UT Holds International Film Fest March 31 to April 3

The University of Tampa’s International Film Fest will offer a powerful lineup of films to challenge and inform your worldview. Whether it’s the story of young activists protesting the Belarusian government in A Lesson of Belarusian, or the extraordinary interviews with 14 survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in White Light / Black Rain, this year’s festival provides insight into issues outside of the U.S. and the devastating effects of violence and political oppression.

The festival takes place in Reeves Theater in the Vaughn Center from March 31 to April 3 and is sponsored by the International Programs Office. All screenings are free and open to the public.

White Light / Black Rain features interviews with 14 survivors of the U.S. atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some of whom have never spoken publicly before, as well as four Americans intimately involved in the bombings. The interviews reveal deep suffering and extraordinary resilience. White Light / Black Rain will be screened on Monday, March 31, at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, April 2, at 8 p.m.

Sundance Film Festival winner, Enemies of Happiness is about Malalai Joya, who became one of Afghanistan’s most famous and infamous women in 2003 when she challenged the power of warlords in the country’s new government. Two years later, the 28-year-old ran in her country’s first democratic parliamentary election in more than 30 years. A survivor of repeated assassination attempts, she campaigned surrounded by armed guards. Enemies of Happiness will be shown Wednesday, April 2, at 6 p.m. and Thursday, April 3, at 8 p.m.

A Lesson of Belarusian follows the story of Franek Viacorka, who studies at an elite school established by his father to promote the Belarusian language. The school has been banned and operating underground since 2003, a victim of anti-democratic rule. Franek and his classmates express their critical attitude to the government by issuing an underground newspaper, recording music with activist lyrics, organizing an opposition concert and participating in a mass demonstration in Minsk’s main square. A Lesson of Belarusian will be screened Monday, March 31, at 8 p.m. and Thursday, April 3, at 6 p.m.