International Film Festival Begins at Westminster College

The Jake Erhardt International Film Series debuts this semester with "Russian Arc" Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater located in the McKelvey Campus Center.

 "The film is a fascinating experiment in filmmaking," said Dr. Deborah Mitchell, associate professor of English and public relations at Westminster College.  "Director Aleksandr Sokurov tells his story about a French diplomat who takes a journey through Russian history by using 2,000 actors, 300 years of Russian history, 33 rooms at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, three live orchestras, and one single continuous shot."

The International Film Series was recently named in honor of its founder, Dr. Jacob Erhardt, professor emeritus of German at Westminster College.  Erhardt, who taught at Westminster from 1968 until his retirement in 2004, served as chair of his department from 1970-1986, was named the Language Educator of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Modern Languages Association, translated into English Robert Reitzel's Adventures of a Greenhorn, and was recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities as an outstanding member.

The event, which is part of an eight-film series, is free and open to the public

For more information, contact Mitchell at (724) 946-7030 or e-mail dmitchel@westminster.edu.

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