Delve into the Comical Clashing of Cultures with MATRIX:MIDLAND Reel Talks Discussion
Midland Center for the Arts is going down memory lane to the moment you brought your significant other home for the first time, to meet your parents, siblings, and maybe even your cousins and elders. But, for some, that experience may have been very different due to the stress and pressures of cross-cultural traditions and rituals.
In the upcoming MATRIX:MIDLAND Reel Talks discussion, Mamiko Reeves, Assistant Vice President and Dean of International Programs at Northwood University, born in Nagoya, Japan, will lead participants through a conversation about the film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Mamiko will discuss her experience going through a cross-cultural marriage, and the cultural differences that exist in real life, but also in the film.
“Going through a cross-cultural marriage myself, I experienced many comical cultural clashes,” said Mamiko Reeves. “I thought this movie would be a good catalyst to discuss the impact of family rituals, values, traditions, as well as blended families or mixed races as cross-cultural marriages become more common.”
The discussion, part of the MATRIX:MIDLAND Cinema series, is interactive, and seeks to enrich lives through the celebration of art, science and the humanities, presenting fresh ideas that are inspiring, thought-provoking and uplifting. Individuals looking to participate in the post-show discussion should watch the film in advance and then register to attend the conversation taking place on April 14 at 7:30 p.m.
This popular film, is a 2002 independent romantic comedy directed by Joel Zwick, and follows a middle-class Greek American woman who falls in love with the upper middle-class White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. The discussion will seek to understand some of the family traditions and rituals that the participants found unique to their family or origin, and provide an opportunity to share stories of when they found their family or personal values clashed while dating or during a marriage. The discussion will also explore how we can resolve conflicts when two parties come from very different family and cultural backgrounds.
The film can be found on Amazon Prime, Google Play and Youtube, and individuals should watch the feature on their own. Interested in discussing more cinematic works? On May 12, MATRIX:MIDLAND will host another discussion about the influence of social media on society today in response to watching The Social Dilemma – with special host, Jane Palmieri. Both of these conversations are free to attend and more information can be found by visiting MidlandCenter.org/Matrix.
