Global Film Series: ‘Two Million Minutes,’ ‘City of God’ and ‘Aquí y Allá’

Posted March 5, 2015 at 11:21 a.m.

BOONE—The Global Films Series will show three films as part of its spring series beginning March 25 at Appalachian State University. Admission is free.

The lineup is “Two Million Minutes,” City of God” and “Aqui y Allá.” All films are free and the public is invited. Visit http://guides.library.appstate.edu/globalfilmseries for more information or contact Megan Johnson at johnsnm@appstate.edu.

The Global Film Series is a cooperative campus effort to provide a blend of cinema from around the world in various languages representing a variety of cinematic genres. It provides a platform for student groups, faculty and staff to share their international experience, knowledge and extracurricular opportunities through a variety of associated activities.

“Two Million Minutes” will be shown Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in I.G. Greer Theater. The 54-minute documentary follows two students – a boy and a girl – each from China, India and the United States and how they spend their last two million minutes from g eighth grade to high school graduation. The film is a global snapshot of education from the viewpoint of students and how each country prepares the students for higher education and their careers.

The film is co-sponsored by Belk Library and Information Commons and the student chapter of AIESEC (http://aiesecus.org), the largest youth-led not-for-profit organization in the world. AIESEC provides students with a leadership development platform, through international internships & volunteer experiences.

The second film in the series is “City of God,” which will be shown at the Greenbriar Theater Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m.

“City of God” is a crime drama based on a true story that takes place in the ’60s in the slums of Rio De Janeiro where two boys growing up in the neighborhood take different paths in life. The story is told through eyes of Buscape, a poor young fisherman’s son who dreams of becoming a photographer. His story narrates the violence and corruption surrounding the city and the rise and fall of one of the city’s most notorious bosses, Li’l Ze.

The film is co-sponsored by Belk Library and Information Commons, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Festa do Brasil.

The third film is “Aquí y Allá,” which will be shown at I.G. Greer Theater Wednesday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m.

Co-sponsored by Belk Library and Information Commons, this film is about a Mexican immigrant who returns home to a small mountain village in Guerrero, Mexico, after years of working in the U.S., and his struggles to rebuild his family and follow his dream of starting a band called the Copa Kings. The film won the International Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.