KU News Release

OVERLAND PARK — The Kansas Humanities Council has awarded the Confucius Institute at the University of Kansas a $5,615 grant in support of the 2010 Kansas City Chinese Film Festival.

The festival will showcase five films from contemporary Chinese directors, followed by bilingual discussions led by humanities professionals to explore the cultural, historical and social issues raised on the screen. The 2010 festival will be the third annual Kansas City Chinese Film Festival. The 2009 festival had more than 1,000 attendees. Sheree Willis, director of KU’s Confucius Institute is the project director.

KU’s Confucius Institute was established as part of an international network of such institutes dedicated to enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture. The institute pursues this mission by offering community language classes, supporting Mandarin language training in schools and providing outreach to schools, businesses, the government, the media and community groups. Located on KU’s Edwards Campus in Overland Park, the institute serves the state of Kansas, the Kansas City metropolitan area and the larger Great Plains region. For more information, visit www.confucius.ku.edu.

The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program and encourages Kansans to participate in their communities.