Movie Night at the International Film Festival

Posted on March 6, 2026 Written by

The Ross Pendergraft Library is once again proud to host their International Film Festival between March 3rd and March 17th.  Grab your date or your favorite friends and enjoy the cinematic experience of watching captivating, funny, and thought-provoking films (with subtitles) on the big screen.

Each film begins at 7:00 PM in the Doc Bryan Student Services Lecture Hall at 1605 Coliseum Drive.  A Q&A session covering themes and topics from the film’s selector follows each screening. Here are this year’s selections and dates:

This is the 11th anniversary of the film festival which features selections chosen by the ATU World Languages faculty showcasing films in their respective languages.  Students taking Spanish, Japanese, German, or French have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the language through these films.

However, the festival is open to all students who might enjoy films in general or are just looking for something free and fun to do with their friends on a weeknight in Russellville.

To learn more about the films and watch their trailers, visit the International Film Festival website: http://filmfest.atu.edu.  If you missed any of the films and would like to watch them at home, most are available at the library on DVD or via streaming video.  You can search the film titles in our library database, Find It.

For more events at the Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center, follow us on  Instagram and Facebook

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6th International Film Festival Begins March 3rd

Posted on March 3, 2021 Written by

If you have longed for the experience of sitting in a movie theater and watching a great film on the big screen again, then look no further than the International Film Festival, set to kick-off March 3rd.

Screenshot of the logo of the 6th International Film Festival At Tech

The Ross Pendergraft Library and the Department of World Languages have teamed up to bring the campus and community a sample of the finest films from around the world.

Each film will be shown in Doc Bryan Auditorium at 7:00 P.M.  While the university remains in Phase 1, attendance will be limited to 30 people on a first come, first serve basis.  Each film is registered as a Global Focus On Track event.  Admission is free and open to the public.

Take a trip and never leave the university with these eight films from Germany, Argentina, Japan, Cuba, and France:

Wednesday, March 3rd – El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes)

This crime drama from Argentina tells the story of a retired legal counselor writing a novel and hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior – both of which still haunt him decades later.  This film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009.

Thursday, March 4th – Sanjuro

A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.  This 1962 action-packed comedy was directed by Akira Kurosawa, and it is the sequel to Yojimbo.  It is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Tuesday, March 9th – M

When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.  This German language thriller from 1931 was directed by Fritz Lang and stars Peter Lorre as the serial killer.  It is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time.

Wednesday, March 10th – Ernest et Célestine

This animated French language comedy from 2012 features the story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Célestine.  The film has won numerous international film awards, including the Magritte Award for Best Film.  It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Thursday, March 11th – Una Noche (One Night or Until Two Friends)

In Havana, Raul dreams of escaping to Miami. Accused of assault, he appeals to Elio to help him reach the forbidden world 90 miles across the ocean. One night, full of hope, they face the biggest challenge of their lives.  This 2012 Cuban-set Spanish language thriller has won numerous international film awards, including best actor, cinematography, and new director honors in the Tribeca Film Festival.

Tuesday, March 16th – Miss Hokusai

This 2015 animated film portrays the life and works of Japanese artist and ukiyo-e painter Katsushika Hokusai, as seen from the eyes of his daughter, Katsushika O-Ei.  Hokusai is the artist responsible for one of the most recognizable works in Japanese art—the woodblock print of The Great Wave off Kanagawa, also known as The Wave.  This Japanese language film includes English subtitles, and it is based on a Manga series of the same name.

Wednesday, March 17th – Barbara

A doctor working in 1980s East Germany finds herself banished to a small country hospital in this 2012 German language drama.

Thursday, March 18th – Jeux d’enfants (Love Me If You Dare)

This 2003 French language romantic comedy features best friends Julien and Sophie who continue the odd game they started as children — a fearless competition to outdo one another with daring and outrageous stunts. While they often act out to relieve one another’s pain, their game might be a way to avoid the fact that they are truly meant for one another.

For more information about the film festival or the films, contact the event coordinator Philippe Van Houtte at pvanhoutte@atu.edu.  This event would also not be possible without the World Languages faculty who selected these films and the other organizers of the festival: Dr. Nelson Ramìrez, Associate Professor of Spanish and Coordinator of World Languages and Dr. Lowell Lybarger, multimedia librarian and instructor of music.

We hope to see you at the movies!

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The Fifth Annual International Film Festival, March 4th – 19th

Posted on February 27, 2020 Written by

The Ross Pendergraft Library invites the campus and the community to our International Film Festival.  The festivities kick off March 4th with a screening of “Yojimbo”, a Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa, at 7:00 PM at the Doc Bryan Lecture Hall.

Eight films in four languages are included in this year’s festival.  Each screening is considered an On Track event for Global Focus.

All screenings are free and open to the public.  Each film begins at 7:00 PM at Doc Bryan Lecture Hall.

Here’s a listing of dates and films:

Poster for YojimboWednesday, March 4 @ 7:00 PM: Yojimbo

Japanese with English subtitles, 1961. A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.  Directed by Akira Kurosawa, the film was later remade in the United States as A Fistful of Dollars.

Poster of the film Amour, featuring an older womanThursday, March 5 @ 7:00 PM: Amour

French with English subtitles, 2012. Georges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple’s bond of love is severely tested.

Poster for the movie Ran featuring fire and Japanese scriptTuesday, March 10 @ 7:00 PM: Ran

Japanese with English subtitles, 1985. In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other…and him.  Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of King Lear.

Movie poster of Die WelleWednesday, March 11 @ 7:00 PM: Die welle (The Wave) 

German with English subtitles, 2008. A high school teacher’s experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.

Movie posterThursday, March 12 @ 7:00 PM: La reina de España (The Queen of Spain)

Spanish with English subtitles, 2016.  Nearly twenty years after the events of “The Girl of Your Dreams”, in the 1950s, Macarena Granada, who has become a Hollywood star, returns to Spain to film a blockbuster about Queen Isabella I of Castile.

Movie poster featuring a woman on a bikeTuesday, March 17 @ 7:00 PM: Barbara

CANCELLED

German with English subtitles, 2012.  A doctor working in 1980s East Germany finds herself banished to a small country hospital.

 

Movie poster featuring attractive couple in thoughtful posesWednesday, March 18 @ 7:00 PM: El secreto de sus ojos (The secret in their eyes)

CANCELLED

Spanish with English subtitles, 2009.   A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior.

Movie poster featuring cartoon bear and mouseThursday, March 19 @  7:00 PM: Ernest et Célestine

CANCELLED

French with English subtitles, 2012.  The story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Célestine.  Animated film.

 

The festival, now in its fifth year, is organized by ATU faculty members Dr. Nelson Ramìrez, professor of Spanish; Dr. Lowell Lybarger, associate librarian; and Philippe Van Houtte, associate librarian and visiting lecturer of French.

For more information about the festival, including posters, ratings, summaries, and film trailers, visit the International Film Festival website.  Or follow the library on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more events and programs.

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