Students looking for something a little different at the movies than, say, large mechanical dinosaurs and huge body counts, are finding foreign films. Some students are required to see the films for class, while others see them for fun.

Foreign films have their own category at the Oscars. They get recognition at a variety of film festivals. They even have a presence in State College, though the extent of that presence is debatable.

Carrie Rupert (senior-environmental resource management) said these films play an important part in learning a foreign language.

"They give you experience in listening and interpreting language," Rupert said. "It exposes people to different films other than American films."

The Graduate Student Association has been bringing foreign films to campus for about 15 years, said Pete Warren, GSA film manager. The association shows films from all over the world, and those done in foreign languages are subtitled, Warren said.

Some of the foreign films GSA has brought to campus recently include Like Water for Chocolate, Romper Stomper and Tous les Matins du Monde, from Mexico, Australia and France respectively.

These films are part of a diversified education, Warren added.

"Film is an excellent medium for that," he said.

GSA charges an admission fee depending on the location where the film is shown. For more current films shown in the Carnegie Cinema, admission is $4. Older films are shown in Kern Graduate Building or Chambers Building for $3.50.

Foreign language clubs, such as the French and Spanish clubs, as well as language departments, such as the German department, also sponsor foreign films in their respective languages, complete with subtitles.

Suzanne Koch, French club president, said GSA does a great job in bringing foreign films to campus, adding that GSA was a motivator for her club to show movies.

The French club shows a different free film every other Tuesday at various locations, said Koch (junior-French). They have about 200 seats available and films are shown on a big-screen television, she said, adding that attendance fluctuates from film to film.

More people need to show interest in the films so more departments and organizations will show foreign movies, Koch said, citing the French department's support as the key reason the club is able to show films.

Jill Long (freshman-marketing and international business) said she is required to see films for her French classes.

"I think it helps a lot because you can hear the accents," Long said. "It's more conversational. The more that you hear, the more you can tune your ears into the language and the more you can speak it yourself."

And the films have cultural importance, Long added.

"In the films, they show customs and how they live in the countries," she said, adding that the films provide important insight into the country in which they were made. "They are shot and written from their viewpoint."

The Spanish club also sponsors a variety of free films, said Tricia Walcott, club president. The relatively current films --including political or comedy -- are open to everyone, Walcott said.

The films give native Spanish-speaking people at the University an opportunity to view films from their own countries, said Walcott (sophomore-Spanish). They also help students of the language acquire more vocabulary, she added.