Block Cinema, Northwestern Learning, Student Associates

Undergraduates draw on Block inspiration to form new Northwestern Cinematheque

As a freshman, Northwestern student Rowan McCloskey attended as many Block Cinema screenings as he could. As a sophomore, he became a Block Museum Student Associate (BMSA) after learning about the program through a posting in The Daily Northwestern’s e-newsletter.   “Both of those things really cemented my relationship with The Block,” he said. “And because […]

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Block Cinema

The Oil is Ours: Filmmaker Joana Pimenta on portraying national narratives [Video]

Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós’ visionary hybrid of documentary and science-fiction, Dry Ground Burning (2022) envisions an alternate present, in which a daring group of outlaw women pirates, refines and distributes petrol in the working-class neighborhoods of Bolsonaro’s Brazil. Between run-ins with inept security forces and tense negotiations with motorcycle-riding couriers, gang leader Chitara (Joana […]

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Block Cinema, Staff Stories

Block Cinema team named to NewCity Magazine’s Film 50 List

In December 2022, New City Magazine shared its list of the 50 most influential professionals in Chicago’s film and media community, including Block Cinema’s own Michael Metzger, Pick-Laudati Curator of Media Arts, and Malia Haines-Stewart, Associate Film Programmer. The magazine includes an essay articulating Block Cinema’s work and unique impact. Michael Metzger and Malia Haines-StewartPick-Laudati Curator of […]

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Block Cinema, Global Perspectives, Partnerships

Climate Crisis + Media Arts: Block Museum partners on Buffett Institute Global Working Group

What does climate change actually look and feel like? From forest fires in the American West and desertification in northern China to climate migration in coastal Louisiana and Latin America, the ongoing climate emergency is a global problem that demands radically new, collaborative modes of scholarship and creativity. For the past few years Michael Metzger, the […]

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Block Cinema

To Render the Infinite: Kevin Jerome Everson, Paige Taul, & zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal in conversation [Audio]

In May 2022, Block Cinema organized “To Render the Infinite,” a screening that brought together scholars and filmmakers to consider the role of the camera and the moving image in capturing and cultivating generational and familial relationships. The unique program connected the work of Kevin Jerome Everson, Paige Taul, & zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal in […]

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