Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

             The Center for International Programs and Activities will try something new this year and condense the annual International Film Festival into one week. The films this year were selected by faculty and students.
             All films will begin at 7 p.m. at the Flohr Lecture Hall at Clark Memorial Library with ushers in the Rotunda directing people to seating.
             Monday, Jan. 11, the German and Turkish film, “The Edge of Heaven” will be shown hosted by Assistant Professor Tom Piontek. The film is a study essentially about family fragility and strength as heightened by the immigrant struggles that both bond and divide.
             Tuesday, Jan. 12, the Spanish film, “Volver” will be shown hosted by Professor Julia Coll. Spanish for "coming back, "Volver” is a return to the all-female format of “All About My Mother.” Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha.
             Wednesday, Jan. 13, Assistant Professor Amr Al-Azm will host the “The Syrian Bride.” The movie's plot looks at the Arab-Israeli conflict through the story of a family divided by political borders, and explores how their lives are fractured by the region's harsh political realities.
             Thursday, Jan. 14 “The Road Home,” a Chinese film, will be hosted by Associate Professor Kejing Liu. “The Road Home” is the story about a country girl and a young teacher falling in love during the 1958 Anti-Rightist Movement and the teacher's death many years later that brings their son back from the big city for the funeral.
             Friday, Jan. 15 recent graduate Kenta Sato from Japan will host “Rashomon.” This film depicts the rape of a woman and the apparent murder of her husband through the widely differing accounts of four witnesses, including the rapist and, through a medium, the dead man.
            The films are free and open to the public. Snacks will be served. For more information, call CIPA Director Rita Haider at (740) 351-3127 or e-mail rhaider@shawnee.edu.