Humanities Center

University Film Series


Ponyo

Tuesday, September 19th

6:00 PM, PAC 134

This film is FREE and open to students, faculty, and staff only.

Ponyo is flying with friends.

(Japan, 2008) 101 minutes.  Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  Introduced by Dr. Nathaniel Heggins Bryant (English). 

Calling all Studio Ghibli fans!  Playing at the edge of the sea, five-year-old Sōsuke comes across a small goldfish trapped in a glass jar.  Unbeknownst to him, this goldfish is Brunhilde, who prefers to be called Ponyo, the headstrong daughter of a powerful magician named Fujimoto who lives under the ocean and who resents land-dwelling humans continually polluting and overfishing his realm.  Drama and magic ensues in this animated feature, the eighth film Hayao Miyazaki directed for Japan's most famous animation studio, Studio Ghibli.  Ponyo quickly became the fifth-highest grossing anime ever and still sits in the top-ten.  Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four, declaring "There is a word to describe Ponyo, and that word is magical.  This poetic, visually breathtaking work by the greatest of all animators has such deep charm that adults and children will both be touched.  It's wonderufl and never even seems to try: It unfolds fantastically."

Ponyo link to watch the trailer.

 This film would be of particular interest to those working in Japanese anime and manga; animation; and environmentalism and critical ocean studies. 

Be sociable and share with your colleagues, students, staff, campus clubs, and organizations who might be interested - the screening is free!

 FREE and open to students, faculty, and staff only.  


Le Fleuve/The River

Tuesday, November 14th

6:00 PM, PAC 134

This film is FREE and open to the public.

 Two indian women standing in the river with flower petals.

99 minutes.  Directed by Jean Renoir (France/India/United States, 1951)  Introduced by Dr. Erin K. Kelly (English).

An international production and helmed by famous French auteur Jean Renoir, the 1951 film La Fleuve/The River is a coming-of-age story set entirely in India, with the title river serving as an emotional backdrop and counterpoint to the very human drama unfolding on its banks.  Shot in beautiful Technicolor, The River won the International Award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in 1951, and film luminaries including Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson cite it as a personal favorite; indeed, The River had a profound influence on Anderson's 2007 family-comedy The Darjeeling Limited.

The River link to watch the trailer.

This film would be of particular interest to those working in arthouse and independent cinema; French cinema; filmic depictions of India; colonialism; and romance.  

Be sociable and share with your colleagues, students, staff, campus clubs/organizations, and members of the community who might be interested!

FREE and open to the public!


2023-2024 Theme: Water

Water is at once both simple and complex.  A vital life element, essential to any species’ survival, water is threatened by human activity. Water is at the heart of politics and culture, news and information, science, and technology. We seek it; we fight over it; we yearn for it. It is an eternal inspiration for writers and artists. Whether it is drought or receding glaciers, atmospheric rivers or massive flooding, water is everywhere.

The Humanities Center is the interdisciplinary heart of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Our purpose is to create and nurture a culture of ideas at Chico State and to engage our diverse intellectual community through public events.  During the 2023-24 year, the Humanities Center will host a series of lectures and films exploring our human relationships with water. 

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