US: Saint Mary’s College Hosts Race And Migration Film Festival

The Saint Mary’s Race and Migration Film Festival will be screening a well-curated list of movies over the next four weeks – at 7 pm on February 9, 16, 23, and March 2 – to bring numerous cultures and languages into the limelight.

“The purpose is to draw awareness to different cultures and languages that we teach in the department,” said Ty West, professor of Spanish and chair of the Modern Languages and Cultures Department, adding he hopes to see positive effects from hosting this film festival.

Tara Smithson, a professor of French at the Notre Dame college, highlighted the “collaboration amongst our department and our department members” that went into setting up the event. She believes the film festival – free to the public – will allow people to expand their viewpoint and learn about cultures they aren’t all too knowledgeable about.

An introduction to the Four Movies

A film representing a different language and concerning race and migration will be screened each Thursday over four weeks.

Miriam Lies: February 9: Spanish

This powerful movie centering around key issues, including racism and teenage anxiety, shows a teenager who does not know how to tell her family that her boyfriend is black and how racial prejudices affect her choices.

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Terraferma: February 16: Italian

This film from 2011 features an elderly Sicilian fisherman who after offering shelter to a young North African refugee and his pregnant mother is punished by the government as the law prevents him from doing so.

Finding Cajun: February 23: French

This documentary film presents a critical and historically informed perspective on the complex and highly debated issue of the origin and evolution of the ‘Cajun’ identity.

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Amreeka: March 2: Arabic

This drama from 2009 centres on the trials and tribulations of a proud Palestinian single mother and her son, who decided to relocate to the US after being harassed by Israeli soldiers.