Murray State University Announces Free Fall 2026 Film Series Schedule
Murray State University’s Cinema International program is bringing free global cinema back to Faculty Hall for the fall 2026 semester, offering weekly screenings that explore themes of connection, community, and resistance across four continents and six languages.
The longstanding tradition began over 40 years ago when the Curris Center opened on campus. Dr. Ben Post, associate professor of Spanish and co-director of the program alongside Dr. Tamara Feinstein, notes that the upcoming slate was specifically designed to examine collective identity and belonging through partnerships with campus departments like the Medical and Health Humanities, the Spanish Film Club, and the Watershed Studies Institute.
Exploring Family, Community, and Artist Networks
The fall lineup opens with what Post characterizes as magical and gritty films focusing on family as community. screens on September 10 and 12, presenting an animated coming-of-age story about a young girl’s imagination. It is followed on September 17 and 19 by the Brazilian drama The Second Mother, which examines class boundaries and belonging within a household through the arrival of a live-in housekeeper’s daughter.
Three celebratory films about multinational artist communities follow in late September and October:
- The Tallest Dwarf (September 24 and 26): Filmmaker Julie Wyman explores partial dwarfism and celebrates the culture of Little People.
- The Girls are Alright (October 1 and 3): A Spanish film following four women gathering at a country house for summer theater rehearsals.
- La salsa vive (October 15 and 17): A Colombian documentary tracing salsa music from New York City to Cali, Colombia.
Confronting Government Repression and Dictatorship
The second half of the semester shifts toward intense narratives about communities fighting back against colonialism and government repression. WKMS reported on the October 22 and 24 screening of We Shall Not Be Moved, which is presented as part of the Spanish Film Club series with support from Pragda and the Spanish Secretary of State for Culture. The film follows Socorro, a cantankerous lawyer living in an apartment overlooking the plaza where the Mexican government massacred thousands of student protestors in 1968, as she tracks down the soldier responsible for her brother’s death.
Halloween weekend features the South Korean supernatural thriller Exhuma on October 29 and 31, detailing a paranormal team’s discovery of a dark ancestral secret. The semester concludes on November 5 and 7 with Post Mortem, a drama by Chilean director Pablo Larraín set against the backdrop of the 1973 military coup and the rise of Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Frequently Asked Questions About Murray State Cinema International
Where and when do the screenings take place?
All films are shown on Thursday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. in room 208 of Faculty Hall on the Murray State University campus.
How much do tickets cost for the public?
Admission to every screening in the Cinema International series is entirely free and open to the community.
Who leads the post-screening conversations?
Every film features a discussion led by a faculty member who specializes in the culture of the film, encouraging audience members to explore the deeper themes and meanings.
Where can attendees find the complete schedule and contact details?
The full schedule is available at bit.ly/CinemaInternational, by contacting co-directors Dr. Ben Post at bpost1@murraystate.edu or Dr. Tamara Feinstein at tfeinstein@murraystate.edu, or via social media on Facebook and Instagram at @cinemainternationalmsu.
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