What is Deep Focus? Deep Focus is an online educational program including full film courses and monthly seminars. Join us online to discuss great movies and to increase your appreciation of film. DEEP FOCUS is designed for a general audience – from the casual film lover to the hardcore cineaste. There is something for everyone.
More infoDuring April and May, participants will attend four Zoom meetings, each of which will dive into the fascinating world of Japanese animation, or Anime. Focusing in particular on science fiction, the course will cover topics such as robots working in service of humanity, androids and political power, Artificial Intelligence, globalization, and the environment, as well as raising philosophical questions about humanity unbound from the human body.
Instructor: Nikolina Dobreva (Ph.D. UMass Amherst) is Assistant Professor of film and media culture at Middlebury College, where she teaches East Asian Cinema and Anime courses, as well core introductory film courses. Her research and publications focus on genre, national, and transnational cinema. In addition to her academic work on the subject, Nikolina has been an avid anime fan for over 25 years and is always excited to discuss anything and everything related to anime.
Course Details: Over an eight-week period, participants will attend four Zoom meetings, each of which will focus on one film. Since this is an online course, participants are expected to watch the films on their own, though there will be info on our website that suggests where to find them. Please note that the registration fee for this class will not include a ticket to any in-theater screenings. Participants will be given access to contextualizing readings as a part of the course. Below is a schedule of the films that will be discussed at each virtual course meeting:
Meeting 1: Tuesday, April 14th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm – Castle in the Sky
Meeting 2: Tuesday, April 28th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm – Ghost in the Shell
Meeting 3 Tuesday, May 12th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm – Metropolis (Osamu Tezuka's)
Meeting 4 Tuesday, May 26th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm – Summer Wars
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Castle in the Sky
Young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper are flying to a military prison when their plane is attacked by a gang of air pirates. Escaping from a mid-air collision via a magic crystal around her neck, Sheeta meets fellow orphan Pazu and the pair join forces to discover the mystical floating city of Laputa. The film is buoyed by gorgeous animation from one of the masters of filmmaking and storytelling, Hayao Miyazaki.
Where to Watch: Stream on HBO Max, Rent on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Youtube, GooglePlay, and Fandango at Home
Ghost in the Shell
Based on the internationally renowned cyberpunk manga, this film takes place in the year 2029. A police officer and her partner are on the hunt for a cyber criminal who hacks into the minds of cyborgs and humans alike. As action packed as it is thought provoking, this revered anime classic offers a deep examination of the nature of gender and the meaning of identity.
Where to Watch: Playing on screen at the Ambler and Princeton Garden Theaters on Wednesday, April 15th, and playing at the County Theater on Thursday, April 23rd / Stream on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Fandago at Home. Rent on AppleTV, Youtube, GooglePlay
Metropolis
Set in the titular retrofuturist city, Metropolis depicts a society of humans and robots that is segmented by class. In search of a rogue scientist, detective Shunsaku and his nephew Kenichi stumble upon his newest creation, an android named Tima, whom the scientist created at the behest of one of the city’s richest and most influential citizens. What ensues is an adventure within the labyrinth beneath Metropolis while the fate of many hangs in the balance. Created using Japanese cel animation, employing the latest in digital technology at the time, it remains visually stunning.
Where to Watch: Screener will be provided by course instructor.
Summer Wars
Kenji is a shy and sweet nerd who spends most of his days working part time as a moderator for OZ, a virtual reality world that powers everyday life. His summer takes a turn when the popular upperclassman, Natsuki, “hires” him to be her fake boyfriend at a family gathering in honor of her grandmother’s 90th birthday. While they are there, a malevolent AI begins stealing online identities, including Kenji’s, and becomes accused of hacking OZ. OZ starts causing disruptions in the real world, with potentially dire consequences.
Where to Watch: Where to Watch: Stream on HBO Max, Rent on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Youtube, GooglePlay, and Fandango at Home.
TCM writer Hannah Jack leads our Classic Hollywood monthly seminars, aiming to build on the success of the conversations she has already brought to our community. While all of the talks in this category will be about movies considered “classics”, they will range from those extremely widely known and well-received to hidden gems whose critical reputation has changed over time.
In her first Oscar-nominated role, Barbara Stanwyck delivers an emotional performance as Stella, a working-class woman struggling to fit in with her husband’s high society life. The struggles are amplified when she gives birth to her daughter. Skillfully directed by King Vidor, this melodrama culminates with one of Classic Hollywood’s most unforgettable finales.
The great Greta Garbo steps into the pants of Sweden’s iconic Queen Christina in this queer-coded biopic from the pre-Code era. Racy for its time, the film follows Christina from her coronation through the end of her reign. There is no denying the camera loves Garbo, as does her on-screen partner (and real life ex-fiancé) John Gilbert and her off-camera, rumored paramour Salka Viertel, who penned a portion of the script.
Based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, FORBIDDEN PLANET is a classic of 1950s science fiction. A spaceship crew investigating a colony on a remote planet finds that only two survivors remain, and a deadly secret threatens everyone. It features an ingenious script and groundbreaking special effects that are still impressive 70 years later. Starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen.
The films from 1939 are often regarded as some of the best in Hollywood’s history, and this rarely screened take on “Cinderella” is no exception! Claudette Colbert stars as a young showgirl roaming Paris in search of a job. Her luck changes when she encounters John Barrymore, a millionaire who assumes the role of her unconventional fairy godfather. Together they scheme to insert her into Parisian society under the guise of a Hungarian Baroness. With a rip-roaring script penned by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, gorgeous couture costumes by Irene, and smart direction from Mitchell Leisen, this is a screwball you can’t miss seeing on a big screen.
Celebrating the sale of his manufacturing plant, Sam Dodsworth treats his wife to a European vacation. The further they travel, the further they drift apart emotionally. Skilled director William Wyler brings acute depth and sincerity to this candid portrait of a marriage in trouble that earned seven Academy Award nominations upon its release 90 years ago. It stars Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor and David Niven.
While our monthly Deep Focus seminars are free for anyone, we recommend a small donation from non-members to your local theater to support the series. You can donate to the County, Ambler, Garden, or Hiway. Visit you preferred theater below for more details.
Ambler Theater »
County Theater »
Garden Theatre »
Hiway Theater »
All About Deep FocusSeries offered under the Deep Focus umbrella will use different lenses to examine a variety of film genres while also creating opportunities for sustained conversations built around certain topics and themes. We generally offer different series, each consisting of events led by expert speakers, ranging from professors, to film critics, to members of the industry. While the format will vary slightly depending on the speaker, audience members will always be invited to ask questions and share their opinions. Events will be run in an online format, allowing us to partner with other local independent art house cinemas and to reach an even broader audience. Deep Focus is the successor to our Film 101 series. It has same great programming but is rebranded as we expand the scope of the series.
Deep Focus is a seminar only series. The films discussed are not included in the scheduled seminars. Be sure to watch the films ahead of time. You can catch some titles at screenings in person at our theaters – for that, you’ll have to check your local theater to see if and when it is showing the film. We’ll also provide guidance as to where you can stream the films online. See below in each film description under the heading "Where to Watch."
Registration. While our monthly Deep Focus seminars are free for anyone, we recommend a small donation from non-members to your local theater to support the series. You can donate to the County, Ambler, Garden, or Hiway. Our courses require a modest registration fee to help sustain the program and compensate our speakers. Enrollment in our courses is discounted for members.
Renew Theaters operates four Pennsylvania/New Jersey movie theaters: the County Theater in Doylestown, PA, the Ambler Theater in Ambler, PA, the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, PA, and the Princeton Garden Theatre in Princeton, NJ. Renew manages each theater according to each individual mission to: Exhibit art, independent and world films that offer the community an opportunity to experience a broad range of artistic and alternative expressions; Educate the community about the film and media arts through a diverse program of educational activities that seek to develop a lifelong involvement with the arts; Serve as a community and charitable resource for the arts, and to promote and effect access to the arts for all members of the community; and
Preserve the theaters as cultural resources.
Deep Focus is supported by a generous grant from the Vesta Fund. We offer free monthly online seminars as well as more formal courses.