Exploring cultures through film

By Nicole Tropf
The Collegian

Hot issues are coming to the big screen as Fresno State’s CineCulture club presents ways to explore and understand cultures through film.

When asked what cultural issues the club tries to focus on, Denise Blum, club founder and adviser said, “What is not ‘culture and diversity?’”

The club’s mission is to promote awareness in a city that has few ongoing independent and foreign films in its theaters, Blum said.

Every week a series of film productions are screened for an audience of Fresno State students and faculty, as well as community members.

Viewings are held each Friday in McLane Hall 121 at 5:15 p.m. The length of the screenings depend on the material presented.

Some screenings are followed by discussions led by Fresno State professors, on-campus club members and sometimes a film’s directors and editors get involved.

Tonight, the club will show a short film series regarding racial profiling followed by a post-screening discussion by Malik Simba, professor of history and African studies.

CineCulture does not require anything from its members nor are there any restrictions on who can join.

“Just enjoy the show,” said club president Kumar Navaneethakrishnan. “Our film series are in place to serve the student community at Fresno State, hence, everyone is welcomed to attend our weekly events.”

“We request the audience to give feedback and information of what they would like to see in the future or would like to facilitate in the future,” said Navaneethakrishnan.

Board member, Gabriela Rodriguez said, “I love it when the audience members get intense because, in a way, they are dealing with something significant. When people are tense, they want to share or defend something, which is what propels us into learning or understanding other points of view.”

“Over 20 professors at Fresno State use CineCulture as part of their course requirement or extra credit,” Blum said.

The club does not have as much support from Fresno State students as they would like, but Navaneethakrishnan sees that the club is growing and the board is, “taking special efforts to let the student community know about the events.”

“From my observations, other cultures will only attend a show when the film or discussion deals with their culture,” Rodriguez said. “CineCulture doesn’t strive for the audience to all agree, rather we cherish diversity. That is why the events are free and open to the public.”

For information about the weeks films visit http://CineCulture.csufresno.edu/.

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