Great International Films in 3 Action Packed Days: Admission $8. Special deal buy 3 and get a 4th ticket free!

Friday, November 5th

7:30 pm: Besouro (Brazil/2009)

Directed by João Daniel Tikhomiroff, BESOURO is an action movie set in 1920s Bahia, the story of a legendary Capoeira fighter who uses the power of Candomble to fight the harsh conditions, which, even post-abolition, the black population endured in Brazil. With action director Huan-Chiu Ku (Kill Bill, Matrix) the film promises spectacular stunt sequences and a soundtrack featuring Gilberto Gil, Naná Vasconcelos, Rica Amabis, Tejo and Naçao Zumbi’s Pupillo.

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Saturday, November 6th

1:00 pm: Africa First Short Films (South Africa, Kenya, Senegal/2009)

THE TUNNEL directed by Jenna Bass, 2009 South Africa, 24 min. A war drama told from a young girl’s point of view; PUMZI directed by Wanuri Kahiu, 2009 Kenya, 20 min. A young scientist strives to preserve the last seed; ST. LOUIS BLUES directed by Dyana Gaye, 2009 Senegal, 48 min. Commuters wait for a taxi and burst into song and dance in modern day Dakar Senegal. All of these films were produced through anew program by Focus Features called Africa First, where each year five African filmmakers receive funding and production support to create short films. Filmmakers Jenna Bass, Wanuri Kahiu,& Dyana Gaye participated in the inaugural year of the program.

3:30 pm: Pushing the Elephant (USA/2010)
Q&A with the film's producer, Angela Tucker, to follow screening

An intimate documentary set against the backdrop of the 1998 conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, PUSHING THE ELEPHANT tells the story of Rose Mapendo, who was separated during the conflict from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. Rose survived the atrocities of those years and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona, with her other children. Now, after 12 years apart, Rose and her daughter Nangabire are reunited in the US. Through the story of their reunion, we come to understand the excruciating decisions Rose made in order to survive and the complex difficulties Nangabire faces as a refugee in the US—torn between her painful past and a hopeful future.

7:30 pm: Hipsters (Russia/2009)

The film chronicles the 1950s conflict between Russia's communist government authorities bent on keeping all things Soviet, "normal" Russians primarily interested in surviving for one more day, and teens craving American pop culture -- the "stilyagi" or "hipsters." Hipsters is a lush rebel-with-a-cause musical chock full of intricately choreographed, toe-tapping numbers and plenty of none-too-subtle social commentary. The plot takes many unexpected twists and turns as it celebrates the uneasy Cold War romance between East and West. Resplendent costumes and sets clash with the grey, rain-slicked streets of Moscow, offering a glittering indictment of Soviet values. Director Todorovsky splashes the screen with vivid colour and energy in a giddy and broad ode to the timeless themes of love and freedom.

Sunday, November 7th

1:00 pm: My Tehran For Sale (Iran/Australia/2009)

Marzieh-- an Iranian terminally ill actress-- wearily relates her desperate quest for political asylum through a series of interviews with an unsympathetic Australian government official. A rare film where the significance of sisterly familial and friendship ties is just as important as romantic ones. Set against the backdrop of Tehran’s thriving arts culture, and framed through a series of artful and dramatic flashback sequences, poet-turned-filmmaker Granaz Moussavi boldly registers the trials of a modern woman struggling to flourish in Iran’s contemporary political climate.

3:00 pm: 8th Wonderland (France/2008)

Come and experience this unique Science Fiction tour de force. There exists a virtual country on the internet, its name: 8th WONDERLAND. Every week, each inhabitant of 8th WONDERLAND gives one euro. Every week, they vote for a different motion by referendum. Should one be adopted, the inhabitants of this virtual country take it upon themselves to apply it to the real world. They have only one line of conduct: to improve things. But traditional nation states are not happy about the existence of this cyber power. How do you fight a country that doesn't exist?

5:00 pm: The Shaft (China/2008) 

The story of a tightly knit family that lives in a mining town is told in three sections. The film shows the impact of mining on the delicate ecology of the family system. A visually stunning film, remarkable for its simplicity and depth. In western China, the stories of a father and his two children intersect and intertwine, illuminating complicated relationships hidden beneath the community’s hardened exterior. Accused of an affair with her manager, the daughter of the household finds herself spurned by her boyfriend and forced to accept an arranged marriage. Her brother dreams of being a singer, but after an unfortunate mistake his dreams are deferred.  The father on the verge of retiring from the mines, hopes for a better future for his children and decides to pursue one of his own desires. Writer-director Zhang Chi’s wise and poetic debut delicately expresses the struggles and triumphs of a working class existence.