FSU Middle East Center presents 13th annual film festival

Florida State University’s Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics and the FSU Middle East Center will host the 13th annual Middle East Film Festival, showcasing films that provide insight into international cinema and perspectives rarely seen in mainstream media.

The festival, which runs Feb. 25-April 2, is co-sponsored by the FSU Middle East Center and the Student Life Cinema and features five films over five weekends this spring.

“Our Middle East Film Festival aims to present films that spark discussion between family, friends and colleagues about experiences outside their own perspectives,” said Zeina Schlenoff, director of the Middle East Center. “We choose films that help our audience make sense of a world that is unfamiliar to them, raise awareness and inspire social change.”

Participants are invited to the festival’s kickoff celebration from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, on Landis Green. The first 100 individuals to arrive will receive a goodie bag of treats representing different regions of the Middle East, a limited-edition FSU Middle East Film Festival tote bag and more.

The festival’s prestigious and lengthy history in Tallahassee has made it an important part of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics’ annual outreach initiatives within both the university and the wider community. FSU’s commitment to providing meaningful international engagement opportunities for students and faculty, as well as nurturing a rich, multicultural environment on campus, is a key component of the university’s overall academic success.

“I am pleased to support the Middle East Film Festival and applaud the value it adds to our academic mission,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The event provides a truly outstanding opportunity to promote FSU’s rich cultural diversity.”

All events are free and open to the public, though a one-time registration is required to receive links and sign-in information for each virtual screening. Once registered, attendees can stream the films each weekend they are shown.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/3I79WS8. For more information, visit mec.fsu.edu.