The six films chosen for Elizabethtown College’s 2014-2015 Global Film Festival are “guaranteed to make you feel good,” said Kristi Syrdahl, director of International Student Services. Each film was selected to embody the “feel-good” theme as well as meet a College mission to increase global understanding and campus internationalization.
Now in its fourth year, the newly rebranded Festival, cosponsored by International Student Services and the College’s High Library, carries with it the goal of increasing awareness of diverse cultures and worldviews.
The best way to watch a well-crafted motion picture is in a community of viewers.”
The word ‘international’ was strategically replaced with the word ‘global,’ this year, in an effort to reach an even broader audience, one who can relate more personally with being a part of a global society that is intricately connected on many levels–emotionally, environmentally, etc., Syrdahl said.
Louise Hyder-Darlington, access services librarian, with program cosponsor High Library, pointed out that film is a rich medium. “The best way to watch a well-crafted motion picture is in a community of viewers,” she said. “What better way to share and carry along the experience than in shared conversations and sentiments. I hope everyone feels so good after each film that they carry the feeling over into (the Jay’s News) for a group cup of coffee!”
The first film in the series, “My Neighbor Totoro,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. The 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli, won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Film that year.
The series continues Nov. 13 with “Keys to the House,” a 2004 dramatic family film that follows the story of a young father meeting his differently abled son for the first time and his attempts to forge a relationship with the teenager. The film has reaped nine awards and 14 nominations.
The second half of the Global Film Festival continues with “The Weeping Camel” on Jan. 15, 2015; the French film “Amelie,” scheduled for Feb. 12; and “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” to be screened March 12. Rounding out the series on April 9, is “The Gods Must be Crazy,” a South African film.
Cost of the films, shown in their respective languages with English subtitles, is free. They are scheduled for 7 p.m. in the College’s Gibble Auditorium.
Contact: Kristi Syrdahl at syrdahlk@etown.edu or 717-361-1594.