Jane and Jay Jorgensen:
“From the moment we agreed to endow the Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Series, we have never looked back. We are so proud of all the accomplishments the staff has achieved and so thrilled the student response has been so rewarding. We feel this project has been a win/win for EVERYONE!”
On IU Day 2017, IU Cinema is celebrating its six remarkable years of creating unique cinematic experiences!
We’re so appreciative of all our generous and supportive donors, who help us continue to build upon the rich artistic legacy of Indiana University. In the photos and testimonies below, several of our donors offer their favorite IU Cinema memories and share why supporting IU Cinema is important to them.
Together, with our programming partners and generous supporters, we are advancing Indiana University’s longstanding commitment to excellence, research, and public engagement in the arts for future generations by creating a place for discovery and innovation, a place for premieres and partnerships, and a place for scholarly initiatives and community involvement.
In the years ahead, we look forward to bringing to life an even greater wealth of enriching, educational, and engaging programs. We hope you will join us today on #IUDay in lighting up the screen and help us make extraordinary film experiences accessible to all through your support of IU Cinema.
Visit our IU Cinema FOR ALL campaign page today to invest in the future of IU Cinema. Your support will enable IU Cinema to strengthen and sustain its commitment to being a preeminent place for unique and authentic cinematic experiences for all who are inspired by great stories.
John and Amy Applegate:
“We’re thrilled to support the IU Cinema because it allows us to look backward and forward. Backward to our parents’ love of film (which we have honored) and to the great body of film that has been created in the last century; and forward to an exciting new institution at IU and to its support for great cinema yet to come.”
Roberta and Jim Sherman:
“We love the IU Cinema. It is first rate in every way: a truly great theater; fabulous acoustics; the best selection of films anywhere; a creative director who is always working to bring new ideas, new people, and great educational and entertaining films to IU. We have had a wonderful education since the IU Cinema opened—not only education about films, but education about history, politics, art, and life. We wanted to help ensure that the IU Cinema is a lasting and important part of campus life at IU.
We love the visits by directors and actors. They teach us so much about appreciating their films and about appreciating films in general. It is great to hear filmmakers talk about their own experiences. We also love the very unique events offered by the Cinema. For example, the showing of Japanese silent films accompanied by a Benshi narration was mesmerizing. The annual showing of silent films accompanied by IU’s student orchestra is fabulous. Trying to initiate something unique is why we made our endowment to the Cinema. Directors rarely talk to each other. They are too busy making their own films. Our Filmmaker-to-Filmmaker approach will put directors who have something in common in direct conversation and offer an opportunity to give us all a deeper understanding of their art.”
Susanne Schwibs:
“I cannot say enough good things about the IU Cinema. I love it as an educator—for its support of student filmmaking and the exceptional range of films and filmmakers it brings to campus. I love the IU Cinema as a media maker—nothing surpasses the quality of the presentation and the care of its staff. It is an inspiration to anyone who values creative arts. Finally, I love it as a movie consumer myself—really it’s hard to overstate the sheer enjoyment the IU cinema provides.”
Hildegard Keller:
“Last fall, I spent four months in Berlin, where I had many, many cinemas and film-showings at my doorstep. But even in Berlin, I’ll confess, I felt homesick for the IU Cinema. What did I miss the most? All the unique live events with real people from all over the world: the lectures by filmmakers, the cross-unit adventures like Double Exposure, the film scoring competition, and the premiere of the winner of Jon Vickers Film Scoring Award. Sometimes there’s no place like home!”
Bill Holladay:
“I support the IU Cinema because it feeds my film habit. I love the classics, both Hollywood and international, and for them the Cinema functions almost like an art museum: Each semester, a group of knowledgeable people curate a new ‘exhibit’ of great films, in a wide range of styles and subjects. But new classics are being made every year, and the Cinema introduces me to those, too. The IU Cinema is truly a gift to film lovers.”
LuAnne Holladay:
“Here’s the thing about going to the movies at IU Cinema: I look forward to a special experience, almost every time. It’s not so much that I expect remarkable programming for every date on the calendar (although, really, the Cinema staff does a pretty good job on that front). It’s more the anticipation of stepping into a space that is, truly, devoted to film—film as an art form, as a means of escape, as political expression, as a perennially human gesture. No trays of nachos; no buttered popcorn; no commercial come-ons when I walk through the door. I’m here—we’re all here—for the films. For the movies.
It’s hard to single out special IU Cinema memories, because since that first shot of Peter O’Toole’s match flame in Lawrence of Arabia—remastered, splashed across the screen in all its Technicolor glory—I’ve had one memorable experience after another. But here are two examples of why I fall in love with IU Cinema, over and over again:
The digitally restored “print” of Wings (with restoration backstory from Paramount’s Andrea Kalas), and the Alloy Orchestra’s “Sounds of Silents” live performance to three strange and wonderful silent films. I loved both of these events because they brought the deep history of film alive. “This must be what it was like to see these films when they were first shown,” I thought. The sense of continuity, shared discovery, the excitement and pure pleasure of film: it’s why I’m proud to support the IU Cinema as a donor and a ticket buyer.”
Terry Sloan:
“I love the opportunity the Cinema provides to see edgy independent films on the big screen; too often they are only available by streaming. I really appreciate being able to interact with directors and actors whose work and vision fascinates me.”
Chery Baumgart:
“I’ve loved films since I was a little girl. Many days after school I would sit with my mother and watch the afternoon movie on our local TV station. That love has never waned. When the IU Cinema opened, it broadened my cinematic horizons with films from all over the world and from every genre and time period in an outstanding venue with incomparable projection and sound. Having the opportunity to hear from actors and directors has been truly eye opening. This is why I will continue to invest in the IU Cinema.”
John T. Keith and Susan J. Yoon:
“The IU Cinema is one of our favorite places on campus. Philanthropy will determine whether the Cinema maintains the level of excellence in programming and projection that we have come to expect. We view our ongoing support as an investment in the future of the Cinema.”
Michael T. Martin:
“Piloted by the steady hand of Jon Vickers and with breathtaking wonder, Indiana University Cinema can rightfully boast of its ever more palpable and remarkable contribution to promoting all manner of world cinema independently and in partnership and, as such, is the catalyst to a film renaissance at IU Bloomington.
Of particular importance to the Black Film Center/Archive, the success—past and future—of its programming activities in the cinematic depend in no small measure on our partnership with Indiana University Cinema. Thank you.”
James Naremore:
“I’ve had far too many memorable experiences at IU Cinema to list them here: visiting directors, new and vintage films, student films, live orchestral accompaniment to revivals of great silent pictures, etc. I’ll continue to be a proud, passionate donor to IU Cinema because it’s a unique theater, a magnet for film lovers everywhere, and a place that makes life in Bloomington special.”
Darlene J. Sadlier:
“Once you have seen a movie at the Indiana University Cinema, you will never be happy seeing a film anywhere else. Perfect sight lines, amazing sound system, unbeatable projection and visuals, an orchestra pit for musical accompaniments for silent screenings—all this and the beauty of a 1941 building wonderfully preserved with four Thomas Hart Benton murals. Over the cinema’s short lifetime, Jon Vickers has programmed new films, retrospectives and visits from directors around the world. Why do I donate to the IU Cinema? Who wouldn’t?”
Robert and Judy Woodley:
“IU Cinema: A place for film, a place for thought, a place for enjoyment. It widens our world and makes our lives more complete.”
Sarah Baumgart and Bill Lozowski:
“The selected films are enriching. We also love the depth and insights visiting filmmakers provide. Delightfully, we support the IU Cinema!”
Joan Hawkins:
“The Cinema has made a huge impact on how I spend my time and how I teach my classes. From the array of films to the visiting filmmakers to the willingness of the Cinema staff to support innovative programs and pedagogy at IU, the Cinema has transformed my Bloomington experience. I am proud and happy to be a supporter.”
Patrick O’Meara:
“I cannot imagine the campus without the IU Cinema. It has become a central and vital part of our cultural life. Classics that have been digitally restored, some by IU, innovative new releases, and presentations by prominent actors and directors, have become everyday occurrences! It is a great privilege to have the Cinema as a resource.”
Kelly Kish:
“Every time I leave IU Cinema, I’ve learned something: about the world one day, about science another, about art, politics, history, or the people around me. The IU Cinema provides an education as valuable as any class on campus, and that’s why I support IU Cinema.”
Phoebe Zhou:
“IU Cinema is not only a place for film, it’s a paradise for both film-lovers and filmmakers! It’s a place where our dreams come true!”
Invest in creating unique cinematic experiences for all.
Support IU Cinema today!
#IUDay April 19, 2017