PDF@Zoetropolis

Welcome to PDF@Zoetropolis — my monthly Philosophy | Drink | Film series where we bring together big ideas, great cinema, and expertly crafted cocktails for a unique and engaging experience. Held on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., each screening features a thought-provoking film that I introduce with a short talk to frame some of the key questions it raises. After the film, I host a lively discussion where we explore its deeper meanings together. PDF is held at Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse in Lancaster, PA, a special space that combines art house cinema, a micro-distillery, and a full-service restaurant. Each event includes a specialty cocktail crafted to match the film and a pre-screening newsletter I prepare with insights and resources to enrich your viewing. I hope you’ll join me for a night of cinema, conversation, and community.

2025 Screenings

La Jetée: May 2025

The Seventh Seal: January 2025
Children of Men: February 2025
Melancholia: March 2025

This winter, Zoetropolis Cinema invites you to explore the profound and provocative theme of apocalypse through three masterful films: The Seventh Seal (January 16), Children of Men (February 20), and Melancholia (March 20). Each film grapples with humanity’s confrontation with the end—whether through death, societal collapse, or cosmic catastrophe—yet offers a striking meditation on resilience, hope, and renewal.

While apocalypse often signifies destruction, these films challenge us to find meaning, beauty, and possibility amid despair. Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal contemplates faith and mortality with existential gravitas, Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men envisions hope as humanity’s saving grace, and Lars von Trier’s Melancholia reframes the end as an intimate and transformative experience. Join us for this journey into endings that illuminate new beginnings, reminding us of the enduring human capacity for hope, even in the darkest times.