Laurier Free Film Series begins its fourth year

A new opportunity for expanding horizons in the arts has arisen at Wilfrid Laurier University.

This fall, from Sept. 22—Nov. 24, Laurier is playing host to the Laurier Free Film Series, now in its fourth consecutive year.

This year’s series is organized around the theme “Cinema with a Social Conscience,” and involves a free weekly screening of ten films.

The first film screened in the series, The Battle of Algiers, is a 1966 war film based on the occurrences during the Algerian war against the French colonial occupation in North Africa, and presents a jarring commentary on the history of guerilla warfare.

Curated by Anders Bergstrom and Patrick Faubert, with help from Susan Hroncek, the series is open to the public and aims to expose film enthusiasts to a culturally and thematically diverse group of films.

Speaking to the Cord, Bergstrom, a PHD student in English and film studies at Wilfrid Laurier explains the process used to select the films screened in series. “The goal was to come up with some kind of thematic thread that could run through all the films we chose. This allowed us to select films of a wide variety; great films, but also films that are largely under-appreciated.”

By selecting films that are largely under-appreciated in the cinematic community, the Laurier Free Film Series exposes students to films which may otherwise always remain beneath their radar.

In order to ensure culturally diversity, the series includes films in the French language (Z, 1969), American films (Network 1976, All The Presidents Men, 1976), a Scottish film, (Sweet Sixteen, 2002), a Romanian film (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, 2005) a French Canadian film (Les Ordres, 1974), and a Russian film (Doctor Zhivago, 1965).

Network, to be screened on Thurs, Oct. 13, is a satirical American film about a fictitious television network, a long time news anchor about to be fired and the stations subsequent struggle with low ratings.

Winning three of the four Academy Awards the film was nominated for in 1977, including a posthumous Academy Award for Lead Actor Peter Finch, Network promises to be an entertaining and worthwhile use of several hours.

Although Nov. 17 film screening is currently listed as “To Be Announced,” Bergstrom explained to the Cord that the curators of the series are in the final stages of bringing an affluent film-maker to present the documentary.

Screenings of the Laurier Free Film Series will occur every Thursday until Nov. 24 in BA101 at 7 p.m, and are free to the public.