The Princeton Garden Theatre is presenting a trio of films and academics for the spring 2026 semester of “Prof Picks” starting March 26.

The cross-disciplinary program features scholars of music, economics, and literature of the Asian American diaspora. Each screening will be introduced by an expert in their field who will also lead a post-film discussion.

Princeton University music professor Andrew Lovett has chosen to explore Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which will be shown on March 26. Economist Alex Imas will dissect the housing bubble as portrayed in The Big Short, which will play on April 22. And on May 13, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) professor Jiayanh Mi will draw out the poetry in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Each film will start at 7 p.m.

A composer as well as a professor, Lovett’s interests include opera and film (especially from the “silent” era). Two of his chamber operas have been performed in Princeton: The Analysing Engine (2018) and Sinuhe (2020).

Imas studies behavioral economics with a focus on how people understand and mentally represent the choices they are facing. His research explores topics related to how people learn and make choices in settings with risk and uncertainty. He also studies the economics of artificial intelligence and discrimination. His work utilizes a variety of methods, including controlled laboratory experiments, field experiments, analysis of observational data, and theoretical modeling.

Mi is an associate professor in the English Department and the Department of World Languages and Cultures at TCNJ. His academic research spans modern poetry from East and West, film and visual studies, cultural criticism theory, science fiction and cyberculture, as well as Asian American diaspora literature and eco-culture.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office, 160 Nassau Street, or at princetongardentheatre.org/profpicks.