On Friday, September 23, 2022, the Humanities Council will host a Belknap Global Conversation with award-winning director and screenwriter Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and Princeton faculty Anne Cheng (English), Steven Chung (East Asian Studies), Thomas Hare (Comparative Literature), and Gavin Steingo (Music). The event begins at 5:00 pm in Betts Auditorium and is open to the public.
Hamaguchi is among the most thoughtful and original filmmakers working in global cinema today. Across diverse genres, technical experimentations, and production modalities, he has forged a vision of how film can capture the pitfalls and promises of human communication. His most recent film, the hypnotic and challenging Drive My Car (2021), won multiple international awards, including Best Screenplay at the 74th Cannes International Film Festival and Best International Feature at the 94th Academy Awards.
Thomas Hare will introduce the speakers, after welcome remarks by Humanities Council Acting Chair Tera W. Hunter (History, African American Studies). The event is co-sponsored by the Department of East Asian Studies, the Department of Comparative Literature, the Program in East Asian Studies, the Committee for Film Studies, and the Princeton Public Library.
The public conversation is part of a weeklong residency, where Hamaguchi will engage with the University and area-community. A mini retrospective of his more recent films, including Drive My Car, will screen at the Princeton Garden Theatre. He will also lead a series of workshops with Princeton students, who will develop and produce short films during week. For a full listing of events, visit hamaguchi2022.princeton.edu.
The Humanities Council’s Belknap Global Conversations bring distinguished writers, artists, and scholars to Princeton University’s campus for conversations that bridge “arts and ideas” in a global context. The program aims to provoke dialogue on a theme of broad interest in the realm of arts and letters that cuts across disciplinary boundaries and world regions. Learn more about the program on the Council’s website.
