By Rod Jones
The 18th annual Documentary Film Series at Ұ University will conclude at 2 p.m. May 1 with Wim Wenders’ “The Salt of the Earth.” The screening is free to the public and will be held in the Kerr McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business at N.W. 27th Street and Blackwelder Avenue.
The series is made possible through a gift from the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund.
“The Salt of the Earth” follows photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has been travelling across the continents in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity for the past 40 years. He has witnessed some of the major events of recent history — international conflicts, starvation and exodus. He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of wild fauna and flora and of grandiose landscapes as part of a huge photographic project, which is a tribute to the planet’s beauty. Salgado’s life and work are revealed by his son, Juliano, who went with him during his last travels, and by Wim Wenders, himself a photographer.
The Documentary Film Series theme is titled “Thing and Spirit Both.” It is based on a poem by Marie Howe, who visited OCU April 6 for this year’s Thatcher Hoffman Smith Poetry Series.
“These films explore how the spirit or essence of the world reveals itself indirectly through our intuition and imagination,” said Harbour Winn, director of OCU’s Center for Interpersonal Study through Film & Literature. “Each of the films presents an imaginative way of seeing through an artist working in a different art form — poetry, film and photography. The art of seeing must be learned to grasp the transformative dimension in everyday reality.”
For more information visit or call 405-208-5472.