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The event will include a question-and-answer period with director Sam Sorich immediately following the screening.

The public is invited.  Admission is free.

Mimetic desire is the idea that humans desire what others have or want, leading to conflict and rivalry.  According to the theory, when the conflict escalates to the point at which society is disrupted or at risk, a scapegoat becomes blamed and eliminated to provide society with a sense that the problem has been solved. Girard claims that the scapegoat mechanism is at the origin of human culture, and that great literature and the major world religions, especially Judeo-Christianity, expose it to view and open alternatives to violence.

The film鈥檚 trailer is

Ren茅 Girard (1923-2015) was born Avignon, France, and continued his education in the United States after World War II.  He developed his insights into mimetic desire and scapegoating while teaching at Johns Hopkins, SUNY Buffalo and Stanford University. His first major work, 鈥淒eceit, Desire, and the Novel,鈥� published in 1961, explored how mimetic desire operates in literature and human relationships. He delivered the theory further in his later works, including 鈥淰iolence and the Sacred鈥� (1972) and 鈥淭hings Hidden Since the Foundation of the World鈥� (1978). Girard鈥檚 theories extended beyond literature to offer new perspectives on religion, violence and societal structures, influencing various disciplines, including anthropology, theology and conflict resolution.

The screening is being sponsored by the college鈥檚 arts and humanities division, English department, and peace and justice program.

To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu.  Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.

The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St., between College and Columbia avenues.