What happens when we sit in front of a screen and let the images and sounds of a movie wash over us? Join us for a special lecture designed to deepen your appreciation of film, led by Dana Polan, one of the foremost voices in cinema studies and department chair of NYU Tisch’s Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies.

This 75-minute program, including time for audience Q&A, will introduce viewers to different ways of thinking about movies—whether through visual language, narrative structure, genre, or cultural context. Through engaging commentary and selected film clips, Professor Polan will guide us in developing a smarter, more curious approach to watching film. Whether you’re a lifelong cinephile or just looking to get more out of your moviegoing experience, this insightful and accessible session will leave you seeing the screen in a whole new way.

Both events are free for Members as part of Member Appreciation Month.

Professor Dana Polan is Martin Scorsese Professor and Chair of the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at NYU. He is the author of 12 books in film and media, including most recently Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the British Film Institute’s Film Classics series. He is currently working on a monograph on Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas for the British Film Institute’s Film Classics series.