An image of a young man in front of a spaceship staring at the sky. Banner for The Last Starfighter screening

The Last Starfighter screening

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Cultural Audience: Public Featured in The Daily Featured Public Events

Thu, Apr 2, 2026

7 PM – 9:30 PM EDT (GMT-4)

The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque

11610 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland , OHIO 44106, United States

Registration

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Details

Video game expert Alex Rogan finds himself transported to another planet after conquering the video game The Last Starfighter, only to find out it was just a test. He is recruited to join the team of best Starfighters to defend their world from the attack. CIA & CWRU professor Steven Ciampaglia will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards. He teaches the class Wargames: The US Military and Videogames and notes, ”Along with Tron (1982) and WarGames (1983), The Last Straighter was one of the first movies to incorporate videgames directly into its narrative and the first movie that depicts the use of videogames as a tool for military recruitment. It actually predicted this practice, as the US military did not start explicitly using videogames for recruitment until after 9/11. While the film’s aspiration to be the next Star Wars failed, it did raise some provocative questions about the relationship of videogames to military combat, in an appealing 1980’s Steven Spielberg style.”

Where

The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque

11610 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland , OHIO 44106, United States

Hosted By

Department of Art History and Art | Website | View More Events