The Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival has established itself over the last six years as an increasingly popular event of the academic year. Charleston is one of the most prominent cultural centers in the southern United States, and it shares a common bond with Italy. The Italian influence on the establishment of Charleston as a primary tourist destination is particularly important due to the establishment over thirty years ago of the Spoleto Festival USA as a cultural exchange between due mondi. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Giovanna DeLuca (Associate Professor of Italian and Film Studies) as well as teh generous support of dozens of sponsors, this year’s festival is the biggest and best so far. The festival begins at 6:00pm with an opening night reception. Join us at Sottile Theatre, the only 35mm venue in Charleston. Click here for more details.

The Student Film Club meets Wednesday, and if you have an interest in joining the Student Film Club, then feel free to drop by. The Club will be screening the Coen Brothers’ cult classic, The Big Lebowski (1998), as part of its ongoing film series devoted to Classic and Contemporary Cult Films. Join us at 7:00pm.

Every Wednesday evening this semester, in ECTR 118 (Septima Clark Auditorium, Education Center) at 7:00pm, the College of Charleston Student Film Club will have its meetings and screenings. This semester’s series is devoted to Classic and Contemporary Cult Films. Screening this week is the Stanley Kubrick classic, A Clockwork Orange (1968). Join us at 7:00pm this Wednesday (Sep. 12). For more information, contact Matt Paul (Student Film Club President) or Davin Turkewitz (Student Film Club Vice-President).

The College of Charleston is once again host to the Italian Film Festival. This year’s festival, to be held September 20-23, is expected to be the largest and most exciting yet. The progam will include 17 features and shorts, as well as special Q&A sessions with filmmakers. The festival will be held at Sottile Theatre, which is now, thanks to a recent restoration, the only 35mm venue in the region. For more information, click here.

Topping of a whirwind week of film festival fun (the Charleston International Film Festival Awards Gala was last night, with top honors going to VW Scheich for his film Wallenda), tonight it’s the 7th Annual Student Film Festival! The Film Club will meet for the final time this semester, and we’ll celebrate with a program of student made films. Join us tonight in the Septima Clark Auditorium (ECTR 118) at 8:00pm.

The 5th Annual Charleston International Film Festival kicks off tonight with a special screening of Robot and Frank (dir. Jake Schreier) at 7:00pm in Sottile Theater. There will be a cocktail reception at 5:00pm for this Sundance award winning film starring Frank Langella (Frost vs. Nixon), James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jeremy Strong. Join us and Mayor Riley at Sottile Theater at 5:00pm. For more info, click here.

The Film Club will meet again tonight and screen their latest film in the National Film Registry series: Cabaret (dire. Bob Fosse, 1972). Starring Liza Minelli, Michael York, and Joel Grey. Set in Weimar Germany, just before the Nazi’s rise to power, the film follows Sally Bowels, a cabaret performer in love with two men. The great choreographer Bob Fosse directs. This film was added to the National Film Registry in 1995.

Entering its 5th year, the CIFF will be holding screenings in two locations, including (thanks to a co-sponsorship by the College of Charleston), Sottile Theater. The other location is Cinebarre, in Mount Pleasant. For more information, including a schedule of screenings and events, click here.

The Film Club meets tonight and will screen All About Eve (dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950). The story is of an ambitious woman working her way into the Broadway theater world. Starring Bette Davis, this film won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Director. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1990. Join us at 8:00pm tonight in ECTR 118.

On Behalf of the Department of Art History, Professors Evan Perry and Frank Cossa have begun screening classics in World Cinema. The next screening is tomorrow night (Wednesday, March 28) at 7:30pm in Calhoun Annex 108. The film featured this week is F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise(1927). The film tells the story of a farmer, unnamed in the film (played by George O’Brien), who is beguiled by a strnge woman from the city (played by Margaret Livingston) who tries to convince him to drown his wife (Janet Gaynor). The film won the inaugural Oscar for Best Picture (in the cateogry then known as “Unique and Artistic”), Cinematography, and Actress in a Leading Role (Gaynor). For more information about the series, you can download a flier here.