Ackland Film Forum
Ackland Film Forum: “A Face in the Crowd” (Elia Kazan, 1957)
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAbout the Film: The film debut of North Carolina’s own Andy Griffith, Elia Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd tells the story of Arkansas drifter Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, who rises to national attention after radio journalist Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) gives him a stint on the air. A brutal critique of celebrity populism, Kazan’s film…
Voter Registration at the Varsity
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesBefore the start of this evening's Politics on Film screening, local volunteers will be on site at the Varsity Theatre to register folks to vote in this fall's election, which will be held on Nov 5, 2024. Learn more about voter registration on the Carolina Votes webpage or on the North Carolina State Board of…
Ackland Film Forum: “Medium Cool” (Haskell Wexler, 1969)
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAbout the Film: Renowned cinematographer Haskell Wexler (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966); In the Heat of the Night (1967)) directed this film about a cynical Chicago TV news reporter (Robert Forster). Wexler anticipated the protests and riots outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention and wrote them into the script, resulting in a startling fusion…
Ackland Film Forum: “Being There” (Hal Ashby, 1979)
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAbout the Film: Chance, an unworldly gardener mistaken for a genius of political policy, is one of the most curious characters in American cinema. Director Hal Ashby’s film features a tour de force performance by actor Peter Sellers, with the excellent Shirley MacLaine and Melvin Douglas as supporting cast. The film will be introduced by…
Ackland Film Forum: “Election” (Alexander Payne, 1999)
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAbout the Film: Alexander Payne directed this adaptation of Tom Perotta’s 1998 novel on dirty politics in a high school election, which was inspired in part by the 1992 presidential race where George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot vied for the U.S. presidency. Sabotage, vandalism, ballot irregularities--all feature in this disturbing and hilarious…
Ackland Film Forum: “Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed” (Shola Lynch, 2004)
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAbout the Film: Shola Lynch’s remarkable documentary on Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 campaign to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee never felt more relevant. Energetic and celebratory, this film tells the story of the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and her mission: to transform American politics as…
Ackland Film Forum: Screening of “Velvet Goldmine”
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAckland Art Museum & UNC Film Studies Present: A Celebration of Christine Vachon Join us for a two-night event honoring Christine Vachon, one of independent cinema’s most fearless and influential producers! For more than three decades, Vachon has been at the forefront of American queer cinema and has championed bold, uncompromising stories that challenge filmmaking…
Ackland Film Forum: Christine Vachon in Conversation
Varsity Theatre 123 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesAckland Art Museum & UNC Film Studies Present: A Celebration of Christine Vachon Join us for a two-night event honoring Christine Vachon, one of independent cinema’s most fearless and influential producers! For more than three decades, Vachon has been at the forefront of American queer cinema and has championed bold, uncompromising stories that challenge filmmaking…
Ackland Film Forum: “Le Bonheur” (Agnès Varda, 1965)
Chelsea Theater 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Suite AB, Chapel Hill, United StatesOne of the leading directors of the French New Wave, Agnès Varda made her reputation with Cléo From 5 to 7 (1962), which tells the story of a singer who is waiting to receive test results that may indicate that she has cancer. But it’s Varda’s follow-up film, Le Bonheur, that actually creates a sense…
Ackland Film Forum: Color Triumphant in Silent Film
Chelsea Theater 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Suite AB, Chapel Hill, United StatesContrary to popular myth, color didn’t arrive to the movies when Dorothy landed in Oz. While Hollywood studios embraced black and white cinematography in the sound era, reserving the use of the complex, and expensive, Technicolor for only its biggest productions, filmmakers in the silent era embraced the use of color. Films were tinted using…