Murray State University's Cinema International program allows students and community members to be exposed to different cultures, storylines, and languages not normally found at a local movie theatre. Dr. Thérèse St. Paul, French professor and director of Cinema International, visits Sounds Good to discuss the upcoming Fall 2018 season.
Cinema International takes place in the Curris Center Theater on Murray State's main campus, and features films from all over the world and of all genres. With the help of a grant given to Murray State University by the French Embassy, MSU's Cinema International will be featuring a series of French films from France and other countries, such as Algeria and Switzerland, for the Fall 2018 film season. Dr. Thérèse St. Paul discussed the calendar of events with Tracy Ross on Sounds Good, starting with the first movie being featured this weekend.
From Thursday, August 23rd, to Saturday, August 24th, Cinema International will be showing Far From Men, an Algerian drama released in 2014. The film is set in wartime Algeria in 1954, and highlights the story of a reclusive French teacher, Viggo Mortenson, and an accused criminal he must escort to justice, Mohamed. Far From Men is based off of a short story by French writer, Albert Camus, "The Guest."
The mood will shift the following weekend, August 30-September 1, with a family friendly showing of My Life as a Zucchini. An animated feature film and based on a book by Gilles Paris, My Life as a Zucchini tells the story of a child's journey through the foster system from the young boy's point of view. Directed by Claude Barras, the film was nominated for the 2017 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Dr. Thérèse St. Paul goes on to explain the rest of the Fall 2018 season, which will include a weekend based around World War I with discussions led by MSU historian, Dr. David Pizzo, a 2005 Chinese comedy called Mongolian Ping Pong, a WKMS sponsored showing of recently released sci-fi film, Shape of Water, and more. Sounds Good will host various guest speakers to discuss the films throughout the semester proceeding their showing at the Curris Center. All screenings will be followed by a panel-led discussion in the theater.
The WKMS sponsored screening of Shape of Water will close out the Fall 2018 season in November. Cinema International is currently preparing for the spring season, which will feature Spanish based films. Cinema International is a unique opportunity for citizens of Murray and students of MSU alike to expose themselves to different cultures, dispel preconceived notions that might be incorrect, and appreciate art from across the globe. Many of the films are chosen specifically based on current curriculum of MSU professors as an external educational opportunity, and class credit is sometimes available for attending a screening (this varies by instructors and their courses).
For more information on the films and the dates of their screenings, visit the Murray State University calendar online. For more information on Cinema International and how to support the forthcoming semesters' screening costs, visit the Cinema International website or contact the Office of Development (online, at 200 Heritage Hall in Murray, or by calling 270-809-3001).
