PSU School of Film forms educational collaboration with Hollywood Theatre and Movie Madness

For the past few months, Portland movie aficionados and PSU film students have enjoyed the benefits of a new educational collaboration between the historic Hollywood Theatre, Movie Madness and Portland State University School of Film.

The partnership has opened up new educational opportunities for film fans and scholars at both PSU and at the Hollywood Theatre and Movie Madness. The two venues are co-owned by the nonprofit Film Forever Northwest, which offers a diverse array of film programming and initiatives that empower audiences to fully explore and participate in the rich cultural heritage of cinema.

The collaboration with PSU started with the extension of Movie Madness University, the iconic video store's educational programming, from its 18-seat "miniplex" screening room to PSU's more spacious 90-seat Lincoln Studio Theatre. Featuring courses for the public offered by Movie Madness instructors, the program includes regular classes exploring a variety of cinematic styles and techniques, from costume design to editing to cult films and beyond. Upcoming MMU courses at PSU's Lincoln Studio Theatre explore the aesthetics of camp and the disaster film genre, while other upcoming classes at Movie Madness's miniplex include explorations of satirical representation of immigration and Chicano identity, the work of filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo and more. Courses at PSU generally take place on alternate Mondays.

"Many students major in film because they want to work in the industry. Through partnerships like this, they are enriched through a greater understanding of the context in which films are exhibited, discussed and analyzed both inside and outside of the university," said School of Film director Kristin Hole. "The School of Film is also excited to have the passionate cinephile community, with Portland's rich film exhibition culture, connecting their own learning and appreciation of cinema with our program - which offers the only film degree in Portland."

"This partnership with PSU actually helps the Movie Madness audience in a number of ways," said Ted Hurliman, director of education and special projects at Hollywood Theatre. "The classes at our 18-seat 'miniplex' sell out in a matter of minutes, often to returning students. For a nonprofit dedicated to serving the Portland community, if we're only reaching 18 people per class, that kind of limits our ability to be inclusive. So when the School of Film offered us the use of the Lincoln Hall space, we saw an opportunity to expand our reach not only to Portlanders but also to PSU students."

In fact, Movie Madness has reserved approximately a third of the seats in MMU classes held at Lincoln Studio Theater for PSU students, faculty and staff to attend for free. "At PSU, there are Film students who are absolutely rabid for 35mm and 70mm film, and connecting with Movie Madness and the Hollywood Theatre is one of the best ways for them to realize that passion."

"I realize that the film business is changing, but when you have a group of people who are younger and are still excited about cinema, we want to enhance that in whatever way we can."

Making cinematic discourse available to the public "really democratizes these classes so that everyone has access to the information," said Hurliman, rather than locking it away in upper-division classes with prerequisites and requirements. "Film is a powerful medium. This is about how we can navigate that power and use it responsibly, breaking it down into theory, so people can understand how things like a cut can create an idea in the audience's mind that wasn't there before."

Meanwhile, in Professor Mark Berrettini's Spring term course FILM 487: The Cinema of Jafar Panahi, students have spent their Thursday afternoons at the Hollywood Theatre, viewing the work of the preeminent Iranian filmmaker in the ideal setting of the historic movie house alongside members of the larger Portland community. Professor Berrettini introduces each screening, providing context for films such as "No Bears," "3 Faces," and "It Was Just an Accident," many of which were made in a clandestine manner, without the permission of the Iranian government.

"This is a perfect handshake partnership, because it helps us bring more people into the Hollywood Theatre on a weekday afternoon, and it's a great lead-up to when we open our new Movie Madness space just across Sandy Boulevard," Hurliman said. "That new space will have a bigger miniplex, with 42 seats. It will be a perfect place to book lesser-known, groundbreaking international films such as the work of Panahi, which might have a smaller appeal but still need to be seen by Portland audiences."

The new Movie Madness space directly across the street from the Hollywood Theatre is expected to open in 2027 and will house the video rental store, its collection of movie memorabilia, and the aforementioned state-of-the-art screening room.

The final film in The Cinema of Jafar Panahi series, "It Was Just an Accident," will be shown Thursday, May 28 at 4pm at the Hollywood Theatre. The next class in the Movie Madness University series being held at PSU is "What Is Camp?" - an exploration of the over-the-top film aesthetic that includes "Barbarella" and "But I'm a Cheerleader" and many others - will take place Monday, June 15 at 7pm. Two weeks later, "The Disaster Film" is on the menu, exploring the hair-raising cinematic genre that ranges from "Earthquake" to the "Airport" trilogy and more.