16 Jul Philadelphia Organization Spotlight: Culture Films Series at the Penn Museum

BY ERICK BARRAGÁN RAMÍREZ

The cinéSPEAK Journal publishes a monthly Philadelphia Organization Spotlight highlighting a local film or moving image focused organization, business, or collective doing unique and impactful work.

Cinema can be a window to the world beyond the borders of this country, opening minds and hearts. This was the mission of the Penn Museum’s Second Sunday Culture Films Series. 

For almost 15 years, the Culture Films Series was an environment where both people born in this country and people with origins in other corners of the world could coexist and compare ideas about these very different worlds, enriching those who were fortunate enough to attend the screenings curated with love and devotion. The Culture Films Series’ final screening ever featured the film Foragers, directed by visual artist and filmmaker Jumana Manna. Manna was present for the screening alongside co-scriptwriter Rabea Eghbariah. The film “depicts the dramas around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in Palestine/Israel with wry humor and a meditative pace.” It was a fitting end to the series, sparking a dialogue about social political issues through the lens of nature.

While the Penn Museum will continue to screen other films in the future, the loss of the monthly Culture Films Series will be felt in Philadelphia. cinéSPEAK had the pleasure of memorializing the series through a conversation with Kate Pourshariati, film and media archivist at the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder and curator of the film series.

cinéSPEAK: Could you share the backstory of how the series got started?

Culture Films Series: I was really lucky to share an office hallway with colleagues from [the] Wolf Humanities Center–at that time it was called the Penn Humanities Forum. My friend Sara Varney and I began to talk about their annual theme and it struck me that I could use their topic as a framework under which to curate a film series with the cultural films that I admire. So, for example, one year the Wolf theme was “Afterlives,” and I realized that “Time Travel” would work [with that theme]–thinking of the human as a time machine because we start in one era and end up in the future. So, one film in that group was about the market ladies in Peru who are hiring an amazing architect who makes these wildly futuristic buildings, completely absorbing their aesthetics.

I very much enjoyed showing The Deadly Ponies Gang; this was a New Zealand film about working class guys, kind of a self-fiction comedy hybrid documentary along the lines of a Jean Rouch collaborative work. That year, my series was “Language is Culture” under the Wolf theme “Translation.” Also that year we had a program on “Deaf Culture” which reckoned with accents or regionalism in sign language. All of the “Deaf Culture” screenings were so helpful–learning about deaf gain and so many other new (to me) concepts. I could carry on forever about this! 

cinéSPEAK: What was the most rewarding moment for you during your involvement with the series?

Culture Films Series: It has been really heartening when people come and feel their story is being seen. Sometimes the film is quite brief, but then it is an occasion to jump off into a meaningful discussion about culture. This happened many times, but memorably with the “Deaf Culture” screenings. Much credit goes to Jami Fisher who leads the ASL program at Penn.

cinéSPEAK: What message does the film series aim to convey to its loyal followers over the years?

Culture Films Series: The basics are: when you love and respect everyone, difference is almost always enriching and what you take in with an open heart and mind will take you to another level. 

cinéSPEAK:  Is there anything that might pave the way for bringing the series back in the future?

Culture Films Series: There will be one or two [films] per year as requested by Wolf Humanities Center–you can find events on their website. 

One film I have figured out for next year is VHS Kahloucha, which is from Tunisia. It’s a filmmaker’s film! Next year, Wolf’s topic is “Keywords,” so I got [to] thinking about “Genres” (another cataloging term), and VHS Kahloucha is the ultimate in films about genres. I hope to see you there!

*Featured Image: Image of promotional bookmarks made for Culture Films Series screenings. Image credit: Kate Pourshariati.

Would you like your organization to be featured in a future spotlight? Please fill out the Philadelphia Organization Spotlight form. The cinéSPEAK Journal maintains sole discretion over the publishing of any information provided via the form. Questions: journal@cinespeak.org.

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Erick Barragán Ramírez is an immigration specialist at Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia, PA.  In addition to being an avid cinephile he serves as a board member of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia. With a background in law studies in Mexico, he came to the US in 2017 and actively volunteers at various organizations supporting immigrants in Philadelphia, including the Welcoming Center, the Consulate of Mexico, and the online radio Philatinos.