Don't miss the CineCulture lineup this spring. CineCulture Club promotes cultural awareness through film and post-screening discussions.

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April 20: The Other Side of Home (2016)
Discussant: Naré Mkrtchyan (Director/Producer)

In 1915, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Turks, during the Armenian Genocide. One hundred years later, also in 2015, a Turkish woman named Maya discovers that her great-grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. Maya embodies this painful conflict for she bears two enemies in her body: one that suffers and the other that denies. This documentary follows Maya as she decides to go to Armenia to take part in the 100th anniversary of the genocide and to explore her conflicted identity. This film is a universal story of identity, denial, and how the experience of genocide creates a ripple effect for future generations on both sides. In English, Armenian, and Turkish with English subtitles. 40 minutes, Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6r7rhRPHlA

Sponsor: The Armenian Studies Program

April 27: The Suffragists (Las Sufragistas) (2012)
Discussant: Ana Cruz Navarro (Director)

The Suffragists by Mexican filmmaker Ana Cruz Navarro tells the story of Eufrosina Cruz, an indigenous woman from the Zapotec community of Santa María Quiegolani in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. In 2008, her right to vote and run as Municipal President of her community was denied on the grounds that indigenous customary laws prohibit women from participating in electoral processes. In Mexico, women won the right to full suffrage in 1953. Today, after a long battle, Eufrosina Cruz is a representative in Mexico’s federal government, and the first indigenous woman to be a member of the Congress of Oaxaca. The Suffragists details her political struggle, as well as Mexican women’s long fight for political power. The film also considers challenges which women in power face, drawing on interviews with Mexican female politicians and Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s first female president and the first Executive Director of UN Women. In Spanish with English subtitles, 78 minutes, Trailer: https://vimeo.com/220101466

Sponsors: The College of Arts and Humanities, the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno, Aeromexico, the Spanish Program, the Department of Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures, and the Department of Chicano & Latin American Studies

May 4: A Billion Colour Story (2016)
Discussants: Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy (Director/Writer) via Skype & Professor Joan K. Sharma

Like so many nations, India is a land of high ideals and hopes that doesn't always live up to its better nature. That is the learning curve not only for 11-year-old Hari Aziz, but also for his parents, self-declared "Indophiles" and "religion agnostics," who met in film school in Australia but moved back to the land they love. When the funding on their film fizzles, the family is forced to downsize to a cheaper neighborhood, and with the move they find that their religious backgrounds (Imran was born a Muslim, and Parvati a Hindu) suddenly matter to people. A lot.

The masterstroke in writer/director Padmakumar's debut feature is to tell this story of intolerance and fundamentalism through the eyes of a smart, curious and tech-savvy child, a 21st-century kid who embodies the best of a globalized outlook (he's played by the director's son). Shot in black and white, the film was received with a four-minute standing ovation at its European premiere at the London Film Festival in October. Legendary star Shabana Azmi was moved to tweet: "A heartwarming film that celebrates the idea of India & tears at heartstrings. It's a must watch." 105 minutes. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1nKB8k2Um8

Fresno State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us in advance to your participation.

For further information about CineCulture: http://cineculture.csufresno.edu/

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Contact: Dr. Mary Husain (Instructor & Club Adviser) at mhusain@csufresno.edu