Movie program promotes film education

By Eric Donovan
Senior Staff Writer
February 27, 2007

Just in the past week, the country celebrated America’s greatest films at the Academy Awards while La Salle celebrated student films at the Charlie Awards the same day. Now, Philadelphia is celebrating film with the kickoff of a new education initiative called One Film, sponsored by One Book, One Philadelphia and the Free Library of Philadelphia. One Film began Feb. 21 and will continue through March 5.

According to the Free Library’s Web site, “The mission of One Film is to inspire Philadelphians to pursue visual literacy in their own lives and to think critically about the visual media they encounter everyday. By encouraging Philadelphians to watch, discuss and study a single film, One Film aims to promote film education, library usage and community building through dialogue and analysis.”

To achieve this goal, organizers chose Steven Spielberg’s film Empire of the Sun watched in tandem with the reading of the book What is the What, a selection made by the One Book, One Philadelphia program.

What is the What, by Dave Eggers, is the story of Valentino Achak Deng, and is presented as a fictional memoir of the main character. He is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, and his is a story of survival and perseverance. “The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy,” according to Publishers Weekly, “but also an emblematic saga of modernity—of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval.”

 Each of the pieces was chosen “as testimonials of the experiences of children in war zones,” according to the Free Library’s Web site. In working the two pieces together, organizers hope participants will better understand the concepts and themes presented in both book and film.

Special events to screen the film will occur throughout the next two weeks, including several screenings scheduled at local libraries, theaters and schools. In order to make program participation easier, organizers have also arranged to have extra copies of the book and film available at libraries throughout Philadelphia.

Empire of the Sun is the 1987 Spielberg film that “tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, Dec. 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him,” according to the Internet Movie Database.

Starring Christian Bale of Batman Begins and John Malkovich of Con Air, this film is itself based on a book, which is interesting considering the film is studied closely with a different book. Nonetheless, the themes and ideas presented throughout are very similar with that of the selected work and are made to help better connect and promote reading with film.

The program kicked off with an event held at the Moore College of Art and Design Feb. 21 and will wrap up March 5. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate. To view a complete list of One Film events and screenings, log onto to the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Web site.

donovane1@lasalle.edu