Event
Observer: Screening & Group Activity
In his new documentary, OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney (THE ARC OF OBLIVION, KING CORN, THE SEARCH FOR GENERAL TSO, THE CITY DARK) embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen eyed observers – scientists, artists, a hunter – to a range of locations around the world, often without telling them where they are going, and asks them simply to describe what they see.
What unfolds is a deep exploration and celebration of the power of observation: What happens when you find new ways to sense and perceive the world around you?
With customary whimsy and a small painted red square that Cheney brings on every journey, the film is an invitation for viewers to find beauty and meaning in even the most quotidian of locales.
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You’re invited to join us on Sunday, April 27, for a one-of-a-kind screening and experience. We will host the screening in our cinema, and a facilitator will lead an outdoor activity after the movie (event toolkits will be provided while supplies last).
Real Art Ways is one of several select theaters participating in this screening and event series nationwide. We are thrilled to offer this experience, especially as it coincides with the 2025 City Nature Challenge!
Check back soon for more details!
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ABOUT IAN CHENEY (DIRECTOR)
Ian Cheney received bachelor’s & master’s degrees from Yale and an MFA in filmmaking from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His twelve feature-length films prior to Observer (2025) include King Corn (2007), The City Dark (2010), The Search for General Tso (2014), The Most Unknown (2018), Picture a Scientist (2020), The Arc of Oblivion (2023), and Shelf Life (2024). He has helmed Wicked Delicate Films since 2003.
A former MacDowell Fellow & Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, he has taught at Yale College and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, but is not a very focused teacher. He lives in Maine.
IAN CHENEY FILMOGRAPHY
King Corn (2007), The Greening of Southie (2008), Big River (2009), Truck Farm (2010), The City Dark (2011), World Fair (2012), The Melungeons (2013), The Search for General Tso (2014), Moon Mirrors (2015), Bluespace (2015), The Smog of the Sea (2016), The Measure of a Fog (2017), The Most Unknown (2018), The Emoji Story (2019), Thirteen Ways (2019), Picture a Scientist (2020), The Long Coast (2020), The Arc of Oblivion (2023), Shelf Life (2024), Observer (2025)
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Learn more about Observer: https://www.observerfilm.org/
