January 25, 2002 UNT Inhouse publication: UNT to present film series with multicultural relations focus

homepage

UNT to present film series with multicultural relations focus

In an attempt to increase the number of foreign films shown in the Metroplex, UNT is launching a film festival that will bring attention to some little-shown films that emphasize how different cultures interact.

The series, "Exploring Multicultural Relations," will present films from 12 different nations on Tuesdays from Jan. 29 to April 23, except for March 19, when UNT is closed for spring break.

Video maze All films will begin at 7 p.m. in Room 184 of the Radio, TV, Film and Performing Arts Building. Sponsored by the UNT Department of Radio, Television and Film and the Division of Equity and Diversity, the films are free and open to the public.

All of the films are in English or subtitled. Harry Benshoff, assistant professor of radio, television and film, or Mark Keitges, a graduate student in radio, television and film and the series' organizer, will introduce the films.

Keitges said he chose films that focus on the clash between a nation's traditional values and more modern values brought in by outsiders.

"I was interested in showing films that cannot be pinned down as being from one country, since they show more than one country," he says. "These films illustrate what is happening in the world today – because of globalization, borders are disappearing, and different cultures are interacting more than ever."

Jan. 29 — The River — A 1951 release from the United States focusing on a British family living in post-World War II India and the effect that a visiting relative, a wounded soldier, has on the household's three teen-age girls.

Feb. 5 — Irma VEP — A 1996 French film that is a satirical look at the French movie industry. A once-hot director attempts to remake the classic silent serial Les Vampires, with Hong Kong action star Maggie Cheung (as herself) in the lead role.

Feb. 12 — Aguirre, the Wrath of God — A 1972 German film starring Klaus Kinski as a conquistador out to rule the New World.

Feb. 19 — The Circle — Released in 2000, this Iranian film follows women struggling to deal with severe mistreatment and subjugation by their society.

Feb. 26 — How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman — A 1973 comedy from Brazil focusing on a 16th-century French explorer who attempts to befriend a group of cannibalistic Indians in the Brazilian jungle.

March 5 — YiYi — A 2000 release from Taiwan following three generations of a modern Taipei family, including the businessman father tempted by an old flame; the mother despairing over her own mother's illness; a daughter seeking romance with a movie-obsessed neighbor; and a precocious son.

March 12 — Jamon Jamon — In this 1994 Spanish comedy starring Penelope Cruz, a mother hires a sexy male hustler to foil her daughter's plan to marry.

March 26 — L'America — A 1995 release from Italy focusing on two con artists who go to post-communist Albania to get government money by setting up a fraudulent manufacturing plant.

April 2 — Black Narcissus — Released in 1947, this English film stars Deborah Kerr as the leader of a group of Anglican nuns who attempt to establish a religious community in the Himalayas. They must battle not only suspicious locals, but also their own insecurities.

April 9 — Faat Kine — An upbeat comedy from Senegal, released in 2000, about a sassy, no-nonsense single mother who runs a gasoline station.

April 16 — Happy Together — A 1997 release from Hong Kong centering around a gay Chinese couple, living as expatriates in Buenos Aires, who are always on the verge of going their separate ways. When they meet a mysterious man from Taiwan, however, they find out things about themselves they never could have imagined.

April 23 — After Life — In this 1998 fantasy from Japan, the newly deceased are met by a celestial staff who helps them choose and re-create one memory of their lives that will be all they take with them into eternity.