CONNECTIONS: Documentary Film Series
CONNECTIONS has been a vital part of OLLI’s program offerings since 2017 when we were known as the Ringling College Lifelong Learning Academy. The communal viewing experience offers our students the opportunity to connect to many of today’s pressing global issues via the penetrating perspectives of contemporary films. After watching a film together, students can engage in a facilitator-led conversation about the film’s content and impact, which forges deeper learning and social connections.
As the name CONNECTIONS implies, the themes for our films showcase the connections humans have with each other, with our physical world (including technology), and with other species that share our planet. CONNECTIONS is offered in our fall, winter, and spring terms, with two films in each term for a total of six per year.
CONNECTIONS, the documentary film series, returns for the winter and spring terms. Films will be shown at the Ringling College Museum Campus.
- Gold Member: $12 • Silver Member and General Admission: $15
AUDREY (2020)
Film #FS127
Ringling College Museum
1 hour 40 minutes
Tuesday Oct. 10 • 2:30-4:30 pm
Gold Member: $12 • Silver Member and General Admission: $15
An intimate portrait of legendary Hollywood actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, who became a superstar overnight when cast in William Wyler’s Roman Holiday. Apparently having the “Midas touch” when it came to iconic roles, it seemed Hepburn could do no wrong. Famously retiring after making Wait Until Dark, her star never faltered due to her philanthropic pursuits including becoming the UNICEF ambassador. Effortless in her beauty and grace, AUDREY epitomizes the kind of celebrity who truly deserves our admiration.
Sam Now (2022)
Film #FS128
Ringling College Museum
1 hour 25 minutes
Tuesday Nov. 7 • 2:30-4:30 pm
Gold Member: $12 • Silver Member and General Admission: $15
What do two film-obsessed brothers do to solve a family mystery? Using every video format imaginable, they make a movie as they travel thousands of miles looking for their missing mother. Stitching together 25 years of home videos and filling gaps in the archive with play, Sam Now is a mosaic of love, longing, and loss, as well as an attempt to heal intergenerational trauma.
About the Moderator
Julie Cotton, a member of the OLLI Advisory Council, is the coordinator and host of this series. Julie has a doctorate in Human Development and is a former organizational consultant and executive coach. She is an aficionado of documentary films and a skilled facilitator of group conversations.