Dr. Dennis M. Weiss, a retired Professor of Philosophy at York College of Pennsylvania, says the response to his recent appearance on The Spark — and to his ongoing Philosophy, Drinks, and Film series at Zoetropolis — has been overwhelmingly positive. “I heard from a lot of people who enjoy The Spark, and I’ve heard from people who are interested in film and philosophy,” Weiss said. “So it was a really good opportunity…to bring some attention both to the film series that I run on a monthly basis.”
The series, known as PDF, brings together film screenings, brief introductions, and post-film discussions designed to make philosophy accessible outside of a traditional classroom. “It’s been a real pleasurable way for me to continue to be involved actively in philosophy in a more public realm,” Weiss said, describing Zoetropolis as a “convivial and comfortable place for people to gather… and occasionally discuss some interesting ideas.”
PDF screenings take place on the third Thursday of each month and span a wide range of genres, from classic film noir to science fiction and melodrama. Weiss typically introduces each film with background on the director, genre, and key ideas, then moderates a discussion afterward. “It’s almost always the best part of the evening,” he said. “Sometimes there are disagreements. Sometimes there are different interpretations… and what ties all of that together is that these films raise different kinds of philosophical problems.”
The success of PDF led Weiss to launch his first formal film course last fall, a four-week exploration of film noir. “We had 35 participants,” he said. “They all thought it was great. They enjoyed it and they’re looking forward to additional film courses at Zoetropolis.”
Now, Weiss is expanding the concept even further with a new year-long America 250 film series titled Still Becoming: Cinema and the American Experiment. Inspired in part by conversations happening around the country as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Weiss said movies offer a powerful way to reflect on American identity. “Cinema is one of the ways that we’ve often told stories about what it means to be an American, about our history, about our future,” he said.
The series will feature 12 films grouped into four themes, including founding myths, community, reinvention, and reckoning with the future. The opening film is John Ford’s 1956 western The Searchers. “It gives us an opportunity to revisit a film… and rethink some of the ideas that are portrayed in that film,” Weiss said, noting its complicated legacy around race, violence, and identity.
At the heart of the series is Weiss’s hope that film can create space for thoughtful dialogue at a time of deep division. “Creating a space where we can talk through some of our different perspectives… is something both that philosophy does,” he said. “I’m hoping that we’ll have some discussions that are good for community and build connections across different political ideology and civic ideas.”
For Weiss, taking philosophy out of the classroom is especially meaningful as liberal arts programs face declining enrollment nationwide. “There are a lot of people in the community who really enjoy talking about philosophical ideas,” he said. “They appreciate being confronted with new ideas and new perspectives, but they don’t often know where to go with it.”
To anyone feeling intimidated by philosophy, Weiss’s advice is simple. “Show up anyway,” he said. “The thrust of the events are the movies themselves… There’s no reason to feel intimidated. This is an opportunity to talk about interesting, provocative, intriguing movies and the ideas that they raise.”
