Institute of International Studies provides variety of films
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas may have competition for moviegoers this semester at Missouri Southern.
The Missouri Southern Film Society, along with the Institute of International Studies, will be featuring 10 films from some of France’s most renowned film directors.
However, this will be no ordinary night at the cinema.
Many of these classic French films feature unique cinematic details not often seen in American filmmaking. Dr. William Kumbier, professor of English, hopes the unique approach taken in French filmmaking will widen the horizons of Missouri Southern students and the general public.
“An expectation in American film is that the camera is going to record. In France, the camera creates,” said Kumbier. “There will be some (films) that are very striking.”
Kumbier encourages students to “expand their judgment” and not to “judge too quickly.” said Kumbier of the approach taken on French filmmaking.
The international-themed semesters are designed to widen the horizons of Missouri Southern students in an entertaining way.
That is exactly what Harrison Kash, director of the International Film Society and retired instructor, hopes the films will achieve.
Though foreign films are sometimes viewed as something that takes too much effort to be enjoyed, Kash hopes that students will be open minded and give the world of French filmmaking a chance.
“The typical viewpoint is that this looks like homework,” Kash said. “When someone gives it a chance and they discover it, its real.”
Kash said the French Film Festival offers a rare opportunity to view a broad cross-section of French film.
“This just opens up something most people never knew existed and that’s what its all about,” said Kash.
The French Film Festival begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 5 with the film Vagabond directed by Agnés Varda.
The 10 films will be shown at 7 p.m. from Sept. 5 to Nov. 28 in Cornell Auditorium in Plaster Hall (formerly Matthews Hall). Admission is free and open to the public. The full festival schedule is available at www.mssu.edu/france.
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