Famous writer, director to speak as part of Humanities Center season
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A famous film writer and director will appear on the Western Michigan University campus as part of the University's Center for the Humanities' Reimagining Community Speaker Series.
Helene Klodawsky, who has been writing and directing films for over 30 years, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in 2452 Knauss Hall. Her presentation titled "Encounters through a Documentary Lens" includes a screening of the film "Grassroots in Dry Lands" and is free and open to the public.
Helene Klodawsky
Klodawsky's films have been screened around the world, receiving numerous awards, including honors from the Academy of Canadian Cinema, Hot Docs, Rendez-vous du cinema québécois, the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, among others. She is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Her latest creation, "Grassroots in Dry Lands," was released in 2015. The film takes the audience into low-income, "off-the-radar" Middle East neighborhoods and tells of Nuha Dweikat Shaer's important work empowering disadvantaged families in Palestine.
In their talk, Klodawsky and Nuha will describe their recent experience of working together, with Nuha offering insight into what it means to be a character in an independent documentary and to facilitate media access to individuals overlooked by most journalists. Additionally, they will share insights into the rewards and challenges of working with groups and organizations in order to get meaningful stories told.
About the series
The theme for this year's humanities center speaker series is "Reimagining Community." In a global culture of war, social injustice and environmental calamity, and with the nation's stark racial and political divisions, reimagining the idea of community takes on an ever-growing importance and an emphasis on healthcare, racial and gender equity, feeding the hungry and fostering community.
For more information, visit wmich.edu/humanities/events.
For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.