Cinema Thinks the World
Screening Dates
Free Admission

“Rich in thought, Origin is a dense, forceful masterwork, and, quite simply, the most radical film of DuVernay’s career.”

Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

Origin is a sprawling, ambitious exploration of racial inequality in contemporary America and its interconnection with global systems of oppression throughout history. Ava DuVernay was told that Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, was far too complicated to adapt; but the urgency of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the lead-up to the 2024 election impelled her to persevere in interpreting the book’s ideas for the screen. Origin humanizes Wilkerson’s argument not only by dramatizing the book’s contents—which makes connections between Jim Crow laws, Nazi social hierarchies, and Indian caste systems—but also its creation. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys) plays Wilkerson’s onscreen counterpart as she writes Caste in the aftermath of Trayvon Martin’s murder. Part biopic, part historical drama, and part political indictment, Origin is an emotionally resonant call for collective responsibility in recognizing universal human dignity.

This free screening is presented as part of ​“Cinema Thinks the World,” a partnership project between The University of British Columbia and The Cinematheque. After the film, there will be a short reception followed by a one-hour panel talk with audience discussion.

Panellists: Moussa Magassa, Gaurav Pathania, Asma Sayed
Moderator: William Brown

Please note: Unclaimed tickets for complimentary screenings at The Cinematheque will be released 15 minutes before showtime. Please arrive early to guarantee your seat.

Acknowledgments

“Cinema Thinks the World” is sponsored by the Grant for Catalyzing Research Clusters (GCRC) at the University of British Columbia. Through a series of public screenings, panel talks, and discussions, it aims to explore the ways in which global cinema represents and helps us to think about the world.

Media
Note

Moussa Magassa is associate vice president of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Mount Royal University.

Gaurav Pathania is assistant professor of Sociology and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Asma Sayed is Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literacy and Cultural Studies in the Department of English at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

William Brown is a filmmaker and associate professor in cinema studies at the University of British Columbia.

Upcoming in this Series

  • Origin 1
  • Origin
  • USA2024
  • Ava DuVernay
  • 141 DCP
  • PG
  • Cinema Thinks the World