ST. PETERSBURG — You don’t have to be a cinephile to appreciate compelling dramas and award-winning stories that transcend borders. And you don’t have to sort through thousands of streaming options to find treasure, because organizers of a continuing film series at Eckerd College have curated a collection of thought-provoking feature films from around the globe.
The Fall 2026 International Cinema Series is underway, with screenings set for Fridays at 7 p.m., in Miller Auditorium on the Eckerd College campus at 4200 54th Ave. S., St. Petersburg. Admission is free.
The International Cinema Series presents films from around the world, including independent and artistic American films. According to the college’s website, the series includes restorations of honored classics as well as contemporary films that have captured the attention of critics at recent film festivals.
Nathan Andersen, Professor of Philosophy and Film Studies at Eckerd College, said that the series began in September 2003, and it has been running ever since. Films are shown most Friday nights when school is in session.
“When I arrived at Eckerd College in 1999, I was bothered by the fact that we didn’t have an arthouse theater in St. Petersburg,” Andersen said. “I also thought exposure to artistic and international films was an important part of the college experience — both at my undergraduate and graduate institutions they had a theater where for a small fee you could see the latest and greatest international films as well as classics.”
Andersen felt Eckerd students and the local community should have the same opportunity, so he presented a proposal to Don Eastman, who was president of the college at the time. Eastman thought it was a good idea.
“He gave me a budget to cover the screening rental fees, and I got started,” Andersen said. “A couple of years later, Dan and Mary Miller gave the college a major donation that allowed us to refurbish the theater and install a 35mm projector.”
A few years ago, when most distributors stopped shipping film reels, the college was able to install a digital projector just like the ones they have in major movie theaters.
“When we started out, we didn’t have a film department on campus,” Andersen said. “My field is philosophy, but I have published on film and aesthetics. So, I ran the series for its first decade or so. In the meantime, the college has built a thriving film program, and now I share responsibility for programming and running the series with several of my colleagues.”
Andersen also offered some insight as to how films are chosen for the series.
“The basic mandate of the film series is to show ‘critically acclaimed and important films from around the world.’ So, the first thing we do when we are programming a series is to look at films that have received a favorable reception at film festivals like Cannes, Sundance, Venice or TIFF, and then we find out whether those films have a United States distributor,” he said. “Occasionally, although this is more difficult, we will work directly with international distributors. We try to strike a balance between crowd-pleasing films and films that are artistically distinctive. Our aim is to be an arthouse and international cinema of the sort that used to be popular on college campuses, and while we sometimes show classics, we try to emphasize recent films, that have been released over the past year.”
Andersen added that, whenever possible, they try to show films that are still being shown in theaters and that aren’t yet available on DVD or streaming.
“When we started out there was nothing of the sort in St. Petersburg,” he explained. “You had to travel to Tampa or Sarasota to see the kinds of films that we typically program.”
Andersen said that each screening includes a brief introduction, and occasionally there will be a discussion after the film.
“That always happens with the films that overlap with our Environmental Film Festival that runs in February,” he said.
Following is a look at upcoming screenings:
‘Mārama’
Screening date: Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: New Zealand
Language: English and Māori with English subtitles
Genre: Gothic horror
Director: Toa Stoppard
Released: 2025
Mary Stevens (Ariāna Osborne), a young Māori woman, is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire by a mysterious note. To survive, she becomes the governess Mary at Hawkser Manor under the seemingly benevolent eye of Sir Nathaniel Cole (Toby Stephens), a charming landowner whose fortune was forged in the South Seas. Cole speaks her language and insists he can help her. But the walls of his home are hung with Māori taonga, and by night Mary finds herself haunted by memories that are not her own.
In a bid to discover the truth about herself and Cole, Mary realizes she must face a bloody reckoning if she ever wants to be free of Hawkser Manor.
Part of the College Program Series. Sponsored by Letters Collegium, Film Studies, International Cinema.
‘Blue Heron’
Screening date: Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Canada
Language: English and Hungarian with English subtitles
Genre: Drama
Director Sophy Romvari
Released: 2025
In the late 1990s, 8-year-old Sasha (Eylul Guven) and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island, but their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behavior from the eldest son, Jeremy (Edik Beddoes). At wit’s end, their parents are presented with a shattering choice.
Award-winning director Sophy Romvari’s feature debut is a lyrical and profound testament to the things we carry with us, masterfully chronicling the haze of a languid summer and the hyaline clarity of the moments that defined it.
‘Filipiñana’
Screening date: Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: The Philippines
Language: Filipino, English, Ilocano with English subtitles
Genre: Black comedy, drama
Director: Rafael Manuel
Released: 2026
Amid stifling heat and pervasive drought, Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a 17-year-old Ilokana from the rural north, works at a posh country club outside Manila, lining up golf balls for powerful men to drive into the verdant horizon. New to the job, she wanders the immaculate grounds sampling its luxuries as members, including an industrialist and his expatriate niece, the club president and his pampered wife, and a slew of Chinese tourists, engage in a complex dance with the club’s doting and subservient staff. But something is rotting beneath the pristine fairways of the elite resort, as Isabel discovers when she tries to return a mislaid golf club to its patriarchal director, Dr. Palanca (Teroy Guzman). The deeper she journeys into its most exclusive corners, the closer she gets to the violent truths of the club, her native Philippines, and her own past.
‘Our Land’
Screening date: Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Argentina
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary
Director: Lucrecia Martel
Released: 2025
This documentary film by Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel follows the trial for the murder of indigenous leader Javier Chocobar, revealing the legacy of colonialism within Latin America.
‘Hope’
Screening date: Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Korea
Language: Korean with English subtitles
Genre: Epic sci-fi action thriller
Director: Na Hong Jin
Released: 2026
In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village. In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.
‘The Currents’
Screening date: Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Argentina
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Genre: Psychological drama
Director: Milagros Mumenthaler
Released: 2025
On a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, a young and talented designer impulsively leaps into a freezing lake. Upon returning home to her husband and child in Argentina, she finds it nearly impossible to adapt to her former life. A haunting psychological drama.
‘Barrio Triste’
Screening date: Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Colombia
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Genre: Found footage fantasy crime drama
Director: Stillz
Released: 2025
In an impoverished neighborhood of 1980s Medellín, a group of disaffected teens steals a TV reporter’s camera to document their lives. This experimental, found footage crime drama presents a hauntingly poetic portrait of violence and loneliness.
‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’
Screening date: Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Genre: Historical drama and mystery
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Released: 2026
Set in 16th century Japan, this film follows Lord Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki) who, besieged in his castle, confronts mysterious crimes and allies with imprisoned strategist Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda) to uncover the truth before his castle falls. The film is based on Honobu Yonezawa’s novel.
‘Fjord’
Screening date: Friday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m.
Country of origin: Norway
Language: English, Romanian, Norwegian, Swedish with English subtitles
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Released: 2026
A devout immigrant Romanian family, living in Norway, become subject to an investigation when their child shows up at school with some bruises. The film received the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
All films are presented as part of the College Program Series and are sponsored by Letters Collegium, Film Studies, International Cinema.
Eckerd College is committed to creating inclusive and accessible events. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact the program coordinator Dr. Nathan Andersen at andersnt@eckerd.edu. Requests must be made at least 48 hours ahead of the screening. We will attempt to implement late requests but cannot guarantee they will be met.