Class Schedule:
October 26th - Thursday - 5:30pm start - Fritz Lang’s M (1931) - Germany
November 16th - Thursday - 5:30pm start - Grand Illusion (1937) - France
December 14th -Thursday - 5:30pm start - Bicycle Thief (1948) - Italy
January 11th - Thursday - 5:30pm start - 400 Blows (1959) - France
This special collaboration between Cinema Underground and La Cinematheque celebrates 4 monumental films of European Cinema, spanning three decades. Watch the films and then discuss the nuances of how these films utilize the power of cinema with a special Q&A hosted by Gerard Amsellem, local teacher, artist and filmmaker from New Wave Productions.
Each film includes an intro and post-film Q&A. Join us for all films or just one.
Class Structure:
5:30pm > 5:45pm = 15 minute introduction to film
5:45pm > 7:30pm = film screening (depends on duration)
7:30pm > 8pm = Q/A & Film Exploration (minimum 30 minutes)
Spring 2023 - European Classics
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Explore the origins of modern film, discover influential filmmakers, and discuss the artistic styles and philosophical messages when you become a Film Club Member. La Cinémathèque Film Club screenings feature classic films by renowned foreign filmmakers.
Mission
La Cinémathèque Film Club exists to explore the filmic medium, its history, and its impact on our global society. Through series of educational and interactive events, La Cinémathèque aims to realize its mission:
to expose members to films they would not otherwise encounter.
to educate members about important people and moments in film history.
to explore art and culture from around the world.
to engage in critical discussion with a diverse group of passionate individuals.
Film is an art form, akin to literature, music, and painting. The potential of film to educate and inspire, however, can only be realized by a dedicated community of individuals, organizations, and schools. New Waves challenges the mediocrity and mass-marketed entertainment of the large studios with classic foreign and independent films through its unique seminar-style approach called La Cinémathèque. Since 2011, La Cinémathèque participants have viewed and analyzed great cinema from around the world in a collaborative setting. La Cinémathèque will continue to host series of films which celebrate the diversity of directors and actors across place and time.
About
No one can deny film’s incredible importance on our contemporary culture. It informs and drives our interpersonal interactions and brings people together on a global level. As with any art form, film has a rich and intriguing history and studying that history can illuminate cultures and common themes of humanity across the globe and across time, and provide insight into the contemporary media we consume today.
Now in its ninth year, La Cinémathèque Film Club has grown from a handful of curious individuals in 2011 to a substantial film club and mainstay of the South Orange cultural scene, bringing in more members with each subsequent event. Ever growing, La Cinémathèque membership is comprised of a diverse array of film enthusiasts from the northern New Jersey area. The club hosts monthly meetings where film lovers can congregate to learn about, watch, and discuss some of the most important films from world cinemas. Supplementary to these main series, La Cinémathèque hosts events in conjunction with a wide array of cultural and educational groups in the South Orange area. Previous collaborations have included the South Orange Public Library, Livingston’s Temple Beth Shalom, and the West Orange Film Society.
La Cinémathèque is hosted by Gerard Amsellem, artist, educator, and filmmaker local to the area. He brings to the club his filmmaking expertise, extensive artistic education, and experience as a teacher in order to achieve La Cinémathèque’s mission.
For news about La Cinémathèque click here!
La Cinémathèque currently meets once a month on Sundays at 2pm in the Loft of the South Orange Performing Arts Center. For directions, see the map below.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Are you curious about how to support La Cinémathèque Film Club? Are you a business or organization interested in fostering community relations? Please download our informational sponsorship packet for more information!
NWP Membership
New Wave Productions Membership
When you join New Wave Productions as a member, you gain access to special benefits and exclusive discounts. All NWP members are eligible for discounted pricing on all events, including La Cinémathèque series!
Gerard Amsellem: Film Moderator
Gerard has been an educator for 20 years. When he started La Cinémathèque in 2011, he was fulfilling a lifelong goal of bringing quality film education to his community. Since then, La Cinémathèque has grown to be a community mainstay through which he has hosted several series on film and its history. He has also organized events with other local institutions across northern New Jersey. Today, he continues to expand La Cinémathèque with an ever-widening array of series themes, and he hopes to partner with more local groups and institutions as a guest lecturer.
Gerard has spoken across northern NJ on a wide range of topics within film, film history, and identity. His recent series have included:
Indian Film (2020, SOPAC)
Latin American Film (2019, SOPAC)
Cannes Palme d’Or Winners (2018-2019, SOPL)
Chinese Film (2019, SOPAC)
Northern European Film (2018, SOPAC/SOPL)
Women Film Directors (2017-2018, SOPAC/SOPL)
To see more, download a complete resume of Gerard's film lecturing experience. (coming soon)
To see press about Gerard Amsellem, please click here.
Inquiries: To book Gerard or to speak with him about an idea for an event, click here.
Book Today for Gerard to speak to your group or class!
Reach out using the form below or by calling or emailing (contact info in the graphic to the right) and we will be in touch with you to organize the educational film event you need!
“The foreign film series run by Gerard is a wonderful gift for everyone who loves movies, and who never before felt comfortable watching foreign films until Gerard’s screening lectures. Gerard shares his expertise with the audience by giving us insight into the film, stars, and director. It is always a special evening for movie lovers!”
“Thank you for raising our awareness of the art of film and engaging audiences with your analysis of the great cinema auteurs.”
To offer a testimonial of Gerard Amsellem or La Cinémathèque Film Club, please contact us.
Fall 2019
SOPAC
The Latin American film series featured four important and award-winning films from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru. Post-screening discussions centered around the culture and politics of each country as presented in the films, as well as the artistic content and human stories.
SEPTEMBER 15
Central Station (1998)
directed by Walter Salles, Brazil
OCTOBER 20
Amores Perros (2000)
directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico
NOVEMBER 17
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
directed by Juan José Campanella, Argentina
DECEMBER 8
Undertow (2010)
directed by Javier Fuentes-León, Peru
Post-Production
“To make a documentary on Bernard Réquichot has long been one of my most precious projects.”
Bernard Réquichot is a painter known by few outside of France, despite his striking and emotional art. His work has long been a source of inspiration and awe for Gerard Amsellem. Currently, Gerard is engaged in creating a documentary on this unique artist, his work, his life, and his death.
News
Featured
Gallery
2013
Based on Herman Melville's short story, "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street", Gerard Amsellem's short film Bartleby tells the story of a man who, quite simply, "would prefer not to". His small act of defiance upsets the delicate balance in the quiet office in which he works.
Released on January 30, 2013, the film has since received numerous accolades. Bartleby was awarded a Director's Citation by the Black Maria Film Festival and made an Official Selection of the Garden State Film Festival, the Twin Rivers Film Festival in Asheville, NC, and the SOMA Film Festival.
Production
As humans, we explore, research, make technical and scientific discoveries for a better life in a better world. But when we speak about subjects like love and death, we know so little. Why? Are these subjects taboo? Are emotions too private? Can we share our intimate thoughts on these matters? What is love? What can we do to progress in our understanding of life?
These are the questions filmmaker Gerard Amsellem poses throughout his extensive and personal documentary The Eternal Question. Gerard has spent years curating interviews in an attempt to uncover the truth about falling in love, an intimately private experience that is also a quintessentially human. If you would like to be a part of this exciting project, please get in touch!
Pre-Production
After the sudden death of his older brother, a straight-laced teacher turns his life upside down and embarks on an urgent journey to validate his brother's life and, ultimately, his own.
Discover more about the Visual Passion Duo at their website.
Artists Mikel Frank and Gerard Amsellem met in 2010 at the grand opening of GAS Gallery and Studio in Maplewood, NJ, and decided to collaborate together soon after. They established a deep bond as a result of philosophical discussions about death, specifically the passing of loved ones. Gerard had lost his brother to cancer and Mikel had lost his father to the same horrible disease.
During the course of their collaboration, they have created many works, notable among which is “The Passing.” This painting was their first large scale public “performance” painting, measuring 15 feet wide by 7.5 feet high. It was created in one day at GAS Gallery and Studio on April 23, 2011.
The Visual Passion Duo came about after Gerard and Mikel created a multi-media, interactive art extravaganza in July 2012 at 1978 Maplewood Arts Center called Visual Passion: On Love. In 2013 the Duo was invited to exhibit at The Herb & Milly Iris Gallery at South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, NJ. That same year Mikel and Gerard did a live painting demonstration in conjunction with the South Orange/Maplewood Artists Studio Tour at The Pierro Gallery, South Orange, NJ. In 2014-15 they were invited to exhibit and paint live at MICA: Then and Now, a two-part exhibition, which made its debut at the Ethan Cohen Gallery in Chelsea and simultaneously at The KuBe in Beacon, NY. In 2015 Gerard and Mikel exhibited and performed with the ETHEL Quartet at The Noyes Museum of Art in Oceanville, NJ in conjunction with MICA: Then and Now, part 2. That same year The Visual Passion Duo was asked to be the featured artists at Maplewood Memorial Library for the Ideas Festival. In 2016 they were invited back to exhibit once again in Maplewood Memorial Library's Art Gallery, and that same year they were asked to do a live performance piece at Maplewood's Gallery 1978 in conjunction with Off the Shelf: A Tribute to June Cater.
Besides his work with Visual Passion, Gerard is always hard at work at new paintings, collages, and three-dimensional pieces. Here are a few photos from his studio of works in progress.
