The eighth annual film festival at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, will begin Tuesday, Oct. 12, with film events continuing throughout October. In conjunction with the start of the film festival is the opening of a juried photography exhibit presented by the Coalition for Equity that will be on display through Jan. 12, 2011. A common theme of religion ties the two events together. Both events are free, open to the public and take place in the campus’ Williams Building.
“This year’s festival theme, ‘Films of Religious Life,’ will feature movies that tell how people have lived, thrived and suffered under various religions," said John Riddle, Penn State Fayette’s head librarian and organizer of the annual film festival. "The films are not about specific religions, per se, but the human and spiritual experiences of individuals. The settings of the films are from around the world, which provides a broad perspective. The films are those made from the 1920s to the 2000s, and they explore great and ordinary people.”
The photography exhibit features entries from nine photographers from the local community, some students and staff at Penn State Fayette. The theme of the exhibit is “What is religion to you?” The photography exhibit opens at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12 with an informal reception and award presentation in the campus' Cultural Center. The first film of the film festival, “Passion of Joan of Arc,” will follow at 7 p.m. in Swimmer Hall.
"The Coalition for Equity is dedicated to exploring social differences, cultivating respect and celebrating the many diverse values, people, practices and traditions that exist in the world," said Danielle Mitchell, chair of the Coalition for Equity. “Through the various photographic representations of religion and spirituality displayed in exhibit, then, we hope to open lines of communication and to enable discussion about our similarities as well as our differences.”
Films being featured at this year’s film festival include:
Oct. 12 -- “Passion of Joan of Arc” (1928) portrays the trial and death of Joan of Arc with much of the dialogue taken from the actual court testimony.
Oct. 13 -- “Hester Street” (1975) is a film about a young Jewish immigrant woman with old-country ways newly arriving in New York City to find her husband has become thoroughly Americanized.
Oct. 19 -- “Earth” (1998) is a powerful film about a group of families of diverse religious backgrounds being torn apart during the violent and tragic separation between Pakistan and India.
Oct. 20 -- “Clay Bird” (2002) is a story about a young Muslim boy coming of age under the tutelage of a strict religious father and the kindness of a liberal uncle. The film takes place during the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan during the late 1960s.
Oct. 26 -- “Seven Years in Tibet” (1997) is a film based on a true story starring Brad Pitt. The lead character, Heinrich Harrer, leaves Austria in 1939 to climb mountains in the Himalayas. His life profoundly changes when, after serving time in a prisoner of war camp, he meets the Dalai Lama.
For more information about the film festival or photography exhibit, call 724-430-4155 or visit the Coalition for Equity website at http://www.fayette.psu.edu/studentlife online.