Watch films while earning units

Before I became a full-fledged BECA student I was considering Cinema. Although I decided to ditch the Cinema Department, I still occasionally take some of their courses. One course I would recommend if there is an interest/need for a quick or extra unit are the handful of Cine 325 classes offered throughout the semester. Cine 325 are courses that meet for a weekend, a Friday evening and about eight hours on Saturday. Each class has a focus; this semester's focus (depending on the weekend) is French Cinema, melodrama, movie goddesses, Bay Area Filmmakers, and Emerging Cinemas.
I recently took the Bay Area Filmmakers class. The title includes "filmmakers" because students are able to have a Q & A with the filmmaker after the films are viewed. There was a diverse group of films and filmmakers for the class. A few had made several award wining films, others were San Francisco State MFA students who had recently completed their first-year film. The subjects and themes of the films were even more diverse than the filmmakers were. A few particularly stood out, Knocking is a documentary about Jehovah's Witnesses. Directors Joel Engardio and Tom Shepard's insightful documentary offer a view of a group misunderstood and seen as annoying. It follows two families who stand firm for their faith even while faced with life altering and endangering circumstances. In addition to the families, the directors reveal that many civil liberties are indebted to Jehovah's Witnesses. Beyond the Call, another documentary tells about the humanitarian work that three men do to some of the most remote, and dangerous criminal and war-zones in the world. They are able to independently raise money, medicine, food, clothing, and various other necessities to hundreds and personally deliver the goods. One scene in particular I enjoyed, Ed, the organizer of the trio was asked by the U.S military for help in delivering medicine to a remote island in the Philippines. Ed was able to obtain boxes of medicine with a greater ease and less of a cost than the U.S Military. The reaction from the men in uniform was priceless.





Upcoming is the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival. It is the longest running film festival in the United States. Focus on Emerging Cinemas will take place May 4-6, at the festival. Students will have to pay $36, which according to the instructor is a significant student discount for the number and quality of films.