Amherst Cinema’s Seminars Feature Two Fresh Takes on Freedom of Expression

Source: Amherst Cinema

Spring is here, and Amherst Cinema is bringing two fresh takes on freedom of expression in their upcoming lineup of Cinema Seminars. Designed as a communal and conversational experience, Cinema Seminars offer participants the opportunity to thoughtfully explore, engage, and foster new understandings of the film form within historical and cultural contexts. All levels of learners and curiosity are welcome. While topics may vary, each seminar includes a talk and a film screening.

On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., Smith College Professor Emerita Naomi Miller takes center stage to present her seminar, “Shakespeare’s Sisters: Picturing Women Creatives in the Renaissance.” Following the seminar is a screening of the award-winning film PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE.

About the seminar: In the film PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, both women face social constraints that hinder their ability to create art and maintain their self-image. With Miller’s guidance, the audience will consider the challenges in representing early modern women creatives and learn more about the obstacles that women creatives in contemporary society face that may obscure or illuminate our appreciation for women creatives from earlier centuries.

Film Synopsis: France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to create the wedding portrait of a reluctant bride-to-be who has just left the convent. She paints Héloïse, intimacy and attraction grow as they share their first moments of freedom. The portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE received a NYT Critic’s Pick and in 2022, was voted the #30 best film of all time in the prestigious British Film Institute Sight and Sound poll.

122 mins │ Directed by Céline Sciamma │ R │ French with English subtitles │ 2019

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., local film historian Nina Kleinberg joins us on stage for her brand new talk, “Thou Shalt Not! Movie Censorship in the United States.” Following the seminar is a screening of Cannes film festival winner CINEMA PARADISO.

About the seminar: You’re likely familiar with the kind of content associated with films rated G through NC-17. But have you ever wondered how we got here? From the dawn of cinema in the late 1890s, movies have been subject to censorship. It wasn’t until 1952 that the Supreme Court ruled that movies were protected by the First Amendment, and, even then, censorship continued… and does today. Take a walk back in time, through the many forms of censorship imposed upon the movies. What were the rules? Who made the rules? Was it just sex and violence? To what else did the censors say “Thou Shalt Not,” and how did filmmakers get around them?

Film Synopsis: Director Giuseppe Tornatore’s loving homage to the cinema tells the story of Salvatore, a famous film director, returning to his hometown for the funeral of his mentor, a cinema projectionist. He reminisces about his life as a young boy, including memories of the local priest, who doubled as town film censor.

124 mins │ Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore │ PG │ Italian with English subtitles │ 1988

Tickets to Cinema Seminars are available through Amherst Cinema’s website, or in person at the Amherst Cinema box office. Tickets for this program are $18.50 for General Admission, $16.75 for Senior (65+)/ Students with valid ID, and $13.50 for Members. For more info and to purchase tickets: https://amherstcinema.org/series/cinema-seminars

About Naomi Miller: Naomi Miller is Professor Emerita of English and the Study of Women & Gender at Smith College. Her interests include Shakespeare, early modern women authors, lyric poetry, and children’s literature. She has published an historical fiction novel, Imperfect Alchemist (2020), that launches her larger fiction series about women authors in early modern England called Shakespeare’s Sisters, as well as multiple books about Renaissance women authors and the early modern world. She has just completed a novel about Mary Wroth, the first woman to publish fiction and love poetry in Shakespeare’s England, called Strange Labyrinth. 

About Nina Kleinberg: In the late 1960s, Nina attended film school at the University of Southern California. She then spent most of the 1970s working in the film industry in Los Angeles, mostly as an editor. Although she went on to a different career, she never gave up her love of film history and the film-making process. Nina has made frequent appearances at Amherst Cinema, including her 2015 series Film School in 90 Minutes: CASABLANCA, her 2016 series Out of this World on 1950s science fiction, her 2019 series Print the Legend on classic Westerns, or her Science on Screen presentation on SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. 

About Amherst Cinema
Amherst Cinema is an independent, nonprofit arts and education center brimming with world-class programs. The comfortable, fully accessible theater offers state-of-the-art projection and sound and is a welcoming crossroads for all. Amherst Cinema presents over 250 programs a year on four screens in more than 35 languages. For more information, visit: www.AmherstCinema.org