Office of Public Affairs
(315) 312-2265
Aug. 26, 2003
FILM SERIES TO FEATURE FLAVORS RELATED TO "FAST FOOD NATION"
OSWEGO -- SUNY Oswego will present an admission-free
Artswego film series flavored with tie-ins to "Fast Food Nation," a
book chosen for campus-wide reading under the Oswego Reading Initiative.
The bestseller by Eric Schlosser offers a
behind-the-scenes look at the fast food industry, with topics ranging
from meat cleanliness and obesity to investigative journalism and
international marketing. All six entries in the ORI film series relate
in some way to topics raised in "Fast Food Nation." Each film will
begin at 7 p.m. in Timepieces in the basement of Hewitt Union and will
feature a post-screening discussion.
The series will kick off on Sept. 23 with "The Frank
Truth," which delves into the world of muckraking journalism and
tabloid reporting. The film was shot over the course of two years
behind the scenes of Frank, which bills itself as the only satire
magazine published in North America. Tim Nekritz, associate director of
SUNY Oswego's Office of Public Affairs, will lead the post-screening
discussion.
On Oct. 22, labor exploitation will be explored
through the film "Sweating for a T-Shirt." The story springs from UCLA
freshman Arlen Benjamin learning that her college's T-shirts were made
in Honduras and follows the student and her mother as they tour the
Central American country and become crusaders against sweatshops. Dr.
Steve Rosow, professor of political science, will lead the discussion.
"Divine Food: 100 Years in the Delicatessen
Trade," slated for Nov. 12, will offer a look at the culture and flavor
of the kosher Jewish delicatessen, as seen through generations of the
Oscherwitz family. Dr. Gwen Kay, assistant professor of history, will
head the post-film discussion.
On Feb. 5, the spring session of the film series
will begin with "Scotland, Pa.," a modern twist on Shakespeare's
"MacBeth" set in a 1970s Pennsylvania diner. In this version, toil and
trouble ensue after lead characters Mac and Pat McBeth, tired of
working in dead-end restaurant jobs, hatch a plan after learning of a
scheme by their boss to revolutionize the fast food industry. Mark
Cole, professor and chair of theatre, will lead the post-screening
discussion.
"Java Jive" will offer a perky and fast-paced look
at the coffee industry on March 10. The film explores the link between
the vitality of cafe culture, the conditions of coffee production and
the rise of corporation chains in the clash of caffeination.
The satiric comedy "Tampopo" will round out the film
series on April 13. Directed by Itami and billed
as the "first Japanese noodle western," the film plumbs the link
between food and sex as a widow running a Tokyo restaurant and a cowboy
hat-wearing truck driver try to make the perfect bowl of ramen.
For more information, call the Artswego office at
312-4581.
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