Films can help us grapple with complex social and scientific phenomena. The Lights, Camera, Language series, co-hosted by the Language Diversity Ambassadors and the NC State University Libraries, explores modern films and documentaries that take a close look at concepts related to language. The series will cover a wide range of topics, from dialects and accents to the way we understand the world to social scientific research and beyond.
This semester the series will hone in on the relationships between language and culture. Arrival, a 2016 film directed by Denis Villeneuve, follows linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) as she attempts to decipher an alien language and avoid political conflict between the many nations on Earth. This film invites viewers to consider how language may change the way we think.
After the film, Kees Koopman, a master of arts student studying English linguistics,  will briefly discuss the film.