Two films for 32nd Annual Multicultural Film Festival announced

The 32nd Semiannual Multicultural Film Festival continues with two films, “Trading Places” and “The Public.” “Extending the long-standing film festival tradition into the fall semester allows for the continuation of the theme, ‘Dimensions of Poverty,’” said Kat Bohr-Buresh, co-chair of the Casper College Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Casper College coordinator.

The first film, “Trading Places,” is a 1983 comedy about the role reversal of an upper-class commodities broker and a poor street hustler. Their plight is engineered by two callous millionaires who see the tables turned on them once their plot is discovered. In addition to economic manipulation, the film highlights racial disparity, insider trading, and wealth accumulation as the definition of success. Some of the film’s elements have not aged well, including the use of blackface and racial language, yet its core message of social satire remains relevant 40 years after its release. “Trading Places” is considered one of the best comedies ever made and helped propel the careers of the two protagonists, portrayed by Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy.

The film will be shown Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Goodstein Library, Room 215, on the Casper College campus, followed by an optional discussion. The Casper College Multicultural Film Festival is free and open to the public.

The Casper College Diversity and Inclusion Committee intends to inform and facilitate a broader understanding of topics that affect Casper College students and the wider Casper community through the film festival. A second film, “The Public,” will be shown on Oct. 24.

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