UT is joining the ranks of Cannes and Tokyo as the International House gears up to host this month’s International Film Festival.
The festival, which begins this Sunday, is meant to bring about cultural awareness and an appreciation for cinematography.
“We’ve gotten criticism that we haven’t been reaching out to other students to increase cultural awareness,” Megan Moore, of the International House, said.
The idea came about after Moore noticed the lack of an art theater around the university.
“When I first moved to Knoxville, I was disappointed that there wasn’t a real arts theater around town,” Moore said. “These films come from all over the world and cover a lot of bases.”
Monsoon Wedding is the first of four films showing during the festival. Beginning Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in Hodges Auditorium, the film depicts intense real life issues, said Moore. This 2001 Venice International Film Festival winner is a comedy that links a “far-flung” family with servants and secret lovers, who all come together for a wedding.
“The director (Mira Nair) is the first woman in a long time to have won at the Venice festival,” Moore said. “Everyone is already raving about this movie.”
The next film, Run Lola Run, won at the Seattle and Sundance Film festivals in 1999. The film features a bad day in the life of a courier and his girlfriend. In this movie, one stroke of bad luck leads to another. This movie will be shown on Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m.
In the Mood for Love, the Cannes Film Festival winner for 2000, will be shown on Nov. 3. It throws a married man and a married woman into an affair after discovering that their spouses are involved with each other.
The festival will conclude on Nov. 17 with Amores Perros.
“This is a brutally honest film,” said Moore. “(Amores Perros) centers around dog fight scenes – the dogs reflect the emotions of their owners.”
Before the viewing, audience members will learn the history, and afterward they will discuss their feelings during an open forum.
The International House hopes to continue the festival next semester if they deem it successful.
“If at least 100 people show up, we will definitely keep it going,” Moore said. “Other people have tried to do it before, but it fizzled out.”
All of the films will be shown in Hodges Auditorium and will begin at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free.
