Six foreign films will screen at the Ohio Theatre and Event Center, 3114 Lagrange St., as part of the Toledo International Film Festival.
The event is a collaborative effort between the theater, United North and Welcome Toledo-Lucas County (TLC).
Welcome TLC, a new initiative, aims to celebrate the “region’s migration and immigrant heritage.” Organizers hope the festival sparks conversations.
“[The collaboration] is really going to be helping not only economic development but also helping provide some alternatives for entertainment in Toledo that we otherwise might not get,” said Nikki Morey, United North’s senior manager of community programming.
“Because we’re talking about cultural diversity, I think our demographic is a diverse one,” she said.
The festival will begin Jan. 17 with the screening of “Shaolin Soccer” (Hong Kong) at 5 p.m. followed by “Juan of the Dead” (Cuba/Spain) at 7 p.m. The event continues for three weekends, showing “Amreeka” (Palestine) at 5 p.m. Jan. 24 followed by “Sin Nombre” (Mexico) at 5 p.m., “The Visitor” (United States) at 5 p.m. Jan. 31 followed by “English Vinglish” (India) at 7 p.m. and “Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams” (Japan) at 5 p.m. Feb. 7.
“Shaolin Soccer” is about a band of kung fu masters that form a soccer team for a chance to win $1 million. In “Juan of the Dead,” a group of slackers face an army of zombies. In “Amreeka,” a Palestinian single mother and her son resettle in the American Midwest with bittersweet results. “Sin Nombre” is “a powerful, wrenching thriller that weaves together several absorbing stories set in Central America. In “The Visitor,” a lonesome widower finds his mundane existence suddenly shaken up when he befriends a pair of illegal immigrants. “English Vinglish” revolves around a housewife who enrolls in an English-speaking course to stop her husband and daughter mocking her lack of English skills, and gains self-respect in the process. “Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams” is a nonlinear, magical realism film based on actual dreams of the film’s director.
“We were looking for films that we thought helped celebrate cultural diversity,” said Sarah Allan, an AmeriCorps member with the Board of Lucas County Commissioners. “Some of them are a little bit more fun, [to be] some of the other ones are geared a little bit more relevant in starting those kinds of conversations.”
Morey said the films were chosen because they didn’t think a lot of people had seen them already and they spread positivity.
“We were looking for positive images so that this would be a positive conversation rather than adding onto stereotypes and talking about the same stuff that we’re always talking about,” she said.
Allan said films like “Amreeka” or “Sin Nombre” raise the issues of what it means to be more welcoming and immigrant friendly.
The event also offers visitors the opportunity to learn the history of the Ohio Theatre and Event Center.
“I used to perform there in high school,” Allan said. “It’s exciting to see a vibrant, cultural space be brought back to life in Toledo. I think it can really be a great … source of pride for the neighborhood.”
Tickets are available for $5 per screening in advance at ohiotheatretoledo.org or for $7 at the door. A pass for all seven films costs $25.
The festival is a great way to support Toledo, Morey added.
“When people come to events like this, they’re not only doing something great with their time, but they’re also helping Toledo and its economic development of small businesses,” she said.
The event is funded by a grant by PNC Bank. Toledo Free Press is a media sponsor. Other sponsors include Deepam India, Al-Habib Market, Cinco De Mayo and QQ Kitchen.
