CSUN to Screen Pair of Films on Quake

Two films documenting the effects of last year’s Northridge earthquake on life at Cal State Northridge are scheduled to premiere at the university’s student union next week.

“Epicenter U.,” a 16-millimeter film made by Alexis Krasilovsky, a professor in the university’s Radio-Television-Film Department, is a half-hour account of the quake’s emotional impact on some students on campus.

Among the documentary’s interview-oriented scenes is an account of a deaf student’s fears when she ran outside of her apartment after the shaking stopped, unable to lip-read her neighbor’s reassurances.

In another scene, a film student expresses his dismay upon discovering that a grand piano was looted from his yellow-tagged apartment.

The film, shot in cinema verite style, also examines the difficulties filmmakers at the university experienced when attempting to complete projects without production equipment that had been damaged in the quake.

Along with “Epicenter U.,” the student video “Not Just Back--Better” will be shown. The video portrays the logistics involved in attempting to reassemble a university’s operations after a disaster.

In the video, CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson explains steps taken by her staff to mitigate the physical and psychological damage done to the campus by the quake.

The documentaries will screen at the University Student Union on Monday and Tuesday at 3 p.m. Tuesday’s screening will be followed by a student panel discussion on the current status of CSUN and plans for the future.

Admission is free. For further information, call (818) 885-2130.