Reel Spirituality
An informal film and discussion series exploring the relationship of cinema with human spirituality. Screenings are held the last Friday of the month 2:30 - 4:30 pm in the Fine Arts Building, Room 103. Moderated by Terence Marner, emeritus professor of fine arts, University of Regina. Free and open to the public.
Join us again in the Fall for another intriguing lineup of movies!
Fall 2011 Screenings
Friday, September 30, 2011
Into the West
(Michael Newell, USA, 1992, 97 min.)
This is a story of a "traveling" family who have given up their traditional life of roaming and find themselves trying to make it in the gritty, violent projects of Dublin. Redemptive and uplifting at the end, it's realistic to the point of ugliness on the way there.
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Secret of Roan Inish
(John Sayles, USA, 1995, 103 min.)
Following the death of her mother, young Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents on the Irish coast across from Roan Inish, the island where her family once lived. She's told stories about the selkies – seals that can turn into humans – who have been connected with Fiona's family over the ages. At first she's not sure if the selkies are real or mythological, but she later realizes that they hold the key to reclaiming her family heritage.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Shane
(George Stevens, USA, 1953, 118 min.)
This legendary rendition of the archetypal Western myth earned six Academy Award nominations. The story, told through the eyes of a young boy, brings Alan Ladd, a drifter and retired gunfighter, to the assistance of a homestead family terrorized by an aging cattleman and his hired gun.
Winter 2012 Screenings
Friday, January 27, 2012
Gone Baby Gone
(Ben Affleck, USA, 2007, 114 min.)
For his directorial debut, actor Ben Affleck chose an ethically charged drama. In 2005, local police classified about 16,897 cases of missing children as "endangered," meaning the children were thought to be in the custody of dangerous adults. This absorbing drama taps into the universal feeling that the innocence of children must be protected at all costs. (Language warning)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Smoke Signals
(Chris Eyre, USA, 1998, 89 min.)
Chris Eyre directs this vividly original take on Native Americans based on a 1993 short story collection by screenplay writer Sherman Alexie. Although Adam Beach is convincing as the angry son who must come to terms with his father's love and legacy, Evan Adams steals the spotlight as a storyteller who knows that truth must be told indirectly so it can wiggle its way into people's hearts. The film pokes fun at the interface between life on "the rez" and the dominant white culture. It also reveals how ritual and friendship can be healing medicine for anyone caught up in grief. The film is billed as the first feature film written, directed and acted by Native Americans.
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Namesake
(Mira Nair, USA, 2006, 122 min.)
The Namesake is the story of the Ganguli family, whose move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong balancing act to meld to a new world without forgetting the old. Though parents Ashoke and Ashima long for the family and culture that enveloped them in India, they take great pride in the opportunities their sacrifices have afforded their children. Paradoxically, their son Gogol is torn between finding his own unique identity without losing his heritage.