Wittenberg’s Department of World Languages and Cultures and the Language Learning Center are co-hosting an International Film Series from April 17-20, in Ness Family Auditorium of Hollenbeck Hall.
The free week-long event, which is open to the public, will screen films in Mandarin Chinese, German, Russian, and Spanish languages, all with English subtitles, so that viewers are immersed in the language and cultures of the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
“Cinema provides a window into another world and transports viewers to new places and times through narratives that have the capacity to transform us,” said Vanessa Plumly, assistant professor of German at Wittenberg. “Our Department of World Languages and Cultures hosts multiple events every semester that expose students to cultural traditions, histories, and transformations and provides sustained opportunities for reflection and conversation within and across the represented languages in our major and minor programs.”
The aim of this event is to bring the Wittenberg campus community together with the local community, including Springfield High School students, and to connect learning communities to discuss the films’ themes in reference to local populations and experiences. Themes of the series this year focus on the impact of culture on the development of identity from both personal and national perspectives.
“The power of film is to view larger, historical events through the eyes of another person, lending immersion, immediacy, and real-time reactions – for better or for worse – to understand that history and culture more intimately and with greater empathy,” said Jocelyn Hardman, assistant professor of Spanish.
Film Screening Times and Dates:
- Monday, April 17, 4:30 p.m., Masel Tov Cocktail (Dir. Arkadij Khaet, 2021) 30 minutes, short film (opener).
- Tuesday, April 18, 5 p.m., Return to Dust (Dir. Li Ruijun, 2022) two hours, 11 minutes.
- Wednesday, April 19, 5 p.m., Don’t Tell Anyone (Dir. Mikaela Shwer, 2015) one hour, 15 minutes, and at 7:30 p.m., At Second Glance (Dir. Sheri Hagen, 2012) one hour, 32 minutes.
- Thursday, April 20, 5 p.m., Precious Ivie (Dir. Sarah Blaßkiewitz, 2021) one hour, 57 minutes, and at 7:30 p.m., The Cordillera of Dreams (Dir. Patricio Guzmán, 2019) one hour, 24 minutes.
The departments welcome any contributions to help sustain this event as an annual series.
