An on-campus film discussion group is begininng this academic year with a new theme.
Every year, Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature curates an annual selection of films to screen for the public for free.
All screenings for the 37th Annual Harbour Winn Film Institute will be in the Kerr-McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business. With little exception, screenings will take place on the first Wednesday and third Sunday of every month.
“We’re so used to streaming now, but there’s something really powerful about watching films with other people,” said Tracy Floreani, professor of English and director of the center for interpersonal studies through film and literature.
This year’s theme is “the power of place.”
“Place has a symbolic meaning,” Floreani said. “It’s not just a space that we’re on, but it’s a space we interact with that helps form our identity. Place is something we take for granted.”
This year’s selection is mostly composed of international films, such as Persepolis, which Floreani said may be the institute’s first animated film, and Last Men in Aleppo. All films that are not in English will be shown with English subtitles.
“It’s an international series,” Floreani said. “My goal is to get more students there and to have them see more films from other cultures, to broaden their understanding of film and of the world.”
Collin Salmonowicz, film junior and employee at the center, said it’s especially valuable for students to watch films that introduce them to other cultures.
“Having an understanding of what it’s like to be either stuck in or surrounded by a particular place, whether it be physical or mental, is really good for understanding how to live with it and how to broaden your horizons,” Salmonowicz said.
More information, such as titles and show times, can be found at okcufilmlit.org. Every screening will be followed by an open conversation concerning the film and its subject matter.
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