BELVEDERE continues series
The following film capsules describing the selections of this year’s Global Lens series were sent to C-U Blogfidential last month by Karen Hewitt, Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois. Unfortunately they arrived right before the play date for opening movie OPERA JAWA so we didn’t have time to post them in tandem, although you will find the bare-bones details listed in the weekly C-U Biz-en-scène column as a reminder. That said, the series’ next entry, BELVEDERE, will play at the University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, at 5:30 later tonight, Thursday, March 17, so be sure to check out this and future titles for your international cinema fix! Admission is free.
~ Jason Pankoke
p.s. We’re flattered Ms. Hewitt found CUBlog worthy enough to entrust us with the information. What about all the other UIUC departments that schedule film screenings and filmmaker appearances we rarely find out about until right before or right after they occur? If you’re reading this, now you know how to contact us!
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GLOBAL LENS 2001 Film Series
1. Thursday, February 17th, 2011
OPERA JAWA, dir. Garin Nugroho, Indonesia, 2006
Setyo and Siti live a peaceful life as husband and wife, selling earthenware in their village. But when Setyo is called away on business, a flirtatious butcher, Ludiro, takes advantage of Siti’s loneliness to seduce her. Tempted by song and dance, Siti initially refuses his advances but acquiesces in a moment of weakness, setting the stage for an epic battle between the two men.
Global Lens 2011 will present the award-winning visual masterpiece, OPERA JAWA as part of the Initiative’s retrospective program, Chairman’s Choice, which was established in 2009 to re-introduce exceptional films from the Global Lens Collection for theatrical exhibition. OPERA JAWA originally appeared in Global Lens 2008.
2. Thursday, March 17th, 2011
BELVEDERE, dir. Ahmed Imamović, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2010
Fifteen years after the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims during the Balkan conflict, a determined widow searching for the remains of her husband and son quietly attempts to rebuild her life by caring for her troubled extended family.
3. Thursday, April 21, 2011
DOOMAN RIVER, dir. Zhang Lu, China, 2009
Two boys on opposite sides of the Chinese-Korean border strike a playful friendship that comes under scrutiny and strain after a series of thefts in a nearby town lead Chinese residents to cast suspicion on North Korean refugees.
4. Thursday, May 19, 2011
THE INVISIBLE EYE (LA MIRADA INVISIBLE), dir. Diego Lerman, Argentina, 2010
Against the backdrop of Argentina’s mid-80s military regime, an overzealous young teacher develops an unusual obsession with one of her students after she is asked to keep a watchful “eye” over the happenings at an elite Buenos Aires private school.
5. Thursday, June 16, 2011
THE LIGHT THIEF (SVET-AKE), dir. Aktan Arym Kubat, Kyrgyzstan, 2010
A humble electrician intent on enlivening his windswept valley with electricity unwittingly strikes a deal with a rich politician whose corrupt ambitions threaten to upend the electrician’s dream to build windmills in his village.
6. Thursday, July 21, 2011
SOUL OF SAND (PAIRON TALLE), dir. Sidharth Srinivasan, India, 2010
A watchman at an abandoned mine is drawn into a bizarre triangle after a wealthy landlord’s daughter and her lower-caste lover seek refuge from a masked killer wreaking havoc across the Indian countryside.
7. Thursday, August 18, 2011
STREET DAYS (QUCHIS DGEEBI), dir. Levan Koguashvili, Georgia, 2010
A well-meaning heroin addict whose life and status seem to worsen by the day, finds himself caught between serving a prison sentence and selling out the son of his former classmate.
8. Thursday, September 15, 2011
THE TENANTS (OS INQUILINOS), dir. Sérgio Bianchi, Brazil, 2009
After three mysterious men move into a smoky São Paulo suburb, a neighboring couple becomes obsessed with the men’s clandestine activities and the ozone of violence that descends upon their once-tranquil neighborhood.
9. Thursday, October 20, 2011
A USEFUL LIFE (LA VIDA ÚTIL), dir. Federico Veiroj, Uruguay, 2010
After financial troubles and a dwindling audience force an art-house cinema to shut its doors permanently, its most devoted employee is suddenly left without a “home” and forced to adjust to life outside of the theater.
10. Thursday, November 17, 2011
WHITE MEADOWS (KESHTZAR HAYE SEPID), dir. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2009
Rowing through the salty waters of a vast marsh, a boatman quietly collects and combines the tears and confessions of nearby island residents into a dreamlike mythology of modern Iran.
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CONTACT:
Karen Hewitt
Outreach Coordinator
Center for Global Studies
University of Illinois
303 International Studies Bldg., MC-402
910 South Fifth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
217-244-0288
khewitt@illinois.edu
http://cgs.illinois.edu