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Diversity Film Series scheduled
By JESSICA KELTZ
Reporter Contributor
"Crash," a film that twists preconceived stereotypes of varied races and ethnicities up and down class lines, will be the first offering in the Diversity Film Series, a monthly screening of films that spotlight diversity.
The series "gives the students and the faculty and staff an environment where they can talk openly," says Mitchell Chavez, educational services coordinator for the Intercultural and Diversity Center. "It's an open and safe environment. The ground rules are to respect one another and to be open with one another."
Films in the Diversity Film Series, sponsored by the Intercultural and Diversity Center and the Professional Staff Senate, will be shown at 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday each month of the spring semester in the Intercultural and Diversity Center, 240 Student Union. The screenings will be free and open to the public. Popcorn and refreshments will be provided.
Chavez said IDC staff decided to organize the series this semester after getting good reviews of a similar series held as part of the Diversity Advocates internship program.
"They seemed to really enjoy it," she says of the students in the internship program. "We thought it would be a good idea to bring it to the entire campus."
For the first film, "Crash," which deals with racial and ethnic stereotypes in modern-day Los Angeles, Chavez said she expects about 30 students to attend the screening on Tuesday, in addition to some faculty and staff. After the film, Michael Stanford, a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Education who is studying multicultural competence, will lead a discussion of the film.
For the next film, "Real Women Have Curves," which looks at the cultural identity of a first-generation Mexican-American woman, Chavez says she's trying to arrange for someone from the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender or Counseling Services to speak about issues regarding body image.
The schedule for the series:
Feb. 14: "Crash." Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of interrelated characters, among them a black police detective, two car thieves who constantly theorize on society and race, a distracted district attorney and his pampered wife, a racist veteran cop who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful black Hollywood director and his wife, a Persian-immigrant father and a Hispanic locksmith.
March 21: "Real Women Have Curves." This dramatic comedy examines the personal trials of a first-generation Mexican-American teenager struggling to understand her own identity while dealing with the demands of her family's traditional values.
April 18: "Brokeback Mountain." This Western drama deviates from the normal genre by exploring a controversial relationship between two men working on a ranch.
May 2: "A Day Without a Mexican." This satire explores what would happen if every Mexican in the state of California disappeared one day. The film highlights many social stereotypes that surround both Hispanics and whites.