GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For 19 years, the Chiaroscuro International Film series has had one mission: bring foreign-language international cinema to Grand Rapids. With films from countries like Africa to Europe, Chiaroscuro has provided a completely free-of-charge theatrical, and communal, experience to foreign language film enthusiasts, newcomers, or casual film viewers.
Chiaroscuro President Spencer Everhart, a professor at Grand Valley State University, acknowledges the difficulties in digesting foreign cinema, but explains why Chiaroscuro seeks to introduce culturally significant films to new audiences.
"I think people who dabble in international cinema or watch some foreign language [films] probably had that experience where they've felt maybe a little bit lost," said Everhart.
"What we also do is after the screen of the movie, we have a panel discussion," Everhart Continued. "The panel usually consists of one person who's more of a film scholar or film expert, and the other panelist is someone that we kind of consider a cultural correspondent."
By offering viewers a deeper dive into the art of filmmaking as well as culture, Everhart has seen the initial resistance to foreign cinema wane over the years.
"On the afternoon, they felt like they had a much deeper understanding of the movie because of the conversation. And they were able to kind of connect to it more, because they had some of those details filled in, or they had some of those aspects of it clarified by the commentary from the panelists".
The panel and discussion's existence however are merely a means to inspire conversations within the audience, as Everhart still stresses that the true experience is forming your thoughts and conclusions on the film.
"We want [audiences] to have their own personal experience with the film, we don't want to necessarily limit the movie or define it too much," Everhart clarified.
The essence of community, discussion and interaction, are all central to the new official home of the series: Wealthy Theatre.
"The whole philosophy behind Wealthy Theatre as a way to bring people together and focus on the community itself, but also providing opportunities for art for the community, is a perfect fit," said Everhart.
The theme for 2024's series focuses on "Passages," a collection of films that, through the five screenings, will portray the lives of women in different eras at different ages.
"We've organized the five films in order so that the protagonist of the movies, who are all women, go from youngest to oldest. The first film is a young girl, and then it goes all the way up into the last film. And the last one actually has an elderly woman as the main character," said Everhart.
"So we have this sense of the passage of time, and the passage of one's life built into the way that we've structured the order of the films for this season," Concluded Everhart.
Throughout the years, Chiaroscuro has opened the minds of casual and die-hard moviegoers to worlds and cultures beyond their understanding. Everhart wants nothing more than for anyone interested to come experience global cinema at no inconvenience to them.
"We don't charge anybody for anything. You just show up, walk in, say hi, find your seat, and we just get to it. That level of access, that level of inclusion is really important to us."
The first screening of the series begins on Sunday, Feb. 21.
The first film in 2024's series is the Irish film, The Quiet Girl (2022), with the remaining series to screen every other Sunday up until March 17th. Every screening is completely free and will be screened at Wealthy Theater at 2 p.m.
You can find further information about 2024's series on Chiaroscuro's official website.
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