The International Cinema at Southern Utah University is hosting their annual International Film Festival Feb. 5-22 in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Theatre.
The nearly three-week-long event will be screening eight films that put a spotlight on the different languages offered throughout courses at SUU: Spanish, French, German and Chinese. These subtitled films are free to anyone in the community.
“We work to bring together this slate of films that we are very confident have lots to say about not only the languages and cultures they showcase but also as a way for us to find dialogue with each other about important questions having to do with the human experience,” shared Corey Twitchell, an associate professor of German.
The ICSUU has chosen a wide selection of films in order to reach a more diverse audience.
“We like to mix something new and something old,” explained Elise Leahy, an associate professor of French. “We like to mix genres, and we like to mix themes because we really want to offer something for everyone.”
With this event, the ICSUU also holds a Q&A after every screening so that attendees can ask professors questions about the film.
“We’re able to provide a perspective that’s deeper and more sophisticated than just looking the film up,” shared Twitchell. “We are able to add so much more and answer quite complicated questions, not only in terms of culture but also in terms of history.”
The first film, “Volver,” will be shown on Monday, Feb. 5, at 5:30 p.m.. Attendees are also invited to join the ICSUU staff for a reception celebrating the beginning of the festival, which begins at 4:45 p.m. in the Starlight Room.
For more information regarding schedule times, faculty or other films to be shown, visit the ICSUU’s home page.
Author: Gentry Wolf
Photos courtesy of ICSUU
Editor: Tessa Cheshire
arts@suunews.net
