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Honors Program Film Series

On Wednesday, November 10, the Honors Program Film Series, “And Other Incredible Tales,” continues with a showing of “Pan’s Labyrinth” in Rausch Auditorium at 7:00 pm.  The 2007 movie is about a young girl named Ofelia who enters a fantasy world and meets a faun named Pan.  The critically acclaimed “Pan’s Labyrinth” won three Oscars and was nominated for another three.

This year, the director of the film series is Ari Scott-Zechlin, a sophomore.  She selected the six films featured in the film series, all of which explore fantasy and reality.  On choosing the films, Scott-Zechlin said, via email, “I began with a few films I already knew would work – specifically, ‘The Fall,’ ‘Pan’s Labyrinth,’ and ‘Where The Wild Things Are.’ Then I sent out an email asking various professors who had shown an interest in the film series before if they had any suggestions that would fit the theme I’d chosen.  The vast number of recommendations I received was overwhelming, but, after a lot of time spent watching movie after movie, I settled on three more films culled from those responses – ‘Son of Rambow,’ ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo,’ and ‘The Princess Bride.’”

Lila Woloshin, a freshman who is in the Honors program, said of “Son of Rambow,” “It was really cute, but it was also poignant because it talked about the perils and the merits of imagination when you’re a little kid.  It was a great movie.”

According to Scott-Zechlin, the theme “And Other Incredible Tales” was chosen because stories “are probably the most amazing development humans have ever come up with, and that’s including the Internet.”  She explained, “Stories are a means of communication and connection, as well as a mode of self-expression.  Everyone tells stories every day, no matter who they are.”

In response to those who consider fantasy – a central aspect of all of the movies in the series – a form of escapism, Scott-Zechlin said, “I couldn’t disagree more.  Fantasy is incredibly rooted in reality, and actually tends to at least reflect, if not exaggerate, the perils and problems of our own world.”  She continued, “Fantasy worlds don’t shy away from problems, and if they did, nobody would bother reading them.  Stories give us a means of seeing our reality in a new light, and maybe of gaining some hope or at least insight through them.”  She hopes that those who attend the screenings will realize that “ stories of the fantastic aren’t just useless escapism, but a means of better dealing with reality.”

The screening of “Pan’s Labyrinth” has free admission and free pizza and candy will be provided.