History of The Ross

The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center offers an alternative to commercial movie theaters and shows the critically acclaimed films you won’t see anywhere else in Lincoln.

Located at 13th and R streets, The Ross shows movies seven days a week and features two theaters with state-of-the art digital projection systems, a concessions stand, and film archive. The Ross plays an important role within the academic community and the city of Lincoln, bringing independent, documentary, international, and classic films to a wider audience.

How it started

What we know today as the Ross began with the late Norman A. Geske, original director of the Sheldon Museum of Art, who established a film program within the University in 1964. This program later became the Sheldon Film Theater in 1973 under the leadership of Danny Lee Ladely, who remained director of the Ross for 50 years. In 1990, Mary Riepma Ross established a trust at the University of Nebraska Foundation to build and endow what would become the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.

Mary Riepma Ross attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1920s and went on to start her own law practice in 1961, becoming one of the first female attorneys in New York. Throughout her life, she remained connected to Nebraska. She loved film and the arts and began supporting film programs at UNL in the 1970s.

She told the Omaha World-Herald in 2003, the year the venue opened, that she loved Nebraska and Nebraskans. Ross died in 2013 at the age of 102. Through her estate, she created a permanent endowment at the University of Nebraska Foundation to support the Media Arts Center for years to come.

Support

The Ross also receives support from Friends of The Ross, a nonprofit group established in 1981 that raises funds for programming, equipment, and outreach. Friends members receive ticket discounts, complimentary passes, and invitations to special events.

Films & Theatre

The Ross showcases a wide range of films, including critically acclaimed independent titles such as Thelma, The Zone of Interest, The Brutalist, and Flow; documentaries including Every Little Thing, It Ain’t Over, and Secret Mall Apartment; and international films such as I’m Still Here from Brazil, The Taste of Things from France, and RRR from India. The theater regularly hosts filmmaker visits and Q&A sessions through the Friends-supported Norman A. Geske Cinema Showcase, giving audiences the opportunity to engage directly with media artists from around the world.

The Ross also presents broadcasts from the National Theatre in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and hosts film festivals and retrospectives throughout the year. These include Family Film Fest and Made in Nebraska during the summer, the monthly Native American Film Series in partnership with Vision Maker Media, and the annual Ross Fright Fest each October.

Admission

General admission tickets for regular film screenings are  $10 for matinees and $12 for evening shows, with discounts available for students, military members, seniors, and Friends of The Ross members. All regular film screenings and most Ross events are $5 for University of Nebraska students. General admission tickets are $24 for Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and $18 for National Theatre Broadcasts, with discounts available for seniors, members, and students.