FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 17, 2020
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — At the urging of a colleague, Dr. Robert Anderson has become a prolific documentary film maker producing movies highlighting the experiences of Tarleton State University Study Abroad students since 2007.
“Just like Tarantino,” joked Anderson, an associate professor of communication studies. “I’ve made nine films.”
His latest effort, “30 Texans Czech In,” will have a free public showing at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in the theater of the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center.
The collaborative project between the departments of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences, Communication Studies and Study Abroad features 30 students, all participating in a trip to the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany in 2019.
“That’s the largest group we’ve ever taken,” Anderson said. “We were based in Prague and we spent time visiting historic sites and businesses in the Czech Republic — places like Moser Glass, Skoda Automobile factory, Kutna Hora, the spa town of Karlovy Vary, and farms and cattle ranches.”
Members of the group also toured Dresden, Germany, and the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, where much of the 70-minute movie takes place.
Prior to the Czech Republic travelogue, Anderson accompanied Tarleton students to England, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Africa, Greece and Costa Rica.
“Dr. Marilyn Robitaille, who runs the Study Abroad program, asked me way back if I could do a film with music and everything kind of grew from that,” Anderson said.
All eight of his previous efforts have been shown at similar premier events.
“I’m expecting a bigger audience than we usually have. There’s a big group that’s part of the movie, plus they’ll bring their friends. It should be quite a crowd.”
Each student participating in the trip will receive a poster and a copy of the movie from Anderson.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle
817-484-4415
priddle@tarleton.edu
