Are you looking for something to do on Friday evenings? CineCulture offers free screenings of independent films nearly every Friday during the school year to Fresno State campus students, faculty and staff and the broader community. The movies are followed by a discussion with someone involved in the film or an expert on the subject.

All films screened on campus are free and open to the public. Parking is not enforced after 4 p.m. on Fridays.

"A Girl from Mogadishu" (2019)
When: 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14.
Where: Peters Education Center Auditorium (west of the Save Mart Center in the Student Recreation Center building)

Discussant: Dr. Rose Marie Kuhn

Written and directed by northern Irish filmmaker Mary McGuckian, "A Girl from Mogadishu" is a feature film based on the true story and testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, a young Somali-Irish activist who emerged as one of the world’s foremost international activists against gender-based violence. Born in a refugee camp in Somalia, Ahmed (Aja Noami King) escapes her war-torn native country and is trafficked to Ireland as a teenager. Recounting her traumatic childhood experiences of female genital mutilation when applying for refugee status, she vows to devote her life to the eradication of this horrendous practice. Taking her campaign all the way to the President of Ireland and finally to the European Parliament and United Nations, "A Girl from Mogadishu" celebrates the power of testimony, for when women find the courage to stand up, speak out and tell their truth, the impact can be so inspiring and empowering that it acts as a meaningful catalyst for change.

Coming next — "Singing Our Way to Freedom" (2018)

How did a young Mexican-American kid from a small rural town in the middle of nowhere become a leading musician of the Chicano civil rights movement? How did he learn about the power of music and imagination to take us on a journey towards freedom? "Singing Our Way to Freedom" chronicles the life of Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez from his humble beginnings as a farmworker in Blythe, California, to the dramatic moment when he received one of his nation’s highest musical honors at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. As a young man in the 1960s, Chunky joined the picket lines in the California fields with Cesar Chavez, eventually becoming Chavez’s favorite musician. His gradual transformation from a marginalized farm kid to a charismatic social activist shows how one person can mobilize people to change the world. In his songs and his life, Chunky offers an inspiring narrative, reminding us that the battle for freedom has to be fought anew by every generation.

For a complete schedule, visit the College of Arts and Humanities blog.