Film Nights

As part of its broader arts and literature initiative, AAI launched a Film Nights program in December 2021. Convinced that a good film can awaken and elicit ethical, emotional, and philosophical responses in students, AAI is happy to accept film presentations from student fellows or young professional fellows.

Arguably, the late twentieth-century film, that two-hour-long narrative best viewed in the cinema or in the family living room, is now past its prime; it is steadily losing its dominant position to more “innovative” formats on streaming platforms. AAI is of the opinion that traditional moving pictures once offered a powerful binding ritual for in-person communities of imagination, and we want to facilitate this experience while young people are together in shared spaces on and around college campuses.

Please see our Calendar for a complete schedule of all planned Film Nights.

Open to Boston-area university students and young professionals only.

Each month, AAI fellows are invited to present and discuss a film chosen for its thematic richness, contribution to and conversation with a broader culture, artistic quality, and depth.

The event leader begins the night with a brief 10-minute introductory lecture about the film—its origins or motivation, some details concerning production and reception, and perhaps a personal connection. After the film, the fellow will guide the audience in a wide-ranging discussion of the film’s main themes and broader significance.