Film noir is the theme of this spring's Cinematheque series at Cal State Northridge. The public is invited to join faculty and students each week as they screen some of cinema and television's film noirclassics, from Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity to Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Untouchables.

The free screenings take place every Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. in the Alan and Elaine Armer Theatre in CSUN's Manzanita Hall, located at the southwest corner of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff Street in Northridge.

The Cinematheque's spring series kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 5, and Thursday, Feb. 6, with an introduction and overview of the genre with film extracts and documentaries. The first film screenings will take place Feb. 12 with the theme "bourgeois crime," featuring Double Indemnity, Pushover and the Johnny Staccato episode "Evil."

The public is invited to come to the screenings early and enjoy the Cinematheque Gallery of Film Poster Art, the only permanent museum collection in the United States of classic motion picture posters.

For a complete program listing and show times, visit the Cinematheque's Web site at www.CSUNCinematheque.com.

The only venue of its kind in the San Fernando Valley, the Cinematheque, offered by CSUN's Department of Cinema and Television Arts, presents thematically-designed retrospectives of classic film, as well as aesthetically significant contemporary releases in conjunction with the appearance of featured guest artists for lectures and panel discussions.