Block Cinema: The American Sector (2020) with Courtney Stephens

The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern Universityis an engine that drives questioning, experimentation, and collaboration across fields of study, with visual arts at the center. Located on Northwestern’s lakefront campus in Evanston, The Block engages audiences from across the Chicago region with exhibitions, films, and programs that spark critical thinking and creativity.A collection of more than 6,000 works fuels teaching, learning, and research across the university, supporting a rotating exhibition program grounded in Northwestern’s curriculum. Welcoming over 40,000 visitors each year, The Block works in collaboration with artists, scholars, students, and community partners to present art and ideas that inspire reflection and dialogue.F﻿ree parking infoThe Block is free and open to all.

The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University

A landscape essay, history lesson, and collective psychological portrait of the post-Cold War United States

Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University

THE AMERICAN SECTOR(Courtney Stephens, Pacho Velez; 2020; 69 min; DCP)In-person: Courtney StephensDozens of sections of the iconic wall that separated East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989 are now scattered throughout the United States, at government buildings, college campuses, private collections, and roadside diners. For The American Sector, directors Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez spent 18 months traveling the country, filming these fragments and gathering impressions from the custodians, collectors, and tourists they encountered. At once a landscape essay, history lesson, and collective psychological portrait of the post-Cold War United States, The American Sector asks troubling and timely questions about the shifting relationship between monuments and ideology. Co-director Courtney Stephens will appear in person for a post-film discussion.Courtesy of Grasshopper FilmFree and open to all

<blockquote>An exemplary work of cinema as political action. A film that powerfully evokes the active presence of history in daily civic life—and reveals the politics that inhere in its commemoration. Yields extraordinary results through audacious methods.</blockquote><blockquote>— Richard Brody, The New Yorker</blockquote>

Film stills appear thanks to Grasshopper Film

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Block Cinema: The American Sector (2020) with Courtney Stephens

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Block Cinema: The American Sector (2020) with Courtney Stephens

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