Block Cinema is dedicated to encounter, exchange, and learning through the art of the moving image.
In Fall 2026, Block Cinema marks its twenty-fifth anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, The Block Museum of Art presents Projecting the Future: Block Cinema at 25, a year-long series of screenings, performances, conversations, and special initiatives throughout the 2026-2027 academic year that explore the evolving possibilities of the moving image.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997) in 35mm with guest Eric Hoyt
Chicago Film Society Presents: DREAMS THAT MONEY CAN BUY with Karina Longworth
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS (2005) in 35mm with director Ken Kwapis
A 35mm screening of this coming-of-age classic about the joy of first love, the sting of rejection and loss, and the power of friendship, with director Ken Kwapis in person.
WE ARE THE SHAGGS (2026) with guest filmmaker Ken Kwapis
The first documentary by veteran director Ken Kwapis is a chronicle of one of American music’s strangest and most endearing sister acts.
You (Probably) Haven't Seen This Before - films from Indiana University’s Moving Image Archive
16mm films from Indiana University’s vast archive selected by IU archivists Carmel Curtis and Charlie Allen launch our quarterly “Special Collections” spotlight
GOODBYE, DRAGON INN in 35mm
Tsai Ming-Liang’s minimalist tribute to the endurance of cinema, screening in 35mm with an introduction by Prof. Corey Byrnes.
THE HOUSE ON THE BEACH (1965): Denis Mitchell on American TV
Chicken in the Car: 70s Chicago Street Films
"We’re very conscious of the valuable role that university cinemas like ours can play in the ecosystem of non-theatrical film. We look for opportunities to support and showcase the work of distributors who are expanding access to adventurous cinema, archives that are preserving endangered cinematic legacies and scholars and filmmakers who are promoting a more inclusive film culture.
We try to act as a conduit between that international community of passionate cinema workers, and diverse local communities at Northwestern and beyond, who see cinema as a way to encounter the world and exchange ideas."
– Michael Metzger, Pick-Laudati Curator of Media Arts, Block Museum
Explore Block Cinema's Press Coverage
