By Tyler Kunz, marketing and communications coordinator, College of Fine Arts

Each year, The Global Film Initiative, the Salt Lake Film Society and the Department of Film & Media Arts work to bring the Global Lens film series to Utah. Ten films from 10 different counties will grace the silver screen in an effort to expose the country to some of the finest in international film.

The film series, a program of The Global Film Initiative, was founded with a mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema. The series presents educational screenings of films for students and also publishes free discussion guides and learning resources that explore the social, cultural and historical themes that the films introduce.

“The Global Lens series provides a platform and venue for filmmakers whose voices tend to be underrepresented in film,” said Chris Lippard, professor of film and media arts. “For over a decade, our department and SLFS have teamed up with The Global Film Initiative to bring these incredibly important voices to the big screen in Salt Lake City.”

The series features films such as “Halima’s Path,” which tells the story of a grieving Muslim woman as she embarks on a physical and emotional journey to recover the body of her son who was killed during the war in Bosnia; “Bad Hair” portrays a young Venezuelan boy fighting against his naturally curly hair by obsessively straightening it, which launches his mother into a homophobic spiral; and “Voice of the Father” is an innovative and compelling take on immigration and memories of those who have departed from the perspective of a Kurdish family in Turkey.

The year’s film series will take place from Sept. 11-17 at the Broadway Centre Cinemas in downtown Salt Lake City. The cost is $10 for all 10 films.

Since it’s launch in 2003, the series has screened over 100 films from more than 35 nations.