A Berry College professor and a Berry alum will showcase films at the Rome International Film Festival this weekend.
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Brian Campbell’s film “To Kingdom Come” and alumnus Ryan Simmons’ film “Running A.T. Full Speed” will be shown Saturday in the Rome City Auditorium. Campbell’s will be at 11 a.m. and Simmons’ will be at 1:30 p.m. Tickets for each film cost $10 and can be bought at http://www.riffga.com/. The schedule and details of other films showing can also be found at the website.
The 15th annual Rome International Film Festival runs through Sunday at the Historic Desoto Theater and the Rome City Auditorium. This four-day film festival is for filmmakers and the community to watch films from Georgia and around the world, attend workshops to learn from professionals in the industry and attend parties for networking and fellowship.
“To Kingdom Come” presents the battle between Rome’s river keepers and General Electric over PCBs, which are a group of man-made organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms. The film also explores the underlying cultural encounter between the north and south Rome communities through candid interviewing and historical media. As a result of the extensive ethnographic research that underlies the film, diverse perspectives and surprising cultural insights emerge, according to the filmmaker. Berry students served as camera operators and collaborators on the film.
Simmons directed the film “Running A.T. Full Speed,” which presents the journey of Drew Burnett, a former pastor in Rome, Ga., as he attempts to raise $100,000 for the orphans of Uganda. The film captures the story of Burnett as he strives to break the speed record on the Appalachian Trail of 46 days and 11 hours.
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Public Relations Student Assistant Alisa Jordan
