Confucius Institute at Miami Dade College Partners with Miami International Film Festival and the IDEA Center to Present a Master Class Seminar

Miami, Feb. 29, 2016 – The Confucius Institute (CI)  at Miami Dade College (MDC) has partnered once more with Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) to present a Master Class Seminar on “Chinese Cinema, Culture & Society” Saturday, March 12 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. as part of the 2016 MIFF’s Celebration of Chinese Cinema. The event is free and open to the public.

“We are giving audiences the opportunity to develop cultural sensitivity and appreciation for the diversity that they encounter daily in their very own city,” said Dr. Jim Yu, Director of the Confucius Institute.

The Master Class will discuss the underlying themes in this year’s featured films at the festival, which include Mountains May Depart and the documentary The Music of Strangers. There will be panel discussions by Dr. Xuejun (Jim) Yu, Director of Confucius Institute at MDC (moderator), Dr. Yi Sheng, Professor in Marketing at Barry University, and Dr. Lidu Yi, Professor of Chinese Art and Art History at Florida International University. The class will conclude with a special performance by Chinese pop singer A Zheng.

“Both of the films to be discussed at the seminar demonstrate the richness of Chinese and Chinese-American culture.  The films and the participants in the Institute’s seminar will bring deeper insight into social and human issues in both of our countries,” said MIFF’s Executive Director Jaie Laplante.

Educators, filmmakers, cultural entertainment professionals and general film aficionados, are the targeted audiences of this Master Class.  Educators of all grade-levels will receive tips on how to use film as a teaching tool for foreign language and culture. Cultural entertainment professionals will receive guidance on how to artistically render a culture with sensitivity and candidness. Film enthusiasts will also learn ways to increase their human understanding of and sensitivity towards foreign cultures represented in film.

For more information on this event and other arts and culture initiatives at the Confucius Institute, please contact Dr. Jim Yu at 305–237–7581 or Arely Ruiz at 305-632-5996.

About Confucius Institute at Miami Dade College

The Confucius Institute promotes international education, cross- cultural understanding, global citizenship and lifelong learning through its Chinese language and cultural programs.  For more information, visit www.mdc.edu/confucius

About MDC’s Miami International Film Festival
Celebrating its 33rd annual edition March 4 – 13, 2016, Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival will have more than 60,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 world, international, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. Miami International Film Festival’s special focus on Ibero-American cinema has made the Festival a natural gateway for the discovery of new talent from this diverse territory. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. Major sponsors of the 2016 Festival include Knight Foundation, Lexus and Miami-Dade County. For more information, visit www.miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM(3456).

About Culture at Miami Dade College
The Cultural Affairs Department of MDC is composed of the Miami Book Fair, Miami International Film Festival, Tower Theater, Koubek Center, Freedom Tower, MDC Live Arts and MDC Galleries and Museum of Art + Design. MDC is committed to providing its community with the opportunity to come in contact with innovative thinkers, creators and tradition bearers from around the world. With each presentation, MDC offers a bridge between cultures and ideas, creating new opportunities for the increasingly diverse population of Miami to come together through shared live arts experiences. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu/arts