News

An evening with Soledad Fox Maura at The Williams Bookstore

Please join us here at The Williams Bookstore on Thursday, April 14th at 6pm for a special event. Soledad Fox Maura, Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature at Williams College will present her recent novel Madrid Again A modern-day bildungsroman, featuring a young woman on a quest to discover her family history as she is torn between the US and Spain, the old world and the new. Told with humor, candor, and grit, Madrid Again is a highly original novel, and an homage to the haunting power of history, and how it shapes the identity of two generations of women. Books will be available for sale and signing after the reading and Q & A. Continue reading »

What is Maqam? An Introduction to Arabic Melody

Sami Abu Shumays

In this talk, music educator and violinist Sami Abu Shumays provides an introduction to traditional Arab music, focusing on the centuries-old melodic system known as maqam. Through sound recordings and live demonstrations, he will explore the framework of scales, melodic phrases, ornamentations, and aesthetic conventions that make up this rich musical tradition. Attendees will also become familiar with maqam through call-response activities and active audience participation. No musical background required. ❖ April 15, 2022 @6:30PM | Brooks-Rogers Auditorium Continue reading »

German-Austrian Film Festival | Family: An Exploration of Family Relations in Contemporary German & Austrian Cinema

During the Covid-19 pandemic and the several imposed lockdowns some countries in the world experienced, a re-centering on family occurred. Caring for and taking care of one’s family has been on everyone’s mind more than ever. That’s the reason why the German-Austrian Film Festival picked Family as this year’s theme. The films were selected to explore the difficulty of family relations in contemporary German and Austrian cinema. ❖ Precious Ivie by Sarah Blaßkiewitz (2021) on Monday 04/11 ❖ System Crasher by Nora Fingscheidt (2019) on Monday 04/18 ❖ The Ground Beneath My Feet by Marie Kreutzer (2019) on Monday 04/25 All screenings at 7:30 PM at Images Cinema Continue reading »

Films from and about Ukraine

Please note that the original film lineup (Slavic Anti-War Film Series) has been changed. In solidarity with the Ukrainian people we are screening films from and about Ukraine. All films are with English subtitles and screened at Paresky Auditorium (L02). This is a co-curricular event for RUSS102 & RUSS202. Open for the college community ❖ March 4, Friday 7PM Close Relations (2016), by Vitaly Manskii This screening is preceded by a discussion of the current war in Ukraine ❖ March 11, Friday 7PM No Obvious Signs (2018), by Alina Gorlova ❖ March 18, Friday 7PM Atlantis (2019), by Valentyn Vasyanovych Continue reading »

The Future of Belonging: Contemporary French and Francophone Film Festival 2022

Over 3 consecutive Mondays at 7:30 PM, on February 28, March 7, and March 14, the Williams Department of Romance Languages will screen 3 recent French and Francophone films at Images Cinema that center the perspectives of Black and Indigenous women on the concept of belonging, love and family. ❖ February 28: Nous/We by Alice Diop (2020) ❖ March 7: Une histoire à soi/A Story of One’s Own (2021) by Amandine Gay. Q&A with director Amandine Gay and editor, sound engineer and producer Enrico Bartolucci after the film showing and lecture the next day. ❖ March 14: Kuessipan (2019) by Myriam Verreault (written by Naomi Fontaine) Continue reading »

Practicing intersectionality and being actively antiracist, a talk by Amandine Gay

As part of the French and Francophone Film Festival, following the March 7 showing of her film, Une histoire à soi/A Story of One’s Own (2021), Amandine Gay will give a talk entitled Practicing intersectionality and being actively antiracist: working towards equality and social justice is a dirty job, are you still up for it? The talk will be in English. ❖ Tuesday, March 8th, 6:30 PM | Paresky Auditorium Continue reading »

Chinese Movie Screening: The Great Buddha+ 大佛普拉斯

The Great Buddha+

“The Great Buddha+” is a Taiwanese dark comedy film about a night security guard at a Buddha statue factory along with his friend, a recyclables collector, become entangled in a web of dark conspiracies after discovering the filthy secret hidden inside the solemn Buddha statue. ❖ March 8, Tuesday @6:30pm | Hollander 241 SNACKS and DRINKS will be provided! Continue reading »

Va’Sentiero: A documentary to discover the Grand Italian Trail

Va Sentiero documentary

Seven young men and women set off to discover the Sentiero Italia, Grand Italian Trail, which, at over 4000 miles is one of the longest trails in the world. Let us join them on the first six months of their journey across stunning mountains and rural villages. Through this 50-minute documentary, discover an Italian landscape you have never seen before. ❍ In Italian with English subtitles ❖ Thursday, March 10 @ 10am | Hopkins 002 Continue reading »

Dance and Dabke

Dabke Dancers

Join us to learn some belly dancing and Dabke. Belly dancing (Raks Charki)'s history crosses many cultural boundaries, getting its start in the Middle East and Africa, and moving on to evolve in western cultures as both a form of cultural dance and exotic entertainment. Dabke is an Arabic folk dance which originated in the mountains of the Levantine region. This region in the Middle East includes the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. Dabke is a dance that has been passed down over time and still resonates with many people all over the world. ❖ March 10 @5.30-6.30pm | Hollander 241 Continue reading »