Loma Linda University Presents Film Festival

The School of Religion humanities program at Loma Linda University will host a free film festival Jan. 24 and 25 centered on the theme “I was a stranger.” The four films to be shown explore issues of legality, identity and humanity. The schedule is as follows: Friday at 7:30 p.m. — “A Separation” Saturday at 10:30 a.m. — “The Visitor” Saturday at 3:30 p.m. — “Le Havre” Saturday at 7:30 p.m. — “El Norte” The free film screenings are open to the public and will be held in room 3113 of the Loma Linda University Centennial Complex, 24760 Stewart Street. Conversations about the films will be led by panelists including immigrants and religion professors, with Q&A. The festival is guest-directed by Ron Jolliffe, professor of literature and film at Walla Walla University in the state of Washington. “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” is a biblical quote by Jesus about the universal importance of caring for all people one encounters, no matter how alien they may seem. “The films in this festival seem to take the words of Jesus for all they are worth; that Jesus is found in the sick, the prisoner, the hungry,” Jolliffe said. Jim Walters, director the LLU humanities program, encouraged community members to come. “The medium of film is powerfully holistic — reaching intellect and emotion,” he said. “In this first-ever film festival at LLU, we seek to bridge Jesus’s ‘I was a stranger’ statement to our contemporary global village.”