Auburn University at Montgomery announces showings for Fall Political Film Series
Auburn University at Montgomery announces showings for Fall Political Film Series
Auburn University at Montgomery’s 2019 Fall Political Film Series will spotlight Hispanic heritage, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and a current political hot issue — the growing number of mass shootings in the U.S.
Sponsored by AUM’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, the series will offer showings for three films — “Entre Nos,” “Beautiful Boy,” and “Good Bye Lenin” — this fall on campus for students, faculty, staff and the public. An AUM faculty member will introduce each film and hold a discussion and Q&A session with audience members.
“Because we tend to take everything we see in films as truth, it can be dangerous because it’s not always accurate,” said Pia Knigge, assistant professor of political science at AUM. “Our faculty presenters have expertise in these areas to put these films in context for us. They also can help us better understand the films and correct any misinformation in the films to start a positive dialogue about them.”
Knigge, who founded the series to meet AUM’s outreach mission, said she hopes the film series continues to help AUM students learn outside the classroom, engage in student life and facilitate positive social interactions with others, including students, faculty and staff.
“Our students today are so much more audio-visually oriented and learners. I’ve found that students are more receptive to subject matter when shown in a film,” she said. “The film series provides a venue to not only inform us about political events and figures but to discuss political topics that often have a varying degree of accuracy in their representation.”
The following is a schedule for AUM’s 2019 Fall Political Film Series. Each showing is free and will include complimentary popcorn and drinks.
“Entre Nos” | Monday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. | 109 Goodwyn Hall
Introduction by Dr. Pamela Long (World Languages & Cultures)
A film in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in September. “A story based on facts which offers a fresh take on the issue of new immigrants in the United States. Mariana totes her two children from Colombia to reunite with her husband in Queens, N.Y. Her life is devastatingly turned around when her husband abandons the family. The woman and her kids have to fend for themselves in a foreign country. Mariana desperately searches for work. In the end, she resourcefully navigates a surprising avenue for making some money, the city’s recycling.” – Warsaw Film Festival.
“Beautiful Boy” | Monday, Oct. 14 | 7 p.m. | 109 Goodwyn Hall
Introduction by Dr. David Hughes (Political Science)
With this film we have chosen a topic that, unfortunately, has featured prominently in the news and on the political agenda this year: mass shootings and gun violence.
“The death of a child is a calamity. When that child has gone on a killing rampage at his campus and then taken his own life, it must be a tragedy so fundamental that it paralyzes thought. ‘Beautiful Boy’ gives us a glimpse of the young student on the night before his murders, and then is about how his parents live with what he has done.” – Roger Ebert
“Good Bye Lenin” | Wednesday, Nov. 13 | 7 p.m. | 109 Goodwyn Hall
Introduction by Dr. Lee Farrow (History)
The film will commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. “East Germany, the year 1989: A young man protests against the regime. His mother watches the police arresting him and suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma. Some months later, the GDR does not exist anymore and the mother awakes. Since she has to avoid every excitement, the son tries to set up the GDR again for her in their flat. But the world has changed a lot.” – Benjamin Stello.
For more information, contact Dr. Pia Knigge at [email protected] or (334) 244-3834.
About the Political Film Series at AUM
The Political Film Series contributes to the enrichment of student and employee life at AUM and helps to create a sense of community at AUM. The series also makes a contribution to AUM’s outreach mission and strategic goals as it provides broadly based education, fosters critical thinking and civic discourse, and creates awareness of diversity and globalization through film. The Political Film Series also provides the AUM and Montgomery communities with as many as possible ‘windows into society’ through multiple cultural lenses. The films selected for the series include classics and lesser known films, American and foreign productions, fiction films and documentaries, and films that directly and indirectly speak to politics.
