Things to Do, Nov. 15-22

Joshua Malina
Provided
Cornell Hillel brings Joshua Malina of "The West Wing" and "Scandal" to Statler Auditorium Nov. 19.

Fantastic film fest

The Second Annual Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival brings a selection of more than two dozen classic, not-so-classic and new fantasy, science fiction and horror films from around the world to Cornell Cinema and Cinemapolis through Nov. 17.

Cornell Cinema will host Ithaca experimental rock duo Tzar performing original scores to two short films by René Clair, Nov. 15 at 7:15 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre; and a 35mm retrospective of six films by screenwriter Dan O’Bannon, including “Alien – The Director’s Cut,” Nov. 14.

“Dan O’Bannon: Rethinking the Monsters” also features “Heavy Metal,” “Dead and Buried” and “Invaders From Mars” Nov. 16; and “Lifeforce” and “The Return of the Living Dead” Nov. 17.

For advance tickets and a complete schedule, including premieres, midnight screenings, guests and special events, visit ithacafilmfestival.com.

Western drama

The Department of Performing and Media Arts presents “A Lie of the Mind,” Nov. 15-23 in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts’ Flex Theatre.

Sam Shepard’s award-winning drama, about two divided families in the American West, is directed by Jesse Turk ’14 with assistant director Janice Park ’14, under the mentorship of associate professor Beth Milles and professor David Feldshuh. The cast features Ross Haarstad ’80, Melanie Dreyer-Lude, Claire Stack ’15, Sarah Coffey ’16, Daniel J. Barrett ’14, Katelyn Pippy ’15, Danny Bernstein ’14 and Rudy Gerson ’15.

Showtimes are Nov. 15-16 and 22-23 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $13, $11 for students and senior citizens, available at the Schwartz Center box office, by calling 607-254-2787 or at www.SchwartzTickets.com.

Skating competition

The Cornell Figure Skating Club will host an intercollegiate figure skating competition Nov. 16-17 at Lynah Rink. Admission is free.

The competition – Saturday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. – features free skating and ice dancing, with 162 skaters from skating clubs at Cornell, Yale, Dartmouth, Duke, Penn State, Hamilton College, the University of Delaware, and more than a dozen other colleges and universities.

Global Cornell

Fred Logevall, vice provost for international affairs and director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, will present “Global Cornell: Why It Matters,” Nov. 18 at 4:30 p.m. in G10 Biotech, as part of International Education Week, Nov. 18-22. Free.

Logevall will outline his international initiatives and 2013-14 priorities for the Cornell community. His talk, introduced by Provost Kent Fuchs, will be followed by the Einaudi Center’s annual reception celebrating international studies at Cornell, with music by the Paul Merrill Trio. The center will recognize the achievements of associated programs, recipients of faculty grants competitions, and applicants for the Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright-Hays programs.

Joshua Malina talk

Actor Joshua Malina comes to campus to talk about his career and his Jewish identity, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. in Statler Auditorium, followed by a Q-and-A. Admission is free. Presented by Cornell Hillel.

Malina, whose parents attended Cornell, stars as David Rosen in the series “Scandal.” He has a long association with producer-writer Aaron Sorkin, acting on the series “The West Wing” and “Sports Night,” the film and stage versions of “A Few Good Men” and “The American President.” He is a producer and co-creator of “Celebrity Poker Showdown.”

Information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1417543645143129/

Gettysburg reading and panel

Cornell commemorates the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address with a reading of the address by President David Skorton and a faculty panel discussion, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. in Milstein Auditorium. Free and open to the public; presented by Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC).

Panelists include associate professor of history Edward E. Baptist; Shirley Samuels, professor of English, visual studies, American studies and feminist, gender and sexuality studies; and Margaret Washington, professor of Africana studies, American studies and religious studies. The event will be live-streamed at http://www.cornell.edu/video/gettysburg-address-150th-anniversary. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. in Carl A. Kroch Library, level 2B.

As part of its “Remembering Lincoln at Gettysburg” exhibition, RMC has placed its manuscript copy of the address on display in Kroch Library through Nov. 23, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m.

Lincoln delivered the address Nov. 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pa. The Cornell manuscript is one of five known copies of the address in Lincoln’s handwriting. A facsimile copy will be displayed for the remainder of the exhibition through Dec. 20, alongside Lincoln documents and Civil War-era artifacts.

Energy and air quality

David Allen, whose recent research advances the understanding of methane emissions from the boom in natural gas production in the United States, will speak on “Atmospheric Impacts of Expanded Natural Gas Use,” Nov. 20 at 3:30 p.m. in 255 Olin Hall. Free and open to the public.

Allen is director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the University of Texas, Austin. His talk will address air quality issues related to hydraulic fracturing, emissions data and modeling, and the effects of photochemically active air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

Drone debate

The Lund Critical Debate Series will present “Deaths by Drone: Are They Illegal?” Nov. 21, 4:30 p.m. in Statler Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

Mary Ellen O’Connell, a law professor and international dispute resolution researcher at the University of Notre Dame, will debate Michael W. Lewis, law professor at Ohio Northern University College of Law. The moderator is Matthew Evangelista, the President White Professor of History and Political Science at Cornell; with discussant Jens D. Ohlin of Cornell Law School.

Information: http://einaudi.cornell.edu/node/14047

Local Fair

Mann Library hosts the fifth annual Local Fair at Cornell, Nov. 21 from 2-5 p.m. Free and open to the public.

An open market in Mann Lobby will offer various food, fiber and energy products from the Finger Lakes region, and several displays highlighting efforts to support healthy, resilient communities.

The event’s theme is “Fair and Local,” and it will showcase efforts supporting fair and equitable local economies. Examples on display will demonstrate locally informed and guided strategies supporting people, the planet and fair profits across the supply chain.

Campus and community partners include the Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and the Farmers’ Market at Cornell.

Information: http://www.localfair.mannlib.cornell.edu or 607-255-5406.

Media Contact

Joe Schwartz