For Penn State movie buffs who enjoy independent films but can't find an outlet to view them, or those who are just broke and looking for a free movie, the Critically Acclaimed Film Experience (C.A.F.É.) film series could be a solution to both problems.

The C.A.F.É. series is organized by a committee of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and includes an international and an independent film each weekend.

Yang Zhang (graduate-psychology), co-chairwoman of C.A.F.É., said she believes C.A.F.É. is an important addition to Penn State because international students can see films from their own countries, and others can come to see movies that are not shown in major cinemas.

The C.A.F.É. series is funded by the University Park Allocations Committee (UPAC) but has recently caught the eye of Penn State's international student office.

"We attract a lot of international students in our audience, and they are now becoming more interested in helping fund us as well," Mira Hidajat (graduate-sociology), who co-chairs C.A.F.É., said.

Although the film series had problems getting enough funding from UPAC in the past, this year it received all the funds it needed, said Brian Borawski (graduate-engineering sciences and mechanics), president of the GSA.

Borawski also said he believes that although more mainstream Hollywood movies are shown at Late Night Penn State in the HUB auditorium, there are still many students and community members in State College who are interested in seeing international and independent films.

Pouyan Amirshahi-Shirazi (graduate-electrical engineering) -- former head of C.A.F.É. -- said students can see major Hollywood movies easily, but some of the movies included in C.A.F.É. film series are hard to find in video stores.

"C.A.F.É. tries to bring in edgy films," Borawski said. "Films that are big overseas and what we normally don't see here."

This semester, some films included in the series are Occupation: Dreamland, a documentary about the war in Iraq, as well as a more familiar title, Brokeback Mountain, which was an independent film that has become increasingly well-known, according to Hidajat.

An additional feature to one of the film screenings in the series will be a possible question-and-answer session with the participation of the director of Santo Domingo Blues, a film that is about street music in the Dominican Republic.

Lyn Elliot, assistant professor of film and video, attends the films about two times a month and believes the series is a good learning tool as well as an outlet to see films that could not be seen in State College if not for the series.

"The films are about things happening outside the U.S. and give students a way to see the world through someone else's point of view," Elliot said.