OLLI Goes to the Movies: The Mill Valley Film Festival Experience

Special Event

OLLI Goes to the Movies: The Mill Valley Film Festival Experience

Friday, October 3, 2025
Friday, October 3, 2025

Calling all movie buffs! Join us for an exciting day of film-going at the 48th annual Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) on Friday, Oct. 3, plus pre- and post-event talks by MVFF film programmer Karen Davis. 

This three-part series marks the beginning of an exciting new collaboration between OLLI and the California Film Institute. The two films you'll screen at the Festival may include fiction, documentary and international festival premieres with invited guest directors possibly in attendance.

Karen Davis is Senior Film Programmer for the Mill Valley Film Festival and Professor Emerita at California State University at Monterey Bay. She has also held visiting faculty positions in film studies at UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis and Vassar College.

🎬 The Three Events:

Event 1: The Preview 🍿 

Friday, Sept. 19, 10:30–noon

Learn about the two films you'll see at the Festival and get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into programming an internationally-acclaimed cinema event.

  • Ways to attend:
    • In person at OLLI HQ at 1995 University Ave., Suite 365, Berkeley (3rd floor)
    • Online on Zoom (the link will be shared in the registration confirmation email)
    • Or watch a recording which we'll share with registrants shortly after the session

Event 2: At the Festival 🍿 

Friday, Oct. 3, 11:30 AM – 6 PM (approximate)

Spend the day at the Festival! We'll meet at a designated spot in Mill Valley and then dive into the films. There'll be a break between the screenings — the perfect time to grab a bite to eat.

  • OLLI Director Susan Hoffman will be your guide for the day
  • Film-goers are responsible for their own transportation to/from MVFF
  • Meeting location will be shared as we get closer to the event

Event 3: Post-Festival Wrap-Up 🍿 

Monday, Oct. 13, 12–1:30 PM 

Gather to discuss the films and the Festival experience as a group.

  • Ways to attend:
    • In person at OLLI HQ at 1995 University Ave., Suite 365, Berkeley (3rd floor)
    • Online on Zoom (the link will be shared in the registration confirmation email)
    • Or watch a recording which we'll share with registrants shortly after the session

🎟️ Tickets 

  • $95 — includes tickets to two films at the Festival and the pre- and post-event discussions
  • Open to OLLI members and non-members — all are welcome to join!
  • Limited to 30 people; first come, first served
  • Deadline to sign up is Monday, Sept. 29 (if spots are still available)

About OLLI

OLLI at UC Berkeley is a vibrant learning community designed for people 50+ and open to all. Members receive exclusive access to 100+ courses per year, speaker events, town halls, field trips, intergenerational dialogues, socials, travel opportunities, and more. Fee assistance is available. Learn more.

OLLI Goes to the Movies: The Mill Valley Film Festival Experience

Behind the Scenes: Cal Performances' 2025/26 Season, with Jeremy Geffen

Special Event

Behind the Scenes: Cal Performances' 2025/26 Season, with Jeremy Geffen

Thursday, August 28, 2025
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Join us as Executive and Artistic Director Jeremy Geffen walks us through Cal Performances’ 2025–26 season of over 80 music, dance, and theater performances. He'll share personal insights, anecdotes, and expertise contextualizing what makes each performance a unique and integral part of the upcoming season. This is a great way to absorb major highlights; learn about the selections of artists, ensembles and repertoire in the season; and ask any questions you may have about the world-class artistry coming to the Berkeley campus over the next year. 

About the Speaker

Before joining Cal Performances in 2019, Jeremy Geffen served as senior director and artistic adviser at Carnegie Hall, where he was responsible for the overall program planning and thematic development of the approximately 160 performances that annually comprised the concert season, as well as the creation of a wide range of audience education programs.

About OLLI at UC Berkeley

OLLI @Berkeley is a learning community designed for people 50+ and open to all. Members enjoy exclusive access to 100+ courses per year, speaker events, town halls, field trips, intergenerational dialogues, socials, travel opportunities, and more. Learn more and join us! Fee assistance is available.

 [Free and open to all • Livestreamed + recorded]

Behind the Scenes: Cal Performances' 2025/26 Season, with Jeremy Geffen

Guess Who!

There’s a 2020 book by Ruth Ben-Ghiat titled "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" that explores the disordered personalities of authoritarian leaders throughout modern history.

[Intergenerational Dialogue] The Constitution and the Rule of Law

Special Event

[Intergenerational Dialogue] The Constitution and the Rule of Law

Friday, October 10, 2025
Friday, October 10, 2025

At a time when many people are concerned about the future of American democracy, there is considerable anxiety over the durability of its founding document, the US Constitution. Similarly, there is a pervasive sense of dismay over the vibrancy of the rule of law in the United States. Is all this fear misplaced or overdone? 

This Words Over Time intergenerational dialogue between OLLI members and Cal undergraduates is intended to forge a civil discussion that is engaging, innovative, transformative, and empowering. Facilitated by Berkeley's Darren Zook.

The Details

  • This event is for OLLI members only
    • Free for OLLI members; $15 for Best of OLLI subscribers
  • The dialogue will be held in person at OLLI HQ (1995 University Ave., Suite 365, Berkeley.) 
  • It will not be livestreamed nor recorded.
  • Limited to 24 members.
  • Members will be invited to continue the conversation with professor Zook and his students on campus in the weeks following the meeting.
[Intergenerational Dialogue] The Constitution and the Rule of Law

The Radical Movement of the Sixties: What it Accomplished, Why it Collapsed

Speaker Series

The Radical Movement of the Sixties: What it Accomplished, Why it Collapsed

Friday, October 24, 2025
Friday, October 24, 2025

What happened to the bold vision of a more democratic, egalitarian and humane America that energized a generation in the 1960s? Why did a movement that sparked sweeping change ultimately fall apart? Professor Barbara Epstein will discuss the driving ideals behind this transformative time and the hard truths behind its decline.

This event is part of OLLI @Berkeley's America's Unfinished Work series, which features influential figures engaged in the examination and eradication of systemic racism to create a more humane, just and equal society. 

About the Speaker

Barbara Epstein is professor emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz. She is the author of numerous books and essays focused on social movements and the problems they face. She is currently working on a book about the Jewish resistance to fascism during World War Two.

Details

  • The event will be livestreamed and recorded. The video will be shared with registrants as soon as it's captioned.
  • Cost:
    • $0 for OLLI @Berkeley members
    • $10 for non-members
  • The Zoom link will be included in registration confirmation and reminder emails; OLLI members will also find it in their Member Dashboards

Not an OLLI member? Now is the time to join. Members receive exclusive access to 100+ courses per year, speaker events, town halls, field trips, intergenerational dialogues, socials, travel opportunities, and more. Fee assistance is available.

[Members, be sure to log into your OLLI account before registering to receive your discount.]

The Radical Movement of the Sixties: What it Accomplished, Why it Collapsed

[Town Hall] For the Greater Good: Finding Balance and Hope in Troubled Times

Special Event

[Town Hall] For the Greater Good: Finding Balance and Hope in Troubled Times

Friday, September 26, 2025
Friday, September 26, 2025

We exist in a moment when anger, despair and cynicism seem to be everywhere. How do we find balance and even hope amidst the chaos and uncertainty assaulting our communities, country and planet? This online Town Hall panel discussion will focus not only on compelling reasons why a more positive response is warranted, but also on possible pathways of constructive action that can benefit everyone in the interest of the greater good. Facilitated by Berkeley's Darren Zook. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Panelists Include

Marilyn Standish retired recently as vice president of The California Endowment, a $4B+ private, statewide health foundation established in 1996 whose mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all California.

Elizabeth Svoboda is a science writer and contributor to Scientific American, Discover, and the Boston Globe. She is the author of What Makes a Hero?: The Surprising Science of Selflessness. She is working on a book about the art of pacing ourselves in an overclocked world.

[For members only • Livestreamed + recorded]

[Town Hall] For the Greater Good: Finding Balance and Hope in Troubled Times

Solano Stroll: Stop By Our Table

Special Event

Solano Stroll: Stop By Our Table

Sunday, September 14, 2025
Sunday, September 14, 2025

Planning to go to the festive and joyfully packed (about 250,000 visitors last year!) Solano Stroll on Sunday, Sept. 14? Stop by our table in front of 1737 Solano Ave and say hi! We'll be there from 10 AM – 5 PM with fall brochures, good cheer, great info, hopefully-not-melting candy, and some snazzy pens. 

Solano Stroll: Stop By Our Table

Fall Open House: Join Us!

Special Event

Fall Open House: Join Us!

Friday, September 5, 2025
Friday, September 5, 2025

You're invited! ...

OLLI @Berkeley's Fall Open House is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with faculty, members, and the OLLI team as we gear up for the start of a new academic year. Want to chat about upcoming courses? Now's the time! Get a feel for the community? Come on over! Learn about ways to get involved? You bet.

You can even register on the spot! 

Fall courses start in mid-September through mid-October in Berkeley and Lafayette, plus online.

Whether you're OLLI-curious or a longtime member, we'd love to see you. And bring a friend!

🍁 Details 

  • Friday, Sept. 5, 10:30–noon
  • 1995 University Ave., Suite 365, Berkeley
  • We’re just a hop from a bus stop and a short stroll from the Downtown Berkeley BART station
  • Paid parking is available on site (enter via an alley between Milvia and MLK Jr. Way) and on neighboring streets
  • All are welcome! 
Fall Open House: Join Us!
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