“Life, Above All,” a searing, emotional drama about a young girl fighting fear and shame in South Africa, will kick off the spring 2012 MTSU International Film Series at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Keathley University Center Theater.

Based on the award-winning novel “Chanda’s Secrets” by Allan Stratton, the movie follows a 12-year-old girl as she tracks down a rumor that forces her mother to flee their village.

“The Secret in Their Eyes,” an Argentine suspense film, is slated for Saturday, March 17. It’s about a retired court employee who writes a book about a rape and murder case that he believes was not solved properly.

On Saturday, April 14, the spring series will conclude with “Undertow,” which was Peru’s national entry in the 2011 Academy Awards. The story focuses on a married fisherman who is torn between his devotion to his pregnant wife and his clandestine affair with a painter.

All films in the series will begin at 6 p.m. in the KUC Theater, and the movies are free and open to the public. The International Film Series is sponsored by MTSU Student Programming and International Affairs.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)