Wagner College is proud to host its 2016 International Film Festival: five evenings of world film running from Oct. 17 through 21. All screenings will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free, and the public is invited.
Consistent with this year’s IFF theme of immigration, exile and displacement, Wagner College Modern Languages students will be selling popcorn for $1 at all screenings to benefit the United Nations Refugee Agency and UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Oct. 17: ‘El Coyote’
On Monday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. in Foundation Hall’s Manzulli Boardroom, join us for a screening of “El Coyote” (2015, Mexico/USA, 7 min.), a short, animated documentary directed by Javier Barboza. The film tells the story of human smuggling from the perspective of the smuggler. Following the screening, Barboza will present on his animation techniques and do a talkback with the audience.
Oct. 18: ‘Nuovomondo’
On Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in Foundation Hall’s Manzulli Boardroom, join us for a screening of “Nuovomondo (The Golden Door)” (2006, Italy, 120 min.), directed by Emanuele Crialese, telling the story of an Italian family’s migration to New York in the early 20th century. Wagner College Italian language and culture professor Giuseppe Sorrentino will present this film.
Oct. 19: Short films from Germany
On Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in Spiro Hall Room 4, join us for a screening of several short films about the European refugee crisis. The films were all made by students at Wagner College’s partner film school in Munich, Germany, Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (University of Television and Film Munich). The program was curated by Wagner exchange student Denize Galiao, who will introduce the program via Skype. Among the films being screened are:
“Two at the Border” (2013, Germany, 30 min.), directed by Tuna Kaptan and Felicitas Sonvilla, is a portrait of two human smugglers from Syria and Palestine at the border between Turkey and Greece.
“I Come from Syria” (2014, Germany, 14 min.). How do three Syrian men feel in Munich? Do they want to become German at some point? An approach to the thoughts and feelings of men who have come to a foreign country, searching for a new home.
Oct. 20: ‘The Secret of the Grain’
On Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in Foundation Hall’s Manzulli Boardroom, join us for a screening of “The Secret of the Grain” (2007, France/Tunisia, 151 min.), directed by Abellatif Kechiche, a drama about a Tunisian immigrant in France confronted by the French bureaucracy as he tries to open a restaurant. The film will be introduced by French student Sophia Wright.
Oct. 21: Short films and a documentary from Palestine
On Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in Foundation Hall’s Manzulli Boardroom, join us for a screening of three short films by Palestinian students, followed by a feature-length documentary with a Skype Q&A with the director. The films are:
“The Living of the Pigeons” (2015, Palestine, 17 min.), directed by Baha Abu Shanab of the Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture, Bethlehem. A haunting glimpse of the surreal early morning hours and the daily experience of “rush hour” at Checkpoint 300, which separates Bethlehem in the West Bank from Jerusalem.
“What Will You Do When You Go Back to Your Village?” (2016, Palestine, 4 min.), Lajee Center Media Group. Residents of the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem reflect on what they would do if they could return to their villages.
“Reporter Suspended” (2015, Palestine, 5 min.), directed by Sanabel Ibrahim, Renad Nasser and Salam A. Yahya of Al-Quds University, Ramallah. This short comedy reflects on media coverage of the West Bank through the eyes of a child.
“Ice & Dust” (2015, Palestine/Canada, 50 min.), directed by Laila Abaas. An essay film that follows the director’s sister, who migrates from Ramallah to Toronto, as she confronts her feelings of displacement both at home and abroad.