Saint Mary’s Center for Women's Intercultural Leadership (CWIL) is screening four international films on campus this week as part of the annual World Cinema Festival. Mana Derakhshani, director of CWIL, said in an email that the festival is part of the effort to internationalize campus and aims to bring students and faculty an opportunity to acquire a more global perspective through the cinema of other countries.
“Saint Mary’s World Cinema Festival continues to support the ongoing internationalization of the curriculum and the College community,” she said. “In addition, the festival brings to light the rich cinematic body of work that is being produced outside of the United States.”
Julie Storme, associate director of CWIL, said in an email that internationalization of the campus and curriculum is one of the College's strategic goals.
“Internationalization requires that all members of our community have a greater awareness of the world beyond Saint Mary's and beyond the United States,” she said. “A world film festival contributes to this awareness, particularly because films offer us a glimpse into other cultures — their values, perspectives and they way that people live in them.”
Derakhshani said the festival is showing films from France, Iran, Argentina and Japan that are both popular and award-winning films from France, Iran, Argentina and Japan.
Storme said Saint Mary's students were able to suggest films to be included in the festival.
“We're showing a variety of films. Selection was based on a number of factors — their recognition, the picture they give of the way individuals live in the particular country, vignettes of life that those of us in this country might not expect to exist in the countries of origin of the films we're showing
Yesterday evening the festival began with a showing of “The Intouchables.”“About Elly,” “The Secret in Their Eyes” and “Linda, Linda, Linda” will be shown Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, respectively. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Vander Vennet Theatre in the Student Center.
