All screenings will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursdays and Fridays in the Admissions Multimedia Room, Rotunda, Student Center.
Colleagues in all fields are encouraged to request screenings for academic purposes. Please address suggestions and comments to Daniela Melis (x2610), director of the World Film Program, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures. The World Film Program is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Office of College Activities and the Office of the Academic Vice-President.
The World Film Program is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Office of College Activities and the Office of the Academic Vice-President
Sep. 18, 19
Nuovomondo The Golden Door (2006 - Italy/France). Directed by Emanuele Crialese. [PG-13] 118 mins.
A romantic drama about two very different people yearning for a better life in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Sacrificing
everything, Salvatore Mancuso, an innocent Sicilian peasant, begins his transatlantic odyssey to the land of promise. During the perilous and
grueling journey, he meets a beautiful and worldly Englishwoman, Lucy Reed, and an unexpected romance blossoms. Neither is prepared for the
realities of Ellis Island, where they will stop at nothing to make it through the golden door into the America of their dreams.
IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Sep. 25, 26
Babel (2006 - France/USA/Mexico). Directed by Alejandro González Iñarritu. [R] 143 mins.
Four interlocking stories all connected by a single gun converge at the end and reveal a complex and tragic story of the lives of people around the
world. A troubled married couple on vacation trying to work out their differences; two Moroccan children playing with a rifle; a girl in Japan
dealing with rejection, the death of her mother, the emotional distance of her father, and modern life in Tokyo; a Mexican nanny and her nephew
running into hostility and misunderstanding at the U.S. border. Set in Japan, Morocco, Mexico, and the United States, this film offers a glimpse
into the interconnected lives of seemingly random people to show just how connected we really are.
IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC, SPANISH, JAPANESE, AND BERBER WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Oct. 2, 3
El Norte The North (1983 - USA/UK). Directed by Gregory Nava. [R] 139 mins.
Mayan Indian peasants, tired of being thought of as nothing more than "brazos fuertes" ("strong arms", i.e., manual laborers) and organizing in an
effort to improve their lot in life, are discovered by the Guatemalan army. After the army destroys their village and family, a brother and sister,
teenagers who just barely escaped the massacre, decide they must flee to "the North." After receiving clandestine help from friends and humorous
advice from a veteran immigrant on strategies for traveling through Mexico, they make their way by truck, bus and other means to Los Angeles, where
they try to make a new life as young, uneducated, and illegal immigrants.
IN SPANISH AND MAYA WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES AND IN ENGLISH
Oct. 9, 10
Le Peuple migrateur Winged Migration (2001 - France). Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud. [NR] 98 mins.
Documentary film offering a bird's eye view of the migratory patterns of geese, storks, and cranes shot over the course of three years on all seven
continents. Bad weather, hunters, and pollution take their toll as these flocks of birds work their way towards Antarctica, the summer destination.
The search for food, good weather, and a place to hatch their young takes this annual cycle of stamina across continents and oceans.
SPARE NARRATION IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Oct. 23, 24
A Day without a Mexican (2004 - USA/Mexico/Spain). Directed by Sergio Arau. [R] 100 mins.
A thick fog surrounds California's borders, communication beyond state lines is cut off, and Mexicans begin to disappear: workers, spouses, and
business owners are missing. Cars are abandoned in the streets and food is left cooking on the stove. We meet the wife of a musician who's gone, a
state Senator whose maid doesn't show up for work, and a farm owner whose produce is ripe and unpicked. Where have all the Mexicans gone? Even the
border guards grieve as the state and its economy grind to a halt.
IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Oct. 30, 31
The Terminal (2004 - USA). Directed by Steven Spielberg. [PG-13] 128 mins.
Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a traveler from a fictitious Eastern European country who spends a year stranded in the International Arrivals
Terminal at Kennedy Airport. On his arrival to the terminal he discovers that during the flight, his country's government has been overthrown,
invalidating his passport and thus leaving him stranded and stateless. Over the next nine months, Viktor is forced to live in the terminal building,
unable either to set foot into the United States or to return home. He befriends the staff at the terminal, including a flight attendant, while
under the watchful eye of an obsessive Immigration Officer.
IN ENGLISH
Nov. 6, 7
Habana Blues (2005 - Spain/Cuba/France). Directed by Benito Zambrano. [R] 115 mins.
The film tells the story of two young musicians in Cuba, Ruy and Tito, whose music is a mix of traditional Cuban music and romantic ballads, rap,
rock, and reggae. When they get a chance at an international breakthrough through a Spanish record company, they must struggle with several
dilemmas. They are forced to make choices between love of country, family, and the purity of the creative process on the one hand and financial
necessity and the desire for fame on the other.
IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Nov. 13, 14
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002 - Australia). Directed by Philip Noyce. [PG] 94 mins.
This is the true story of Molly Craig, a young black Australian girl who leads her younger sister and cousin in an escape from an official
government camp, set up as part of a policy to train them as domestic workers and integrate them into white society. With grit and determination
Molly guides the girls on an epic journey, one step ahead of the authorities, over 1,500 miles of Australia's outback in search of the rabbit-proof
fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home.
IN ABORIGINAL WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES AND IN ENGLISH
Nov. 20, 21
Flores de otro mundo Flowers From Another World (1999 - Spain). Directed by Icíar Bollaín. [R] 108 mins.
Balancing sweetness, poignancy, and hope, this film addresses racism, the difficulties in the search for companionship and the meaning of family
through the lens of a small rural village in Spain. In this remote village overrun by bachelors, a group of vibrant women arrive by bus to try their
hand at romance. Director Icíar Bollaín charts the bonds that form between three couples - a middle-aged builder and a Cuban gold
digger, a harried daughter and her sensitive suitor, and a man and woman who are both inextricably tied to their respective hometowns.
IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Dec. 4, 5
Balseros Rafters (2002 - Spain). Directed by Josep Maria Doménech and Carlos Bosch. [NR] 120 mins.
A heartrending yet triumphant account of seven Cuban refugees and their families, who risked their lives in homemade rafts to reach the United
States. While Presidents Bill Clinton and Fidel Castro argued over the closing of Cuba's coats in the summer of 1994, nearly 50,000 balseros set out
towards the coast of Florida, navigating the shark-infested waters on vessels made of wood, nails, and tar. Spanning seven years within the complex
and fascinating lives of these Cuban survivors, the documentary film weaves the rafters' odyssey with footage of their families' reactions, offering
insights into the pain, drama, and adventure of the immigrant experience.
IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
