World cinema series provides students with cultural understanding
Andrea Ciurej
Issue date: 8/28/09 Section: Entertainment
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The movie series will serve as a learning device for students enrolled in the Geography in Film course taught by Professor Michael P. Peterson. Although the films are being shown for class credit, the public is welcome to attend these screenings, which will run every Wednesday evening through Nov. 4.
A Senegalese short film titled, "The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun" began the 11-week series. This motion picture hones in on Sili, a girl who obtains a job selling newspapers on the streets of Dakar, Senegal. Despite the intimidating older boys who bully her, Sili earns money to support her family and entertains the other street children she encounters.
Wrapped up the first night's screenings was the Canadian film "Le Grande Seduction," which translates to "Seducing Dr. Lewis." This movie explores the economic dilemmas of Ste Marie La Mauderne village. Residents of a small fishing community try to boost their village's economic state by convincing a young doctor to become a resident in their town.
Peterson said that while "Le Grande Seduction" was a comedy, foreign movies with versatile humor are difficult to come by.
"It's hard to get comedies from other countries because what other people think is funny, we don't necessarily think is funny," he said. "You have to find something that is a comedy that people understand and enjoy."
The Japanese and South Korean films being shown on Sept. 2 are two examples of love stories.
"This is one aspect of human relationships - how people get together," Peterson said. "Both movies are romantic comedies and deal with the influence of technology and changing cultural attitudes."
However, not everyone is a fan of the more sober films.
"There are some pretty serious movies that deal with serious topics," Peterson said. "I've had people actually walk out of some of the movies, because they couldn't deal with some of the things going on in the movies."
Nonetheless, Peterson hopes students and the community will experience other ways of viewing the world.
"We are a long way from a foreign country," he said. "As a consequence, many of our students have not had the opportunity to experience life in another country. Films allow [people] to see what other countries look like, but more importantly, to understand the hopes, dreams, desires and fears of other people."
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