Screening Schedule for Spring 2008
Screenings are at 7 p.m. on Sunday evenings in the Bear Auditorium of Farr Hall. A brief introduction and previews of coming attractions will precede each film. Screenings are open to students only. Any and all uses of electronic devices are prohibited during the screening. Questions or comments may be addressed to Professors Dean Katahira or Martin Farrell, co-directors of the series.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feb. 17: Once (Ireland, 2006. John Carney, 85 min. English and Czech with English subtitles, R.) When a brokenhearted street musician clicks with a beautiful and feisty keyboardist, the result is an outpouring of pop music so good that it matches the raw, naturalistic and compelling story of their love affair.
Feb. 24: Offside (Iran, 2006. Jafar Panahi, 93 min. Persian with English subtitles, PG.) While 100,000 roaring Iranian men cheer on their soccer team in the national stadium, women aren’t allowed to attend. A bold band of women sneaks in, is caught, and is sent to jail, with unexpected results that reflect the power of national pride and shared humanity.
March 2: Rescue Dawn (USA/Thailand, 2006. Werner Herzog, 126 min. English, PG – 13.) Based on the true story of a German who enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, was shot down and imprisoned, and then escaped only to struggle for survival in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Played by Christian Bale, the main character was featured in Herzog’s 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. The “fiction” film is more realistic.
March 16: Time [Shi Gan] (S. Korea, 2006, Kim Ki-duk; 97 min. Korean with English subtitles, unrated ) Korean director Kim Ki-duk sets his 2006 film in contemporary South Korea. A young woman who fears her boyfriend no longer finds her attractive opts for cosmetic facial surgery to change his regard.
March 23: El Violin (Mexico, 2005, Francisco Vargas; 98 min. Spanish with English subtitles, unrated). Shot in black and white, El Violin is the story of a farmer / street musician who is forced from his tiny farm by a brutal military force, which has savagely attacked the area to clear out insurgent forces. The musician plots to use his music to entertain the military in order to regain access to his farm and help the insurgents.
March 30: Day Watch [Dnevnoy dozor] (Russia, 2006, Timur Bekmambetov; 132 min. Russian with English subtitles, R). This sequel to 2004’s Night Watch returns to Moscow for the struggle between Light and Dark. This time Anton is caught between the opposing forces of his son and his girlfriend. The parallel dimension of the Gloom is back and Bekmanbetov introduces the Chalk of Fate in this apocalyptic fantasy.
April 6: Climates [Iklimler] (Turkey, 2006, Nuri Bilge Ceylan; 101min. Turkish with English subtitles, unrated). A dowdy university instructor is an inattentive husband to his younger, self – absorbed TV – director wife. While on summer vacation their relationship begins to unravel, revealing the chronic loneliness that afflicts us all at times, but also the interconnectivity that we crave.
April 13: 12:08 East of Bucharest [A Fost Sau N-a Fost] (Romania, 2006, Corneliu Porumboiu; 89 min. Romanian with English subtitles, unrated). On the 16th anniversary of the uprising against Nicolae Ceausescu, the owner of a local television station decides to air a chat show to revisit the events of that day in the small town. In an often humorous manner the colorful local residents who make up the panel try to discover the truth of the past.
April 20: Lights in the Dusk [Laitakaupungin Valot] (Finland, 2006, Aki Kaurismäki; 78 min. Finnish / Russian with English subtitles, unrated). The economic spectrum of modern Helsinki is featured in the story of a lonely security guard who becomes an unwitting accomplice and dupe in a robbery. Through the character of the guard we get a glimpse of working-class existence in urban Finland.
April 27: Yesterday (South Africa, 2004, Darrell Roodt; 96 min., Zulu with English subtitles, unrated). In a South African Zululand village a young mother finds her health in decline. After much difficulty, she is diagnosed as being HIV positive. Against all adversity, the mother is determined to be with her daughter on the first day of school, along with all the other proud mothers.
|
