PSU International Film Festival opens window to the world

While we wait to see how many awards our favorite films of 2005 garner at the Academy Awards on March 5, there are opportunities to take in some lesser known, but also important international films that are part of the PSU Department of Modern Languages and Literature International Film Festival.

This is the second year of the festival, which was launched last year as part of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) "Year of Languages" observance.

The goal of the series, according to Judy Berry-Bravo, chairperson of the department, is to help internationalize the campus. Berry-Bravo believes that there are many students who are interested in different languages and cultures, but are not able to take foreign language courses.

"The U.S. itself is very diverse," Berry-Bravo said. "One doesn’t have to travel to other countries to run into people with other cultures and ideas."

The next film in the series, "Orfeu Negro," is a Portuguese film with English subtitles. It will be shown at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Room 102, of Grubbs Hall, on PSU campus. This film and all the films in the series are free and open to the public.

Each film is preceded by a brief introduction of the film by members of the department faculty. They will discuss the history and the background of the film and its country of origin.

Other films scheduled include:

"Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother)," a Spanish film, at 6 p.m. on March 1. "Barber of Siberia," a Russian film, at 6 p.m. on March 8; "Comme une Image (Look at Me)," a French film, at 6 p.m. on March 15; and "Cabeza de Vaca," a Spanish film, at 6 p.m. on March 29.

For more information, please contact Kathy Dyer in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at 620-235-4709.

---Pitt State---