Varsity Theatre, Ackland Art Museum partner for film series

Clarification (9/29/2011, 2:16 p.m.): An earlier edition of this article stated that Richard Cante, director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Cinema, said he wanted to collaborate with the Ackland Art Museum to work with the Varsity Theater after seeing the relationship the museum had with the theater. Cante and Ian Murphy, a graduate assistant in the program, formed a partnership with the Varsity in 2009 when the theater reopened and later partnered with the Ackland. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for any confusion.

The Varsity Theatre, one of Franklin Street’s many staples, has frequently partnered with UNC organizations.

The Ackland Art Museum has been partnering with the theater for years, playing films that run parallel to its exhibitions.

This semester the museum is showing more than 10 films as part of the Ackland Film Forum, a project highlighting the University community.

The forum features films chosen by faculty relating to campus courses and initiatives. Nearly 20 departments on campus are involved with the forum.

This is the largest film project the Ackland has ever attempted, said Allison Portnow, event and programs coordinator for the museum.

Last year’s film series — which featured four of Andy Warhol’s films — was in conjunction with the museum’s “Big Shots” exhibition.

Emily Bowles, communications director for the Ackland, said this year’s series will feature three documentaries about art collecting to accompany the museum’s “Carolina Collects” exhibition.

When picking the films, Bowles said they researched different options, and found three with the most interesting perspectives on collecting.

“The Carolina Collects exhibition does not include face-to-face interaction with the art loaners, so these films can give viewers a perspective on why people collect,” Portnow said.

Bowles said the opportunity to see these films on the big screen is rare.

“They are usually only displayed on the small monitors in art museums,” she said.

Portnow said this project has made the relationship between the Varsity and the University stronger.

“We really enjoyed working with the Varsity again,” she said.

Richard Cante, the director of the interdisciplinary program in cinema at UNC, was a driving force behind the film forum, helping to bring in a rich variety of films and departments.

Cante said he, along with graduate assistant Ian Murphy, established a relationship with the Varsity when the cinema program was started in 2009.

Then, seeing the well-established relationship the Ackland had with the theater, Cante said he wanted to join the museum to save money and collaborate.

“The Ackland is willing to show a wide range of things,” he said.

The cinema program at the University first started in 2009 when the Varsity was reopening, he said.

He said the Varsity has given UNC’s cinema program a centralized office for events that has the appropriate space and equipment they need.

“Now every Thursday there is something going on related to the University,” said Cante.

“We all did this collaboratively for the entire University and community.”

Contact the Arts Editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.