Sundays, 2 PM, Kerr McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business
NW 27th Street and McKinley Ave, Â鶹´«Ã½ City, OK 73106
A discussion session follows each film for those who wish to stay
Free Admission, Donations Appreciated
Director: Dr. Harbour Winn, [email protected] | Coordinator: Bryan Kimmey
For More Information, Call (405) 208-5472
September 22, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Cate Shortland’s Lore, Germany (2012), 109 Min.
Spring 1945—the German resistance collapses. As the Allied forces sweep across the land, five children find themselves abandoned to an uncertain fate with their Nazi parents imprisoned. Lore, the eldest, Saskia Rosendahl, takes charge of her younger siblings, embarking on a journey across a devastated country. On the road, they struggle to survive the punishing post-war conditions as Lore begins to understand the reality and consequences of her Nazi parents’ actions, their support of the atrocities of the Holocaust.
October 6, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Nabil Ayouch’s Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets, Morocco (2000), 90 Min.
Winner of over 40 international film festival awards, Ali Zaoua features children from the streets of Casablanca, a far cry from the iconic images of the legendary film Casablanca. Director Ayouch's compassion toward the children and their plight is evident in every frame of the film as he contrasts their stark reality with the fantastic dream world to which they seek to escape. The most acclaimed Moroccan film ever made and a splendid example of cinematic magical realism. The first film from this country in the Film Institute’s history.
October 20, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Lorraine Levy’s The Other Son, France (2012), 105 Min.
As he prepares to join the Israeli army for his national service, Joseph discovers he is not who he thinks he is. This revelation turns the lives of a Tel Aviv Israeli family and a West Bank Palestinian family upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, values and beliefs. A tender, warm and heartfelt drama grounded in humanism and well-nuanced acting. This film’s screening is timed to connect with Eboo Patel’s speech on campus in the Â鶹´«Ã½ Distinguished Speaker Â鶹´«Ã½ event, Oct. 23.
November 3, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine, South Korea (2007), 142 Min.
Sin-ae moves with her son to Miryang, the town where her dead husband was born. She settles in, trying to make friends among the suspicious locals, but attracting only the unwelcome attention of a shambling mechanic. As she sets out on new foundations, another tragic event overturns her life. Jeon Do-yeon's magnificent performance as Sin-ae won her Best Actress at Cannes. This film along with Poetry, shown in the Film Institute two years ago, ranks Lee Chang dong as one of the world’s greatest living directors. More truth and wisdom emerges from Secret Sunshine than most films about faith and hope.
January 26, 2014, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Francisco Vargas’ The Violin, Mexico (2006), 98 Min.
The most internationally awarded Mexican film in history and the most requested film on last year’s evaluation forms, The Violin detailes the struggle between the peasants and military in 1970s-era Mexico. Don Plutarco (Angel Tavira) is a dignified elder who makes his living as a traveling musician. On the side, he secretly smuggles weapons and supplies to the freedom fighters attempting to overthrow the oppressive regime. When he returns to his hometown to find that it has been occupied by the army in his absence, the drama begins.
February 9, 2014, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Mohammad Rasoulof’s The White Meadows, Iran (2009), 93 Min.
In this dreamlike yet earthbound film, Rahmat the boatman navigates the increasingly salty waters of a coastal land, collecting the heartaches and tears of its inhabitants. But does he remain powerless against their attempts to appease the gods and make the land green again? Drawing firsthand on the challenges faced by Iranian artists of today, writer-director Rasoulof’s deeply atmospheric and poetical film is an allegory of intolerance, brutality and mystified routine that resonates far beyond any one state’s borders. Like Jafar Panahi, who edited this film, director Rasoulof has been harassed by his government. Directed Iron Island: shown in a past Film Institute. Another great Iranian film, the country once again most requested on last year’s film evaluations.
February 23, 2014, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Rajnesh Domalpalli’s Vanaja, India (2007), 112 Min.
Set in rural South India, a place where social barriers are built stronger than fort walls, Vanaja explores the chasm that divides Â鶹´«Ã½ as a young girl struggles to come of age. Only 14 years old, she goes to work in the house of the local landlady in hopes of learning Kuchipudi dance. Vanaja is not only Domalpalli’s first feature film but also his Thesis at Columbia. The film won 32 International Awards, including the Best First Feature at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival.
March 9, 2014, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies, Canada (2010), 130 Min.
In this highly acclaimed suspense thriller in French and Arabic, a mother’s dying wish creates a painful puzzle her children are forced to solve. At the reading of their mother's will, twins Jeanne and Simon are given instructions to travel to Lebanon to piece together the story of the woman who brought them into the world, only to make a shocking discovery. Villeneuve's screen adaptation of a play by a Lebanese-Canadian playwright tells a story of courage, cruelty, family mysteries and a chain of anger that can only be broken by love. This hauntingly enigmatic Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee unfolds backward and forward in time as a riveting, intricate mystery story.
During this series, Eboo Patel’s book Acts of Faith will provide direction and reflection for our cross-cultural study. The book will be available at the film showings and Full Circle Bookstore.
Admission to the eight-film series is free, but donations help sustain the Institute's mission. Donations can be made at each film or mailed to the Â鶹´«Ã½ Film Institute Endowment at Â鶹´«Ã½ City University or the Â鶹´«Ã½ Film Institute’s Designated Endowment in the Community Foundation of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. Â鶹´«Ã½ City University and the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund for the university’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature also support the Institute.
