International Festival celebrates 30th anniversary

The International Festival is observing its 30th anniversary this year, with a film festival that runs through Friday, April 2, and a full-day celebration on Saturday, April 3.

The festival includes two films from Turkey and Japan by sophomore Soraya Umewaka on Wednesday, March 31, in 302 Frist Campus Center. Films from Mauritania and Italy will be shown at 185 Nassau St. on Thursday and Friday, April 1-2. More details about the films are available online.

The April 3 celebration, under the theme "Around the World in One Day," will feature regional and national exhibitions, international music and animations, story telling, interactive workshops and a food festival serving specialties from around the world. It will run from 1 to 6 p.m. in Dillon Gymnasium. All activities are open to the public and free of charge except for the food.

Performers at the regional exhibition will include: L'Atelier, the French theater workshop; Korean and Chinese drummers and lion dancers; and Koleinu, a Jewish student a cappella group.

From 8 to 10 p.m. in the gym, there will be a flag procession representing all nationalities currently at Princeton. It will be followed by a cultural and fashion show. The evening activities are open to Princeton University ID holders.

The cultural show will feature the student dance groups Naacho, Raks Odalisque, Flamenco Puro, DiSiac and Tapcats, as well as gumboot dancers, high-steppers, the Black Arts Company and Capoeira. The fashion show will include undergraduate and graduate students modeling costumes from Turkey, India, Senegal, Cambodia, Congo, Slovakia, China, Portugal, Serbia, Nigeria, Malaysia and Colombia, as well as the Kashmir region.

The event is organized by the Consortium of International Center Student Organizations and sponsored by several University departments. For more information, visit the festival Web site.