Free Film Fridays, a new event at PRAx, will be hosted approximately once a month for the 2024-2025 school year. As the name implies, these movie screenings are completely free to attend. They are held in Detrick Concert Hall with a start time of 7 p.m.

As a performing arts center on a land grant university, PRAx looks for the balance between technology and humanity, and film is a classic way to explore this connection.

“Cinema is of course an essential art form,” said Nadia Hagan, the managing director of PRAx at Oregon State University. “When we think about the creative arts, we mean all of them, including new, experimental and emerging art forms, and including cinema.” 

In addition to the screening, Distinguished Professor of Film Jon Lewis, who selects the films, will introduce them and have an open discussion with viewers afterward. The occasional guest speaker with knowledge of the film’s topic will also be a part of the discussions.

Many of the films are chosen with current events in mind. The next Free Film Friday will be “The Manchurian Candidate” on Nov. 22, two and a half weeks after the 2024 election. David Bernell, associate professor of political science, and Rorie Solberg, professor of political science, will both be facilitating the discussions.  

Darkside Cinema, Corvallis’s independent movie theatre, is PRAx’s partner and co-presenter for these events. Darkside also provides a student discount pricing on tickets at their theatre. Current listings can be found here.

“We love the Darkside Theatre, and we want to encourage OSU and the community to support independent films, independent theatres,” said Hagan. 

More information on PRAx events, including how to obtain free student rush tickets for performances, can be found on their website.