Murray State's Cinema International program returns for its Fall 2021 season with films from Korea, Estonia, Chile, and more. Cinema International director Dr. Thérèse St. Paul speaks to Tracy Ross about the upcoming season.
Last fall, the Cinema International program went on a brief hiatus due to COVID-19. St. Paul says that this year, "we are working as before except that Murray State has a masking policy. Everyone will have to have a mask."
"But at least we can sit where we want, and we can have as many people as wants to come," St. Paul continues. "Admission is free as usual. We are on Thursdays in the Barkley Room at 7:30. Saturdays, we're still in the [Curris Center Theater] at 7:30 as well. We're looking forward to seeing everybody back."
The Cinema International program begins on Thursday, August 26th, with Minari.
Korean/American film Minari is a "lovely and unique movie," St. Paul explains. "It was prized at the Sundance Festival. It's part autobiographical."
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the film "is a classic immigrant story about a young Korean family who, in the '80s, after time spent in California, moved with their two children to a small rural town in Arkansas to farm a 50-acre plot of land."
"The movie is filled with challenges caused by all sorts of cultural clashes. There's a ring of truth to every moment and conversation as we, the viewers, see the immigrant from the viewpoint of the Korean family. We follow their attempt to adapt, integrate into their new surroundings."
The program will take a break over Labor Day weekend and return with Ema, a 2019 Chilean psychodrama directed by Pablo Larraín, on September 9th and 11th.
"Then, we'll have a Turkish movie on the 16th and 18th of September," St. Paul continues. "It's called Bliss. It's an interesting movie that deals with the status of women in Turkey and the changing mindset toward women, the very conservative approach to honor—that deals with a crime of honor."
The next week, September 23rd and 25th, the feature film is a documentary called Public Trust: The Fight for America's Public Lands. "It's not your run-of-the-mill documentary," St. Paul says. The film is sponsored by Murray State and the BHA in honor of Public Lands Day.
"After, we move to the end of September 30th and October 2nd with a French movie called Emma Bovery. It's an interesting modern version of a classic French movie."
On October 14th and 16th, Cinema International will present Retablo. "It's a very interesting look at village life with a contemporary twist," St. Paul explains. "It deals with a secret life of a homosexual in a village and what happens—how tolerance or intolerance function in traditional societies."
Retablo is followed by Caravaggio, "and I know the diehard art historians will probably flock to it," St. Paul laughs. "It's an old movie from 1986. I'm so happy to have fished it out. It's very important both from an art historian's perspective but also from a cinematic point of view. It's full of surprises. It's the life of the famous Italian painter Caravaggio. [The film] is sponsored by the art department and the Murray Art Guild."
"Then, we'll go to another documentary. This time, it's a German documentary called More Than Honey. This is on October 28th and 30th. It's an award-winning documentary by Markus Imhoof dealing with the very pressing issue of dying bees."
"The next one is on November 4th and 6th called The Secret World of Arrietty. It's a Japanese animation from 2010. It's a fantasy film that I think people who like anime will love. It's full of beautiful animation from Japan."
"The last one is an Estonian, Russian, and Georgian film with English subtitles. This will be on November 9th and 11th. It's called Tangerine by Zaza Urushadze. It's a film full of humanity. Everybody who knows me knows I don't like war movies. I don't like violence. Though it is dealing with war situations and male toxicity, it does plead for something completely opposite. It's full of humanity and heart."
For more information or a complete season flyer, visit the Murray State Cinema International website.
