The schedule is eclectic by design,” International Film Series Director Jason Phelps said. “I want people to recognize a title or two that they want to see, and then take a moment to look at something that they would have never seen otherwise and give it a chance.”

Among the season’s highlights, Phelps pointed to Sergei Parajanov’s visually arresting Armenian masterpiece, The Color of Pomegranates (Jan. 26), the Broadway-to-screen powerhouse Dreamgirls (Feb. 16), and Buster Keaton’s silent-era spectacular The General (March 29), which will be accompanied by a live score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

“It’s hard to narrow down only a couple of favorites,” Phelps said. “It’s better just to go and enjoy. There’s nothing quite like experiencing a great film in a large auditorium with like-minded people.”

For Boulder Reporting Lab, I spoke with Phelps about IFS’ spring calendar, and highlight several programs (Oscar-nominated short subjects, Sundance 101, Black History), in person guests like Derek Cianfrance and Skinner Myers, a special in memoriam screening of All the President’s Men in honor of Robert Redford and preview the latest entries in the Western Movie Club:

if you’ve never seen a Western before, these two are ideal entry points: My Darling Clementine (Jan. 18) is loosely based on the Earp-Clanton feud that set the stage for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

The Gunfighter (Feb. 8), released a few years later, turns inward, examining what’s left of a man after a lifetime of violence. Both movies exhibit Hollywood’s Golden Age craftsmanship—not to mention star power—while taking a moral interest in their characters and the world they inhabit. And though they were made decades ago, and set even earlier, their themes still resonate today.

You can read the full article at Boulder Reporting Lab.org.