International Film Series Has Something for Everyone
SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury State University is offering an alternative for film buffs looking for something different to see on the silver screen – award-winning foreign films ranging from Japanese and Swedish hits to more recent critical success from Britain.
“The films enhance the cultural life of the campus and the community,” said Jim Welsh, Salisbury English professor and film critic.
The International Film Series at SSU, which he organized, is an annual event bringing movies to the area that might not otherwise be seen. The Student Organization for Activities and Planning also will show two additional foreign films.
Welsh said the series is a good opportunity to see movies that some larger theaters might not show.
Many of the films he helped select have been screened at numerous international film festivals and, have set new trends for filmmakers.
One such movie, Madadayo, from Japan was called one of the 10 best films from 1998 when it was first shown in America. The Swedish film My Life as a Dog won a Golden Globe Award in 1988 for Best Foreign Film and also received an Oscar nomination.
This year two British films will be shown as SOAP’s popular film series – Michael Figg’s Time Code 2000 and Stephen Daldry’s Billy Elliot. Produced in 2000, Billy Elliot was labeled the “fall’s must see film” by Newsweek movie critic David Ansen.
Welsh predicts Billy Elliot will receive Academy Award nominations and possibly even an Oscar in the United States.
The Office of Cultural Affairs and Museum Programs sponsors the International Film Series. It runs from February 26-May 14. All non-English language films are either dubbed or with sub-titles. Screenings are Mondays at 7 p.m. in Fulton Hall Room 111, except for the two SOAP films, which will be shown in the Caruthers Hall Auditorium.
The event is open to the public and free of charge, except for the SOAP films. Faculty, staff and students are admitted free to the SOAP films with their Gull Card. Others must pay $1.
For information call 410-546-6030 or visit the University’s Web site at www.salisbury.edu. SPRING 2001 INTERNATIONAL FILM SCHEDULE
February 26, Akira Kurosawa’s, Madadayo (Japan, 1993). The movie is set in post-war Tokyo. Professor Hyakken Uchida leaves his life of teaching to write. This was Kurosawa’a last film ending his 50-year long career.
March 12, Leos Carax’s, Bad Blood/Mauvis Sang (France, 1986). A deadly disease, STBO can be passed from person to person by mere touch. The main character gets sucked into a plot to steal the cure. Music provided by rock star David Bowie.
April 2, Bo Weiderberg’s Elvira Madigan (Sweden, 1967). This romantic film is set in 19th century Sweden. Two lovers – a cavalry officer and a tightrope walker – live only for each other and prefer to cut themselves off from society rather than live without each other.
April 9, Lasse Halstrom’s My Life as a Dog (Sweden, 1967). A young boy is sent off to live with his uncle as he tries to understand his budding sexuality and find security and acceptance. He finds what he is looking for in a town that reaches out to the 12-year-old.
April 16, Leos Carax’s Pola X (France, 1999). Based on Herman Melville’s book Pierre Ou Les Ambiguities. This was Melville’s seventh novel started in 1851 but not completed until after Moby Dick.
May 7, Tom Tykwer’s Winter Sleepers (Germany, 1997). A haunting film about passion, love and death set in motion by a mysterious auto accident. As events unfold, four people who had nothing to do with each other before the accident are drawn together.
May 14 Chuck Workman’s The Source (USA, 1999). About the beat generation including interviews with surviving figures from the period as Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Timothy Leary. Also, archival footage featuring Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.
Stephen Daldry’s Billy Elliot April, 6-7 at 8 p.m.; and April 8 p.m. at 8 and 10:30 p.m.
Michael Figg’s Time Code 2000, May 4-5 at 8 p.m.; and May 6 at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.