Movie Madness University at PSU presents How Did We Get to Cinema?

Tuesday February 24th 2026 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
In black and white animation, an unseen camera projects and image of a woman in a robe holding her hand up inside a curtain as if the space is a screen
Location
Lincoln Hall Studio Theater, LH 115
Cost / Admission
$45 (General Public); $30 (Member); Free to PSU Students

Movies. Flicks. Motion Pictures. Moving Images. Silents. Talkies. Film. No matter what you call them, movies didn’t emerge from thin air.

A combination of technological developments, popular entertainments, and physiological characteristics combined to create film and filmmaking in the mid-1890s. In this 2 hour class, we’ll discuss the archeology of cinema and the scientific explorations that combined with the advent of photography, and tricks of the eye and brain to form the movies we watch today.

This class will be taught by MMU Education Instructor De, whose previous courses have included The Directrices, What is Costume?, and Worldwide Vampires.

Class will be held in room LH115 in Lincoln Hall, at 1620 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97201 on the Portland State University Campus.

PSU Students are free with valid student ID! Present ID at door for admission - no ticket needed.

Please note: no food or beverage is permitted in the auditorium.