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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

A girl dancing at a party with purple lights.

WSN’s guide to the 62nd New York Film Festival

In anticipation of this year’s New York Film Festival, WSN has put together a list of must-see movie premieres that you will want to secure tickets for before they sell out.
Dani Biondi, Film & TV Editor September 9, 2024

This year, the New York Film Festival — which runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 14 — will celebrate its 62nd anniversary. With the festival’s Main Slate featuring films from 24...

A man wearing a black trench coat and green crocs leans on a teal front door.

Review: ‘High & Low: John Galliano’ captures a fashion icon falling apart at the seams

The documentary chronicles fashion designer John Galliano’s career in full, but falters in redeeming his character following incidents of antisemitism.
Karina Rower, Deputy Copy Chief April 2, 2024

In the early aughts, John Galliano’s creative direction led fashion houses Givenchy, Dior and Maison Margiela to widespread success. With a flair for the outlandish and avant-garde,...

An illustration of a laptop and a mug on a purple background. On the laptop is a child sitting in a car leaning outside the window. The foreground is a grassy field with a city background and above the car is the red title: “24 City.”

Off the Radar: ‘24 City’ and building over the ashes of industry

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “24 City” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Mick Gaw, Film & TV Editor February 2, 2024

Living in a metropolis like New York City means constantly witnessing a ceaseless commercial drive toward prosperity — a process defined by both creation and displacement. Structures...

A woman with black hair wearing a black shirt stands behind a white podium in a lecture hall.

Xyza Cruz Bacani explores community and sacrifice in ‘Komunidad: Filipinos in the UAE’

The exhibit represents the lives of five workers, the complexity of their identities and experiences working in the UAE.
Leila Anderson, Contributing Writer January 31, 2024

On Monday, Jan. 29, the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute in New York displayed a project by artist Xyza Cruz Bacani titled “Komunidad: Filipinos in the UAE.” Bacani, a Filipina photographer...

To the left of the photo there is someone wearing a blue shirt, looking down. Behind them there is a landscape with a blue sky, clouds, and hills.

Review: Joan Baez says goodbye her own way in new documentary

“Joan Baez I Am a Noise” follows the political activist and musician as she embarks on her farewell tour and looks back on her storied career.
Holden Lay, Staff Writer October 6, 2023

Early on in “Joan Baez I Am a Noise,” the titular musician says “I always said I didn’t want to do a farewell tour, because people who say that always come back. But maybe...

A doctor wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, a blue mask and scrubs.

Review: ‘De Humani Corporis Fabrica’ cuts deep into the human body

In their latest documentary feature, Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor bring viewers on a transformational journey of human anatomy. “De Humani Corporis Fabrica” is currently showing at the IFC Center. 
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer May 1, 2023

The intrusive lens of the micro camera burrows through cavernous organs and once unseen crevices of the human body in “De Humanis Corporis Fabrica.” First premiered at the...

An illustration of a laptop placed on a bed with blue sheets. The laptop displays two people wearing white T-shirts sitting together.

Off the Radar: Lessons on how to film ‘The Act of Killing’

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “The Act of Killing” is available to stream on Kanopy and NYU Stream.
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer March 10, 2023

The documentary film genre is often treated as the simple presentation of facts — a journalistic investigation that reveals answers to real-world phenomena. A passive camera...

In a dimly lit bar, Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny looks into the camera, wearing a dark blue fleece and a light blue buttoned shirt.

Review: ‘Navalny’ is a profound portrait of the Russian activist

Nominated for an Oscar and now streaming on HBO Max, “Navalny” portrays a man who became the face of a movement.
Madeline Kane, Staff Writer March 3, 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reaffirmed the horrors of President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime to the world. With strict censorship rules and aggressive law enforcement,...

An illustration of four people walking into the distance in a village. The image is tinted with a teal color.

Review: New doc on Sarah Lawrence cult tells the harrowing truth of survivors

The docuseries follows a group of nine students at Sarah Lawrence College who fell victim to manipulation. It serves as a harrowing realization that cults are not things of the past, but closer than we know.
Julia Diorio, Contributing Writer February 28, 2023

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault. Sarah Lawrence College sits in the small village of Bronxville, New York, an affluent Westchester County...

A black and white photograph of people on the right side holding their hands up. They are surrounded by men in uniform.

Review: ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’: Once illegal, now in theaters

The film returned to theaters on Feb. 24, 50 years after director Marcel Ophuls exposed how the French Vichy government secretly collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.
Ashley Simons, Contributing Writer February 27, 2023

“The Sorrow and the Pity,” a landmark documentary from 1969, is now in theaters with a breathtaking 4K restoration after years of being banned. The film immerses viewers in...

Five people take pictures in front of a mural that depicts green mountains, tan buildings and trees. A Chinese national flag is drawn in the foreground. Two Asian people are smiling at the camera as they point to the Chinese slogan “collective prosperity” on the bottom of the mural.

Q&A: Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke on China’s changing identity

WSN spoke with celebrated Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke about nationalism, the internet and capturing contemporary China.
Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Arts Editor February 20, 2023

Jia Zhangke is often seen as the North Star of Chinese independent cinema. His continued interrogation of the nation’s cultural changes ever since he took up filmmaking in 1997...

A cup of coffee and a laptop screening a monochrome image of building compounds on fire in a desert on top of a gray blanket.

Off the Radar: ‘Lessons of Darkness’ in the chaos of the Gulf War

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Lessons of Darkness” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer February 3, 2023

Werner Herzog’s 1992 film, “Lessons of Darkness,” is a blazing symphony of destruction and trauma in the aftermath of human conflict. Over the course of 54 minutes, the documentary...