After a busy week of midterms, Derek Curtis, Programming and Digital Content Producer for Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL), transformed the Freeman Room into a movie theater complete with snacks and refreshments. Last Saturday’s movie of choice, “Pariah,” was just one of the carefully selected films that have been part of the OWHL movie screening project this year.
“I thought this was a great opportunity to provide a great venue for students who want to show up on a Friday night to see some things they’ve seen but maybe some things they haven’t seen. A library is a great place to find out new things, see new things, engage new ideas, and I thought this would be a good extension of that,” said Curtis.
This year, Curtis has been working on a passion project to share his love of film with the Andover community. These Friday night screenings are not your typical movies, but ones that are often overshadowed by mainstream media. Curtis hopes to provide the community with films
that showcase the diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and identities of individuals.
“I know there are so many great movies out there that aren’t screened a lot, and I’ve been wanting to have an opportunity to show the community some movies that maybe aren’t really seen, not seen as often as they should be… We need to show more representations of people than the ones that are often shown. I think the school does a decent job on many fronts of doing things that are showing everyone and celebrating everyone, and I thought this was an opportunity to do that with what seems to be, by reading about [“Pariah”], a very powerful film,” said Curtis.
Audience member, Annabel Tu ’25, echoed that sentiment — encouraging others to take advantage of the opportunity to broaden their horizons and seek films outside the mainstream spotlight.
“I enjoyed watching the movie and I think that it’s a really great opportunity to see new movies because they’re not all super well-known movies. So I think it’s very nice that the OWHL is doing this and allowing people to branch out. They can see new movies that they might not have ever watched,” said Tu.
With a focus on the theme of identity, future film selections will continue to revolve around recognition and heritage months. In order to ensure authentic representation of the diverse student body, Curtis also reaches out to clubs and affinity groups for recommendations.
“So next month is Native American Heritage Month, so the student group on campus, NAPA [Native Americans at Phillips Academy], I’ve reached out to them asking, ‘What would you like to show?” But one film I know we’re going to be showing next month is ‘The Body Remembers,’” said Curtis.
Curtis hopes that his choice of movies not only unify the community but also leave a lasting impression on the students. As a film enthusiast, Curtis has witnessed the transformative power of compelling art and hopes that Andover students will experience it too.
“I’m definitely someone who believes in the power of art to change your life in a moment. You never know what you’re going to see or engage that dramatically alters how you see yourself and the world… I hope people take away that you belong here, this school is trying to find ways to show things that are engaging you as who you are, and for you to see yourself in other people. I guess I hope that people engaged a fairly complex piece of art, and it gave them something to reflect upon, and provided them an opportunity to engage something real… Something like this
‘Pariah’ isn’t a gloss on what it’s like to be a Black queer person,” said Curtis.
