The Wexner Center for the Arts is an on-campus hub of gallery art, film and more. Credit: Katie Good | Lantern File Photo
Wexner Center for the Arts’ hosts a multitude of events through its film and video program — curators at the Wex frequently put together international film screenings, festivals and often welcome visiting directors to discuss their work.
Read on to learn about the film’s coming to the big screen this fall season. Click on any title for more information on the upcoming events and to purchase or reserve tickets.
Recurring through Jan. 11, 2026:
“Us, Aggregated 3.0” is a recurring exhibition at The Box in the Wex. The exhibit is free and opened at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22 and will run until Jan. 11; the 15-minute 41-second video runs on a constant loop through business hours.
Mimi Ọnụọha, a Nigerian American artist, explores how our identities are shaped through technology by reverse-searching her own family photos on Google and scrolling through the visually similar images the search engine suggests. It shows not only how technology companies store and collect data, but also how they categorize each individual person.
A discussion with Ọnụọha and Simone Brown — an associate professor in the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin — will take place at the Wex Oct. 9.
Friday:
This double feature shows two immensely different yet eerily similar films. “13 Going On 30,” starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, follows Jenna Rink as she faces her oncoming puberty and the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, as well as the aftermath of her birthday wish to be “30, flirty and thriving,” according to the Wex’s website.
“Old,” on the other hand, is a body-horror thriller film in which a family finds themselves vacationing on a secluded beach that, unbeknownst to them, causes them to rapidly age. A classic teen flick paired with a horror film may seem unusual, but both films deal with the concept of aging — rapidly — while still taking a route different from the other.
“13 Going on 30” will screen at 7 p.m. and “Old” will screen at 9 p.m. The screenings are free for Ohio State students to attend, $5 for other students, $8 for members and adults 55 and over and $10 for the general public.
Wednesday, Sept. 3 to Friday, Sept. 5:
Documentarian Sandi DuBowski, known for examining the intersectionality of Jewish and queer identities, will be in attendance for each screening. The first, which takes place on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m., will show “Trembling Before G-d,” a documentary consisting of personal stories by queer Orthodox Jews. Following that showing, “Sabbath Queen,” a documentary about Amichai Lau-Lavie, an Israeli drag queen-turned-rabbi, will screen Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. It encapsulates decades of his life as he explores his identity and challenges societal norms.
On Sept. 5 at 11:30 a.m., DuBowski will host a master class that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the process of filming and producing the long-term documentary. Tickets for the first two screenings cost $6 for students, $8 for members, $9 for adults 55 and over and $12 for the general public. The master class is free to attend.
Wednesday, Sept. 10:
Also part of the Latin American Film Festival, “Bacurau” will screen on Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. The western sci-fi film focuses on Teresa — played by Bárbara Colen — as she returns home following the death of her grandmother, who just so happens to be the matriarch of the town. A discussion with Cesar Lopes Gemelli, a faculty member at Ohio State’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, will follow the screening.
Tickets for the screening are free for all audiences.
Thursday, Sept. 11:
Hailed as the “best film ever made about filmmaking” by film critic Roger Ebert, “8 ½” will screen Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. Starring Marcello Mastoianni as Guido, the film follows the director’s challenges during the creative process as he attempts to launch his new science fiction film off the ground. The inside look at the filmmaking process won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film; the film is in Italian but English subtitles will accompany the audio.
Tickets are free for Ohio State students, $6 for students, $8 for members, $9 for adults 55 and over and $12 for the general public.
Friday, Sept. 12:
Cinéseries, a student-led group that collaborates with the Wex to organize screenings, will hold their first screening of the school year Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. “Speed Sisters” documents a group of Palestinian women who happen to be the first female street racing team in the Middle East, according to the Wex’s website. The film came out in 2015 and navigates their struggles as the only female group in the street racing scene as well as Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestine.
Tickets are free for all audiences.
Sunday, Sept. 14 to Sunday, Sept. 21:
The annual five-day cartoon art and animation film festival will return for its 11th year with screenings across the city, with screenings also taking place at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Gateway Film Center and more. In addition to screenings of classic films — such as “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Princess and the Frog” — the festival will bring in notable directors of these beloved films, including John Musker, creator of “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules” and the more recent animated film “Moana.”
All screenings are free for Ohio State students and the visiting director events are free for all audiences. Tickets for the film screenings are $6 for students, $8 for members, $9 for adults 55 and over and $12 for the general public.
Monday, Sept. 22 to Friday, Sept. 26:
Martinican filmmaker Euzhan Palcy will visit the Wex and introduce screenings of her films “Sugar Cane Alley” and “A Dry White Season.” Her 1994 film, “L’île veilleuse,” will also screen, however Palcy will not be in attendance. The director is the first Black woman to win a César Award and a Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival, according to the Wex’s website.
“L’île veilleuse” is free to attend, while the other two screenings are free for Ohio State students, $15 for members, $18 for students and adults 55 and over and $20 for the general public.
