Symposium celebrates multifaceted global films

April 24 festival features six screenings and Q&A sessions with directors and scholars

Globe at the Movies, a free film symposium celebrating the multifaceted nature of global films, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in RIT’s Campus Center.

Organized by Elena Rakhimova-Sommers, the Globe at the Movies, a film symposium celebrating the multifaceted nature of global films, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in Rochester Institute of Technology’s Campus Center. The free symposium—open to students, faculty, staff and the general public—will provide guests with the opportunity to screen six internationally released films and participate in question-and-answer sessions with directors and film scholars. A complete schedule is found at the Globe at the Movies Symposium website.

Featured films include:

  • The Upside Down Book (U.S., 2013), followed by a Q&A with Hinda Mandell, assistant professor of communication in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts and the film’s editor and producer, and Matthew White, film director and photographer.
  • The Bicycle (German Democratic Republic, 1980), followed by a talk with Jennifer Creech, assistant professor of German arts, sciences and engineering, University of Rochester, who presents “Reproduction as Resistance: Motherhood in the East German Cinema.”
  • The Return (Russia, 2003), followed by a discussion with John Givens, associate professor of Russian at University of Rochester, who presents “Zviagintsev’s ‘Return’ as Second Coming: The Anxiety of Belief in Russian Cinema.”
  • Dogtooth (Greece, 2009), followed by a discussion with Dinah Holtzman from RIT’s Department of Performing Arts and Visual Culture.
  • Kinderwald (Germany, 2013), followed by a discussion with writer-producer Lise Raven and co-writer Frank Bruckner.
  • Carry On (China, 2013), followed by a talk with director Yatao Li from RIT’s School of Film and Animation.

“The Globe at the Movies Symposium aims to celebrate and reflect upon the rich and multifaceted nature of global film,” said Rakhimova-Sommers, senior lecturer in Russian and global literature in RIT’s English department and event organizer. “The public forum format is an opportunity for students and faculty to ask probing questions about the film directors’ vision pertaining to complex issues faced by the rapidly changing global community.”

The symposium is sponsored by RIT’s College of Liberal Arts’ Dean’s Office, Department of English, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, and the Conable Endowment for International Studies.

For more information, contact Rakhimova-Sommers at 585-475-4417 or elena.sommers@rit.edu.


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