For the ninth February in a row, East Central University’s Foreign Film Festival will bring recently-released foreign-language films to the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center.
These film screenings are free and open to the public. After each screening, audience members are given door prizes in the form of books, food, or works of art associated with the culture of the films featured in the festival.
Before this year’s first film screening on Feb. 1, ECU’s Linscheid Library and ECU SCREENS are co-hosting a special event titled “Ask Me About the World” that will feature campus representatives from the Bahamas, France, Germany, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria and South Africa. Guests are invited to come to the lobby of the Bill S. Cole University Center between 3 p.m.-4 p.m. to broaden their understanding of the world by having a conversation with individuals from around the world about their home countries.
The first film screening, scheduled for 4 p.m., will be “The Guilty,” a Danish thriller about an emergency police dispatcher who receives a frantic call from a kidnapped young mother. “The Guilty” will be introduced by Ginger Johnson, a senior English-Math major, Honors student and Regents Scholar from Broken Arrow. The run time for “The Guilty” is 85 minutes, and it is rated “R” due to some frightening scenes, portrayed through sound and dialogue on the phone.
On Feb. 8 at 4 p.m., the festival will continue with “Anna Karenina: The Musical,” a Russian-language stage performance recorded live at the Moscow Operetta Theatre. This high-tech production features an original libretto based on Leo Tolstoy’s dramatic love story about the married Anna and a dashing military officer, Alexey Vronsky, set against the luxury of 19th century Russian nobility. “Anna Karenina: The Musical” will be introduced by Dr. Joshua Grasso, professor in ECU’s Department of English and Languages. Run time for “Anna Karenina: The Musical” is two hours, 15 minutes, including one intermission. It is rated PG-13.
The Festival’s grand finale will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 with an event titled “ECU Celebrates Mexico,” which features live musical performances by ECU Showtime. Delicias restaurant will also serve a special selection of Mexican classics, a rare treat from the local favorite, which is usually closed on Saturdays. ECU’s Office of Campus Involvement will be providing free tacos to the first 50 ECU students in attendance.
The evening’s feature film, “3 Idiotas,” a Spanish-language comedy about college life in Mexico, will be introduced by the director of ECU’s Spanish Language program, Dr. Errol King. “3 Idiotas” is rated PG-13 and it has a run time of one hour and 45 minutes.
ECU’s Foreign Film Festival is supported by the ECU Foundation, the Cultural Activities Committee and the Department of English and Languages. It relies on work provided by student volunteers from Sigma Tau Delta (ECU’s English Honors Society) and ECU’s Honors Student Association.
Additional door prizes have also been generously donated this year by Delicias Mexican Restaurant, D.K. Nutrition Center, Hardnox Coffeehouse, Hot Shots Coffee House, and The Perfect Blend.
To learn more about ECU SCREENS and the spring schedule, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page or visit www.ecuscreens.blogspot.com. Dr. Rebecca Nicholson-Weir, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5929 or rnichlsn@ecok.edu.
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