‘Summer Solstice’
“Leo, a trans man, and his cisgender and straight friend Eleanor go on a weekend trip, during which they uncover some old secrets, new challenges, and find the answer to the age-old question: can good friends and bad sex mix?” Screening followed by a conversation between Writer, Director, and School of the Arts alum Noah Schamus ’21 and Ron Gregg, Film and Media Studies, positioning Summer Solstice within the history of queer cinema.
Lenfest Kids: 'Thumbelina'
A girl no bigger than a thumb yearns for someone small, like her, to love. Against her mother’s wishes, she ventures outdoors, and falls in love with a fairy prince. But when she is kidnapped, Thumbelina encounters all kinds of colorful small characters, some who want to possess her, and some who want to help her find her way home.
Acting Thesis: 'Passion Play'
Columbia University School of Arts MFA Acting Cohort of 2025 presents Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play directed by Rory McGregor.
Lenfest Kids: 'Gulliver's Travels'
Seaman Lemuel Gulliver is shipwrecked on the shores of Lilliput, a kingdom of tiny people, whom he supports when their neighbors in Blefuscu declare war. The second-ever full-length American animated feature, following Disney’s Snow White, Gulliver’s Travels is a beautiful hand-drawn allegory of small societies in a big war.
Remembering Antonio Skármeta
Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Antonio Skármeta (1940-2024), an acclaimed Chilean writer, director, scriptwriter, diplomat and Columbia University alumnus, who passed away in October.
Lights on the Plaza
Join us on “The Plaza” for Columbia University’s annual Manhattanville winter tree lighting ceremony. Enjoy refreshments and live music with your neighbors before we begin the lights countdown promptly at 5:45 PM.
Acting Thesis: 'The Colored Museum'
Columbia University School of Arts MFA Acting Cohort of 2025 presents George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum directed by Nigel Semaj.
Shahzia Sikander
Celebrated visual artist Shahzia Sikander — Alan Kanzer Artist-in-Residence at the Zuckerman Institute and Mentor in the MFA Visual Arts Program — discusses work including Witness, which was recently vandalized. “I have chosen not to repair it. I want to leave it beheaded, for all to see. The work is now a witness to the fissures in our country.” Response by Betti-Sue Hertz, Director and Chief Curator, Wallach Art Gallery.
Speak Now: David Henry Hwang and Leigh Silverman on ‘Yellow Face’
Playwright and faculty member David Henry Hwang and director Leigh Silverman discuss Yellow Face, Hwang’s acclaimed and “laugh-out-loud farce about the complexities of race.” Moderated by playwright and director James Ijames.
Lenfest Kids: ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man’
While on a boating trip, Scott Carey is exposed to a strange fog. At first, nothing happens; but soon he realizes that he is beginning to shrink, little by little, all the way down to the size of an insect.
Lenfest Kids: ‘James and the Giant Peach’
While living with his cruel aunts, young orphan James is mysteriously given a bag of magical crystals. When he accidentally spills them in the garden, small things begin to grow to enormous proportions.
Manhattanville Fall Fun Day!
The Lenfest Center for the Arts is thrilled to partner with our Manhattanville neighbors to present Fall Fun Day! Join us for activities on The Plaza and surrounding buildings on the Manhattanville campus.
Directing Thesis: 'The Threepenny Opera'
Columbia University School of the Arts presents The Threepenny Opera, a directing thesis production by current student Benjamin Viertel.
Where Ideas Come From: Thought, Movement, and the Brain
Professor of the Arts and Dean Emerita Carol Becker leads a conversation with writer Jennifer Homans — author of “Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet” and the monumental recent biography of George Balanchine, “Mr. B” — and Zuckerman Institute neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert whose research focuses on experimental approaches to human movement.
Directing Thesis: 'Sally'
Columbia University School of the Arts presents Sally, a directing thesis production by current student Calvin Atkinson.
Lenfest Kids: 'Honey, I Blew Up the Kid'
Following his success making things shrink, scientist Wayne Szalinski has invented a machine that makes things grow. But challenges arise when his two-year-old is exposed to the ray, causing him to gradually grow — to over 100 feet tall!
‘American Diva: Extraordinary, Unruly, Fabulous’
What does it mean to be a “diva”? Writing professors Deborah Paredez and Margo Jefferson discuss Paredez’s “powerful blend of incisive criticism and electric memoir” that touches on the work of Celia Cruz, Venus and Serena Williams, Divine, Aretha Franklin, and other icons. Introduced by Sarah Cole, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts.
LEGACIES: Tibetan Filmmaker Roundtable
A roundtable discussion with Tibetan filmmakers Tenzin Sedon, Jigme Trinley, and Tenzin Dazel.
LEGACIES Screening: 'Royal Cafe'
A screening of Royal Cafe as a part of LEGACIES: Pema Tseden & New Tibetan Cinema Series Finale—Films by the Next Generation.
LEGACIES Screening: 'One and Four'
A screening of One and Four as a part of LEGACIES: Pema Tseden & New Tibetan Cinema Series Finale—Films by the Next Generation.
LEGACIES Screening: 'A Road of Prayer'
A screening of A Road of Prayer as a part of LEGACIES: Pema Tseden & New Tibetan Cinema Series Finale—Films by the Next Generation.
'Cine-Memoria’ Screenings
Screenings for day two of the Cine-Memoria: Past and Present in Latin American Cinemas Conference.
'Cine-Memoria’ Conference
Day two of the Cine-Memoria: Past and Present in Latin American Cinemas Conference.
‘The True Chronicle from the Last Century at the Blida-Joinville Psychiatric Hospital When Dr. Frantz Fanon was Head of the Fifth Ward, Between 1953 and 1956’
US Premiere followed by a Q&A with Director Abdenour Zahzah, Madeleine Dobie, and Camille Robcis.