Northrop Announces 10-Event Film Series
By: Julie Musbach Jul. 15, 2019
Northrop announces its 2019-20 Film Series, featuring several award-winning films with diverse artistic voices from around the world. From a film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Beatles fan favorite Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the more recent The Hate U Give, the series includes cult classics and notable works exploring history, social issues, and arts performances.
These 10 film screenings complement Northrop's spectacular 2019-20 Dance Series events, providing deeper insight and context into the programs. Each film is presented in conjunction with the performances and explores the various thematic similarities audiences will see live throughout the season. The free screenings start at 6:30 pm in Northrop's Best Buy Theater on the fourth floor, with one exception at Trylon Cinema.
2019-20 Film Series Selections
Northrop Presents
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Film screening
Mon, Sep 16, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's The Great Gatsby
FREE and open to the public
Arguably one of the more faithful film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale, The Great Gatsby (1974) explores Jazz Age decadence and obsession. Directed by Jack Clayton, the film stars Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and Sam Waterson.
This screening is presented in partnership with the University Honors Program as part of their NEXUS experience and will feature a pre-screening lecture at 6:00 pm by Robert Silberman, professor of Art History in the College of Liberal Arts.
MPAA Rated: PG
2 hours, 24 minutes
Northrop Presents
Tap (1989)
Film screening
Wed, Oct 9, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with Dorrance Dance's Myelination
FREE and open to the public
Max Washington, an ex-convict recently released from jail, reconnects with his family and the community of dancers he left behind when he began a life of crime. Will he resist the pressure to return to his criminal ways or find redemption in dance?
Tap is writer/director Nick Castle's love letter to tap dancing. Starring Gregory Hines as anti-hero Washington, this movie also features Sammy Davis Jr. in his final film appearance as well as cameos by legendary tap dancers Bunny Briggs, Jimmy Slyde, and Harold Nicholas. Similar to the classic movie musicals that Tap shares cinematic DNA with, the plot is secondary to the amazing dancing that is the real star.
MPAA Rated: PG-13
1 hour, 51 minutes
Northrop Presents
Calvary (2014)
Film screening
Wed, Oct 16, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
Copresented with Walker Art Center
FREE and open to the public
Good-hearted priest Father James faces troubling circumstances brought about by a mysterious member of his parish. Although Father James continues to comfort his fragile daughter and help members of his church with their various problems, he feels a foreboding sinister force closing in and begins to wonder if he will have the courage to face his own personal Calvary. This dark comedy stars Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, and Chris O'Dowd, and was written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. Similar to the story of Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan's Swan Lake/Loch na hEala, Calvary's plot explores consequences of church abuse.
MPAA Rated: R
1 hour, 42 minutes
Northrop Presents
The Orator (O Le Tulafale) (2011)
Film screening
Wed, Oct 30, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with Black Grace's mixed repertory
FREE and open to the public
The Orator (O Le Tulafale) is a contemporary drama about courage, forgiveness, and love. Humble and small in stature, Sailli lives a simple life with his beloved wife and daughter in an isolated, traditional village on the islands of Samoa. Forced to protect his land and family, Saili must face his fears and speak up for those he loves. The film's exploration of Pacific Island culture and masculinity coincides with themes explored in Black Grace's program of mixed repertory by Samoan choreographer Neil Ieremia.
Rated M for Mature (violence and offensive language) by the New Zealand Film Commission.
1 hour, 50 minutes
In Samoan with English subtitles
Northrop Presents
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
Film screening
Thu, Jan 16, 7:00 pm
Trylon Cinema
In conjunction with Mark Morris Dance Group's Pepperland
FREE and open to the public
Reservations required for limited seating
What do you get when you cross a variety show with a rock opera? Loosely tying together The Beatles' seminal 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with a heaping helping of Abbey Road, this cult favorite features The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton as the Fab Four and George Burns as the narrator. Don't miss the cavalcade of cameos including Steve Martin, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, and Billy Preston nor the film's finale that re-creates the iconic album cover in a sing-along extravaganza.
In partnership with The Trylon, the Digital Cinema Package (DCP) print will be screened at 7:00 pm.
MPAA Rated: PG
1 hour, 53 minutes
Northrop Presents
George Balanchine Forever (2006)
Film screening
Wed, Feb 12, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with Ballet West's Jewels
FREE and open to the public
Filmed during the Paris Opera Ballet's 2006 production of Jewels, this documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at George Balanchine's first full-evening plot-less ballet. The film features clips of the company's performance and candid interviews with costume designer Christian Lacroix, principal dancers and artistic staff of the Paris Opera Ballet, and Barbara Horgan of the Balanchine Trust, providing historical and creative context to Balanchine's timeless work. Get a glimpse of this renowned work ahead of Ballet West's performance.
Not Rated by the MPAA
56 minutes
In French with English subtitles
Northrop Presents
The Hate U Give (2018)
Film screening
Wed, Feb 19, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham's mixed repertory
Copresented with Walker Art Center
FREE and open to the public
Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white prep school she attends. When Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer, she must find her voice and stand up for what's right despite pressures from all sides of the community. Based on the award-winning novel by Angie Thomas, the film stars Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, and Common. Similar to the themes present in choreographer Kyle Abraham's work, The Hate U Give addresses identity, history, community, and social justice issues.
MPAA Rated: PG-13
2 hours, 13 minutes
Northrop Presents
The Wrecker's Ball: Three Dances by Paul Taylor (1996)
Film screening
Wed, Mar 11, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with Paul Taylor Dance Company's The Celebration Tour
FREE and open to the public
Originally aired as part of PBS' Dance in America series, The Wrecker's Ball weaves together Paul Taylor's Company B, Funny Papers, and A Field of Grass into a narrative that follows a fictional theater called Danceland through the 1940s, '50s, and '60s before its demolition. Featuring the music of the Andrews Sisters and Harry Nilsson, this rare gem of Paul Taylor's work adapted for television is not available on streaming services or DVD/Blu-Ray. This screening is made possible with permission of WNET New York and Paul Taylor Dance Company.
Not Rated by the MPAA
56 minutes
Northrop Presents
Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
Film screening
Wed, Mar 25, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
In conjunction with Martha Graham Dance Company's The Eve Project
FREE and open to the public
Iron Jawed Angels is the true story of suffragist and so-called "new woman" Alice Paul and the defiant young activists who re-invigorated the women's suffrage movement before the passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Using contemporary music and cinematography, director Katja von Garnier pulls no punches showing the indignities and assaults these women endured to make their voices heard and to win the right to vote. The film stars Hillary Swank, Angelica Huston, Frances O'Connor, Margo Martindale, and Patrick Dempsey.
Not Rated by the MPAA - contains scenes of violence against women
2 hours, 3 minutes
Northrop Presents
The Dazzling Light of Sunset (2016)
Film screening
Wed, Apr 22, 6:30 pm
Best Buy Theater
FREE and open to the public This documentary follows journalist Dariko and her sidekick Khaka as they report on local personalities and cultural events for a television station in a small town in the country of Georgia. While balancing vague threats from politicians looking for more favorable coverage to criticism from the community for not covering its corruption enough, the journalists must also try to find the funding to stay in operation at all. The Dazzling Light of Sunset reveals a community forming an image of itself in its country's
chaotic process of transition from Soviet rule. Not rated by the MPAA
1 hour 14 minutes
In Georgian with English subtitles
Rooted in the belief that the arts are essential to the human experience, Northrop is committed to cultivating intersections between performing arts and education for the benefit of all participants now and for generations to come.
Artist and programs are subject to change.
Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.
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