Each film in this series is selected by an academic philosopher, who joins us at the screening to deliver a short talk after the film, exploring philosophical themes raised. Discussion then opens up to the audience.

During the pandemic we decided to continue the Philosophy & Film series through the creation of a new podcast, which continues today. In each episode a philosopher, in conversation with Dr Joe Saunders, talks about a specific film and the philosophical themes and questions it raises. You can listen to all episodes here.

This series is really varied and involves films from many different genres and eras. In the past we’ve shown films such as Blue Velvet, Ordet, The Possibilities Are Endless and Inherent Vice.

Philosophy & Film is run by Dr Joe Saunders from Durham University, with support from the Picture House’s Marketing & Communications Manager Ollie and the cinema’s programming team. We regularly partner with academics from the University of Leeds on the series, as well as other educational institutions.