Editor’s note: This story has been updated since its original publication to reflect that BRCC Chancellor Larissa Littleton-Steib also will be participating in the Q&A discussion following the screening of Fail State.
LSU and the Louisiana International Film Festival will host a special free screening of Fail State, an investigative documentary on the nation’s student loan crisis, on the LSU campus next week.
The screening, which is open to the public, takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, in the Roy O Martin Auditorium, 1100 Patrick F Taylor Hall. Fail State examines the dark side of American higher education and decades of policy decisions in Washington D.C. that have given rise to a powerful and highly predatory for-profit college industry.
Following the screening, LSU President F. King Alexander, Baton Rouge Community College Chancellor Larissa Littleton-Steib and the film’s director, Alexander Shebanow, will participate in Q&A discussion on the crisis surrounding the nation’s student loan debt, which is upwards of $1.4 trillion.
“This film does an exceptional job of highlighting both the predatory nature of for-profit universities and the immense public benefit brought to society through public universities and community colleges,” Alexander says in a statement.
The film, recently featured at SXSW Edu, examines the three key players of the crisis: students, government and universities.
The free screening kicks off the 2018 Louisiana International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday, April 22, at Perkins Rowe. More than 50 films, including three world premieres, will be screened. The event also features 20 Q&A panels, musical performances and includes a mentorship program.
While the screening at LSU next week is free, tickets are required and are available online. Get complete details and tickets for the 2018 Louisiana International Film Festival.
