“Artois the Goat,” a film produced by Richard Reininger, will be presented by the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts at ETSU on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in the D.P. Culp University Center’s Martha Street Culp Auditorium.This film is the third to be screened at ETSU as part of the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. Following the screening, Reininger will engage in a discussion about the film and his work as a filmmaker. A reception will take place afterward.

In “Artois the Goat,” Virgil Gurdies doesn’t eat to live; he lives to eat. Unfortunately, his passion for fine cheese doesn’t jive with his day job, in which he manufactures artificial flavor additives for frozen dinners. When Virgil is stripped of his lab coat, he comes face-to-face with the strange inhabitants of an unfamiliar world, that of artisanal goat cheese.

Discovering his passion, he buys Artois, a scrawny young buck, and puts his operation in motion.

Now all Virgil has to do is figure out how to explain to his girlfriend that he spent the money he was saving for her engagement ring on a goat.

Reininger, who resides in Austin, Texas, has been creating motion pictures ever since discovering his family’s video camera during his freshman year of high school. Diving into media technology classes and independent studies programs left him with a desire to work in pictures, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in film production at the University of Texas-Austin. “Artois the Goat” premiered at the SXSW (South by Southwest) Film Festival in the Narrative Competition, and went on to enjoy screenings and honors at numerous other festivals.

The film screening, discussion and reception are free and open to the public. Donations of canned food items will be accepted for distribution to a regional food bank or other charitable organizations.

For more information or special assistance for those with disabilities, contact the Martin School of the Arts at 423-439-TKTS (8587) or artsinfo@etsu.edu, or visit www.etsu.edu/cas/arts.

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