By Jackie Roberts
Staff Writer
Sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
Throughout September and October, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts will host this year’s film selections for its All Bonaventure Views (ABV) series.
“Silkwood,” the first ABV film to be aired, will be shown on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The 1983 film is about the life and death of nuclear power plant technician and union activist Karen Silkwood.
The second of the film selections, “Farmageddon,” is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. “Farmageddon” is a documentary about how a woman is not in power when it comes to selecting healthy foods for her family. One of the producers of the film (also a spouse of a St. Bonaventure University trustee) will be in attendance for the ABV screening of the documentary.
“A Fierce Green Fire,” another documentary, is the final ABV film. It will be shown on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. “A Fierce Green Fire” looks into the environmental movement and it’s far reaching effects on our lives.
ABV is one of the First Year Experience (FYE) fall events. These events include an exhibition about the development and spread of nuclear weapons, lectures and discussions about sustainability at SBU and a visit by Kirsten Iversen (author of this year’s All Bonaventure Reads book selection) — and that’s just the start of the list.
Each of these events corresponds with the All Bonaventure Reads book selection, “Full Body Burdon.” The book is set in Rocky Flats, Colo., a town that housed a secret nuclear plant that built plutonium warheads during the Cold War era.
The ABV film selections also spread the message of environmental sustainability, much like “Full Body Burden” does. Many members of the FYE staff contributed to the selection of the films. Jean Ehman, director of the Teaching and Learning Center, assisted the selection process.
“Individuals on the All Bonaventure Reads committee begin to narrow down film options by watching trailers of movies and documentaries that apply to the book’s theme on YouTube,” Ehman said.
According to Ehman, this process begins the May prior to when the films are shown.
Chris Brown, director of FYE, explained ABV is of great importance to the All Bonaventure Reads initiative.
“We look for movies that mirror the themes from the book,” Brown said. “The movies we select are not about the book, but they share the same morals.”
According to Brown, showing films also helps students understand the concepts introduced in the book on a deeper level.
“One goal of ABV is to show students that issues they see in the book will appear elsewhere in their lives,” he said. “The dangers regarding environmentalism don’t only exist in Rocky Flats; they exist even on campus.”
Freshmen will receive credit toward their University 101 courses for attending these events, though ABV is not limited to first-year students.
Bonaventure selects these films yearly to help bring students together, both old and new.
If you desire more knowledge regarding environmentalism or sustainability, it’s highly encouraged to come to these events. There is never any harm in taking an hour or two out of hectic study schedules to enjoy a film.
