The Bikeriders Screening at Central Cinema

A continuing collaboration with Central Cinema!

Location: Central Cinema, 1205 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37917

ABOUT THE FILM—

The Bikeriders (2023) is a crime drama directed by Jeff Nichols starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Michael Shannon. Inspired by the photo book of the same title by Danny Lyon, the film depicts the lives of the Vandals Motorcycle Club, a fictional version of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Danny Lyon, portrayed in the film by Mike Faist, spent years embedded in the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. From 1963 to 1967 Lyon documented the club and captured a fascinating and popular body of work.

In 1967 Lyon stopped by the small town of Knoxville, Tennessee to visit the birthplace of one of his idols, James Agee, while on his way to New Orleans. Lyon had only intended to make a short visit to Agee’s hometown, but enamored by the city and people of Knoxville, he ended up staying for days and produced what he said, at that point, had been his most productive and prolific 5 days of photography.

A selection of those 1967 Knoxville photographs is currently on view in the ongoing KMA exhibition, Higher Ground. “Finding Higher Ground” is an ongoing series of events intended to expand upon the historical exhibition and catalog Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee. The KMA’s Higher Ground spotlight exhibition Raking Light: Photographs of East Tennessee and the American South celebrates the growth of the KMA’s photography collection through the recent acquisition of works documenting the region’s shifting social landscape. It also attests to the richness of East Tennessee’s photographic history, a history shaped by outstanding local artistic talent, influential artists with ties to the area, and visiting photographers drawn here by an abundance of compelling subject matter. This Higher Ground spotlight exhibition will be on view through April 12, 2026.

Members: FREE | Non-members: $5