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Inaugural Film Genre Festival brings sci-fi classics to APSU

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — For five weeks in September and October, aliens, robots and a bleak, dystopian future will cast a shadow over Austin Peay State University’s Art and Design Building as the Department of Languages and Literature and the Film Studies minor present the inaugural Film Genre Festival.

On each Tuesday beginning Sept. 26 and lasting through Oct. 31, a different film will be shown at 5 p.m. in the Art and Design Building, room 120. All screenings are free and include an introduction from the Austin Peay professor who selected the film.

The theme of the inaugural Film Genre Festival is science fiction, with a diverse selection of films chosen to represent a century of cinema and the many perspectives contained under the umbrella of the genre.

Professor of English literature and Coordinator of the Film Studies Minor, Dr. Jill Franks said the films, which include pioneering works like “Metropolis” (1927) and “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), as well as an international film like the award-winning Spanish-language “Eva” (2011), were chosen by Austin Peay faculty because they each, in their own way, represent the potential for science fiction to examine modern-day issues.

“In selecting the theme of science fiction, I was looking for a genre that would please students and faculty alike,” Franks said. “Science fiction can be used to discuss political philosophy in a very interesting way. It’s popular because the theme allows for creative visual set design and special effects, and it is very cerebral at its core in the philosophical stories it allows people to tell.”

This year’s film slate includes the following selections:

Tuesday, Sept. 26

Film: Metropolis (1927), Director Fritz Lang

With an introduction by Kell Black (Art)

Tuesday, Oct. 3

Film:  They Live! (1988), Director John Carpenter

With an introduction by David Guest (Lang. & Lit.)

Tuesday, Oct. 10

Film:  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Director Stanley Kubrick

With an introduction by Jill Franks (Lang. & Lit.)

Tuesday, Oct. 24

Film: The Matrix (1999), Directors The Wachowski Brothers

With an introduction by Tracy Nichols (Communication)

Tuesday, Oct. 31

Film: Eva (2011), Director Kike Maíllo

With an introduction by Osvaldo Di Paolo (Lang. & Lit.)

Franks said future festivals will explore other genres and their storytelling potential, with the hope that Austin Peay students and faculty will take the chance to expand their cinematic comfort zones.

“To focus on a different genre each year will help expand our campus community’s tastes a little bit,” Franks said. “People who love film tend to focus on a genre they understand and love, but if we continue to get outside of our usual genre selections, we’ll learn more.”

The Film Genre Festival is co-sponsored by the recently created Film Studies minor. Overseen by Dr. Franks, the minor examines and applies the terms and concepts of film appreciation, theory and criticism. The 18-credit Film Studies Minor will help students develop an understanding of films from several different cultures and gain an ability to analyze films in technical, theoretical, historical and cultural terms.

To explore the Film Studies minor at Austin Peay, visit www.apsu.edu/langlit/filmstudiesminor.php, or contact Franks at franksj@apsu.edu. For more information on the Film Genre Festival, please contact Franks at franksj@apsu.edu. To find out more about the Department of Languages and Literature, visit www.apsu.edu/langlit.