Join us on Sept. 13 for a virtual event where 51³Ô¹Ï Professor Jennifer Hardacker will present her lecture, “What The World Needs Now: A New Neo-Noir Film Movement.â€
The original film noir movement of the 1940s and ’50s wasn’t just a style — it was a worldview, shaped by war, paranoia, Cold War anxiety and the Red Scare. While more recent neo-noir films borrow its shadowy aesthetics, they often lack the deep mistrust and existential dread that defined the original movement.
Today — in a world of misinformation, surveillance and AI-driven reality distortion — noir’s aesthetics and vibe feel more relevant than ever. Like the noir of the past, a new noir movement could give us a way to explore contemporary fears safely — offering both catharsis and a strange kind of hope.
Professor Hardacker was awarded the 2023 President’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
This virtual event is inspired by the historic PUB night event series, which was hosted in the Portland area for Pacific alumni and the university community to hear lectures from 51³Ô¹Ï faculty.