A 2016 film about an interracial couple that defied 1950s segregation laws and a 1940s classic comedy about women poisoning their lonely tenants during Halloween are just two of this year’s selections of the Penn State Altoona Downtown Film Series.

Suspended in late 2015 due to finances, the film series was revived this year after an anonymous donor came forward with financial support, said Jared Frederick, history instructor at Penn State Altoona. Open to the general public, as well as students, the film series will be free, but a $5 donation is recommended, he said. All movies will be shown on select Sundays begining at 6 p.m. in the Devorris Downtown Center auditorium, 1431 12th Ave. And free popcorn will be served.

The series kicks off on Aug. 27 with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

“I always like to open with a blockbuster,” Frederick said. “It helps get people talking about the film series.”

He also likes to provide a mixture of mainstream movies with independent films, contemporary with classics.

The primary mission of the series is to assist Penn State instructors with additional curriculum options.

“We hope professors will encourage their students to come see these examples of the cinema as it ties in with the subject material of their courses,” Frederick said.

He said his own history students can be suspicious of older films and may “sneer at a black-and-white movie,” calling it outdated because it lacks certain technical features.

“My response to that is, ‘It’s not an old movie, if you’ve never seen it before,'” he said, adding that often his students end up enjoying 60- and 70-year-old movies.

Another mission of the series is one of community service to the downtown Altoona community, Frederick said.

“I see this as a facet of … an ongoing resurgence of art and culture in downtown Altoona,” he said.

Frederick some of his own students are tempted to go to their dorms and watch such movies on Netflix on their computer screens.

“It’s really kind of a communal experience to see a movie on the big screen, especially classic and independent films that you would never see on mainstream screens in Altoona,” he said, noting that some of the films did not play at all locally or only on a limited basis.

He said he recalls when the series opened a few years ago with “Wizard of Oz,” audience members ranged from 3 to 80 in age.

“It not only brings people together, but family and friends together in a very unique way,” Frederick said.

Frederick said he consults with colleagues at Penn State Altoona — and previous film series attendees — on what movies to select. But ultimately the decisions are driven by what the film distributor has available.

Mirror Staff Writer Cherie Hicks is at 949-7030.

Take your pick from classics, adventures comedies and dramas

The full schedule for the academic year, all movies begin at 6 p.m. in the Devorris Downtown Center auditorium, 1431 12th Ave. Free popcorn will be served.:

n Aug. 27, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), Science Fiction | Rated PG-13 | 135 min. A scavenger and defector search for Luke Skywalker.

n Sept. 3, “Loving” (2016), Drama | Rated PG-13 | 123 min. An interracial couple defy 1950s segregation laws.

n Sept. 24, “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943), Suspense | Rated PG | 108 min. A California girl suspects her uncle is a murderer.

n Oct. 15, “The Searchers” (1956), Western | Rated PG | 119 min. A Texan searches the West for his kidnapped niece.

n Oct. 29, “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944), Comedy | Rated PG | 118 min. A man tries to prevent his unstable aunts from poisoning their lonely tenants during Halloween.

n Nov. 5, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” (2016), Adventure-Comedy | Rated PG-13 | 101 min. An outdoorsman and his foster son go on the run in the New Zealand wilderness.

n Nov. 12, “Sergeant York” (1941), Drama | Rated PG | 134 min. Veteran’s Day Tribute: The true story of conscientious objector-turned-WWI hero Alvin York.

n Dec. 3, “The Intouchables” (2011), Comedy-Drama | Rated R | 113 min. An unlikely friendship develops between a wealthy quadriplegic and his caretaker.

n Dec. 17, “The Shop Around the Corner” (1940), Romance | Rated G | 99 min. Two rival coworkers unknowingly write love letters to each other during Christmastime.

n Jan. 21, “Secondhand Lions” (2003), Adventure-Comedy | Rated PG | 110 min. A lonesome teen moves in with two wildly colorful uncles in 1962 Texas.

n Feb. 11, “Lincoln” (2012), Drama | Rated PG-13 | 150 min. The 16th president fights to end slavery in 1865.

n March 11, “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), Suspense | Rated PG-13 | 126 min. A brainwashed Korean War vet becomes an assassin.

n March 25, “The Natural” (1984), Sports | Rated PG | 134 min. An aging baseball player overcomes adversity with his lucky bat at his side.

n April 8, “On the Town” (1949), Musical | Rated G | 98 min. Three sailors on leave seek fun and romance in the streets of New York City.

n April 22, “WALL-E” (2008), Animated | Rated G | 98 min. A robot leaves the polluted Earth to find true love.

n May 6, “The Glenn Miller Story” (1954), Drama | Rated G | 115 min. The tale of the iconic Big Band musician of the 1940s.