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International Cinema at Eckerd College
Films are screened in the Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium. All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise
stated. No tickets required. Eckerd College is located at 4200 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida. Click here for driving directions and maps to Eckerd College. For further information, please contact the Eckerd College Office of Communications at 727-864-7979.
Voted "Best Local Film Series" by Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay 2007.
Spring Semester 2008
February 22, 2008, 7:00 pm
 The Last Winter
Directed by Larry Fessenden, Horror/Thriller, 107 min., 2006.
In the Arctic tundra of Northern Alaska, an advance team working for a petroleum exploration company is engaged in a massive project to exploit the oil resources of the pristine land. After one crewmember is found dead, a disorientation slowly claims the sanity of the other members of the team as each of them succumbs to an unknown fear.
This creeping dread bursts open when a malevolent wind brings down a plane that approaches the station. Explosions and carnage wreak havoc on the team and all functions fail in the camp, forcing two of the members out into the cold on a desperate bid for survival. As the two journey to find help, they find themselves utterly alone in a world that is unraveling- either they are being stalked by an invisible herd of menacing phantoms, or they are going mad. Starring Ron Perlman, James Le Gros and Connie Britton. Contemporary World Cinema Selection, 2006 Toronto International Film Festival; Official Selection, 2007 International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2007 Seattle International Film Festival, 2007 Melbourne International Film Festival, 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival. Synopsis from Antidote Films website.
February 29, 2008, 7:00 pm
The Shape of the Moon (Stand van de maan)
Directed by Leonard Retel-Helmrich, Documentary, Indonesian, 92 min., 2004.
Part of the Environmental Film Festival
In this vivid follow up to The Eye of the Day (2001), director Leonard Retel Helmrich again visits Indonesia through three generations of the Sjamsuddin family. Rumidjah, a 62 year-old Catholic widow, lives in a working-class district of Jakarta, with her son Bakti, a new Muslim convert, and her granddaughter Tari. Since the fall of Suharto, she has witnessed the country pass through a period of socio-political chaos. Islam, Indonesia's largest religion, is trying to maintain order and discipline, while becoming increasingly fundamentalist in its tone. These changes and conflicts with her son make Rumidjah long for life in the simple country village of her birth. Mother and son's good-natured quarrels take place against the background of anti-US demonstrations and an Islamic neighborhood watch. In this way the film continually connects small issues with large ones. Winner of the Joris Ivens Award, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam; Grand Prize, World Cinema Documentary, Sundance Film Festival.
Synopsis from Chicago International Documentary Festival website.
The following films are part of "Surrealism and the Avant-Garde" in film, screened in conjunction with the "Dali and Film" exhibit at the Salvador Dali Museum.
March 7, 2008, 7:00 pm
 A Zed and Two Noughts
Directed by Peter Greenaway, in English, 115 min., 1985.
The tale begins when a car wreck involving a rare swan kills the wife of a doctor (who has a twin brother, also a doctor). The brothers then form an unusual and strangely close relationship with the woman who was driving the car, now an amputee. Meanwhile, they organize elaborate studies on the decomposition of animals.
March 14 and 21 - No films scheduled due to Spring Recess
March 28, 2008, 7:00 pm
 Un Chien Andalou
Directed by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, in French, 16 min., 1929.
In a dream-like sequence, a woman's eye is slit open - juxtaposed with a similarly shaped cloud obscuring the moon moving in the same direction as the knife through the eye - to grab the audience's attention. The French phrase "ants in the palms," (which means that someone is "itching" to kill) is shown literally. A shot of differently striped objects is repeatedly used to connect scenes.
 That Obscure Object of Desire
Directed by Luis Bunuel, in French and Spanish, 104 min., 1977.
Luis Buñuel's last film is a celebration of the vigor of sexual obsession and the sovereignty of the subconscious. From the instant Mathieu (Fernando Rey) lays eyes on Conchita (played by both Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina), he cannot help but pursue this beautiful and unknowable young woman. She remains just outside his grasp, teasing him with the promise of fulfilled desire while always, finally, denying him the pleasure he wants. As Mathieu becomes more distraught, he resorts to extreme emotional blackmail by threatening to have her deported from France. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, an anarchic guerrilla group, is blowing up everything in sight. Nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Foreign Language Film.
April 4, 2008, 7:00 pm
 Werckmeister Harmonies
Directed by Bela Tarr, in Hungarian, 145 min., 2000.
In a nameless, frozen, Eastern European village cloaked in fog, an innocent young man choreographs three grizzly drunks in a pantomime of the earth circling the sun and the moon circling the earth. He freezes his actors and describes a total eclipse of the sun; the world grinds to a halt in momentary fear until the warmth of the sun again blankets the earth. On his errands in the wintry wee hours, he hears his neighbors worry about the severe coal shortage, the disappearance of entire families, and the impending riot. He watches as a truck lumbers into town, pulling an enormous corrugated shed behind it. Inside is a stuffed whale. The most gigantic ever seen.
April 11, 2008, 7:00 pm
 Fallen Angels
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai, in Cantonese, 90 min., 1995.
A disillusioned killer embarks on his last hit but first he has to overcome his affections for his cool, detached partner. Thinking it’s dangerous and improper to become involved with a colleague he sets out to find a surrogate for his affections. Against the sordid and surreal urban nightscape (set in contemporary Hong Kong), he crosses paths with a strange drifter looking for her mysterious ex-boyfriend and an amusing mute trying to get the world's attention in his own unconventional ways.
April 18, 2008, 7:00 pm
 A Few Kilos of Dates for a Funeral
Directed by Saman Salour
Farsi with English subtitles, 85 min., 2006.
A black comedy set in a nearly abandoned petrol station in the wintry Iranian desert, where three lonely men struggle to find someone or something that will bring comfort to their lives. Iran proves once again to be a source of vital and rich cinematic work -- with this film whose deadpan style and deceptive simplicity might be best compared to some of the early work of Jim Jarmusch.
April 25, 2008, 7:00 pm
 Funky Forest
Directed by Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki, and ANIKI
Japanese with English Subtitles, 150 min., 2005.
An avant-garde science fiction musical comedy television network film - like surfing through the cable channels on another planet whose inhabitants are humanoids who appear to be Japanese. Bad comedians, bizarre dance routines, a show and tell classroom, a canine director of animated films, aliens who hope to take over the world, geeky brothers, a funky forest that delivers otherworldly pop, and lots more go into this almost indescribably odd and hilarious film from the maker of The Taste of Tea.
Fall Semester 2007
September 28, 2007, 7:00 pm
 Adam's Apples
Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, English, 89 min., Rated R, 2007.
Sentenced to community service at a small, countryside church, Adam, a middle-aged neo-Nazi, is warmly welcomed by the cheerful vicar, Ivan. Although Adam is crude, full of hostility, and clearly beyond redemption, Ivan encourages him to choose a goal that will occupy his time there. When Adam dismissively replies that he will bake an apple pie, Ivan assigns him the task of nurturing the church's lone apple tree. If by the time this unassuming tree has been attacked by crows, infested with maggots, and struck by lightning, you are not reasonably certain it has become the battleground for a fiercely irreverent struggle between good and evil, then you have not had the pleasure of meeting an Anders Thomas Jensen film. An Official Selection of the Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival.
October 5, 2007, 7:00 pm
 No End in Sight
Directed and produced by Charles Ferguson, English, 122 min., no MPAA rating, 2007.
Based on over 200 hours of footage, No End in Sight provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003) as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
October 12 , 2007, 7:00 pm
 Syndromes and a Century (Sang Sattawat)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai with English subtitles, 104 min., 2006.
A film in two parts which sometimes echo each other. The two central characters are inspired by the filmmaker's parents, in the years before they became lovers. The first part focuses on a woman doctor, and is set in a space reminiscent of the world in which the filmmaker was born and raised. The second part focuses on a male doctor, and is set in a more contemporary space much like the world in which the filmmaker presently lives. Pearls of wisdom, descriptions of syndromes and fragments of time crystallize in luminous atmospheres and dot the modern architecture of the film, creating a charming, quiet incantation. One of seven films commissioned for the Weiner Mozart New Crowned Hope Festival, Vienna 2006.
October 19, 2007, 7:00 pm
 This is England
Directed by Shane Meadows, 102 min., 2007.
This Is England tells the story of Shaun, a 12-year-old kid growing up without a father in the North of England. Set during the summer holidays of 1983, we chart his rites of passage from scruffy misfit grieving the loss of his father into a shaven-headed thug whose anger and pain are embraced by the local skinhead fraternity. With a shell of a mother and no father to guide him, Shaun seems set for self-destruction, but it's not long before things turn sour with his new-found 'friends' and Shaun soon learns that violence is the coward's answer. Winner of Best Film category, British Independent Film Awards.
October 26, 2007 - No film due to fall break
November 2, 2007, 7:00 pm
 Paprika
An animated film directed by Satoshi Kon, Japanese with English subtitles, 90 min., Rated R, 2007.
Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a genius scientist by day, and a dream warrior named Paprika by night. In this psychedelic sci-fi adventure, it will take the skills of both women to save the world... In the near future, a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment called PT has been invented. Through a device called the "DC Mini" it is able to act as a dream detective to enter into people's dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts. Before the government can pass a bill authorizing the use of such advanced psychiatric technology, one of the prototypes is stolen, sending the research facility into an uproar. In the wrong hands, the potential misuse of the devise could be devastating, allowing the user to completely annihilate a dreamer's personality while they are asleep. Renowned scientist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, enters the dream world under her exotic alter-ego, code name " Paprika," in an attempt to discover who is behind the plot to undermine the new invention.
November 9, 2007, 7:00 pm
 Blame it on Fidel (La Faute a Fidel)
Directed by Julie Gavras, French English subtitles, 104 min., 2006.
Nine-year-old Anna is a feisty Parisian girl who is forced to assimilate cataclysmic changes when her parents decide to devote themselves full time to radical activism. It is 1970-71, and Anna's father is fighting to redistribute wealth in Chile, while her mother doggedly researches a book on women's abortion ordeals. Meanwhile, Anna, kicking and screaming, must adjust to refugee nannies with strange cooking habits, a cramped apartment filled with noisy, scruffy revolutionaries, and the humiliation of no longer being allowed to attend her beloved catechism class.
November 16, 2007, 7:00 pm
 Un Mundo Maravilloso (A Wonderful World)
Directed by Luis Estrada, Spanish with English subtitles, 118 min., 2006.
After a world conference on poverty declares there are no more poor people in Mexico, a homeless beggar named Juan Perez becomes a national hero through an accidental and humorous twist of fate. A high-level government official seizes an opportunity to exploit the media by using Perez for political gain. His actions and those that follow, set off a unique and unconventional chain of events. This dark political satire takes audiences on a funny and illuminating journey, highlighted by superb production design and cinematography.
Co-sponsored by Deluna Productions. Filmmaker Luis Estrada will be present to introduce and discuss the film.
Previous Films
September 7, 2007, 7:00 pm
 Black Book
Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Dutch, German, English and Hebrew with English subtitles, 145 min., Rated R, 2007.
During WWII, Rachel Steinn (Carice van Houten) is a Jewish singer forced to flee her home. After a daring escape, she sets up a new identity for herself to avoid being captured and killed by the Germans. Rachel then quickly joins the resistance and infiltrates a Nazi stronghold, but when the underground's plans are betrayed by a traitor within its own ranks, Rachel becomes the number one suspect. A 2006 Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection.
September 14, 2007, 7:00 pm
 In Between Days
Directed by So Yong Kim, Korean and English with English subtitles, 82 min., 2006.
Aimie, a newly arrived Korean immigrant teenager, has fallen in love with her best and only friend, Tran. She tries to express her feelings for him, but is scared of losing their friendship. Their misunderstood affection for each other creates a delicate relationship that is challenged by the demands of living in a new country. To spend more time with Tran, Aimie drops out of her English class, which she is failing. She fights against her mother who wants to remarry and then realizes she's losing Tran to an Americanized Korean girl. Aimie's world becomes more isolated, until she is forced to look inside herself for answers. 2006 Winner of the Special Jury Price for Independent Vision at the Sundance Film Festival and 2006 Winner of FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at the Berlin Film Festival Forum.
September 21, 2007, 7:00 pm
 The Boss Of It All
A comedy directed by Lars Von Trier, Danish with English subtitles, 99 min., no MPAA rating, 2006.
The owner of IT firm wants to sell up. There is just one problem: back when he started the firm he invented a fictitious boss to hide behind when there were unpopular decisions to make. The would-be buyers insist on negotiating with the boss in the flesh and so the owner resorts to employing a down-at-heel actor to play the part. Suddenly the actor discovers that he is a pawn in a game that sorely tests his (lack of) moral fiber.
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