Fort Wayne Cinema Center program manager offers Oscars picks, commentary

Cambry Hicks | For The Journal Gazette Mar 12, 2026

Cinema Center Program Manager Cambry Hicks

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As the 98th Academy Awards approach, film lovers are reflecting on what has been an exceptionally strong year for cinema. From ambitious blockbusters to intimate international stories, this awards season highlights the diverse stories shared on screen across the globe among a wide range of award categories.

This year, Fort Wayne’s ever-growing cinephile audience had the opportunity to experience quite a bit of the academy-nominated action firsthand on the big screen at Cinema Center, northeast Indiana’s only nonprofit art house theater.

Cinema Center has been committed to presenting a wide variety of films for the past 50 years that reflect the diversity of storytelling, allowing the city and beyond to experience the world through the lens of film. As program manager, one of my favorite parts about curating the theater’s programming is when the films we choose to screen later appear among the Academy Award nominees. It reinforces the major role independent theaters play in connecting the community to what’s happening in global cinema, especially in today’s streaming age.