February 02, 2004

SIUC hosting actor/director Jon Farris

by K.C. Jaehnig

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Actor/director Jon Farris will talk about his craft at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, in the Student Center Auditorium on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus. A public reception in the Gallery Lounge will follow this free lecture.

The University's annual Charles D. Tenney lecture series is sponsoring the speech and reception. SIUC's Honors Program administers the Tenney lectureships, named for the University's provost and vice president from 1952 to 1971.

 

Media Advisory

Reporters who wish to talk with Jon Farris before his lecture may meet him at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center Ohio Room.

Farris chairs Denison University's Department of Theatre and Cinema and holds that university's Jonathan R. Reynolds Distinguished Chair in Theatre. He has appeared on stage and in feature films, including John Sayles' 1991 look at big-city corruption, "City of Hope," in which he played Kevin, a city cop who refused to "fix" things for a colleague who'd shot an unarmed man.

It was that performance that sparked the lecture invitation, said Honors Program Director Frederick "Rick" Williams, who worked with Farris years ago.

"I knew he had a small part in the film, and when we decided to include 'City of Hope' on our (International Film Series) schedule -- ding! A bell went off."

Farris will introduce the film at its Feb. 9 screening in the Life Science III auditorium.

"It's not often that we have someone who was involved in the making of one of our international films available to introduce it, although come to think of it, we did during the fall semester when (executive producer) Elisa Tolomelli was here for 'City of God,'" Williams said.

"I guess it has to be a 'City of ...' movie for that to happen!"

The film begins at 7 p.m., and admission is free. "City of Hope" is one of seven films being shown at SIUC this semester as part of the Honors Program's annual International Film Series, which exemplifies SIUC's aspiration of reaching out to others through coordinating cultural outreach programs as outlined in the Southern at 150 initiative, a long-range plan that focuses on the University's growth.