José Yugar-Cruz, an asylum-seeker from Bolivia the Trump administration has been attempting to deport the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since April, has secured release from ICE custody, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa (EMV) announced on Friday morning. According to the news release from the Iowa City-based nonprofit that assists and advocates for immigrants, Yugar-Cruz was […]
Eastern Iowa
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: ‘Natchez’ shows romanticized history, while sometimes comforting, is far creepier than the truth
When the trailer for the Best Documentary Feature winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, Natchez, first played at FilmScene, my initial, curious response was eclipsed by my partners’ who said, “I’ve been there. We had a family reunion there.” Even before watching the film, its themes of history and tourism were placed firmly on our lap, already haunting the theater. How far away was the past, really?
Posted inCommunity/News
The fourth Coralville Asian Festival brought together singers, dancers, drummers and dragons
The temperature in S.T. Morrison Park was already hitting 80 degrees when the sound of drumming started just after 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The heat, however, didn’t stop hundreds from turning out for the opening of the fourth annual Coralville Asian Festival (CAF). This year’s festival kicked off with a performance by the Soten […]
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Utilizing the Source’s basement of VHS tapes, Quad Cities creatives put a local spin on ‘Criterion Closet Picks’
The Video Home System, or VHS, format was introduced in the late ’70s, revolutionizing the way people consumed movies. DVD would usurp it at the turn of the century, of course, but you’re hard-pressed to find a Gen Xer or millenial without at least a little video cassette nostalgia. Gen Z has shown an appetite […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
With ‘IOWA,’ experimental composer Lia Ouyang Rusli pays tribute to Chris Wiersema, the IC music scene
Lia Ouyang Rusli is a prolific film composer who has scored A24’s Sorry, Baby and Problemista, HBO’s Fantasmas and several other films. She also releases albums as OHYUNG, her ongoing solo experimental project that encompasses pummeling noise, euphoric pop and ambient drones. In March 2026, she released her second ambient album, IOWA, which was inspired […]
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An Iowa ukulele player interviews a Hawaiian ukulele god ahead of their show at the Englert
Jake Shimabukuro is a world-renowned ukulele virtuoso whose career spans decades. His playing also became the source of one of YouTube’s earliest viral videos. A user uploaded a vid of Shimabukuro covering “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in April 23, 2006, a literal year [to the day] after the platforms first uploaded video.
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Playwright Emily Bohannon on trusting Riverside Theatre with ‘The Fiancé,’ inspired by her broken engagement
After more than a decade, Emily Bohannon, a graduate of the Juilliard Playwrights Program, finally got to see her play, The Fiancé, produced for the first time in Iowa City’s Riverside Theatre. The world premiere capped Riverside’s 2025-2026 season with a run of performances led by two of the theaters founders, Jody Hovland and Ron Clark. LV sat down with the playwright and screenwriter “dedicated to finding the deep humanity in complicated people.”
Posted inCommunity/News
Locals, elected officials protest effort to deport a Bolivian asylum-seeker with no criminal record to the Congo
“What has José done except ask for freedom from brutality?” Rev. Marc Schlegel-Preheim of First Mennonite Church of Iowa City asked at a protest in front of the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Thursday. About 100 people were gathered on the steps of the courthouse to support José Yugar-Cruz, a 37-year-old asylum-seeker from […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A project led by two Iowa City filmmakers, 13 years in the making, is welcome in both art galleries and film fests
Experimentation and chance are at the heart of Homegrown Stories, a 13-year online collaborative media project founded by local photographer and video artist Sandy Dyas and filmmaker LeAnn Erickson.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Beyond Fashion Festival returns this weekend to turn downtown IC spaces into runways and boutiques
Building off of their very first fest in 2025, the Wright House of Fashion returns to the streets of downtown Iowa City this weekend for the second Beyond Fashion Festival. The festivities kick off with an alleyway fashion show behind Studio 13 on Friday at 6 p.m. The streetwear fashion show will see a mix […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Using her gift of gab for good, Tiara Phillips hosts random social opportunities for Iowa City locals through Bitchin’ Events
Tiara Phillips invited the public to her 30th birthday party on Monday, April 20: a ’90s themed party at the Iowa City Big Grove. Instead of bringing her gifts, she requested attendees bring items such as cake mix, frosting, gift bags and blank birthday cards so she can build birthday kits to donate to the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with FilmScene’s Ben Delgado on the new Aquí y Allá Latin American Film Festival
My favorite interaction regarding FilmScene’s upcoming Aquí y Allá Latin American Film Festival is on an Instagram post promoting the snacks available during the fest. The post sports a cross-section of Latin American snacks found in a tienda near you; Ricolino Duvalín’s, Gansito cakes, Chupa Chups and more.
