By Kevin Sung, International Development Specialist, Northern Nevada International Center
It’s not every day that the University of Nevada, Reno, screens an award-winning film with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes…
But on May 2, beginning at 4:30 p.m. that’s exactly what University students will have the chance to do as part of the Korean Film & Food Festival, Korean Wave. Honored with 65 awards and 183 nominations worldwide, “Past Lives” explores a friendship and romance over decades that was called “both achingly romantic and earnestly philosophical” by National Public Radio’s (NPR) Justin Chang.
Korea Wave/The Korean Film and Food Festival will give students a chance to hear from Carina Black, Ph.D., executive director of the Northern Nevada International Center, an organization working to broaden international ties while driving better and deeper understandings of peoples and cultures across the globe. Following Black, Casilde Isabelli, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Youngwan Kim, Korean consul general in Los Angeles, will give welcoming remarks. Individuals will then watch “Past Lives” before closing the gathering with remarks from the Reynold’s School of Journalism’s new dean, Gi W. Yun, Ph.D. Throughout, attendees will enjoy Korean favorite menu items, including Kimbap.
"Past Lives" was released theatrically in the United States on June 2, 2023. Since then it has received high praise and plenty of accolades. At the 96th annual Academy Awards it received nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture and was also nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama at the 81st Golden Globe Awards.
With the film’s powerful storytelling components, NNIC is hopeful this opportunity will make for a very accessible means for individuals to quickly resonate and care for cultures, people or situations that may be starkly different from their own. Hosted in part by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles, NNIC and the University, the afternoon is a perfect demonstration of the international opportunities University students have a chance to participate in that aim to broaden their knowledge and understanding of populations and places outside of Northern Nevada.
“’Past Lives,’ which compresses two decades into barely two hours, is the most affecting love story I’ve seen in ages,” Chang continues in his NPR piece. “It ends with a curiously hopeful image, focused less on the characters’ past regrets and more on the infinite possibilities still ahead.”
In the same way this film represents optimism, so too can the state of our world when we seek to build closer understandings of those who are different from us.
