Film Society announces spring schedule

The Shepherdstown Film Society is pleased to announce a schedule of five films for spring, 2010. As with the past two seasons, we continue the partnership with the Scarborough Society of Shepherd University. This partnership gives the Shepherdstown Film Society the financial support it needs to maintain its commitment to show free films for Shepherd students and faculty, and the Shepherdstown community. The partnership will present three films this season with themes about mind and memory.
The Film Society will also continue collaborations with Shepherd University’s Multicultural Student Affairs for Black History Month and with Shepherd University’s Common Reading Program’s One Book, One Community Program.
The film series will start on January 29 and run through April 30. An opening night reception at the Shepherdstown Men’s Club (102 East German Street, Shepherdstown) will kick off the season from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 29.
All films will be shown on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. in Shepherd University’s Reynolds Hall. Admission is free and each showing will be followed by a discussion. More information on each film can be found on the Society’s website at www.shepherdstownfilmsociety.org.
The film schedule will be as follows:
January 29:
“Memento”
February 12:
“Daughters of the Dust”
February 26:
“The Garden”
March 12:
“Abre los ojos”
April 30:
“Regarding Henry”
Details of the films follow below, in the order in which the films are being shown:
January 29: “Memento” (2000, 113 minutes, directed by Christopher Nolan). What would you do if you lost your short-term memory? In this film, Leonard Shelby (played by Guy Pierce), faces the dilemma and fights to hold his recent past with photographs, copious notes and even tattoos. The result is a fast-paced and complex puzzle for the audience as we follow Leonard in his quixotic quest to avenge his wife’s murder. Revelation comes for us piece by piece, but will it ever come for Leonard? This film received Academy Award nominations for best original screen play and best editing. Rated: R.
February 12: “Daughters of the Dust” (1991, 112 minutes, directed by Julie Dash). Set in 1902 on St Helena Island, South Carolina, this film explores the roots and development of the Gullah culture on the sea islands along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia through the lives of three generations of Gullah women. Isolated from the changes of the post-Civil War South, the Gullah people maintained African folk-ways in language, story telling, food and community well into the last century. The film was placed in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board in 2004. Not rated. This is a special presentation as part of Shepherd University’s Black History Month program and is co-sponsored by Multicultural Student Affairs. The post-film discussion will be led by Dr. Sylvia Shurbutt, Professor of English at Shepherd University.
February 26: “The Garden” (2008, 80 minutes, directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy). This film documents a 14-acre neighborhood garden in South Central Los Angeles that arose from the devastation of the 1992 riots. The garden grew and prospered, providing fresh, wholesome food and building community. Then it faced the threat of destruction from industrial development. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. Not rated. This is a special presentation as part of Shepherd University’s Common Reading Program’s One Book, One Community Program. This year the university’s common reading is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The post-film discussion will be led by Elizabeth Wheeler.
March 12: “Abre los ojos” (Spain, 1997, 117 minutes, directed by Alejandro Amenabar). This film continues the spring theme of mind and memory with the story of an imprisoned man telling his story, as a flashback, to a psychiatrist. The man, Cesar (played by Eduardo Noriega) was a known womanizer. His best friend was not very successful with women, but brings a beautiful woman (played by Penelope Cruz) to one of Cesar’s parties. Big trouble, of course, ensues. Rated: R. The post-film discussion will be led by Dr. Denis Berenschot, Associate Professor of Spanish at Shepherd University.
April 30: “Regarding Henry” (1991, 108 minutes, directed by Mike Nichols). This film concludes our spring mind and memory theme. Harrison Ford plays a lawyer who survives a shooting but loses his speech, mobility and memory. His struggle to regain his self in mind and body with the help of wife (Annette Bening) and family produces some surprising results. Rated PG-13.
For further information about the Society and its films, visit their website or contact Lisa Welch at 304-876-1837 (email lmwlech@frontiernet.net) or Mina Goodrich at (304) 876-2159 (email larrymina@aol.com).