’s literary one.

About the Speaker

Kristeena Blaser graduated from Ohio University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a focus on environmental, sustainability and climate change politics. She received her Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Ohio University in 2017. While attending graduate school, she worked as a graduate assistant for the Office of Sustainability at Ohio University. She also worked as a GSI technician, landscape and maintenance worker, and a research assistant for an anerobic digestion project. While also working at the on-campus recycling center and compost facility when time permitted. Since graduation, she has worked as the Sustainability Coordinator for Aramark at Kent State University within their Dining Services department, as the Sustainability Coordinator at Oklahoma State University, and since March of 2023 has served as the Director of Sustainability for the Columbus Zoo Family of Parks.

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: 92 MIN92 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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