Friday’s foreign film transcends language barrier

Classes are over for the week and Friday has arrived. Some students are going home and some are headed downtown to see what Milledgeville has to offer. But, before finalizing weekend plans, students may want to consider stopping by the Arts & Sciences auditorium to see a movie.

GCSU’s international program hosts First Fridays, appropriately held on the first Friday of every month. While this foreign film series is screened for the class Intro to International Film, the public is more than welcome to attend. The series opened on Aug. 28 with “Paradise Now,” a film set in Israel and Palestine. The A&S auditorium filled and the movie captured the minds of students and faculty alike.

Senior English major Fruzsina Nyary looks most forward to the discussions held after the showing. After completing a course similar to Intro to International Film in Hungary, Nyary was “excited to see how Americans view international issues.”

Dr. Dwight Call, assistant vice president for International Education, agrees that the discussions are vital to understanding controversial aspects of these award-winning films.

“These alternate films explore political, social, and cultural issues,” Call said.

One of many attendees last Friday, sophomore computer science major Ian Stewart was part of the general public that showed interest in First Fridays

“I saw an ad and thought it looked fun,” Stewart said.

Dr. Sunita Manian, associate professor of political economy, introduced “Paradise Now” and led a thoughtful discussion after the film.

Subtitles need not be a barrier, because some emotions easily transcend barriers between cultures. Call will introduce the South African film “Tsotsi” later this year. Because the film was shown in its original language during Call’s initial viewing, he recalls it was difficult to understand.

“You can understand some things without using language,” Call said.

The film series will continue on Oct. 2, with “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, And Spring” from North Korea. All films begin at 7 p.m. in the A&S auditorium.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 4 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry