Create a pencil drawing to take home while exploring the collection. No experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. For ages 6 and up (children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult). Capacity is limited.

Founded in April 2008 by Jeff Clark, I Love Steppin’ is an open community of dancers passionate about Chicago Style Steppin’. Members gather in cities nationwide to celebrate and raise awareness of this cherished tradition within Black communities.

This event welcomes dancers of all ages and includes a brief introductory lesson on Steppin' basics from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, followed by 90 minutes of dancing to music curated by DJ Rod Edwards.

See "The Rooster's Crow" Automaton Clock come to life in the DIA's European Medieval & Renaissance galleries during its once-monthly day of operation! 

Throughout the day, visitors can see this rare 16th-century clock's mechanical rooster flap its wings and open its beak every fifteen minutes, and witness the figures of seven princes parade around an enthroned emperor as the clock strikes each hour. 

Winding the clock for one day each month is vital to maintaining its fully functional condition. This important conservation work offers a unique opportunity to see a work of Renaissance art and technology in motion. 

Image: “The Rooster’s Crow” Automaton Clock, present-day Germany (Augsburg or Nuremberg), ca. 1585, gilt copper, brass, engraved silver, steel with partial bluing. Museum purchase, Ernest Rosemarie Kanzler Foundation Fund, DIA. No. 2023.601.

South Korea/2024—directed by Hong Sangsoo | 90 min.

A Traveler’s Needs is a delightful comedy of improbable encounters and unexpected lessons. Iris (Isabelle Huppert), a charming yet enigmatic woman, navigates life in modern Seoul by offering French lessons through an unconventional method. Initially absurd and amusing, her teaching reveals deeper insights into her past and circumstances, drawing viewers into her mysterious and captivating world.

This sweet and thoughtful film explores connection, meaning, and a surprising central beverage, while showcasing the incredible range of Isabelle Huppert. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival, A Traveler’s Needs is presented in English, French, and Korean with English subtitles. 

"Isabelle Huppert is sensational here, blending a deft sense of innocence with a hint of mischievousness." –Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

USA/1920—directed by Oscar Micheaux | 60 minutes

One of the most significant early works by independent African American film pioneer Oscar Micheaux, The Symbol of the Unconquered was created as a bold response to the racist themes central to D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. 

In Micheaux’s powerful narrative, the Ku Klux Klan is depicted as a violent gang of hooded thieves attempting to seize the property of a determined young Black homesteader. The film also explores complex issues of racial identity and the miscegenation laws of the era, adding depth to the characters’ struggles.

Recently restored by the Royal Cinémathèque of Belgium, this thematically rich work will be presented with a new live musical score, composed and performed by Marion Hayden.

“Stunning. Perhaps no other film in history has encapsulated so well the nightmarish, threatening madness of the Klan.” -Donald Bogle

The DFT’s popular annual program showcases this year’s nominees in both the short animation and short live-action categories in a single, spectacular ten-film presentation, with an intermission separating the two categories. Watching the Oscar® Shorts on the big screen offers a uniquely entertaining experience, highlighting the boundless creativity of emerging filmmakers as they bring new worlds to life through their imaginative storytelling.

Make your personal picks for the best and see the winners announced when the Oscars® are awarded on Sunday, March 2nd! Advance ticket purchase is recommended. The Oscar® Shorts program has an average running time of just over three hours, including one intermission.

The Academy Award Nominated Short Films - Animation and Live Action screenings on February 7, 8 and 9 have been cancelled due to Academy voting delays caused by the devastating fires in Los Angeles.

Those holding tickets for those dates may exchange them for tickets to any other performance of the Shorts scheduled between February 14th and March 2nd. To exchange tickets, call the DIA Call Center at 313-833-4005 during normal business hours.

The DIA is honored to present all five of this year’s Academy Award®-nominated short documentary films in a single program. While feature-length documentaries enjoy unprecedented popularity among moviegoers, short documentaries—much like their counterparts in the live action and animated short film categories (presented in a separate program)—are often equally, if not more, powerful, moving, and memorable than their longer counterparts. These films continue to attract a growing base of enthusiasts, thanks to their entertaining and enlightening exploration of the real world on the big screen.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended. The documentary program typically runs for about three hours, including a 25-minute intermission. For more details and updates, please check the DIA website at dia.org.

The Academy Award Nominated Short Films - Documentary screening on February 9 has been cancelled due to Academy voting delays caused by the devastating fires in Los Angeles.

Those holding tickets for that date may exchange them for tickets to any other performance of the Shorts scheduled between February 14th and March 2nd. To exchange tickets, call the DIA Call Center at 313-833-4005 during normal business hours.

USSR/1964—directed by Sergei Parajanov | 97 min.

One of the most beloved films of the Soviet era, Sergei Parajanov’s mind-blowing Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a visionary masterpiece that combines psychedelic folklore and ritual with staggering visual and narrative originality. 

Set in the Carpathian Mountains, it tells the story of Ivan and Marichka, star-crossed lovers whose families are embroiled in a feud. When Ivan marries another woman but continues to pine for Marichka, his wife recruits a sorcerer to win him back, setting off a frenzy of supernatural forces. Parajanov and his cinematographers conjure a magically charged atmosphere, bringing a folk legend to life in vivid colors. The result is a sensuous tour de force. 

This new 4K restoration was created by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna, with funding from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. In Ukrainian with English subtitles.

“Extraordinary, intoxicating and exhilarating! One of the supreme works of Soviet cinema.” –Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Belgium/France/Netherlands/2024—directed by Johan Grimonprez | 150 min.

From Congo to Harlem and back again, Johan Grimonprez’s kinetic documentary delivers the politics of decolonization in jazz form, replete with virtuosic archival riffs, historical text styled as Blue Note album covers, and musical performances by jazz legends Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Nina Simone, who in the 1960s doubled as cultural ambassadors to Africa. 

Their roles as unknowing decoys in the CIA’s efforts to “remove” Congo’s prime minister Patrice Lumumba thread through this deeply researched, utterly fascinating, and densely textured tapestry, which scrambles the simplistic good guys/bad guys narrative. 

Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, memos, testimonies from mercenaries, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a canon of jazz icons in rare footage, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story that resonates profoundly in today’s political climate. Winner of the Special Prize for Innovation, Sundance Film Festival. In English, French, Dutch, and Russian with English subtitles. 

"Critic’s Pick! A great documentary that uses every instrument cinema affords. The result, in a word, is marvelous." –Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times

Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. is a true renaissance man. He has been a professional musician for over forty years. More than 35 years ago, the legendary bluesman Willie Dixon encouraged him to bring his music into schools. In recognition of his efforts, The National Blues Foundation named him a leading blues educator in 2007.

In addition to his music career, Rev. Jones has served as a pastor for over 20 years and has been a nationally recognized storyteller for more than fifteen years. These experiences have allowed him to work in diverse ways, using his speaking and musical talents to educate, entertain, and inspire. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that should be celebrated.