It̢۪s not that often that a film director and producer comes to Fresno State, but thanks to Cineculture Club, that̢۪s now a possibility three times a month.

Their most recent film, “Blossoms of Fire,â€Â about a matriarchal society in the Oaxaca, Mexico that covered the relationship between males and females as well as the issue of homosexuality, sparked not only interest but also discussion – the goal of Cineculture Club.

Cineculture Club founder Denise Blum, an assistant professor in the curriculum and instruction department, said with the post-screening discussions, the audience gets an in-depth perception about a concept, culture and country. These perceptions highlight the personal connections that both the faculty or community member facilitators have, as well as the audience.

“The stories have been so powerful that there have been times when people have said we could make a film about the post-screening discussion,â€Â Blum said.

Blum formed the Cineculture Club to offer a way for faculty, staff and students to get to know one another and to watch and discuss interesting films. Often after the screenings the director of the film leads the discussion.

Cineculture Club was formed by Blum because she had just moved here from Austin, TX, and wanted a chance to meet new people. Independent movies were commonly shown in movie theaters in Austin, but that was not the case in Fresno. She liked to watch movies with people and to discuss them afterwards.

Cineculture Club President Roxanne Villaluz first got involved because of one of her classes taught by Blum, who offered the class extra credit for attending film screenings.

“I’m a huge moviegoer, so you watch movies and you always have specific questions about things. So the idea that you can actually get a group of people to talk about issues and things that go on in the movie is a great activity, especially on an academic campus,â€Â Villaluz said.

Villaluz was also attracted to the club because of her interest in films. She liked that documentary films are shown as well as people who worked on the films lead post-discussions.

Blum said the films that are shown are selected through a couple of ways. Films that are requested by the community or campus take priority. About half of the films that are shown are requested by the community and by the campus. A student board then chooses films for any days that are left unscheduled.

Blum hopes to get more faculty involved in the club since she feels that colleges tend to have faculty that only know people in their own colleges. Faculty and staff rarely get the chance to meet people outside of their disciplines.

“Most professors are limited to the identity or label given to them by their discipline, and people are so much more than one or two labels.â€Â Blum said.

So for three Fridays of every month, students and faculty of all departments are given the opportunity to look deeper into a variety of films, such as “Blossoms of Fire.â€Â

Joel Diaz, a mass communication and journalism major who attended the “Blossoms of Fireâ€Â screening, was glad he got the chance to meet not only faculty and other students, but those involved in making the film.

“It was an amazing opportunity for students to discuss film production,â€Â Diaz said, “and the creative process with a real director of the film.â€Â

Showtimes:
A different Cineculture movie is shown each Friday. Most showings are held at 5:15 p.m. in McLane 121. Check the Web site for more information.

October 26
“The A-bombâ€Â (2006)
Directed by Amir Huda. 70 min. Not rated. English and Japanese with English subtitles. Film director, Amir Huda, associate physics professor.

November 2
“Bowling for Columbineâ€Â (2002)
Directed by Michael Moore. 120 min. Rated R for some violent images and language. Post-screening discussant: Joe Parks, professor, Kremen School of Education.

November 9
“Blame It on Fidelâ€Â (2007)
Friday, Nov. 9,
5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at The Tower Theatre. Admission info can be found here.

A full schedule of films that will be shown for the rest of the semester can be found at Cineculture Club̢۪s Web site.