Italian Studies Open House
October 23, 2026, 3 - 4 PM, Moelchert Commons
Join the Italian Studies family for a lively Open House in Moelchert Commons (outside Ukrop Auditorium)! Come hear about next semester’s courses, the Italian & French Film Festival, our Summer Program in Perugia, the Italian minor and major, and our many other qualities... Italian treats and good conversation will abound.
All students are welcome, no Italian required.
Please contact Prof. Anthony Russell if you have any questions.
Leveraging Languages in Future Careers
October 23, 2026, 4:30-6:00 PM, Ukrop Auditorium
UR’s Iota Epsilon chapter of Phi Sigma Iota, the International Language Honor Society, is excited to invite you to our Fall 2026 signature event.
Here’s what’s in store:
✨ A 45-minute presentation from Career Services on how to turn language skills into professional assets.
✨ Testimonies from UR alumni who use their language backgrounds in diverse fields.
✨ Pizza and beverages for a networking session to connect with fellow majors, minors, language clubs, and guests.
Reserve your spot today by filling out the quick registration form below. Don’t miss this chance to see how your passion for languages can open doors to exciting careers!
Please contact Prof. Julie Baker for more information.
Italian Table
October 27 & December 1, 2026, 1:30 - 2:30 PM, D-Hall
Tavola Italiana! In Italy, the best conversations happen around the table, so pull up a chair and join the family! At the Tavola Italiana, students and professors meet for lunch to chat, joke, and practice Italian together in a relaxed, friendly setting.
Every level is welcome… Just buongiorno is enough!
Please contact Prof. Anthony Russell if you have any questions.
Cercle Français Game Night
November 13, 2026, 2-4 PM, Multicultural Lounge, Whitehurst Hall
Join us for Cercle Français’ Game Night! We are inviting students to hang out, play French games, and enjoy French snacks. French welcome, not required.
Please contact Prof. Hilary Raymond if you have any questions.
Spielabend
October 8 & November 18, 2026, 5:30-7 PM, Jepson 127
Gather for an evening of German refreshments, games, and prizes hosted by German Studies.
German welcome, but not required!
Please contact Prof. Caroline Weist if you have any questions.
Voices in Translation - Multilingual Poetry Reading
October 20, 2026, 5 - 6:30 PM, Humanities Commons
Join us for Voices in Translation: A Multilingual Poetry Reading, celebrating the linguistic and cultural diversity of our campus. Students and faculty from across the University will read short poems in their original languages, accompanied by English translations. Come listen to poetry in many languages, discover new voices and traditions, and enjoy an evening of language and community.
Refreshments will be served.
Please contact Prof. Kamal Gasimov if you have any questions.
Reading Like a Translator
October 6, 2026, 12 PM in Humanities Commons
Acclaimed translator Damion Searls visits the University of Richmond for a discussion titled “Reading Like a Translator.” Searls is a translator from Norwegian, German, French, Dutch, and Faroese and a writer in English. He has translated books by Nobel Prize winners Thomas Mann, Elfriede Jelinek, Hermann Hesse, André Gide, Patrick Modiano, and Jon Fosse, as well as many other classic modern writers. His book The Philosophy of Translation was published by Yale University Press in 2024.
Please contact Prof. Kurt Beals if you have any questions.
19th Annual African Film Weekend 2026
September 11-12, 2026 - Ukrop Auditorium
Guest Presenter: Matene Touré
The African Film Weekend has been focused on Black diasporic and continental African films that examine and survey ecological issues tied to colonialism, racism, and extractive capitalism. This year’s edition is entitled “Ecology through Diasporic and Continental Films.”
Hosted by the Department of Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, with support of the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office and the Cultural Affairs Committee.
Please contact Prof. Kasongo Kapanga or Jaime Rung if you have any questions.
LLC Open House
Think Locally, Speak Globally
September 1, 2026, 1-3 PM, INTC Commons & Courtyard
See what LLC is all about! Our Open House is a chance to hang out with faculty & students, try global snacks and treats, play games, win prizes, & get a feel for what life in LLC looks like. Whether you know what you want to study or are just exploring, our community would love to meet you.
Come see where a language might take you!
Please contact Lidia Radi, lradi@richmond.edu, or Jaime Rung, jaime.rung@richmond.edu, if you have any questions.
Spielabend & Frühlingsfest
February 4 & April 16, 2026, 5:30-7 PM in Jepson 127
Gather for an evening of German dinner, games, prizes, and Delta Phi Alpha honor society induction hosted by German Studies.
German welcome, but not required!
Please contact Prof. Caroline Weist, caroline.weist@richmond.edu, if you have any questions.
Hard Light Cinema at UR
Hard Light Cinema is a Richmond-based collective of cinephiles bringing arthouse and non-mainstream films to central Virginia’s young professionals. The collaboration with the Film Studies Program and Italian Studies at the University of Richmond aims to connect UR students with Richmond city film fans and provide additional Italian films playing on campus around the inaugural Italian & French Film Festival held on March 27–30, 2026. Hard Light as a microcinema focuses on repertory films and new international or indie films typically unavailable in standard movie theaters. From Spaghetti Westerns to Neorealist road films, this semester will have a wide variety of Italian classics that deserve to be seen on the big screen.
All screenings will be held in Jepson Hall, Room 118.
Films start at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A discussion.
Italian & French Film Festival at Richmond
March 27–30, 2026
Join us for four days of Italian and French cinema on campus and in the city!
Building on the success of our 2025 Italian Film Festival, we are inaugurating the very first Italian & French Film Festival, organized by Anthony Russell and Sonja Bertucci (University of Richmond) in collaboration with Luca Peretti (University of Cambridge). For this groundbreaking edition, we will showcase nine thought-provoking contemporary films from Italy and France, as well as a landmark classic.
The festival is designed to bring together UR students, faculty, and staff, as well as the wider Richmond community. It will include a screening of Gillo Pontecorvo’s classic The Battle of Algiers (1966) in celebration of the film’s 60th anniversary, followed by a roundtable, a second roundtable on the current state of Italian and French cinema, as well as a screening concluding the festival at the Byrd Theatre — followed by a reception in the sumptuously renovated mezzanine of the iconic theater.
Guest scholars and filmmakers will introduce screenings, lead roundtable discussions, and engage audiences in conversation. Across four days, the festival will bring together French and Italian cuisine, intellectual exchange, and the magic of cinema, making each screening a celebration of culture and community.
The 2026 festival will feature:
- Screenings of nine films from Italy and France on the University of Richmond campus and at the historic Byrd Theatre.
- Two roundtables with filmmakers and guest scholars.
- An opening and a closing reception celebrating French and Italian cuisine.
- A special 60th-anniversary screening of Gillo Pontecorvo’s masterpiece The Battle of Algiers (1966).
- Reserve a spot at a closing night screening and reception at the Byrd Theatre on Monday, March 30.
All events are free and open to the public.