A screenshot from the movie “Lady Bird.” (Photo via Vimeo.com)
The Mansfield Public Library’s monthly Film Discussion group will be holding showings of the films nominated for this year’s Academy Awards next week.
On Feb. 26, the library will be showing “Dunkirk.” On Feb. 27, they will be showing “Darkest Hour” and on March 1, they will be showing “Get Out,” according to the Mansfield Public Library website. The films that will be played on Feb. 28 and March 2 are currently to be determined, according to the website.
“Three of the five movies are Best Picture nominees. Because of availability, one or two of the films will likely be from other categories,” library page Matt Ockmond said.
Each film is free to attend and will be shown in the library’s program room starting at 2 p.m., according to the website.
Ockmond said the event is an opportunity for people in the Mansfield community to get together and talk about how and why a piece of art affects them.
“The film discussion series has been happening once a month for over a year, and I wanted to have a larger event to make people aware of it,” Ockmond said.
Ockmond said he hopes people attend the screenings because they are an inexpensive way to be “in the loop” on cultural events.
“Like other cultural events (such as) the Superbowl, some people want to be in the loop and talk about the Oscars but often complain about not having seen or even heard of most of the films involved,” Ockmond said. “This week of screenings is an inexpensive way to be part of that and see movies from the previous year being lauded for their artistic value.”
Ockmond said the films will be followed by a conversation about the discussion group’s opinions on them, centered around their themes, performances and techniques.
“People can think of it as being similar to a book club but with no homework necessary,” Ockmond said.
The 2018 Best Picture nominees include “Dunkirk,” “Darkest Hour” and “Get Out”, as well as “The Post,” “Lady Bird,” “The Shape of Water,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Phantom Thread” and “Call Me by Your Name.”
The 90th Academy Awards will take place Sunday, March 4 at 8 p.m. EST.
Gabriella DeBenedictis is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at gabriella.debenedictis@uconn.edu.