The Comparative Literature International Film Series
Every spring semester, the CMPL International Film Series hosts the screening of several films chosen for a common theme. The series provides an opportunity for students from an array of disciplines, as well as members of the broader university community, to see lesser-known films from a variety cultural contexts. We invite a faculty member or graduate student to introduce each film and to help lead a discussion after the film. We also provide culturally appropriate refreshments at this free event located in the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence (Graham Memorial).
The series was founded in the Fall of 2003 by the CLOUD leadership (Sarah Pickle), with help from representatives of the CMPL GSA (Will Nolan and Kara Getrost) and the faculty advisor for CLOUD (Inger Brodey). It is our plan to continue to offer this event annually.
Our Series has been generously sponsored by the Eugene Falk Fund in Comparative Literature, the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, the Comparative Literature Organization for Undergraduate Discussion (CLOUD), the Comparative Literature Graduate Student Association, and the Department of English and Comparative Literature.
Film dates for spring 2008 are as follows: January 31st, February 21st, March 27th, and April 10th. All films will be shown in Kresge Foundation Commons Room (GM 039) in the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence located in Graham Memorial.
The following is a list of our series to date. Click on titles for a downloadable poster:
Spring 2008: Revisions of History featured Good Bye, Lenin! (Germany 2003), To Live/Huozhe (China 1994), Rashomon/Rashomon (Japan 1950), and Russian Ark/Russkiy Kovcheg (Russia 2002).
Spring 2007: Worlds in Transition featured Baraka (USA, 1992), Solaris/Solyaris (Russia, 1972), Marborosi/Marboroshi no Hikari (Japan, 1995), and Persona (Sweden, 1966).
Spring 2006: Capturing Loss featured The Searchers (USA, 1956), Head On/Gegen die Wand (Germany, 2004), Nobody Knows/Dare mo shirani (Japan, 2004), and The Sea Inside/Mar Adentro (Spain, 2004).
Spring 2005: Life Screenings/Screening Lives featured Mishima (USA, 1985), Clouds of May/Mayis Sikintisi (Turkey, 1999), Pickpocket (France, 1959), and Thesis/Tesis (Spain, 1996).
Spring 2004: Border Crossings featured No Man's Land/Nicija Zemlja (Bosnia, 2001), Divine Intervention/Yadon ilaheyya (Palestine, 2003), Lone Star (USA, 1996), and After Life/Wandafuru Raifu (Japan, 1998).