The annual Foreign Film Series will take place this October as part of the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts’ month-long Fanfare festival. Through this, students will have the opportunity to view four foreign movies in the Student Union Ballroom.

“Foreign movies are very different than Americans ones,” said Aileen Mootoo, French instructor and Foreign Film Series coordinator. “The movies allow them to see cinematography from a completely different perspective.”

According to Mootoo, the film series is intended to complement course studies and to further broaden students’ knowledge of other cultures through experiencing foreign film styles.

“This may be the only time students can actually witness the culture,” said Mootoo.

The films will be presented with their original audio, including the native languages with which the actors spoke, but will include English subtitles.

“The movies also give [students] an opportunity to hear the language and hopefully understand some of the dialogue,” said Mootoo. “They may not have opportunities outside the classroom to hear the language in use.”

“Broken Embraces”, the first movie of the month-long event, will be played today, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. The motion picture stars Penélope Cruz and Lluís Homar in a dramatic romance in the style of a film noir. The story follows blind screenwriter Harry Caine as events in his present life brings back memories from his past. This award-winning movie is presented in Spanish.

The French film “The Rocket” will be shown on Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. The story is based on famous hockey player Maurice “The Rocket” Richard and his experiences as a French Canadian in the National Hockey League. The film is directed by Charles Binamé and stars Roy Dupuis as Richard.

The next movie, “I’m Not Scared,” will be presented on Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. This Italian movie’s tagline “Secrets. Betrayal. Murder.” assures the viewers of a suspenseful experience. It follows a nine-year-old boy named Michele who discovers a boy named Filippo chained up at the bottom of a hole and his subsequent struggle with how to handle the situation, fearful of his own safety.

“Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)” will be shown Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. This German film, based in 1984 East Berlin, follows a secret police agent conducting research and surveillance on a writer and his lover. After investing vast amount of time into the investigation, the agent finds himself becoming progressively absorbed in their lives.

For a schedule of events or further information about the Foreign Film Series, the Columbia Theatre office may be contacted at 985-543-4371.