Assistant Professor Marquise Mays (Department of Film, Video, Animation, & New Genres) is currently screening a selection of films at the Oriental Theatre through Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens program.
The ongoing series in celebration of Black History Month is open to viewers of all backgrounds but primarily seeks to display a side of identity that the Black community can directly relate to. For Mays, this entails carefully curating a run of shorts and feature films that highlight Black representation across all genres.
“We are showing a lot of different stuff and moving across genres,” Mays said about the repertoire of films being showcased. “Our relationships to films are different and I try to ensure that there are options for everyone to feel seen and heard.”
The ongoing series is being programmed by Mays for the second time and has already featured many noteworthy screenings.
According to Mays, screening Beyonce’s concert film Renaissance was a once-in-a-lifetime experience: “Renaissance was the opening film this year and we screened it one year to the day that Beyonce announced her ‘Renaissance World Tour.’ “We were also the only theater in America screening the film on that night. I am super grateful that we got to have that experience.”
Mays continued to note the themes of joy, expansiveness, and grandiosity in Renaissance as a perfect way to begin Black History Month, with the Oriental working as an ideal setting.
Nine films are screened throughout February, each selected by Mays as part of his role as a programmer for the Black Lens program, which is a year-round role.
“I have the pleasure of watching films and shorts that talk about and explore the Black experience globally. I then bring those films to the Oriental Theatre for screenings throughout the year,” Mays noted.
Mays’ position as a programmer makes him a remarkable professor at PSOA.
Given his involvement in viewing films for Oriental, he remains in the know about what is happening in modern contemporary film. As a result, his students get to be heavily involved in the innovations happening in film today.
“The public’s understanding of film has been a bit archaic for quite some time. I always stay in the know of what is happening in the industry, which I then bring into the classroom. I feel my students are always interacting with fresh films, leading to fresh perspectives.”
Read more about Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens program.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25