The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution Iowa Memorial Union — Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. You couldn’t ask for better publicity: This past Sunday, Beyoncé took the field in a Superbowl halftime show that, among other things, paid visual homage to the Black Panther legacy. The backlash was swift and astounding. Even today […]
Film
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The Headroom series kicks off its third year with highlights from the Ann Arbor Film Festival
Headroom Screening Series Presents: 53rd Ann Arbor Film Festival 16mm Tour Franklin Miller Screening Room, Adler Journalism Building — Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. A touring collection of 13 short films makes its way to Iowa City on Friday from Ann Arbor, MI. The Ann Arbor Film Festival, founded in 1963, is the oldest […]
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New immigration and identity film festival launches in Des Moines
Define American Film Festival Des Moines Art Center — Thursday, Jan. 21–Saturday, Jan. 23 A new film festival kicks off in Iowa on Thursday, courtesy of the non-profit Define American, an organization dedicated to using stories and narrative to take the national conversation about immigration to the next level. Filmmaker and Define American founder Jose […]
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Celebrate Pete Seeger and his musical legacy this weekend
Legendary folk musician Pete Seeger died just two months ago at the age of 94. He not only gave the world songs like “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” and adapted “We Shall Overcome” into its now-familiar form, but also showed how music can be a tool for progressive politics. Both of these songs, for example, were anthems of the Civil Rights Movement, in which Seeger was an early, avid and vocal participant — despite having been blacklisted from television appearances during the communist witch hunts of the 1950s.
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Talking Movies: American Hustle is a surreal encounter with history, lies and strange romance
Surely there has never been a more provocative time to make a movie about deception, especially deception by the agencies of the US government. Had the…
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On a mission: Iowa woman hopes to bring multiple sclerosis documentary to IC
Faced with a debilitating inflammatory disease, one Iowa woman is working hard to bring a relevant documentary to the Iowa City area for one night only…
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The death of Tom Laughlin (1931-2013)
In the same week as Peter O’Toole and Joan Fontaine, writer/actor/director Tom Laughlin has died. The difference between Laughlin and the others — aside from the fact that they were better actors — is that he was more a man on a mission than someone chasing fame and celebrity. He was committed to the ideals […]
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Talking Movies: Looking beyond the controversy of Blue is the Warmest Color
Let me begin by giving my opinion on all the controversies surrounding the seven-minute-long lesbian sex scene in Blue Is the Warmest Color. My opinion is that it’s not worth my time to have opinions about silly controversies. The French title of Abdellatif Kechiche’s new movie, which is playing at the newly-opened FilmScene beginning Dec. […]
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Muscatine Independent Film Festival hopes to inspire local creators
Muscatine, Iowa will see its first-ever independent film festival this Saturday, complete with a green room, faux-paparazzi and a diverse selection of short films…
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FilmScene to host triple feature scarefest this Halloween
FilmScene is hosting a fright-filled triple feature at its Scene 1 theater in Downtown Iowa City this Halloween. The local non-profit has spent the last few days revealing…
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Talking Movies: What lurks behind fear?
Warning: In honor of Halloween, this edition of Talking Movies is very, very spooky. Those with weak or cowardly hearts should be apprised of the extreme amounts of spookiness contained herewithin.
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Iowa City documentarians expose the somber side of the gold mining industry in Guatemala
Gold Fever is about to hit Iowa City. Created by documentary filmmakers JT Haines, Tommy Haines and Andrew Sherburne, the movie examines the global economic…
