Penn State Harrisburg's Internationa
Film Fest to run through Friday April A
The theme is food, which is reflected in the name "Film du
Jour," a play off of "soup du jour," which means "soup of the day" for those not
well-versed in "Francais," which means "French."
Communications Professor Eton Churchill is head of the committee for
the Festival. He gave some insight on how it came to be. "The International
Affairs committee of the
Faculty Senate was con
sidering ways of sup
porting the increasing
number of foreign stu
dents, often trapped in
Meade Heights without
a car, to find something
familiar and of their own
culture," he said
The festival is
not just for students
whose cultures are rep
resented in the films.
They are for everyone,
and the purpose is
twofold. Churchill said,
"the main purpose is to raise awareness of other cultures on this campus and to
simultaneously provide our foreign students some respite from the onslaught of
popular American culture."
Students take bus trip to Harlem
By CONNIE GOODALL
Capital Times Staff Reporter
The Schromberg Center was just one stop for 33 people who
attended the field trip "Harlem On My Mind" on Saturday, March 22.
Departing from campus at 9:30 a.m., the bus arrived in New York short
ly after 1:00 p.m. The group saw African art displayed in forms of weav
ing, paintings, and sculpture at the Schromberg Center. Photographs of
African people in ceremonial dress cover many walls.
Students had over three hours of free time. Different sections of
Harlem were easily identifiable by the music being played. While one
street had the sound of rap and English speaking people, another section
had Latino music with Spanish speaking voices in the background. Two
Jamaican women spoke very fast discussing what's taking place in Iraq.
The third item on the itinerary was a dinner of soul food at the
Copland Restaurant. As people arrived, shopping bags told what their
free time ent4iled. The dinner was buffet style and ranged from ribs and
fried chicken to stuffed mussels and salmon. The entrées, plus accompa
niments, made for a good meal as people discussed experiences how
they spent their free time. The jazz playing in the background went with
the paintings of jazz artists that decorated one wall while another wall
held paintings of distinguished black leaders.
The evening agenda included attending a play titled "Love
Child". The play is centered on three young women who need to decide
what path to follow in life. "Love Child" is a story of how deeply rooted
problems can be and recognizing how they originate.
The group departed Harlem at approximately 11:00 p.m.
Looking back at the city as we were leaving, I was grateful for the expe
rience, thankful for new friends, and looking forward to upcoming
opportunities that are offered. Overall I write this with one
message...don't miss out on future trips!
The trip was sponsored by the Student Activities fee, Honors
Program, Diversity Fund, Humanities American Study Program and the
Black Student Union. Credit for arrangements goes to Kenisha Davis
and Bukola Odeoye.
By ROB TRISHMAN
Capital Times Copy Editor
No, that isn't a real microwave just outside the Kunkel
auditorium on the second floor in the Olmsted building. That
is part of the promotion for PSH's third annual International
Film Festival. This year, instead of a "festival," it is a "feast."
This was especially important last year. The 2002 festival featured films
from Arab nations because of the interest generated by September 11th. Churchill
said, "I believe the university has an obligation to provide a forum for debate on
important issues of the day to its various constituencies." He then added, "after
9/11, it seemed important to present images from the Arab world that were gen
erated there, not in our western media, images that might challenge a growing
stereotyping, something our western media does very adeptly."
This year's theme, food, also aims at a higher goal. Food is something
that is celebrated and used for celebrations in different ways in every culture.
Churchill said he wanted a series of films that presented redemption, unity, bond
ing, and friendship through food in different cultures.
"It was quite clear in December the U.S. would be in a shooting war at
the time of the festival, and we wanted a series that would affirm our common
humanity in a time of fear and fragmentation, conflict and confusion," Churchill
said. "I think we are in a time when important institutions, like the university, can
benefit by reminding people of what is good in all of us. In that way, this festival,
like most festivals, subverts the dominant culture and thereby raises questions for
people to think about."
Churchill said that it is a lot of work but a lot of fun to work on the film
festival. He gave credit to Jen Kasunick and Matt Mosley for helping put the fes
tival together and promoting it, and added that they have been with the festival
from the beginning. He also credited Val Duhig from the marketing office for
promoting the festival in the media. He said, "we look forward to having new
people join the festival committee, if it continues in the future."
Churchill also explained that a lot of ideas for films to use in the festival
come from international students themselves. He said, "This year I think we got
over a hundred titles which we winnowed down."
For anyone who has not yet seen any of the films, there are three more
this week. Tuesday and Wednesday's features start at 8:30 p.m. and Friday's starts
at 7:00 p.m. All shows are in the Kunkel Auditorium in Olmsted.