By SARA GIBONEY
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – The film “Ixcanul” is the first of three films featured at UNK@TheWorld, a collaboration between the University of Nebraska at Kearney and The World Theatre in Kearney.
“Ixcanul” begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 7). The film, which means “Volcano” in English, depicts the daily lives of Kaqchikel-speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation at the base of an active volcano in Guatemala. Maria, a 17-year-old Mayan, is involved in an arranged marriage, but her suitor must first spend months working in the city. It is a world María knows nothing of, but is forced to grapple with when problems arise.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and appetizers from Komal Mexican Taqueria will be served. The event is free to students, faculty and staff, and the community. Donations will be accepted.
The theme for the UNK@TheWorld series is race, ethnicity, and their effects on society. The films feature indigenous people from Guatemala, indigenous people from the Arctic and ethnic differences in Bosnia.
The second film, “Chloe and Theo,” is at 7:30 p.m. March 7. Nate Bickford, UNK biology professor, and Sonja Bickford, UNK industrial technology professor, will lead a discussion after the film.
The last film, “The Whistleblower,” is at 7:30 p.m. April 7-8, and at 2 p.m. April 9. The student group International Justice Mission will lead discussion afterward.
UNK@TheWorld is sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages, dean of Fine Arts and Humanities, International Studies, and dean of Natural and Social Sciences. The program is funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
UNK@TheWorld Schedule
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7
“Ixcanul” – The film, which means “Volcano” in English, depicts the daily lives of Kaqchikel-speaking Mayans on a coffee plantation at the base of an active volcano in Guatemala. Maria, a 17-year-old Mayan, is involved in an arranged marriage, but her suitor must first spend months working in the city. It is a world María knows nothing of, but is forced to grapple with when problems arise. The film is in Spanish and Kaqchikel with English subtitles. Free admission.
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 7
“Chloe and Theo” – A film about a homeless woman and a lawyer who help an Arctic Inuit man bring his message of change to the United Nations. Free admission.
7:30 p.m., April 7-8 and 2 p.m. April 9
“The Whistleblower” – A drama based on the experience of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer from Lincoln who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her work to help rebuild the country is sidelined when she uncovers corruption and the cover up of a sex scandal. Free admission with UNK ID. Public $5.
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