Private Film Clubs

Film Clubs

Private film clubs at your location. Our interactive and educational talks are co-hosted by award-winning college professors and noted film critics.

“A stimulating series of talks, thought-provoking and interactive.” -2024 participant

 

We are inspired by the masterpieces of world cinema and the conversations that arise from analyzing them with our participants. All talks are personalized to suit the interests of your members, we work with you to identify the right films and the right setting. Typically, a themed series of films will be presented, with discussions ranging from stylistic choices to the historical context in which the works emerged.

 

Examples of film series:

 

Hollywood on the Hudson, 40s-80s

The Naked City, Dassin, 1948

Midnight Cowboy, Schlesinger, 1969

Taxi Driver, Scorsese, 1976

Big, Marshall, 1988

 

The French New Wave

The 400 Blows, Truffaut, 1959

Breathless, Godard, 1960

Cleo from 5-7, Varda, 1962

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Demy, 1964

 

I’ll Have What She’s Having

Chef, Favreau, 2014

Big Night, Tucci & Scott, 1996

When Harry Met Sally, Reiner, 1989

 

Italian Neorealism

Ossessione, Visconti, 1941

Rome Open City, Rossellini, 1945

Bicycle Thieves, DeSica, 1948

 

Bond, James Bond

An interactive retrospective on the 25 films

and the 6 actors who have played Agent 007

 

Rome in the Movies

Roma Città Aperta, Rossellini, 1945

Il Sorpasso, Dino Risi, 1962

A Special Day, Scola, 1977

The Great Beauty, Sorrentino, 2013

 

Hollywood on the Hudson, 90s-Today

The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson, 2001

The Devil Wears Prada, Frankel, 2006

Inside Llewyn Davis, Coen Bros, 2013

 

Federico Fellini

I Vitelloni, 1953

The Nights of Cabiria, 1957

La Dolce Vita, 1960

8 1/2, 1962

 

Italian Cinema Now

The Wonders, Rohrwacher, 2015

Martin Eden, Marcello, 2020

The Hand of God,  Sorrentino, 2021

 

Trans-Europe Express

Paris: Hôtel du Nord, Carné, 1938

Vienna: The Third Man, Reed, 1949

Madrid: Women on the Verge…,  Almodóvar, 1988

Edinburgh: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Neame, 1969

 

Twilight Lives

Rules of the Game, Renoir, 1939

The Music Room, Ray, 1958

Tokyo Story, Ozu, 1953

Wild Strawberries, Bergman, 1957

 

When Silence Was Golden

Sunrise, Murnau, 1927

The Passion of Joan Arc, Dreyer, 1928

I Was Born, But…, Ozu, 1932

L’Atalante, Vigo, 1934

 

Sophia Loren Mini Film Festival

Marriage Italian Style, De Sica, 1964

A Special Day, Scola, 1977

 

2024 Oscar Buzz

Poor Things, Lanthimos

Past Lives, Song

The Zone of Interest, Glazer

Anatomy of a Fall, Triet

 

 

 

 

“Il Sorpasso” by Dino Risi, 1962.

From our Rome series, this relatively unknown jewel is considered the masterpiece of the “commedia all’italiana” genre, loosely defined as satirical comedy. It’s a funny and touching story of two Roman men on a spontaneous road trip.

 

 

“Cleo from 5-7” by Agnés Varda, 1962.

A centerpiece of our French New Wave series, this engaging story about a pop singer waiting for the results of a biopsy (told in real time, between 5:00 and 7:00) helped define what groundbreaking work was created by this movement.

How the talks work

Our films are usually offered as a series of four films but can be offered as a “Double Bill” or even for just one film.

We offer them in person at your location, or on Zoom. After we create the details of the experience with you, we often send you an article to read before our talk. They address the director, actors, setting, relevant history, etc. Participants are usually asked to watch the movies and read the articles before our talk, but we have organized viewing parties at some clubs.

On the night of the event, with a glass of vino or other film-linked beverage in hand if you wish, we all chat together for a few minutes before starting the presentation. We want to know your initial impressions and questions.

After sharing your thoughts with us, our formal presentation covers important points about the film, the director, the style, the historical background, etc.. We then watch a couple of short clips together and include open-ended conversation and discussion among all.

Contact us to learn more about how we can create and host a film club for you.