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Drake offers International Film Series for fall semester

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, 515-271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu

Drake University’s International Film Series will begin Sunday, Oct. 7, with a screening of “The Cup” (Phörpa), a Hindi/Tibetan film with English subtitles, at 2 p.m. in Bulldog Theater in Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave. David Skidmore, director of Drake’s Center for Global Citizenship, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards.

“The Cup” tells the story of two young Tibetan refugees who seek refuge in a monastery in India. The boys, fascinated with soccer, arrange to rent a television set in order to watch the World Cup. The Lama, the head of the monastery, contemplates the challenges of traditional teaching methods in an increasingly changing world.

The series is sponsored by the Center for Global Citizenship and the Drake University Language Acquisition Program. All of the films, which are free and open to the public, will start at 2 p.m. in Bulldog Theater in Olmsted Center.

The schedule of films for the remainder of the fall semester appears below:

  • Oct. 28 — “City of God” (Cidade de Deus) — Portuguese with English subtitles. This film explores the layers of human complexity and the horrors of endless violence in the Cidade de Deus (City of God) projects in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

  • Nov. 11 – “Grave of the Fireflies” (Hokaru no Haka) – Japanese with English subtitles. This film tells the story of Setsuko and Seita, brother and sister, as they struggle to survive in Japan during World War II. Clayton Mitchell, Drake language technology specialist, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards.

  • Dec. 2 – “Beijing Bicycle” (Shiqi sui de dan che) – Mandarin with English subtitles. This film is about two teens fighting over a stolen bicycle and their desperate attempts to find acceptance in their very different worlds. Joseph Schneider, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of sociology at Drake, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards.