You (probably) Haven't Seen This Before

You (probably) Haven't Seen This Before (YPHSTB) is a monthly screening series launched in January 2022 that uses archival film to challenge dominant cinematic canons and foreground historically marginalized voices. Curated primarily from the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive (IULMIA), the series has presented more than 100 rarely screened films—almost all projected on 16mm film. Organized around themes that fall outside Hollywood conventions, programs center community-based, experimental, and socially engaged works spanning 1921 to 2018. YPHSTB elevates stories from underrepresented North American communities and brings together films by amateur and professional filmmakers alike. Through home movies, documentaries, outtakes, and experimental works, the series emphasizes film’s materiality and its power as both artistic practice and cultural record. Speaking about the monthly screenings, a past attendee shared, "I'm grateful for this little bit of quirkiness and community." Digitized films from past screenings can be viewed in the You (probably) Haven't Seen This Before Collection in Media Collections Online. 

Starting in 2026, YPHSTB features films selected by a different guest curator each month. In an effort to keep audiences open-minded and with limited pre-conceptions of these rare works of celluloid, descriptions of films to be shown will not be shared prior to screenings. Join IULMIA based on announced themes and the expectation that the works you see will fall outside of Hollywood tropes, outside of mainstream commercial expectations, and outside of conventional filmmaking practices. Trust them, you (probably) haven’t seen these films before!

RSVP for future screenings and learn more about the guest curators below.