Villanova’s French Club will be hosting its first film series with “Cinema Philosophique: Theorizing French,” which will feature five French films themed around philosophy being shown from Feb. 9 through March 16 in Bartley Hall.

This series is intended to enlighten and expose students to a type of film that is not geared solely to the eyes but rather something that goes beyond mere entertainment. It is aimed at introducing films that do not focus on visual effects and superficial circumstances. Paul Parisi, the president of the French Club, desires to show movies that concentrate on philosophy and film as an art. Parisi believes “students should expect to be shocked and surprised by how differently they’re feeling when they’re leaving the room as to when they came in.”

The screenings are not limited to members of the French Club. With English subtitles accompanying every film, all people, including non-French speakers, are encouraged to participate.

“If you enjoy movies, you should enjoy the series whether you are familiar with the French language and culture or not.” Parisi said.

Parisi devised the idea for the series after talking to his philosophy professor about screening a French philosophy film open to the student population. Soon thereafter, several other films were suggested by mostly graduate student teachers and were added to make French Club’s first film series. The individual who chose the film will lead a discussion after each screening.

Upcoming films include:

“Contempt,” a 1963 Jean-Luc Godard film about a screenwriter and the deterioration of his relationship with his wife, will kick off the series on Thursday, Feb. 9 in Bartley 3010.

“Hiroshima, Mon Amour,” the story of a young French woman who falls in love with a Japanese man who is reminiscent of her first lover, will be shown on Thursday, Feb. 23, also in Bartley 3010.

“When The Cat’s Away” is a story about a woman who searches for her cat in Paris and experiences the world in a new light, learning more about it and herself. This film will be screened on Thursday, Feb. 28 in Bartley 1010.

“Un Chien Andalou,” a short abstract surrealist film by Salvador Dali and Luis Bunel, will show on Tuesday, March 1 in Bartley 1001.

“The Piano Teacher,” by Michael Hanek about the relationship between a sexually-repressed, highly esteemed piano teacher and her student, will be presented on Thursday, March 16 in Bartley 1001.

All movies will begin at 7 p.m. and will have food and refreshments.

The French Club will also be screening eleven more films varying in genre and style throughout the semester.