John Waters is an acclaimed director who is known for subversive films that challenge mainstream ideals of social and moral standards. The “Pope of Trash” is a DMV native, born and raised in the suburbs of Baltimore. His religious, upper-middle class upbringing was a mold that he never fit into, eliciting fasciation with unordinary, and […]
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AU Alums on the Silver Screen
AU isn’t just a Capitol Hill breeding ground—it’s also the alma mater of a number of acclaimed actors, writers, and directors of whom you may have heard. Here are a few AU alumni in the entertainment industry with works you can check out from our collection. Caroline AaronActor and playwright Caroline Aaron graduated from AU […]
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Remembering David Lynch
David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker and artist renowned for his surrealist style in movies and television, has passed away January 16th, 2025, at the age of 78. Though he eventually became known for his cinematic works, he initially wanted to become a painter. His interest in creating short films led him to discover his passion […]
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You can shoot amazing video with your smartphone
We’re always saying you don’t need the most complicated equipment to create great videos. Case in point, Apple hired Japanese director Takashi Miike to create a short film, using the new iPhone 15. Of course since it’s Miike, there’s a talking hand puppet that shoots to kill. Check out the results on Youtube. Your mileage […]
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Upcoming DC Environmental Film Festival!
As we come into spring, it’s delightful to see the growing green and budding blossoms that begin to reappear throughout the DC area. If nature intrigues you or you just want to spend a little more time out of the house while the weather gets warm, look no further than DCEFF’s 32nd annual environmental film […]
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Kanopy Cinema Series and Upcoming Event!
One of the many resources available to faculty and students through the American University library is Kanopy, a streaming video platform primarily for educational and academic content. Kanopy offers a rotating collection of media with access to over 10,000 titles and it’s completely free to use with your AU library account! One of Kanopy’s newest […]
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Celebrating Agnès Varda
Today’s Google Doodle for December 13, 2023 is of Agnès Varda, a Belgian-born French filmmaker who is known as a pioneer of French New Wave Cinema. Her style was influenced by her experience with still photography and her method of “cinécriture” (“cinematic writing” or “writing on film”) filmmaking. If you’re interested in learning more about […]
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2021 Made in Hong Kong Festival
One of the great things about living in DC is that so many of our cultural institutions are free to the public. This includes some of the Smithsonian’s special events, like the annual Made in Hong Kong film festival hosted by the National Museum of Asian Art. The festival is virtual this year due to […]
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Media Services’ first new acquisition of 2020 is…. The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang! This movie (BLU 16732) was snubbed by the Academy, but Awkwafina made history at the Golden Globes when she became the first woman of Asian descent to win in a leading actress film category. Yes, it took until 2020 for that […]
Continue readingRemembering Agnès Varda
On March 29th, the world lost Agnès Varda, one of the most quietly influential filmmakers of the 20th (and 21st) century. Varda, who released her first film in 1954, is considered by many to be the ‘godmother’ of French new Wave cinema, if not the first New Wave filmmaker. Her first film, La Pointe-Courte, predated […]
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