OFF CENTER

OFF CENTER

Monthly Series

OFF CENTER is a basement. OFF CENTER is a backyard. OFF CENTER is a place to come hang and experience weird films together in the spirit of DIY filmmaking and the microcinema. Programmed by Michael Wawzenek.

Series Films

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF ANDREI ARSENEVICH, 1973, andrei tarkovsky smiling in black and white image

OFF CENTER: TARKOVSKY x CHRIS MARKER

Directed by: Chris Marker

France | 1973, 1999

Coming Soon

Monday, September 28, 6:00 p.m. | Chris Marker brilliantly portrays his friend and colleague Andrei Tarkovsky in ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF ANDREI ARSENEVICH using film… more

APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL SHORTS, image of blue tropical scene on banner hanging from post in dimly lit forest

OFF CENTER: APICHATPONG SHORTS

Directed by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Thailand | 2003, 2022

Coming Soon

Monday, October 26, 6:00 p.m. | A prolific maker of short films in addition to his acclaimed features, Apichatpong Weerasthakul (MFA 1998, HON 2011) graces our screens… more

Orange and yellow orbs of light

OFF CENTER: KERRY LAITALA

Directed by: Kerry Laitala

USA | 2006, 2019

Previously

Monday, August 10, 6:00 p.m. | Bay Area–filmmaker Kerry Laitala returns to Chicago to present recent expanded cinema pieces FIRE FLY EYE and EYE OF THE MALSTROM on a… more

TEN SKIES, 2004, picture of blue sky with white clouds

OFF CENTER: TEN SKIES

Directed by: James Benning

USA | 2004

Previously

Monday, July 27, 6:00 p.m. | “A mesmerizing study in time, light, movement, and moisture that traces the shifting relations between clouds and earth, nature, and people… more

THE BEAVER TRILOGY, 2000, drag performer wearing blonde wig and holding microphone with eyes closed

OFF CENTER: BEAVER TRILOGY

Directed by: Trent Harris

USA | 2000

Previously

Monday, June 29, 6:00 p.m. | In 1979, filmmaker Trent Harris visits the small town of Beaver, Utah, to film a talent show. An Olivia Newton-John impersonator named… more

GANGSTERISM, 2025, man wearing jacket standing and looking down with dark orange background

ONION CITY CLOSING NIGHT — OFF CENTER: GANGSTERISM

Directed by: Isiah Medina

Canada | 2025

Previously

Sunday, April 12, 7:00 p.m. | Celebrate closing night of Onion City Experimental Film Festival with Isiah Medina’s latest feature. GANGSTERISM updates the gangster film… more

OFF CENTER: EXPERIMENTS IN EMULSION

OFF CENTER: EXPERIMENTS IN EMULSION

Directed by: Various directors

USA | 1999, 2014

Previously

Monday, March 23, 6:00 p.m. | What happens when you bury reels of film in a landfill or raw film stock in a former nuclear accident evacuation zone? How about submerging… more

PHILIP MALLORY JONES, image of red sign that says "WASSA CLUB" with a record and music notes on it

OFF CENTER: PHILIP MALLORY JONES

Directed by: Philip Mallory Jones

USA | 1975, 2025

Previously

Monday, February 23, 6:00 p.m. | "My work has always considered the screen as a canvas, rather than a window, and explored ways of telling stories through emotional/… more

WHISPERING PINES, surrealist image of woman looking in mirror with sections of red and pink stripes on her face

OFF CENTER: WHISPERING PINES

Directed by: Shana Moulton

USA | 2005, 2019

Previously

Monday, January 26, 6:00 p.m. | Come get lost in the world of WHISPERING PINES, Shana Moulton’s cult video art series in which her alter ego Cynthia seeks meaning and… more

person wearing red santa hat holding out a dollar bill in living room

OFF CENTER: KUCHAR XMAS

Directed by: George Kuchar

USA | 1988, 2007

Previously

Monday, December 29, 6:00 p.m. | Come laugh through the holidays with George Kuchar and friends! This program includes a selection of festive video diaries by the… more

bright red flowering tree hanging over fence with deep blue sky behind

OFF CENTER: TENDERNESS

Directed by: Various

USA | 1966, 1999

Previously

Monday, November 24, 6:00 p.m. | Not exactly pain. Not exactly pleasure. Not exactly passion. A deep understanding of each of the above. In memory of Gunvor Nelson (1931… more

BOGANCLOCH, 2024, black and white image of elderly man with white long beard looking into distance

OFF CENTER: BOGANCLOCH

Directed by: Ben Rivers

UK/Germany/Iceland | 2024

Previously

Monday, October 27, 6:00 p.m. | Bogancloch is where Jake Williams lives, nestled in a vast highland forest of Scotland. BOGANCLOCH portrays his life throughout the… more

Red geometric background with green geometric lights overlaid

OFF CENTER: ANALOG DREAMING

Directed by: Jon Behrens

USA | 1987, 2021

Previously

Monday, September 29, 6:00 p.m. | This program celebrates the vast legacy of one of the Northwest’s most prolific filmmakers and composers, Jon Behrens (1964–2022),… more

negative of black and white film print

OFF CENTER: DOUBLE TROUBLE

Directed by: Various directors

USA | 1966, 2013

Previously

Monday, August 25, 6:00 p.m. | Black and White and Black and White and Black and White and then Black and then White. Marines and Cheerleaders and Marines and… more

green tree

OFF CENTER: FIVE FILMS BY ROSE LOWDER

Directed by: Rose Lowder

France | 1979, 2015

Previously

Monday, July 21, 6:00 p.m. | “My films don’t progress along a track and arrive somewhere, because I don’t think life works like that. I don’t think you can plan to… more

multiple films being projected onto one screen

OFF CENTER: FILMS FOR ONE TO EIGHT PROJECTORS

Directed by: Roger Beebe

USA | 2008, 2024

Previously

Monday, June 30, 6:00 p.m. | Acclaimed filmmaker Roger Beebe visits the Siskel Film Center for his first full solo performance in Chicago in 10 years! He’ll perform an… more

floating red, green, and blue balloon in front of hilly terrain

OFF CENTER: DRUMMING AND DUBBING WITH ALEE PEOPLES

Directed by: Alee Peoples

USA | 2008, 2023

Previously

Monday, April 7, 6:00 p.m. | Multidisciplinary artist Alee Peoples visits the Film Center from Los Angeles to present a selection of her 16mm films followed by a… more

colorful 3d lights

OFF CENTER: EXPERIMENTS IN 3D

Directed by: Various directors

USA | 2006, 2014

Previously

A 3D screening like you’ve never experienced! This program offers a unique chance to view five short films that push the limits of vision by engaging with different 3D… more

man seated in front of building with large fan

OFF CENTER: LOST BOYS, STOLEN TRUCKS

Directed by: Auden Lincoln-Vogel, Directed by: Philip Rabalais

USA | 2017, 2024

Previously

New experimental narrative short films from Iowa! Auden Lincoln-Vogel and Philip Rabalais visit the Film Center to present recent work made on shoestring budgets using… more

couple kissing

OFF CENTER: CHRISTMAS ON EARTH (X2)

Directed by: Barbara Rubin

USA | 1963

Previously

Monday, January 27, 6:00 p.m. | Barbara Rubin’s legendarily transgressive CHRISTMAS ON EARTH will be presented as it was meant to be seen: on two 16mm projectors running… more

woman sitting and holding hand mirror to face

OFF CENTER: UZI’S PARTY AND NEW WORKS BY LARK LYRA LOU HILL

Directed by: Lark Lyra Lou Hill

USA | 2015, 2024

Previously

Monday, December 30, 6:00 p.m. | Chicago-based artist Lark Lyra Lou Hill returns to the Film Center to present new works in film and performance alongside their classic… more

black and white image of man's face

OFF CENTER: THERE IS NOWHERE TO GO BUT HERE

Directed by: Various directors

USA | 1965, 1971

Previously

Monday, November 25, 6:00 p.m. | Featuring 16mm prints acquired by the Film Center in the early ‘70s through gifts and grants and now cared for by the SAIC John M.… more