Camosun launches virtual intercontinental film & lecture series exploring the world of work

May 9, 2013

Camosun, in partnership with the Instituto Federal Rio Grande Dol Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, launches a novel intercultural movie and lecture series called "Movies, Culture and the World of Work" on May 17 at the Lansdowne Library.

In the first of this four-film series, students at Camosun and IFRS-Porto Alegre will watch a simulcast showing of The Clown, followed by a 30-minute lecture and a virtual student question period made possible by advanced video conferencing technology.

Instructors from Camosun and Porto Alegre will alternate presenting the post-movie lectures on four Fridays—May 17, June 7, June 21 and July 5. Although all the lectures will be delivered in English to ESL and other students in both institutes, the Brazilian students may pose their questions in Portuguese. Luckily, Camosun ESL instructor Mice Albano is fluently bilingual, and will be able to help with translation when necessary.

What's showing?

• May 17: The Clown — a 2011 comedy drama in Portuguese, with English subtitles, that tells the story of a father and son clown duo who make their living travelling and performing throughout Brazil with no fixed address, no neighbors, and no ID.
  Lecture by IFRS
• June 7: New in Town —a 2009 romantic comedy features a high-powered consultant in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle who is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota, to oversee the restructuring of a blue collar manufacturing plant.
  Lecture by Camosun
• June 21: The Gods Must be Crazy —this 1980 comedy tells the story of Xi, a Sho of the Kalahari Desert whose band has no knowledge of the world beyond until the discovery of a discarded Coke bottle exposes the tribe to a wider world.
  Lecture by IFRS
• July 5: The Intouchables —This comedy-drama became the second biggest box office hit in France just nine weeks after its release in 2011. It tells the story of Philippe, an aristocrat who hires a young man from the projects to be his care-giver following a devastating paragliding accident.
  Lecture by Camosun

This intercampus, intercultural event was set in motion when Tom Roemer, VP Strategic Development met Professor Claudia Estima from IFRS on an excursion to Brazil last December. Camosun enthusiasts, including ESL instructor Bruce McCormack, have been working hard to bring this concept to reality since then. "This project is a wonderful learning opportunity for our ESL students," says McCormack. "It's a means of sharing language, engaging in technology and developing a more critical understanding of the world of work and culture—it's essentially a cultural exchange, without the disruption and cost of travel."

Camosun students and staff are welcome but space is limited, so please contact communications@camosun.bc.ca for details.

Contact

Karla Sandwith, APR
Communications Strategist
Camosun College
250-508-4842
sandwith@camosun.bc.ca