Refocus isn’t the only film festival in Iowa City this fall. Through the coming week, the Center for Afrofuturist Studies (CAS) is hosting its first film festival under the title Ordinary Survival. Held from Oct. 29 through Nov. 12, Ordinary Survival: CAS Film Festival is a chance to experience a cinematic journey of films discussing […]
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Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘My films are my voyage, and writing is home’: Werner Herzog proselytizes his love of poetry, reading and the U.S. Heartland after receiving local film award
More than 700 people filled Iowa City’s Englert Theatre on Sunday night to hear the legendary voice of Werner Herzog. The German filmmaker and author was greeted with nearly a minute of applause, and received two standing ovations before the night was out. The event concluded both FilmScene’s second Refocus Film Festival and the 15th […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Werner Herzog joins John Irving in lineup for Refocus Film Festival
Organizers announced on Friday that renowned film director Werner Herzog (Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams) is coming to Iowa City as part of the Refocus Film Festival, Infinite Dream and the Iowa City Book Festival on Sunday, Oct. 15. His appearance, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Englert […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Theater Review: ‘Macbeth’ from Iowa City’s Willow Creek Theatre Company
What brings people back to the work of a 459-year-old playwright? Shakespeare’s legitimacy and relevance make for frequent debate among theater makers and audiences, evidenced by course catalogs and panel titles all over the world. This weekend, Willow Creek Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth, directed by Luke Alexander Brooks, focuses on Shakespeare’s powers as a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘I don’t want my kid to grow up in a culture that admires and rewards white supremacy’: Adeem the Artist set to play Iowa City on Friday
Adeem the Artist has declared this to be their “weird summer of chaos.” During a phone interview with Little Village, Adeem the Artist spoke quickly and eloquently, a gentle type of proselytizing that led them at one point to say, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to get to sing my songs and tell my story […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Q&A: Ukrainian filmmaker Maksym Melnyk on his debut doc ‘Three Women’
As a self-described “movie guy,” I’ve often found documentaries a tough genre to break into. My biases often paint them as bleak or sterile looks at how the human race is failing one another. Movies are my means of escaping those harsh realities. Maksym Melnyk is not interested in painting that picture though. His portrait […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘She’s a baller, she’s a go-getter, she’s fierce’: How Cara Viner grew from beginner to owner at Hot House Yoga
A hint of incense and a comforting wave of warm air are guaranteed upon entering Hot House Yoga in Iowa City. The local business has been a staple of the area for decades, but it’s recently come under new ownership. Cara Viner is the new owner of both the Iowa City Hot House and the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Twelfth Night'(s): Two Iowa companies stage Shakespeare’s gender-bending rom-com as First Folio turns 400
It’s been 400 years since William Shakespeare’s First Folio was published. Released in 1623, the First Folio collected 36 of Shakespeare’s plays under the title Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies. Because of this collection, upward of a dozen plays that may have been lost to history were able to live on, including Twelfth […]
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Cedar Rapids Opera celebrates Juneteenth with new, kid-friendly show mixing Mozart and Charlie Parker
Since its early days, the Cedar Rapids Opera has sought to add original works to their repertoire. “I started the company 25 years ago,” said Dr. Daniel Kleinknecht, the opera’s founder, who still serves as artistic director. “It was an idea I had, kind of because in the ’80s, ’90s, so many of my friends […]
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‘If I don’t stick up for the drag queens, who’s gonna stick up for me?’: a Q&A with James McMurtry ahead of his sold-out Iowa City show
On tour promoting his latest album, The Horses and the Hounds, James McMurtry made headlines for wearing a dress. During his encore at a Nashville show in May, the 61-year-old Americana singer-songwriter donned a red dress while singing his 2002 track, “Red Dress.” He chose the outfit in protest of Tennessee’s recent anti-drag legislation, and […]
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Theater Review: ‘The Roommate’ at Riverside Theatre
The Roommate was penned by one of the most produced playwrights in the country right now, Jen Silverman, who received an MFA in playwriting at the University of Iowa. The show takes place in Iowa City and, for the first time now, is being staged here Though Silverman’s lived all over the world, Iowa must […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Wayback tours: Simon & Garfunkel sang ‘The Sound of Silence’ but a blown speaker made Paul cry out
This article is the fourth in a series looking back at concerts that shaped the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids’ musical imagination as they reach milestone anniversaries. On Friday, it will be 55 years since Simon & Garfunkel played the University of Iowa Field House. Bill Rohret still remembers that night clearly. It was his […]
