Join us for March’s edition of ‘Foreign Fridays with Jamison’!

I traveled to Turkey to spend two weeks with a friend between December 2012 and January 2013, and it was an unforgettable experience. I discovered a nation full of very rich culture, incredible food, beautiful architecture, and fascinating contradictions. At the time, and I know things have changed significantly since, I found a rather liberal population striving for modernity and championing progressive values living side by side with those who desired a more austere lifestyle, tethered to faith and more conservative principles. No movie I have seen captures these opposing perspectives more perfectly than “Mustang”.

It has been a decade since I first watched this film, and it is one that has really made an impact on me. It is a celebration of female voices, including the writers and director as well as many of the people behind the scenes, it’s a story of five sisters with an indelible bond despite outside pressures and dangers, revealing a gentle and subtle masterpiece. Described by many as a Turkish take on “The Virgin Suicides” (a novel and a movie I love), it is an apt comparison, but a story all its own that touches on themes of faith, dogma, sexuality, and womanhood in beautiful, delicate, and fascinating ways.

So mark your calendars for Friday, March 13th at 7:00pm - I can’t wait to see you at the ACME!

Jamison Standridge, Ph.D. has been an enthusiastic resident of Lambertville since 2019. Jamison is a lifelong film and arts lover and is thrilled to serve on the ACME board of directors, and started his Friday Night Film Series in June of 2025. Originally from Italy, he is a writer, editor, and educator. Having spent nearly 20 years teaching for universities all over the world, Jamison loves to share with others his love of learning, passions, and interests, which include cinema, filmmaking, creative writing, literature, translation, and foreign languages.