Since the 1960's, a new global cinema has developed that is primarily directed for and focuses on displaced people around the world, said Naficy, who was recently appointed as chair of the Department of Art and Art History. One of the common features of the films is their multilinguality, which makes the experience of watching them different from other films, said Naficy, who is also teaching a class about the same topic this semester. Many of the characters are very lost, split and fragmented. Some of them are in two places at once or are often claustrophobic, which is a theme that resonates with many immigrants. In the films, the characters are caught in situations of confinement such as an apartment or a suitcase.
Many scenes are depictions of their lives before and after their exile.
This comparative theme sometimes offers criticism of both home and host cultures and can take precedence over the plot of the movie, he said. Rice University is consistently ranked one of America's best teaching and research universities. Rice's wooded campus is located in the nation's fourth largest city and on America's South Coast.