Villanova's Cultural Film & Lecture Series (CFS), founded by retired Professor Emeritus Joan D. Lynch, is run by a committee comprised of faculty, administrators, staff and students.
Twenty films per year are shown, and an equal number of lectures/discussions are given. The series is supported through ticket sales and a budget which is allocated by the university's Student Development office, co-sponsor of the series with the Communication Department.
History of the CFS
Former CFS Director Lynch implemented the present series in the fall of 1980, when the then-new Connelly Center Cinema was built, at the request of Rev. John M. Driscoll, O.S.A., President of the University at the time, Rev. John Deegan, O.S.A., Vice-President for Student Life, and Dr. James J. Christy, chair of the Theatre Department.
Film Selection Criterion
The series is integrated thematically; some past series titles are: "Cinematic Images of Women," "Bonding: Family and Friends," "Making Art: The Artist Looks at Himself," "Myths, Memories and Obsessions" and "Film, Faith and Philosophy." The primary task of the chair is the selection of a theme or a group of related themes and the development of a list of films that explore these common questions. The final section of films is made with the approval of the CFS committee. After the films are chosen, lecturers and lecture topics are selected.
Individual films in the series are frequently included in the curricula of academic departments, and many film courses lean heavily on the series. In the Spring, 1997 semester, for instance, the course entitled "Contemporary Cinema" was dependent on the film series "Reel Lives" as a resource. Each semester, a list of the films with descriptions and their suitability for use in various disciplines is distributed to the faculty.
