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News Release

September 26, 2005

U of G Hosts Films of Controversy and Courage

The University of Guelph hosts its third annual international film series, "Beyond Hollywood," with the first of six films to be shown Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Florence Partridge Room (Group Viewing Room) on the third floor of the McLaughlin Library. The theme of this year's series is "Controversy and Courage." Film introductions begin at 6:45 p.m. and screenings begin at 7 p.m. Discussion and light refreshments will follow each film. All screenings are free and open to the public.

"I've always had an admiration for filmmakers who have struggled in the face of adversity to pursue their art," says English and theatre studies professor Paul Salmon, film series programmer. "It's remarkable that so many great films have emerged out of some form of cultural or political upheaval."

Blush, directed by Li Shaohong, opens the series Oct. 2. Winner of the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, Blush is set in China and follows three central characters as they struggle with the effects of the communist revolution.

The Oct. 23 screening will feature The Seduction of Mimi by Italian director Lina Wertmuller. The sexy political farce about a Sicilian labourer whose life is turned upside down as a result of not voting for the Mafia's candidate in a local election won Wertmuller the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

German director Joachim Hasler's film Hot Summer will be shown Nov. 6. Referred to by some as East Germany's version of Grease, Hot Summer is a light musical with a communist twist that explores the romantic complications that arise when a group of young women on holiday meet up with a lively group of young men.

"These films are each, in their own way, a testament to the determination of their directors to communicate their vision of the human condition despite considerable personal risk," says Salmon.

The series will conclude in 2006 with screenings of Daisies Jan. 29, Ulysses Feb. 10 and Commissar March 12.