Emily Kelley / Roundup
Political turmoil and social change are just some of the themes portrayed in the Foreign Film series being shown by the philosophy department this semester at Pierce College.
“I want my students to come away with a better cultural awareness, as well as cultural tolerance,” said Mitra Hoshiar, sociology professor and the film series organizer.
The series consists of three films selected for their political and sociological themes and messages.
“They were picked so that students here could see how people in other parts of the world live and what they have to go through,” Hoshiar said.
The first film, “Nowhere in Africa,” was screened March 18 to an audience of around 70 people in the ASO Hall. The film chronicles a family’s life in Africa after fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1940s.
“I would like the students to have an opportunity to experience new things,” said Dr. Larry Andre, a philosophy professor and one of the moderators for the series. “Many of them have never had an opportunity to see foreign films. It is another form of media to expand awareness.”
The second film, “The Lives of Others,” is the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film. It takes place in Germany circa 1984 and is about an East German military captain whose task is to spy on a famous couple.
“I think people have more of a tolerance for foreign films because of the diversity of the area we live in,” Hoshiar said. The second film saw a 60- to 70-person turn out.
“The Gorroah” is the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at Cannes winner and comes from Italy.
It depicts a cruel and violent Italy, where the residents are ruled by money, power and blood. The film will be shown May 20.
The series is in its second semester at Pierce and Hoshiar promised this would not be the last semester a series would be put on.
“We tried to focus on a different part of the world for every semester,” Hoshiar said.
Last semester’s films were from Brazil, El Salvador and Israel respectively.
Admission is free and all screenings take place in the ASO Hall from 12:45 to 3 p.m.
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