By On Feb. 16, the department of languages and literature and the Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzín program in Hispanic studies and languages kicked off the Carroll Film Festival with a showing of the 2007 French-Iranian film “Persepolis.”
The theme this year was “the power of animation,” and featured four animated films from across the world in several languages. Each film was accompanied by a brief introduction before its showing.
The introduction for “Persepolis” was done by students in the gender studies program and highlighted the themes present in the coming of age story in the film set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution.
“I think Persepolis provides a really unique human perspective on an event that we have heard or read about,” said senior history major Brady Clark of Madison, Wisconsin. “I think that is what’s so great about the foreign film festival: it’s providing us a more worldly experience.”
“Grave of Fireflies,” shown on Feb. 20, is a Japanese film following the lives of an orphaned brother and sister struggling to live in a wartorn Japan during the second world war.
Clark provided the introduction for this film and highlighted the struggles and humanity that war brings out of us.
Feb. 21 featured “The Rabbi’s Cat,” a French film that used French, Hebrew, and Russian. The film follows the journey of a Rabbi and his cat who has gained the power to talk. Sophomore Catholic studies major Luke Ostberg of Fairfield, Montana, delivered the introduction and discussed the commentary on religion, faith, and humanity that the film offered.
“The foreign film festival was a great opportunity to see films from different cultures,” said Ostberg. “It was entertaining to see how other cultures use film styles and techniques to portray their difficulties through film.”
On Feb. 27 the final film featured was “Bird Boy: The Forgotten Children,” a 2015 Spanish psychological thriller. Sophomore biology major, June LePage of Lewistown, Montana, introduced “Bird Boy.” Centered upon themes of addiction, parental neglect, and environmental destruction through the eyes of children, “Bird Boy” offered a unique perspective on the problems of humanity.
“The languages department works hard to make sure Carroll students and the Helena community have the opportunity to be exposed to media we wouldn’t normally be able to interact with,” said LePage. “This year’s foreign film festival brought up interesting conversations around the environment, religion, war, and many other important subjects.”
For those unable to attend this year’s festival, “Persepolis,” “The Rabbi’s Cat,” and “Bird Boy” are all featured on Amazon, and “Grave of Fireflies” is available through Vudu.
The Foreign Film festival will return next year with the theme and dates to be set.
