The University of Miami Ethics Programs are inaugurating a new series, “Ethics for Lunch,” which is intended to stimulate discussion about contemporary ethical issues and challenges.

The first event in the series will feature Shannon Bowen, of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Public Relations Department, at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 19, in Room 2055 of the School of Communication’s International Building. Her presentation, “Ethics, CEOs and PR: New Challenges for the 21st Century,” is in collaboration with the UM School of Communication. A light lunch will be provided.

The mid-day series is intended to give faculty and students an opportunity to address and debate hot topics in ethics and the professions, government, sciences, arts, and public policy. The program is open to the public, but attendees are asked to RSVP by contacting Marcia Sierra at [email protected] or 305-284-2358.

The Ethics Programs, now in their 19th year, are dedicated to education, research, and community service. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.miami.edu/ethics.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror is a difficult movie to describe. According to the director, it’s a romantic thriller. According to IMDB, it’s a horror film. According to anyone who has seen it, it’s the reason they gouged out their own eyes with a Twizzler. Now you can see the movie The New York Times calls “a high-flying cult hit” and Entertainment Weekly calls “our new, crazy movie obsession.” The film screens on Friday, November 19 at midnight. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non-UM students, and staff. General admission is $8, cash only; free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

The University of Miami’s Department of Philosophy will host Matthew Walker, American Council of Learned Societies New Faculty Fellow at Rutgers University, on Friday, November 19 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Memorial Building, Room 316. Walker will present “Aristotle on the Final Value of Friends.” Walker specializes in ancient philosophy and ethics. His recent papers include “The Utility of Contemplation in Aristotle’s Protrepticus” (Ancient Philosophy) and “Aristotle on Activity ‘According to the Best and Most Final’ Virtue” (Apeiron, forthcoming). For more information, visit www.miami.edu/phi or call 305 284-4757.

June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that has already been bombarded by the Israeli Air Force. What seems to be a simple mission gradually spins out of control. Shmuel, Assi, Herzl, and Yigal are the tank’s crew, four 20-something boys who have never fought in a war and are now operating a killing machine. Though trying to remain brave, the boys are pushed to their mental limits as they struggle to survive in a situation they cannot contain, and try not to lose their humanity in the chaos of war. The film screens on Thursday, November 18 at 8 p.m.; Friday, November 19 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, November 20 at 6 p.m.; and Sunday, November 21 at 6 p.m. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non UM-students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit http://www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861. NOTE: A discussion with Israeli film scholar Pablo Utin will follow the film at the Thursday, November 18 screening.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Last Train Home is a powerful film about the experience of Chinese migrant works through the eyes of one amazing girl. Filmmaker Lixin Fan travels with one couple who have embarked on this annual trek for almost two decades. Like many of China’s rural poor, the couple left behind their children for grueling factory jobs. Their daughter Qin—now a teenager—both bitterly resents their absence and longs for her own freedom. Emotionally engaging and starkly beautiful, the intimate observation of one fractured family sheds light on the human cost of China’s ascendance as an economic superpower. The film screens on Tuesday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 19 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 20 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, November 21 at 4 p.m. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non UM-students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861. NOTE: A panel discussion with UM experts will follow the film at the Tuesday, November 16 screening.