Eight Films to be Presented in University of Richmond's Spring International Film Series
January 22, 2004
Eight films representing the cinema of countries ranging from Finland to Iran comprise the spring schedule of the 15th annual International Film Series at the University of Richmond, Jan. 22-March 28.
Each film will be shown three times: Thursdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. in Jepson Hall 118, and Fridays at 3 p.m. in Boatwright Library's Adams Auditorium. (The March 18 and 25 screenings will be at Adams Auditorium.) All screenings are free and open to the public.
The series kicks off with 2003 Academy Award nominee for best foreign film, "The Man Without a Past" (Jan. 22, 23 and 25; Finland). A man must start his life anew when he is brutally mugged and loses his memory on his way to Helsinki to find work. On his travels to rebuild his life, the man encounters a whole set of quirky townspeople, including a helpful and lovely Salvation Army officer.
"The Cuckoo" (Jan. 29, 30 and Feb. 1; Russia), directed by Alexander Rogozhkin and starring Ville Haapsalo, won best director and best actor awards at the 2002 Moscow International Film Festival. It tells a story of a Finnish army sniper and Russian army officer who are protected by a Lapp woman near the end of World War II. Unable to speak each other's languages, they form an unusual friendship that illustrates the film's subtle anti-war message.
"Time of Favor" (Feb. 5, 6 and 8; Israel), the first feature film by U.S.-born writer-director Joseph Cedar, deals with love, faith in religion and duty to country through the eyes of a passionate woman and two best friends in an Orthodox Jewish settlement on the West Bank. Cedar describes the plot as "part love story, part thriller and part anti-hate polemic."
Winner of five Donatello awards, "The Last Kiss" (Feb. 12, 13 and 15; Italy) depicts how a young man's life is thrown into a tailspin when his longtime girlfriend announces she is pregnant. As he faces up to his anxieties, three of his buddies must also grapple with their own adult responsibilities.
"Waiting for Happiness" (Feb. 12, 20 and 22; Mauritania) won a FIPRESCI Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The film tells the story of a West African student who goes home before emigrating to Europe, only to find that he has forgotten the local language. Visually stimulating with a plethora of colors in clothing, desert and sea, it warns of the changes that threaten to destroy centuries-old ways of life.
Directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's work "The Son" (Feb. 26, 27 and 29; France) depicts how a middle-aged teacher of carpentry takes on an apprentice and builds a relationship with him that helps the teacher move on from the death of his son five years earlier.
"Djomeh" (March 18, 19 and 21; Iran), directed by Hassan Yektapanah and winner of the Camera d'Or for best first feature at the 2000 Cannes festival, captures the mountainous grandeur of remote Iran in the story of a lovelorn Afghan immigrant farm worker. The title character falls in love with a local shop girl and looks to his employer for help to win her over.
The spring series will end with "Open Hearts" (March 25, 26 and 28; Denmark). The film follows the guidelines of Dogma 95, the manifesto of a group of Scandinavian filmmakers, which requires the director to use only natural light and sound, shoot with hand-held digital cameras, employ no superficial action and create emotional immediacy. A romantic comedy turned relationship drama, the film tells the story of an auto accident that brings together two couples.
For more information about the International Film Series, visit
www.richmond.edu/is/library/mrc/ifilm.html.
For directions and a campus map, visit www.richmond.edu/about/directions,
and for parking information, call (804) 289-8703.