International Science Fiction Film Festival Lineup

This year The Center for Global Studies and the University of Illinois Library will be hosting the International Science Fiction Film Festival! On Wednesday, February 22nd Thursday, February 23rd at 7pm in Lincoln Hall Theatre, two acclaimed science fiction movies will be screened back-to-back with food and discussion.

If you’re interested in the festival’s movies–or you just like science fiction films–we’ve pulled recommendations from the UGL collection to tide you over until the festival!

WEDNESDAY LINEUP

District 9

District 9

District 9 is a 2009 science fiction thriller from South Africa and racked up a number of award nominations that made it one of the best science fiction films of the decade. When a ship of ill aliens are discovered flying over Johannesburg, South Africa, humanity imprisons them in a camp called District 9. Years later, one of the aliens attempts to escape home with his son when the government tries to transfer them to another camp. The film took inspiration from the internment camp District 6 in Cape Town during the apartheid era and doesn’t hold back when it comes to themes of xenophobia and segregation.

Casshern

Casshern

Casshern is a Japanese dystopian film that describes a world where the Eastern Federation conquers Europe after fifty years of war. Divided into Zones (like a more horrific Hunger Games), the Federation maintains its control with a mix of vicious military and brutal science–until Casshern discovers just how far the Federation is willing to go in the name of science and how far people will go for family.

IF YOU LIKE DISTRICT 9, CHECK OUT:

Cloverfield

Cloverfield

Cloverfield is set up like another “found footage” film–only instead of aliens, this time it’s monsters. It follows six young New York City residents forced to flee a farewell party when a huge monster (and a number of smaller, more terrifying creatures) attack the city. If you like your science fiction thrillers with a side of horror, this movie is definitely for you.

IF YOU LIKE CASSHERN, BE SURE TO WATCH:

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer is the most expensive Korean film ever produced, so be sure to appreciate how beautiful it is before it ruins your life. This emotional train wreck follows the world-spanning Snowpiercer, the non-stop express that separates the last remnants of humanity from freezing to death. The train is divided by a vicious caste system designed to keep the poor starving and the rich flush with champagne–until Chris Evans and his axe begin smashing their way up to the conductor for justice and some answers.

THURSDAY LINEUP:

The Mermaid

The Mermaid

The Mermaid is a retelling of The Little Mermaid and was China’s highest grossing film last year. It follows a Chinese billionaire playboy who buys up the Green Gulf wildlife reserve with big plans to develop it. Little does he know his property is home to merpeople, or that the beautiful woman he’s fallen in love with is in fact a mermaid that’s been sent to assassinate him. It’s the science fiction rom com you didn’t know you needed.

A Werewolf Boy

A Werewolf Boy

A Werewolf Boy can easily be pitched as Titanic meets Beauty and the Beast. In this South Korean fantasy romance, an elderly Sun-yi recalls being sent to the countryside for her health as a teenager back in 1965–only to meet a feral teenager on her property. They assume he’s an orphan of the Korean War until they discover his high body temperature and unidentifiable blood type. The two teenagers fall in love, but their relationship is fraught with danger as our favorite werewolf gets closer to being discovered.

IF YOU LIKE THE MERMAID, CHECK OUT:

Stardust

Stardust

Stardust is a Neil Gaiman book-turned-movie that juxtaposes 19th century English village with the magical kingdom of Stormhold over the wall. The story follows Tristan, who chases a falling star in order to win over his true love–only to discover upon arriving at the crater that the fallen star is, in fact, a woman. Their journey back home is packed with man-eating witches, murderous princes, and cloud pirates named Shakespeare.

IF YOU LIKE A WEREWOLF BOY, YOU SHOULD WATCH:

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures takes place in the Southern town of Gaitlin, South Carolina, where high schooler Ethan Wate dreams of a girl he’s never met before–until one day the girl from his dreams shows up in his first period class. Ethan doesn’t think Lena is a witch, but something is definitely going on–or why would everyone be working so hard to keep him away from her? If you like fated love stories, family conspiracies, and Southern gothic atmosphere, then you’ll enjoy this paranormal romance.

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Blind Date With a Book 2017

It’s February, and whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day, your special someone can be found. . . at the UGL! Whether you’re looking for a night of passion or a long-term fling, the UGL can hook you up! With a book, that is. It’s time for Blind Date with a Book!

Likes: Travel (really distant travel), gardening, exploring Dislikes: My loser friends who ditched me Perfect Date: Stargazing

Here’s how it works:

  • Our lovingly-selected books and movies will be wrapped so the title, description, and author are hidden.
  • Like a certain dating app, our books will have a picture and their likes, dislikes, and “perfect date.”
  • Swipe right on your next great read by taking your wrapped book to circulation and checking it out!

There’s no limit on how many Blind Dates you can have. After it’s checked out, unwrap your book, take it home, and fall in love! Then let us know what you think of your Blind Date in the comments, or on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Likes: Science, death, a good sense of humor Dislikes: Living people, being put in a box Perfect Date: Watching a corpse decompose

Don’t wait! Blind Date with a Book lasts as long as the books do, so stop by the Upper Level starting February 6th for your next great read.

Likes: Castles, time-travel, redheads Dislikes: The English Monarchy, witches, failed rebellions Perfect Date: A second (or third) honeymoon in the countryside

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Black History Month 2017

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history” and he designated the month of February officially as “Black History Month.” 50 years earlier, it had been conceived by Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and was originally called “Negro History Week.” It was only celebrated for one week in the month of February, but it was the week that spanned the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and eminent abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.

The University of Illinois’s Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, in collaboration with other organizations on campus, has put together over 20 events during the month of February to celebrate Black History Month and to bring cultural awareness and amazingly diverse programming to the community. Below are some events you should check out, and a link to their Facebook Page, where you can find more information about the events happening on campus. Plus, we’ve got the UGL’s pick for Black History Month reading: the graphic novel series entitled “March” by Congressman John Lewis.

 

Food for the Soul: Black History Month Kick-Off Celebration:

At 12pm on February 1st, the BNAACC is having a kick-off celebration! There will be a tasty Caribbean Grill meal, a performance by Soul Premiere, and a preview of their Black History Month events! Come join in the celebration, get some great food, and get ready for a great month of new experiences!

Black Composer Speaks: A Conversation with Jeffrey Mumford

Jeffrey Mumford- Composer

Image Courtesy of NewMusicBox.com

Thursday, February 9th from 12-1pm, visit the BNAACC to listen to Award-Winning Black Composer Jeffrey Mumford give an invigorating music talk. Recently, he has been a part of the “The Black Composer Speaks” series, which is a series of programs showcasing a range of new music by African American composers, where the World Premiere of his new piece “ …becoming” took place. Later that evening, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at Illinois will be hosting a performance titled, “Sonic Illinois: The Black Composer Speaks,” which will include a piece by Mr. Mumford.

Information for that event can be found here: https://krannertcenter.com/events/sonic-illinois-black-composer-speaks

School Daze: Movies that Matter

School Daze by Spike Lee

School Daze by Spike Lee

Attend the first of 3 Spike Lee Films Showing at the Virginia Theater on February 13th at 7pm. School Daze is a film that is loosely based on Lee’s experiences as a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Actor Laurence Fishburne plays “Dap” in the musical comedy drama, a student who hopes to unify the study body to actively fight social inequity and addresses divisions within the African American community itself. It costs $5 to see School Daze, but for just $10 you can also attend 2 more Spike Lee films “Clockers” and “Malcom X” which will be shown on the 15th/16th and 17th/18th all at 7pm. For more information check out the Virginia Theater’s website: http://thevirginia.org/event/school-daze-1988/2017-02-13/

BlackTransMagick

BlackTransMagick

Image courtesy of awqwardtalent.com

BlackTransMagick is the duo of J Mase III, a Black/Trans/Queer Poet and Vita E a percussionist and poet. On Monday, February 20th at 7pm, they will be at the Illini Union Courtyard Cafe to will take you on a journey through poetry, movement and drums in a show inspired by their lives and the world around them. A video preview of their work can be found here: https://youtu.be/iwHswadl4Sc
For more Black History Month events check out the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center’s Facebook, which has event pages for all of the events in February, or check out this poster which includes all of the events.

Black History Month Reading Pick:

March Trilogy

March Trilogy

Images courtesy of Amazon.com

The “March Trilogy” is a black and white graphic novel series written by Congressman John Lewis that tells the story of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement through his perspective.  These three beautiful graphic novels were published between August 2013 and August 2016 with beautiful writing assistance from Andrew Aydin and illustration and lettering by Nate Powell. The graphic accounts show the atrocities committed against African Americans in the United States, and the heroic actions of Lewis and his fellow Civil Rights Leaders. The books have won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Eisner Award, the Michael L. Printz for excellence in literature for young adults, and the Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award, among many others. The moving accounts from the 1960’s are beautifully juxtaposed against modern events, like the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

To find them in the catalog, follow each title’s link: March: Book OneMarch: Book Two,  March: Book Three

 

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