2021-2022 Screenings

Please follow each hyperlink below to find more information on the film, discussants, and registration. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note that this academic year’s screenings and conversations will take place virtually. Screening of the films prior to the scheduled Zoom discussion is highly recommended.

Please visit the event page for each of our scheduled dates to learn more about each film, how to watch, and to register for the Zoom discussions.

The films and conversations are free and open to the public. Advance registration is required to join the Zoom discussions.

cinema 2021- 2022 schedule

Wednesday, October 27th, 6 PM

Exterminate All the Brutes

Exterminate All the Brutes is an eye-opening journey through time, offering an incisive look at the history of European colonialism in Africa and the Americas. The groundbreaking series explores the lasting impact of exploitation and genocide on society today, pushing the boundaries of traditional documentary filmmaking by weaving director Raoul Peck’s (I Am Not Your Negro) personal voyage into the darkest hours of humanity with scripted scenes starring Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor). Across four episodes, Peck deconstructs the making and masking of history, digs deep into the ideology of white supremacy, and challenges audiences to rethink the very notion of how history is written.

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Wednesday, November 10th, 6 PM

Bisbee '17

Bisbee ’17

It’s 2017 in Bisbee, Arizona, an old copper-mining town just miles from the Mexican border. The town’s close-knit community prepares to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bisbee’s darkest hour: the infamous Bisbee Deportation of 1917, during which 1,200 striking miners were violently taken from their homes, banished to the middle of the desert, and left to die.

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Wednesday, February 16th, 6PM

Dawnland

For decades, child welfare authorities have been removing Native American children from their homes to “save them from being Indian.” In Maine, the first official Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the United States begins a historic investigation. Dawnland goes behind-the-scenes as this historic body grapples with difficult truths, redefines reconciliation, and charts a new course for state and tribal relations.

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Wednesday, March 9th, 7 PM

No One Knows About Persian Cats

Two young musicians, Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad), are released from prison. They immediately immerse themselves in the underground rock scene in Tehran, Iran — “underground” because playing in public venues is outlawed. They plan to escape from their repressive country to play a concert in Europe, but first they need to find a rhythm section and some passports. They place their hope in Nader (Hamed Behdad), a savvy fixer who promises to get them to their gig.

Time has been changed from 6 PM to 7 PM (central)

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Wednesday, April 13th, 6 PM

Paris is Burning

(Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women–including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza–PARIS IS BURNING brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.

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Curated and Coordinated by ACC's own Dr. Mark D. Cunningham

Mark-Cunningham

Mark D. Cunningham is an Associate Professor in Radio-Television-Film at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. He received his PhD in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. He has contributed essays to national publications, several anthologies, and peer-reviewed journals focusing on such topics in film and television/media studies as John Singleton’s film Poetic Justice, Spike Lee’s semi-autobiographical film Crooklyn, actor/rapper/activist Ice T’s role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, alternative spaces of blackness in Barry Jenkins’ debut film Medicine for Melancholy, and the importance of black popular culture. He has also presented papers at nationally recognized cinema and media studies conferences, facilitated talk back sessions at community events, and participated in both media and education related panel discussions. Dr. Cunningham is currently writing a book on race, gender, and narrative in the trilogy of films about South Central Los Angeles written and directed by the late John Singleton to be published by Columbia University Press.