It’s one thing to watch a movie in class. It’s another to experience a film in Harper
College’s new Film Lab. The difference, for students, is like going from black and
white to technicolor.
The purpose-built space, debuting this fall, looks like a miniature movie theater
with 4K laser projection, Dolby 7.1 surround sound, 51 comfortable chairs and accessible
seating. With sound you can feel and a customizable big screen, the lab is a dream
facility for movie fans, let alone cinephiles and film studies students.
Film Lab Events
Harper Film Series
When: 6 p.m. select Tuesdays, September 17 through March 18
Where: Building E, Room E109
What: The 2024-25 series will screen The Fugitive, The Birdcage and Dog Day Afternoon, among others. More information.
Harper College Spanish Film Festival
When: 2 and 6 p.m. Tuesdays, September 24-October 22
Where: Building E, Room E109
What: The five-film series will show selections from Spain, Mexico and Brazil. All films
will be subtitled in English. More information.
“The students will be seeing and hearing the films in the way the artists intended,”
said Brian Shelton, associate professor of mass communication and the driving force
behind Harper’s Film Lab. “There’s never before been a location at Harper to deliver
the right kind of projection and sound for our film classes, which keep growing in
terms of enrollment.”
Campus Architect Steve Petersen initially explored the idea of enhancing an existing
classroom, but quickly discovered that adding a new space to the building would cost
a similar amount and deliver a far superior experience. Senior Project Manager Nuri
Akdeniz oversaw the project, which was completed early and under budget. After months
of construction, the Film Lab is ready for its close-up.
Harper students aren’t the only ones who will benefit. Everyone is welcome at the
Harper Film Series, which will screen classic and contemporary movies for free at
6 p.m. Tuesdays through March. Screenings are preceded by introductions from faculty
and staff and followed by discussions in the Film Lab, Building E, Room E109 on Harper’s
campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine.
One of the most celebrated movies of all time, The Godfather, will christen the lab and kick off the series on September 17. Other selections
in the series, presented by the Communication Arts Department, include When Harry Met Sally…, Blade Runner and Unforgiven.
The Film Lab is also hosting the Harper College Spanish Film Festival this fall, which begins with 2021’s Carajita, screening at 2 and 6 p.m. September 24. Assistant Spanish language professor Gerardo
Cruz pursued and received funding from the Spanish cultural initiative Pragda to make
the free series possible at Harper, which is a Hispanic Serving Institution. The five-film festival is co-sponsored by Harper’s Cultural Arts Committee and features
works from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico in Spanish, Portuguese and English (all films
will be subtitled in English).
“Harper’s community includes large Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking populations,”
Shelton said. “This is a way to serve those groups while exposing students and visitors
to new films and other cultures.”
The college presented a South Asian Film Series earlier this year and there are plans
for the Film Lab to host a Ukraine-centered series in the spring. The Film Lab wears
its worldly identity proudly. Posters in the lobby represent beloved movies from South
Korea (Parasite), Germany (Metropolis), India (3 Idiots), Hong Kong (In the Mood for Love), Italy (Bicycle Thieves) and the U.S. (Pulp Fiction). There’s also a nod to Harper alum Marlee Matlin, who won an Academy Award for her
performance in Children of a Lesser God.
“The Film Lab is a space that’s specifically dedicated for sharing not just great
films but film culture from around the world,” Shelton said. “As long as funding is
available, these films and series can represent the communities that are part of the
greater Harper community.
“And it’s a lot of fun to show the movies and talk to people about them.”
