Furman presents Chinese Environmental Film Festival

Seven filmmakers from China and across the United States will converge at Furman University February 26-28 for the University’s first Chinese Environmental Film Festival.

The festival will feature three days of experimental, documentary, and feature films with environmental themes, together with expert commentary and question-and-answer sessions following each film.

Films, which range from short films of 12 minutes to full-length features, include up close and personal interviews with Chinese families, discussing the effects of tourism, development and pollution on their way of life. The films also highlight little known aspects of Chinese culture, such as the Na ritual specialists from the Yunnan and Sichaun provinces of southwest China and their use of incantations to protect the environment.

Filmmakers participating in the event include: Onci Archei and Ruheng Duoji of Moso Folk Museum, Yunnan, China; Jenny Chio of Emory University; Fuji Lozada and Antonia Giles of Davidson College; Emily Yeh of the University of Colorado-Boulder and Asian Studies Assistant Professor Tami Blumenfield of Furman University.

“This dynamic festival will provide a unique opportunity to bring filmmakers and scholars together to share newly completed works with both Furman students and the Greenville community,” said Blumenfield, also the festival’s organizer. “With some of the most serious environmental problems in the world, expanding discussion on China and spotlighting some solutions is extremely important.”

The festival is supported by Furman University and a Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment grant, designed to encourage innovative interdisciplinary teaching, research and programming on Asia’s environment.

All films are free and open to the public. Showings will be held Thursday and Friday at Furman University’s Burgiss Theater at the Trone Student Center and on Saturday at McEachern Lecture Hall, Room 214, Furman Hall.

For more information, visit the Film Festival website here or contact the Asian Studies Department at (864) 294-2545.