In an effort to reach out to a broader audience from various majors, clubs and disciplines,  Carla Aronsohn ’13 has organized a month long Queer International Film Series.

Each weekly screening starts at 7 p.m. and ends with a discussion led by a professor.

The upcoming film this Thursday April 14 is Ma Vie en Rose, a French film with a discussion to be lead by Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies professor Hollis Griffin.

Part of Aronsohn’s impetus for organizing the film series is to allow students to “experience these intellectually stimulating times outside of their classes.”

The idea came to Aronsohn after she came back from the Sundance Film Festival with her JanPlan class, where she watched “inspiring” films by international queer artists.

She notes though, “[in] most of those films, actors weren’t listed, directors weren’t listed” and that these films will probably not be screened in the filmmakers’ native countries because homophobic scrutiny is so intense.

The film screened this past week Fire, is a perfect example of this kind of homophobic scrutiny. Theaters in which it was playing were attacked by angry mobs, resulting in its withdrawal from Indian film screens.

Fire candidly depicts the lesbian experience in India, including explicit depictions of lesbian sexuality.

Aronsohn hopes the series will enlighten viewers on the queer experience in other parts of the globe. She also thinks film is a great medium for encouraging dialogue about queer issues and queer sexuality, that might cause initial consternation.

“[People] are more comfortable with seeing things they are uncomfortable with when it’s on a screen.”

Aronsohn hopes that the film series will occur again next year.

The schedule for the rest of the festival:

Date: Thursday April 14

Place: Miller 14

Time: 7 p.m.

Film: France­—Ma Vie En Rose

(My Life in Pink)

Discussion led by Professor

Hollis Griffin

Date: Monday April 18th

Place: Miller 14

Time: 7 p.m.

Film: Italy—Teorema

(Theorem)

Discussion led by Professors 

Allison Cooper and Sarah

Keller

Date: Wednesday April 20

Place: Pugh Center

Time: 7 p.m.

Film: Germany—

Import/Export (As a part of the

German Film Series)

Date: Wednesday April 27

Place: TBD

Film: USA—Hedwig and the

Angry Inch

Discussion led by Professor 

Phyllis Mannocchi