Wagner College will host a poetry reading by Jeffrey Thomson on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. in Kairos House. Thomson will be reading from his newest chapbook “Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge” (Evansville, Ind.: RopeWalk Press, 2007) and other works. Recently named the 2008 Literary Arts Fellow by the Maine Arts Commission, Thomson is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Maine at Farmington. For more about Jeffrey Thomson, visit him on the Web at http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/~thomson/
Wagner College’s Department of Modern Languages is very pleased to host the third Tournees French Film Festival. We will be screening five recent French films on Feb. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. We have selected a wide variety of films to appeal to all ages and preferences, and all films have English subtitles. Admission is free and open to all. All screenings will be in Wagner College’s Spiro Hall. Venez nombreux!
Monday, Feb. 4, 2 p.m., Spiro 31
LES CHORISTES (THE CHORUS)
Directed by Christophe Barratier, 2004. Monsieur Martin, a music teacher, begins work in a school for juvenile delinquents and is shocked by the strict, repressive practices in place. Against the will of the school principal, Martin gradually introduces the boys to music and opens up new avenues to them - and to him. (96 min.s)
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m., Spiro 2
PARIS, JE T'AIME
Directed by a series of filmmakers, including Olivier Assayas, the Cohn brothers and Gérard Depardieu. This film consists of 18 short films, each by a different director and each situated in a different arrondissement of Paris. Each portrays the city - and the people who live in it - in a unique and profound way. (2006; 120 min.s)
Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m., Spiro 2
INDIGÈNES (DAYS OF GLORY)
Directed by Rachid Bouchareb, 2006. A touching story of four North African soldiers who agree to fight for the French army in the Second World War. Bouchareb tells the forgotten stories of the dreams, hopes and fates of the real 'indigènes.' (128 min.s)
Thursday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m., Spiro 2
LA PISCINE (THE SWIMMING POOL)
Directed by François Ozon, 2003. Charlotte Rampling stars as an English mystery writer who takes a vacation in the French countryside in search of calm and tranquility. Yet her friend's home is already occupied the young, promiscuous and hedonistic Julie. Yet the two are destined to be united by murder... (103 min.s)
Friday, Feb. 8, 12 noon, Spiro 2
LES INVASIONS BARBARES (THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS)
Directed by Denis Arcand, 2003. A multi-award winning Canadian film about an ex-radical professor in his fifties looking back at his life. Arcand's tragi-comedy is a wry comment on human relationships in changing times. (99 min.s)
Refreshments will be provided by the Office of the Provost, Wagner College. Additional support provided by the French Connection, Wagner College's French society. The festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC). The Tournees grant is also sponsored by the Florence Gould Foundation, the Grand Marnier Foundation and the Franco-American Cultural Fund. We are very grateful to the French American Cultural Exchange Council for their support.
For more information about the Tournees French Film Festival, please contact Professor Natalie Edwards at Wagner College, (718) 390-3371, natalie.edwards@wagner.edu.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., Jan. 25, 2007 — Wagner College recognized a student and a professor Thursday night with this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Agent of Change Awards. The student was Kimberlea Karper of Voorhees, N.J. The professor was Marilyn Kiss of Staten Island, N.Y.