Stories That Matter

The Stories That Matter film screening series cultivates robust dialogue among filmmakers, scholars, students, government officials, policy stakeholders, and the public through curated programs spanning U.S. and international cinema, including narrative features, documentaries, and short films.

The series provides filmmakers from the U.S. and around the world the opportunity to present international cinema to D.C. audiences—including stakeholders in the U.S. government, the international diplomatic community, and Johns Hopkins students and alumni—at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center’s 375-seat state-of-the-art theater.

Each event features a post-screening conversation with attending directors, actors, producers, screenwriters, editors, cinematographers, music composers, and documentary participants.

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center launched the series in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ Graduate Film and Media program in January 2025. The Cineteca di Bologna is also partnering with the Graduate Film and Media program to present the Stories That Matter series at the 358-seat historic and newly restored Cinema Modernissimo in Bologna, Italy.

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Legendary Double Bassist Orin O’Brien Takes the Stage for Stories That Matter

The Stories That Matter film series from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center and the Graduate Film and Media program recently hosted a screening of the Academy Award-Winning Netflix documentary, The Only Girl in the Orchestra and live musical performance by Peabody musicians.

Following the film, O’Brien was joined on stage by the film’s director, Molly O’Brien; Peabody faculty member, Nina DeCesare; and director of the Johns Hopkins Graduate Film and Media program, Sig Libowitz.