On Sept. 20, the Ira Holmes International Film Series will be hosting its first “pre-season” event at 8 p.m. at the Marion Theater. Students are encouraged to dress up in cosplay as the event will be partnered with the Ocala Comic Con. The CF Service Learning Office generously donated a weekend pass and Saturday pass while Comic Con donated an additional Saturday pass to provide an opportunity for attendees to win a raffle.
“Students who bring in healthy snacks or hygiene product donations for the CF Food Pantry,” according to the series director and CF Professor, Wendy Adams, “will be entered to win an Ocala Comic Con weekend pass or one of two Saturday passes that will be given away at the end of the event.”
The movie that will be displayed during this event is “Belle”. It’s a Japanese animation (anime) directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who is renowned for a multitude of other heartwarming anime’s he worked on. “Belle” is based on a version of “Beauty and the Beast”, but with its own twists, especially in the age of technology.
The Ira Holmes Film Series is an annual event that hosts multiple films, film discussions and events throughout the semester that are free to students. The series is usually hosted on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at the Appleton and 7 p.m. at the College of Central Florida but is subject to change for new locations being introduced to the series. The series provides a variety of foreign films for those who attend to enjoy.
“The film series screens foreign and domestic films for free,” according to Adams, “for CF students and the greater Ocala community at the CF campus, the Appleton Museum, and now at the Marion Theatre, with a few film talks from local and national scholars thrown in for good measure.”
The series is named after Ira Holmes, founder of the CF International Film Series, now known as the Ira Holmes International Film Series after the anniversary of its 60 seasons. After his passing, a classroom in the humanities building on the Ocala campus will be renamed in his honor from building 8, classroom 110 to the Ira Holmes Classroom.
To learn more about the series and its founder, read the International Film Series website.
Although the “Belle” screening is the first pre-season event of the film series, the first film screening of the series’ season will be a Swedish film titled, “The Seventh Seal”. It will be screening at the Appleton Museum of Art on Oct. 8 at 2 p.m., which will be displayed in honor of Ira Holmes after his passing. In addition, there will be a dedication ceremony in his honor, renaming building 8, room 110 to The Ira Holmes Classroom. The ceremony will be followed by another screening of “The Seventh Seal” in The Ira Holmes Classroom at the CF Ocala campus at 7 p.m.
“Before his passing, Ira requested this film as a message of hope for us all,” said Adams. “We’ll start by sharing our favorite memories of Ira before watching this classic film that ushered in a new era of art-house cinema in the U.S. around the time Ira became enamored with the medium as a young man.”
To learn more about the first official film showing of the film series, visit the “The Seventh Seal” Appleton Screening website.
