Join us on Thursday, September 19, for “Art and the Face of War: Goya and Tolstoy,” the first program in the new season of WorldCanvass. While Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco de Goya and Russian writer Leo Tolstoy were separated by time and space, the two created incomparable masterworks centered on the tragic events of the more than decade-long Napoleonic Wars. We’ll view that momentous period of human struggle and suffering through Goya’s shocking collection of prints called “Disasters of War” and Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” exploring not only the original works but also later interpretations through film and opera. WorldCanvass is free and open to the public. The program is held at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, in Iowa City from 5:30-7 p.m. with a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m.

Take the journey of a lifetime without ever having to leave your seat. The Bijou Horizons series continues on October 4 at 6PM at FilmScene.

Bijou Horizons, FilmScene, and UI International Programs offer a $1,500 scholarship to students who attend five free films in a semester.

Bijou and FilmScene offer a trip around the world, both literally and figuratively, with the Bijou Horizons Film Series. Watch five movies, win $1,500 and free airfare. That’s the draw of the Bijou Horizons series, beginning 6 p.m. Tuesday at FilmScene, 118 E. College St. University of Iowa students who attend all five foreign films between now and the end of the semester (free for UI Students, $5 for the general public) will be eligible to win a $1,500 study-abroad scholarship.

The spring 2016 Bijou Horizons film series begins Tuesday, Feb. 9, with the screening of Theeb, a film from the United Arab Emirates. UI students who attend all five movies will once again be eligible to have their names entered into a drawing to receive a $1,500 study abroad scholarship, plus round-trip airfare. UI International Programs, the home of Study Abroad, provides the scholarship to one student each semester, chosen via drawing from the pool of students who’ve attended each of the screenings. A FilmScene donor also provides round-trip airfare.

On December 17, 2014, U.S. President Obama and Cuban President Castro announced a new era of openness and interaction between their two countries. On December 8, 2015, Joan Kjaer and her WorldCanvass guests discussed "Cuba: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" as the one year anniversary approached. Check out this ReCap of the event with access to see and hear the full program.

On November 10, 2015, Joan Kjaer and a panel of guests discussed ”communicating for social and behavioral change" as part of a special edition of WorldCanvass. The program included the presentation of the 2015 International Impact Award. This is a ReCap of the event with access to see and hear the full program.

On October 13, 2015, the WorldCanvass program brought together members of the scientific research community, political leaders, and entrepreneurs to consider the topic of climate change and how it’s evolved in both scientific understanding and public discourse over the past twenty-five years. Joan Kjaer and her WorldCanvass guests explored the topic of "The Evolution of Climate Change: 25 Years and Counting" at FilmScene in Iowa City. This is a recap of the event with access to see and hear the full program.

2015 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of "Don Quixote," volume two. In a prelude to a special Obermann-International Programs Humanities Symposium, Joan Kjaer and her WorldCanvass guests explored the topic of "Don Quixote's Four Century Saga" on September 15, 2015 at FilmScene in Iowa City.

Joan Kjaer and her guests closed the 2015 WorldCanvass season on Tuesday, May 5 with a fascinating look at the transformational power of cinema and its unique ability to inspire, provoke, and challenge preconceptions. WorldCanvass guests discussed how cultures are explored and projected through film and shared their own international experiences that have either reinforced or contradicted cinematic representations. Catch the whole show in audio and video form in this ReCap.

Through the silver screen, we are able to connect with stories, places and faces from home and around the world. As filmmaker Martin Scorsese says, “Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds.” At FilmScene, we couldn’t agree more with Scorsese’s sentiment, which speaks to the heart of everything we do as a nonprofit film arts organization.

The final WorldCanvass of the 2014-2015 season will focus on film as an opening to unknown cultures, expanded worldviews, and deeply personal adventures. Host Joan Kjaer and her guests will take a close look at the transformational power of cinema and its unique ability to inspire, provoke, and challenge preconceptions. In this program called “Reel to Real,” they’ll also share personal stories of growth and discovery through study and teaching abroad. WorldCanvass, which is free and open to the public, takes place on May 5 from 5-6:30 p.m., at FilmScene, 118 East College Street, Iowa City.