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The Athena is now open!

We have been closed since May to address some structural repairs with our building. The Athena opened in 1915 and these repairs were necessary to keep the theater thriving for years to come.

This will be a partial reopening. We will be showing films in our upstairs theater starting on Jan 5th. The two downstairs theaters will remain closed as work continues in those spaces. Those theaters are anticipated to reopen in a few months.

We are so delighted to bring film back to Court Street! Thank you to our amazing community for your patience and support during the closure.

First up, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON & ANATOMY OF A FALL. These will be very limited engagements so don’t wait to see them. Buy your tickets now. We only have access to one screen right now, so we are trying to fit as much cinema goodness in as possible. This means films that will have fewer show times. But this schedule will allow us to highlight more of best independent, world and critically acclaimed films coming out in 2023-2024!

See you at the movies!

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ORIGIN

Watch Trailer Director: Ava DuVernay
Writer(s): Ava DuVernay
Cast: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Nick Offerman

About the Film

ORIGIN tells the story of American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson as she sets out, in the grips of personal tragedy, to research and write her critically acclaimed nonfiction book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.

Written and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th), the film stars Aujanue Ellis-Taylor as Wilkerson, as well as Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, and Nick Offerman in supporting roles. Origin is not only a deep dive into the life of an exceptional journalist, it also examines the nature and deep roots of racism in America.

 

 

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Running Time: 135 MIN135 MIN
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MONSTER

Watch Trailer Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Writer(s): Yuji Sakamoto
Cast: Sakura Andō, Eita Nagayama
Awards: Best Screenplay - Cannes Film Festival

About the Film

When her son Mintao begins to exhibit strange behavior, single-mother Saori decides to investigate the matter. This leads her into a confrontation with one of Mintao’s school teachers; however, the truth behind Mintao’s acting-out ends up being more convoluted than Saori could have imagined.

Featuring the final score composed by renown Japanese film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (who sadly passed away just months before the film’s release, and to whom the film is dedicated), MONSTER is a gripping, poetic, and engaging drama that examines the way “truth” is perceived depending on one’s perspective. The film has been nominated for countless awards, and the script by Japanese playwright Yuji Sakamoto won the award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

 

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Running Time: 127 MIN127 MIN
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Haiku Contest

Let me get this straight:

Writing a movie haiku

wins me free popcorn?

…that’s the gist of it, yeah!

For the sixth year running, the Athena Cinema is accepting submissions of movie or theater-related haikus from the public for our Annual Haiku Contest.

Submissions will be accepted from Black Friday through noon on December 31st, 2024. The best haiku will be announced on New Year’s Day, and the winner will receive free popcorn at the theater for all of 2025! You might even get to see your haiku on our marquee…

You can enter by submitting your poem via the submission form below or email us at athenacinema@ohio.edu. Be advised that your Haiku must follow the 5/7/5 syllable count to be eligible. Inability to adhere to this format will disqualify your submission.

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HOLIDAY FILM SERIES

Support Athens Food Pantries!

Celebrate the holidays with loved ones!

Enjoy the nostalgia of classic holiday films on the big screen!

 

It’s the 12th annual Holiday Film Series & Canned Food Drive! The price of admission to each show is a non-perishable food or monetary donation to local food pantries.

 

We are always excited to bring you another batch of fun, family-friendly films that are sure to put you in a holiday mood! And, as an added bonus, this year’s series will take place here at The Athena now that all three of our theaters are back online. We hope you’ll join us in our annual celebration and fundraiser for the Athens County Food Pantries.

As always, admission is a canned good (or other non-perishable food product) or a cash donation to the Athens Food Pantry. You can bring in donations and pick up tickets to the movies ahead of time during the Athena lobby hours, or online.

Holidays Series Line-Up:

Friday, December 6th at 7:00 p.m. – Classic Christmas Shorts: Frosty the Snowman + Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Saturday, December 7th at 3:00 p.m. – Elf

Saturday, December 14th at 3:00 p.m. – National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

Saturday, December 21st at 3:00 p.m. – The Grinch (2018)

 

Sponsored by Athena Cinema, Arts for Ohio and Ohio Arts Council

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Sponsored by Ohio University's Department of Real Estate Management, Community Engagement and Economic Development.

Halloween Rooftop Double Feature: GHOSTBUSTERS and THE EXORCIST

Who ya gonna call…Ghostbusters or an exorcist?

Join us on the rooftop of the Athens City Parking Garage on Thursday, October 26th for our Halloween Rooftop Double Feature screenings of GHOSTBUSTERS and THE EXCORCIST! Admission is $12 for a single film or $20 for the double feature.

Seating Begins         7:00 P.M.

GHOSTBUSTERS       8:00 P.M.

THE EXORCIST       10:00 P.M.

GHOSTBUSTERS

After the members of a team of scientists lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become “ghostbusters” to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money. They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, a doorway that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction.

THE EXORCIST

In remembrance of William Friedkin, still dubbed SCARIEST movie of ALL time, THE EXORCIST is a tale of an exorcism based loosely on actual events. When young Regan starts acting odd — levitating, speaking in tongues — her worried mother seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest, however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert to help with the difficult job.

Admission is $12 for a single film or $20 for the double feature. Tickets cannot be shared or passed from one individual to another.

No outside concessions or alcohol permitted. Specialty cocktails and mocktails will be available for purchase, in addition to concessions.

We encourage patrons to bring blankets and layers. It gets chilly when the sun goes down.

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Running Time: 250 MIN250 MIN
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The Met: Live in HD

The 2025-2026 season of Metropolitan Opera performances returns to the Athena!

The Met: Live in HD is the Metropolitan Opera’s Peabody and Emmy Award–winning series of opera performances transmitted live from the stage of the Met into movie theaters worldwide.

Experience extraordinary opera performances live from the Metropolitan Opera in your local cinema. The season features live transmissions starring the greatest artists in opera.

All events feature intermissions.

Tickets “On Sale” Dates for the 2025-2026 Season:

Met Members – August 21, 2025

Athena Members – August 25, 2025

General Public – August 27, 2025

 

Special thanks to George Weckman and the following supporters:

 

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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
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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
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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
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