Film festival features political campaigns
As the presidential campaign winds to a close, the annual Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, film festival will feature movies related to campaigns. The fall film festival begins Wednesday evening with a viewing of “The Candidate,” starring Robert Redford, at 7 in the Corporate Training Center of the Eberly Building.
According to John Riddle, head librarian at the campus, the idea for a film festival came about more than three years ago and helps to get the community involved in activities at the campus.
“A faculty member or the person who is hosting selects a film and then provides a brief introduction and talk about the movie,” he said. “We watch the movie and then the host will lead the group in a discussion afterward.”
In past years, faculty have selected a favorite movie, no matter the topic, for viewing and discussion. This fall, all of the movies satirize political campaigns and feature a classic film, a contemporary film and a foreign film, Riddle said.
After “The Candidate” Wednesday, political science professor Mike Comiskey will host a viewing of “Bulworth” Oct. 30, while Beverly Peterson and Jane Witt will host the viewing and discussion about “Secret Ballot,” the story of a determined Iranian woman who travels to an offshore island so the people there can vote.
All of the films will be shown in the Corporate Training Center.
Riddle said that Peterson and Witt are jointly teaching a class this semester on politics, so their involvement in the festival this fall will tie into their class.
He said that the fall events were scheduled before and after Election Day to give people a chance to take some time away from the hectic race to the finish between Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
“We thought people could use a break from hearing about the campaign and come and talk about it,” Riddle said.
Riddle said that the festival has slowly gained in popularity over the past few years, and both he and director of continuing education Joe Segilia have worked to contact school alumni, pepper the campus with posters and reach the general public about the festival.
“Lots of people look for the festival semester after semester,” he said. “We have a growing cohort of people interested in film.”
In the spring, the films will all show adaptations of Shakespearean themes, Riddle said.
For more information, or to reserve a seat for any or all films this semester, call 724-430-4211.