THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Tuesday, October 21, 6:00 p.m. & Monday, October 27, 8:30 p.m. | Based on the real story of French Elle editor-in-chief Jean- Dominique Bauby, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY adapts his memoir of the same title, written not by hand but through blinks of his left eye after a massive stroke left him with locked-in syndrome. Paralyzed except for his eyelid, Bauby’s interior world unfolds through Janusz Kamiński’s breathtaking cinematography. The film immerses us in the deepest emotions, reflections, and memories of a man awaiting death in stillness and silence.

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Best Director, Cannes Film Festival
Nominee - Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Academy Awards
Winner - Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Globes

Interiority on Screen Lecture Series | Fall 2025

This series focuses on cinematic works that depict the subjectivities and mental states of their characters in unconventional, intimate, and poetic manners. Tuesday film screenings will be accompanied by lectures, where these films will be discussed not only from the standpoint of critical spectatorship but also from a filmmaker’s point of view. Select titles offered with Sunday encores. Tickets for Sunday encores are regular price and do not include the lecture. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Art History, Theory, and Criticism department. Lecturer: Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, Assistant Professor of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu