It’s an unofficial documentary week with three documentary features and a short doc (screening in Sundance Shorts 2021), so if you’re fan of the form, or if Labor Day has you thinking about how people work in the arts, this is a great week for you! We kick things off Tuesday (Sept 7) with Being a Human Person, a new documentary about Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson, whose latest film, About Endlessness, screened last week, the making of which is the focus of Being a Human Person.
On Wednesday, we show Sisters with Transistors (pictured), a great documentary about all the female electronic music pioneers you’ve likely never heard of, narrated by the always-excellent Laurie Anderson! We’ll be hosting a post-screening discussion with faculty members Kevin Ernste (Director of the Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center), Judith Peraino (Music), and Trevor Pinch (Science & Technology Studies). Highly recommended!!
Later in the week, we screen Questlove’s music doc about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised). This is a film to watch on a big screen with an excellent sound system, and luckily, we’ve got both! The Thursday night show will be introduced by professor Steve Pond (Music).
If you prefer your portrait of an artist lightly fictionalized, check out Tove, screening Friday & Sunday, about Finnish Moomins creator/illustrator Tove Jansson. It’s a luscious drama about a woman who defied post-War bourgeois norms to live with total artistic and sexual freedom.
We’re also screening a program of short films, Sundance Shorts 2021, Thursday & Saturday, and A Quiet Place II on Friday & Sunday.
It’s a great time to purchase our All-Access Pass* (offered online only), as we're running a special promotion for early purchases. We call it The Big Lebowski Challenge! Purchase one of our passes by midnight Wed, Sept 8, and you'll be entered to win a fabulous blow-up bowling set! We'll announce the winner by Sept 10.
* Per University guidance, our screenings are only open to members of the Cornell Community (students, faculty, staff & retirees) at this time. We are optimistic that conditions will allow us to open to the entire community by late September. To learn more about all our COVID-related policies, please visit here.
