The Films of John Sayles: Truth, Beauty and Integrity

The Films of John Sayles: Truth, Beauty and Integrity

Karen Davis
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (PT)
Repeats every Thursday until Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
Price: $165.00
72 slots available
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Photo of John Sayles on a film shoot staring off in distance

The films of acclaimed writer/director John Sayles have etched a unique and indelible place in the history of American independent cinema. Encompassing multiple genres, from science fiction to Westerns to political drama, the unifying principle underlying Sayles’ eclectic body of work is his life-long commitment to equity, justice and human rights. Notwithstanding his status as a MacArthur “genius award” recipient and multiple Academy Award nominations, Sayles eschews the red carpet and prefers to premiere his films for the public, free of charge, at an old drive-in movie theater near Poughkeepsie, New York, close to his home. Sayles’ uncompromising cinematic vision has influenced two generations of “indie” directors who succeeded him. 

This course will focus on four films written and directed by John Sayles:

  • Brother for Another Planet
  • Matewan
  • Passion Fish
  • Lone Star

Faculty Bio

Karen Davis is Senior Film Programmer Emerita for the Mill Valley Film Festival and Professor Emerita at California State University at Monterey Bay. She has taught courses in world cinema at UC Santa Cruz, Vassar College and CSUMB.

This is a Livestreamed-Only Course

  • Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time
  • Classes will not be video recorded
  • Please note: Films should be viewed in advance. Class sessions will consist of lecture, discussion and short film clips to deepen understanding of the course material
  • You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Thursday, Jan. 23, and ends on Thursday, Feb. 13
  • Classes meet for 4 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (10:30 AM–noon)
  • All course materials will remain available to view and enjoy in Member Dashboards through Mar. 30

Member Praise for Karen Davis

Karen is a captivating instructor! Can't wait for her next class.

Excellent teacher, very interesting films, and loved learning about talented people in film that I either knew nothing about and/or are just amazingly gifted people.

Faculty Q&A