Movies will take over ASU and downtown Tempe thanks to this weekend's Ethics and Entertainment Conference and Film Festival.
The conference - free for ASU students and faculty - will primarily take place at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel on Mill Avenue today through Sunday.
It will include ethical discussions, filmmaking workshops, screenings of independent films and the official kick off of ASU's new film degree.
"It's a big celebration of ASU's new film program," conference manager Mallory Navin said.
Navin, an interdisciplinary studies senior, said the conference would address ethical issues in the entertainment industry, including the effects of pornography, violence, the press and religion.
"The ethics of entertainment is a rare thought," she said. "It's always more about pushing the envelope and selling seats as opposed to how this is affecting the world."
The festival kicked off Thursday night with a concert at Palo Verde Beach.
More than 200 students stopped by the concert as the sounds of rock and hip-hop music filled the air.
"We think this was a good way to get the word out," said Zack Malisow, marketing manager for the conference. "We're hoping for success."
As the leading exporter in the entertainment industry, the U.S. should be more aware of ethical issues, said Miguel Valenti, director of the conference and a professor in the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics.
"Entertainment is a very powerful medium," Valenti said. "We ought to think about the image that we're putting out there to the rest of the world."
The festival is broken down into three areas -- the conference, the film festival and the film workshops, Valenti said.
The conference will include eight discussions on the ethics of different aspects of entertainment, including the paparazzi and the media, the ethics of pornography and reality TV versus reality.
There will also be a luncheon Saturday with retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who will receive the Joan and David Lincoln Award for Public Virtue.
The film workshops will include basics of editing, legal issues, special effects and casting.
The film festival portion of the event is the part most directed toward students, Navin said.
The conference will screen 42 films, including "Del Otro Lado," "In Good Company" and "Born into Brothels" at the Mission Palms Hotel and the Harkins Theatres on Mill Avenue, she added.
In addition to the featured films, the festival will also screen the independent film "Never Been Thawed," a
mockumentary about a frozen food entree-collecting club.
The filmmakers will then host a question-and-answer session on Hayden Lawn, Navin said.
There will also be a special screening of the film "Inside Deep Throat," a NC-17 rated movie about the political implications of the 1970s pornographic film, just for students in Murdoch Hall.
Another highlight for students, Navin said, is a fashion show Saturday night.
"The film festival encompasses all other forms of art," she said. "It's not just film entertainment, it's musical entertainment and so many other things that all people enjoy. We didn't want to leave out fashion."
The special event will include a short presentation on the history of fashion and its effects on the world before the runway show begins, she added.
While the conference is free to all ASU students and faculty with an ASU ID card, it is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students and faculty can reserve a spot to specific events on the festival's Web site, www.e2filmfest.com.
Non-students can also make reservations for the festival for $100 to $350, depending on the type of pass purchased.
Reach the reporter at tara.brite@asu.edu.
