Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The 2019 International Film Festival at Mississippi State begins March 30 and features three diverse films ranging from family comedy to coming-of-age drama.

In partnership with the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, MSU’s Institute for the Humanities hosts the second annual event to expose MSU students to global cultures as well as create excitement for the land-grant university’s 29th annual International Fiesta that follows on April 6. 

“We hope the film festival encourages people to attend the International Fiesta to actually experience cultures around the world here on the MSU Drill Field,” said Kei Mamiya, Holmes Cultural Diversity Center program coordinator.

Film festival participants will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a free meal during next month’s International Fiesta.   

“The International Film Festival is also a chance to expose our students and community to other places and cultures,” said Julia Osman, Institute for the Humanities director and assistant professor in the Department of History. 

Osman said because Starkville has limited access to independent or international films, this film festival is “a wonderful way to share thought-provoking movies” and “helps us understand our place in the larger world.”

“Through independent films such as these, we see where people, no matter where or how they live, deal with the same themes as we do – aging, love, loss, family dynamics, growing up and life ambitions,” Osman said. 

The movies include:

—Oscar-winning film, “Call Me by Your Name,” March 30 at 4 p.m. in McCool Hall’s Taylor Auditorium. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the 2017 drama is a coming-of-age love story between a young man and his father’s research assistant in 1980’s Italy. This film is rated R for sexual content, nudity and language. In addition to winning the 2018 Oscar for best-adapted screenplay, “Call Me by Your Name” also won a 2018 BAFTA in the same category. The presentation coincides with Pride week, organized by Starkville Pride and MSU student organization LGBTQ+ Union.

—“102 and Not Out,” April 4 at 5 p.m. in Old Main Auditorium. Directed by Umesh Shulka, the 2018 PG family comedy revolves around fathers and sons in Mumbai, India, coming to terms with life. This film is presented in Hindi with English subtitles.

—Award-winning “Wadjda,” April 5 at 5 p.m. in Old Main Auditorium. Written and directed by Haifaa Al Mansour in 2012, the PG film won a 2014 BAFTA award for best film (non-English), and received 22 other awards including best actress and best international film.  The comedy/drama follows a young girl as she competes for the chance to own a bicycle against a backdrop of family crisis and strict gender roles in modern Saudi Arabia.  Shown in Arabic, this film has English subtitles.

The Institute for the Humanities promotes research, scholarship and creative performances in the humanistic disciplines and raises their visibility, both within MSU and the wider community. The institute’s activities include sponsorship of the distinguished lecture series, support for faculty research initiatives and public outreach through scholarship and innovative teaching. 

MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,300 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences or the Institute for the Humanities department may be found at www.cas.msstate.edu or www.ih.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.