World Film Forum to feature movies of life in wartime

World Film Forum: Sept. 18, 25; Oct. 2.

The 2018 World Film Forum will present three free showings on coming Tuesdays with movies from Japan, Spain, and South Korea. Each film in the series, organized by the School of Languages and Cultures, will be shown with English subtitles.

The presentations will be at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 at the West Lafayette Public Library, 208 W. Columbia St. A brief introduction to each film will be given before the screening; further discussion will follow the film. Snacks and cold drinks will be available.

Of the war-related connection of the movies, Hongjian Wang, assistant professor of Chinese and a forum committee member, says, "Given the increasing international and regional tensions and conflicts going on in the world, the World Film Forum will focus on 'war movies' this year. We hope to discuss how cinema around the world has been recording, retelling, and/or (re)imagining wars of various kinds in response to trying times like ours.​"​

General information on these and other film showings by the School of Languages and Cultures is here. The 2018 World Film Forum schedule:

Sept. 18: "In this Corner of the World"
Directed by Sunao Katabuchi (Japan, 2016) 2h10
Presenter: Nagi Fujie, graduate student of Japanese linguistics, School of Languages and Cultures

"In This Corner of the World" is an animated movie set in Hiroshima and Kure during World War II. The story proceeds like journal entries following an artistic and cheerful young woman called Suzu. The details of a seemingly peaceful daily life are contrasted with the hardship of WWII as the story enters 1945 and nears Aug. 6. The movie ends with a hopeful picture of Suzu and her family moving forward in a changing society. This inspiring masterpiece lets the audiences relate to the film through detailed description and question what should be valued in their daily lives with family and friends.

Sept. 25: "Butterfly’s Tongue"
Directed by José Luis Cuerda (Spain, 1999) 1h40
Presenter: Niall Peach, Ph.D. student in Spanish literature, School of Languages and Cultures

Scared by the tales he has heard of teachers, Moncho enters school on his first day only to find in Don Gregorio a caring man who takes him under his wing. This coming of age style drama sees Don Gregorio teach Moncho about the wonders of life and nature’s many secrets against the backdrop of the encroaching Nationalist forces. Both Moncho’s family and Don Gregorio are politically opposed to Francoism, which meant decades of oppression for Galicia, but as the forces descend upon the town, the family must choose between survival and politics. An adaptation of three short stories by Manuel Rivas, "Butterfly’s Tongue" is a beautiful film that keenly demonstrates the local and global effects of war on family, community and identity.

Oct. 2: "The Fortress"
Directed by Dong-Hyuk Hwang (South Korea, 2017), 2h20
Presenter: Song No, associate professor of Spanish, School of Languages and Cultures

In 1636, a new empire of China (the Qing Dynasty) attacks Joseon before wiping out the remainder of the Ming Dynasty. Upon learning about the Qing attack, the Korean king, Injo, moves his court to the fortress south of Seoul (Nam-Han-San-Sung) to resist Qing armies. However, the Korean court becomes isolated, and it lacks food and basic supplies to sustain its fight. During this harsh time, the court is divided into two factions: one to resist Qing and the other to surrender. Those who are well-versed in the Korean (Joseon Dynasty) history may already guess the result of this war, but they still have to see the film to understand what really happened during those 47 days of siege. Adapted from an award-winning 2007 novel, the 2017 film appeared at a time of increasing tensions, both within South Korea and throughout Northeast Asia.