Featuring a Book to Big Screen discussion on Battle Royale with Professor Paul D. Reich of Rollins College!

42 9th graders are sent to a deserted island. They are given a map, food, and various weapons. An explosive collar is fitted around their neck. If they break a rule, the collar explodes. Their mission: kill each other and be the last one standing. The last survivor is allowed to leave the island. If there is more than one survivor, the collars explode and kill them all.

About the speaker: Dr. Paul D. Reich teaches classes in literature and media studies, including courses on Asian literature and film, contemporary television, and adaptation. His essay, “Precious Resources: Cultural Archiving in the Post-Apocalyptic Worlds of Mr. Burns and Station Eleven,” has recently appeared in Text & Presentation. He has co-authored two essays on critically acclaimed television shows Westworld, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Watchmen.

2000, 116 MINUTES, In Japanese with English subtitles, Directed by Kinji Fukasaku

In partnership with Rollins College Master of Liberal Studies

"Some will be uncomfortable or appalled, and the mix of humour and horror is uneasy, but this isn't a film you'll forget easily. And, seriously, what would you do?"
- Kim Newman, EMPIRE MAGAZINE
"This is a heart-stopping action film, teaching us the worthy lessons of discipline, teamwork, and determination, but wrapping them up in a deliberately provocative, shockingly violent package."
- Jason Korsner, BBC.COM
"Departing from two decades' worth of domestic and personal dramas and returning to his roots as Japan's maestro of mayhem, Kinji Fukasaku has delivered a brutal punch to the collective solar plexus with one of his most outrageous and timely films."
- Robert Koehler, VARIETY
"Fukasaku is the most durable master of all that's hard-boiled in Japanese filmmaking."
- Sandra Hall, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD