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Fall Semester 2009

September 11, 2009, 7:00 pm

Tokyo Sonata
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, in Japanese, 120 min., 2008.

One of the finest living filmmakers, Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is usually associated with supernatural and psychological horror films. Here he turns his lens to the inner workings and unraveling of an ordinary family, after the father loses his job and decides not to convey this fact.

September 18, 2009, 7:00 pm

Sin Nombre
Directed by Cary Fukunaga, in Spanish, 96 min., 2009.

Seeking the promise of America, a beautiful young Honduran woman, Sayra (Paulina Gaytan), joins her father and uncle on a dangerous odyssey to cross the gauntlet of the Latin American countryside en route to the United States. An intense and award-winning debut film by Cary Fukunaga.

Sunday, September 20, 2009, 7:00 pm

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Directed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain, in English and Spanish, 74 min., 2003

(film screening, book signing and discussion with the Executive Producer of the film, Rod Stoneman)

A television crew from Ireland's national broadcaster happened to be in Venezuela creating a documentary about President Hugo Chavez during the 2002 coup which briefly deposed him. The documentary that emerged, exploring the complex roots of the situation as well as the distortions in the media coverage, received both high praise from critics and a great deal of controversy. The executive producer of the documentary, Rod Stoneman, has recently published a book (as an accompaniment to the film) detailing the facts that led up to the coup. He will be here to introduce the film and lead a discussion about documentary filmmaking, and also to sign copies of the book (which includes a copy of the film).

September 25, 2009, 7:00 pm

You, the Living
Directed by Roy Andersson, in Swedish, 95 min., 2007.

Swedish director Roy Andersson explores the absurdity of life and death in a series of surreal vignettes, in this critically acclaimed feature film.

October 2, 2009, 7:00 pm

Food, Inc.
Directed by Robert Kenner, in English, 94 min., 2009.

How much do we know about what we eat? How much do we want to know? Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner explores surprising and shocking truths about the American food industry, and considers what we as consumers can do about it.

October 9, 2009, 7:00 pm

35 Shots of Rum
Directed by Claire Denis, in French and German, 100 min., 2008.

Claire Denis' latest film is a subtle exploration of an unconventional family. Lionel is a widower, who lives at home with his daughter and his ex-wife, and has devoted his life to raising his daughter, and finds it difficult to see her growing up.

October 16, 2009, 7:00 pm

24 City
Directed by Jia Zhangke, in Mandarin, 112 min., 2008.

Once again Jia Zhangke, one of China's most consistently inventive independent filmmakers, combines documentary and fiction in this exploration of the demolition of a state-owned factory.

October 23, 2009, 7:00 pm - No film, Fall break

October 30, 2009 - Halloween Creature Double Feature: Canadian Zombies and Korean Vampires!

7:00 pm
Pontypool
Directed by Bruce McDonald, in English, 96 min., 2009.

As he broadcasts his daily show from the local radio station in the small Ontario town of Pontypool, shock jock Grant Mazzy discovers some strange things going on. As he reports on the infestation of a strange virus that leads residents to behave violently, he comes to suspect that he is himself spreading it through words.

9:00 pm
Thirst
Directed by Park Chan-Wook, in Korean, 133 min., 2009.

Sang-Hyun, a Roman Catholic priest, develops urgent cravings after he selflessly volunteers to be guinea pig in a dangerous medical experiment.  He resists at first, but thirst has a way of overcoming scruples and vows.  Park Chan-Wook (Old Boy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK) won the Jury Prize and Cannes for this stylish and bloody reinvention of the vampire mythos. 

November 6, 2009, 7:00 pm

Still Walking
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, in Japanese, 114 min., 2008.

Hirokazu Kore-eda (who Directed the masterful Nobody Knows, that was a hit at the International Cinema in 2005), has created a delicate and lovely multigenerational portrait of an extended dysfunctional family.

November 13, 2009, 7:00 pm

Revanche
Directed by Gotz Spielmann, in German and Russian, 121 min., 2008.

Alex and Tamara are in love, but it's not about to work. He robs a bank, in hopes of getting ahead, but everything goes wrong and then the stakes get even higher. A subtle and powerful German thriller by Gotz Spielmann.

November 20, 2009, 7:00 pm

Munyurangabo
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, in Kinyarwanda, 97 min., 2007.

A critically acclaimed drama that explores the friendship between two Rwandan refugees, one of whom is Hutu and the other Tutsi. Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, this film was Directed by Lee Isaac Chung with the collaboration of many local young persons who were taking his filmmaking course in Rwanda.

This film is part of the College Program Series and a prequel event for "The Plight and Promise of Africa: An Eckerd College Initiative," to be launched in 2010.

November 27, 2009, 7:00 pm - No film, Thanksgiving

Spring Semester 2009

February 6, 2009, 7:00 pm

Mind Game
Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, in Japanese, 103 min., 2004.

This mind-bending and innovative Japanese animation feature follows Nishi, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend, on a psychedelic journey to heaven and back, chased by Yakuza. Definitely not for children. Sponsored by the Japan Foundation and coordinated by Eileen Mikals-Adachi, Assistant Professor of Japanese.

February 13, 2009, Asian Hit Men double feature: Ashes of Time Redux and Postman Blues

February 13, 2009, 7:00 pm

Ashes of Time Redux
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai, in Mandarin and Catonese, 93 min., 2008.

Hong Kong Auteur Wong Kar-Wai brings his exuberant and innovative style to the Chinese "Wuxia" (fantastic martial arts, whose best known variant in the West is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) film. Because the initial print of his Ashes of Time was damaged and the edit was rushed, Wong Kar-Wai and collaborator Chris Doyle sat down and cleaned up and reworked the film, adding a bit more coherence to the plot but more importantly restoring some of the most cinematically brilliant sequences ever filmed to life in Ashes of Time Redux.

February 13, 2009, 9:00 pm

Postman Blues
Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka, in Japanese, 110 min., 1997.

Sawaki is a postman, bored with his way of life until it all changes when his old schoolmate, who has just joined the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) smuggles a few items into his friend's bag.  Now the police are after him, and a series of coincidences convince them that this seemingly mild-mannered postal worker is a seriously dangerous man. Sponsored by the Japan Foundation and coordinated by Eileen Mikals-Adachi, Assistant Professor of Japanese.

Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:00 pm

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Directed by by Mikio Naruse, in Japanese w/ English subtitles, 86 min., 1960.

A classic and elegant study of the difficulties that face a widowed woman who hopes to retain her virtue and dignity.

February 20, 2009, 7:00 pm

Silent Light
Directed by Carlos Reygadas, in German, Spanish, French and English, 136 min., 2007.

A Mennonite family is disrupted when the father finds himself unable to let go of his infatuation with another woman. Slow-paced and meditative in style, with stunning visual imagery, the film pays homage to Carl Dreyer's spiritual classic film Ordet.

February 21-28, 2009

Environmental Film Festival

February 27, 2009, 7:00 pm

Tulpan
Directed by Sergey Dvorsevoy, in Kazakh and Russian, 100 min., 2008.

Celebrated Kazakh documentary filmmaker Sergey Dvorsevoy won the Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes for this, his first dramatic feature. Astonishing in its simplicity and for its intimate depiction of rural life, the film is also surprisingly funny. Asa, a young nomad who, having completed his military service, wants to return home and become a sheep farmer. The problem is he must first be married and the only eligible woman within many miles is not interested. Co-sponsored by the Environmental Film Festival.

Thursday, March 5, 2009, 7:00 pm

Cure
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japanese w/ English subtitles, 115 min., 1997.

A police detective investigates a series of murders in which the victims are all marked in the same way, but have quite distinct killers, all of whom are apparently baffled by what they have done. Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of the most consistently inventive of contemporary Japanese filmmakers, and this is widely heralded as among his most intriguing films. Sponsored by the Japan Foundation and coordinated by Eileen Mikals-Adachi, Assistant Professor of Japanese.

March 6, 2009, 7:00 pm

Who Does She Think She Is?
Directed by Pamela Tanner Boll and Nancy Kennedy, in English, 82 min., 2008.

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Pamela Tanner Boll, Who Does She Think She Is? features five fierce women who refuse to choose between being artists and becoming mothers. Through their lives, the film explores the connection between mothering and creativity, partnering and independence, economics and art. Sponsored by the Eckerd College Women's Resource Center and coordinated by Eckerd Alumna Grace-Anne Alfiero ’05.

March 13 and March 20 - Spring Break

March 27, 2009, 7:00 pm

Let the Right One In
Directed by Tomas Alfredson, in Swedish, 114 min., 2008.

Tomas, a lonely kid who tends to be the usual target for bullies, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but strange girl who turns out to be a vampire.

April 3, 2009, 7:00 pm

A Christmas Tale
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin, in French, 150 min., 2008.

By the same director as the International Cinema hit Kings and Queen, his latest employs his playful and experimental cinematic style to examine the strange bonds that exist within a family: funny, absurd, pathetic and tragic by turns.

April 10, 2009 - Good Friday, No Film

April 17, 2009, 7:00 pm

Time Crimes
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo, in Spanish, 92 min., 2008.

An ordinary man accidentally climbs into a time machine, travelling backwards in time nearly an hour.  Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters with unforeseeable consequences. Says International Cinema Series Coordinator Nathan Andersen, "This was easily the most intense and exhilarating film I saw at Sundance 2008."

April 24, 2009, 7:00 pm

My Winnipeg
Directed by Guy Maddin

Inventive Canadian director Guy Maddin reinvents his own childhood in this "docu-fantasia" that combines local and personal  history with surrealist images and metaphorical myths.  "My Winnipeg" is Maddin's most personal film and a truly unique cinematic experience, winning the best Canadian film at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the opening night selection of the Berlin Film Festival's Forum. 

May 1 , 2009, 7:00 pm

Old Partner
Directed by Lee Chung-ryoul
Korean with English subtitles, 77 min., 2008

In the face of technological developments, an old farmer is wedded to his old ways, especially to the aging ox whose impending death leads him to contemplate his own mortality. Knowing the connection he has with the tired ox who has sustained them over 30 years, his wife feels alternates between empathy and jealousy.

Philosophy Professor Nathan Andersen, coordinator of the International Cinema Series, writes, "This was my favorite documentary at the Sundance film festival this year - which happened to be a very good year for documentaries. Old Partner is an easy-paced and meditative cinema-verite documentary, a beautiful and moving piece that didn't get any of the hype of some of the bigger pictures but had more heart and mind to it than anything I've seen in a long time. Seemingly without trying the film manages to be a profound meditation on life and death, on marriage and family, on our relationship with animals and with the land, on changes in the seasons and on the changes that have been wrought in our lifestyles by modern technology."

Fall Semester 2008

September 5, 2008, 7:00 pm

Flight of the Red Balloon
Directed by Hou Hsiao Hsien, in French with English subtitles, 115 min., 2008.

Inspired by Albert Lamorisse's classic "The Red Balloon," Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien tells a subtle tale of lives adrift in Paris. A highlight at the 2007 Cannes, Toronto and New York film festivals. Presented as part of the Tournées Festival.

September 12, 2008, 7:00 pm

Persepolis
Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, in French, English, Farsi and German with subtitles, 95 min., 2007.

Academy Award-nominated for Best Animated Feature in 2007, Persepolis brings to life the poignant (but cleverly told and often amusing) story of a spunky young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Presented as part of the Tournées Festival. Part of Eckerd's College Program Series.

September 19, 2008, 7:00 pm

The Fall
Directed by Tarsem, English, 117 min., 2008.

While recuperating from an attempted suicide, a man befriends a young girl and begins telling her a fantastic story of adventure, but hides from her his real motive. Director Tarsem shot this film on location in 18 different countries in order to create the beautiful and lavish landscape of a child's imagination.

September 26, 2008, 7:00 pm

Misconceptions
Directed by Ron Satlof, English, 95min., 2008.

A religiously conservative, married woman believes she has been directed by God to act as the surrogate mother for the child of a gay couple. Filmed, in part, at Eckerd College.

The screening of /Misconceptions/ is made possible by the Gasparilla International Film Festival in partnership with The Studio@620, WMNF 88.5 fm and Eckerd College.

October 3, 2008, 7:00 pm

War Child
Directed by C. Karim Chrobog, English, 93 min., 2008.

Tells the passionate and moving tale of Emmanuel Jal, an orphan who was forcefully conscripted into the Sudanese army at the age of 7, and has since become a peace activist and rap star, attempting to spread his message of hope and change. Emmanuel will speak at Eckerd on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

October 10, 2008, 7:00 pm

Tell No One
Directed by Guillaume Canet, in French with English subtitles, 125 min., 2006.

In this exciting and dark French thriller full of twists and turns, a man's wife is killed and eight years later evidence is found that connects him to the murder, at the same time as he begins to believe she may still be alive. Presented as part of the Tournées Festival. Part of Eckerd's College Program Series.

October 17, 2008, 7:00 pm

The Last Mistress
Directed by Catherine Breillat, in French w/English subtitles, 104 min., 2008.

A young, penniless nobleman embarks on a dangerous affair with an older married woman, whose passionate and volatile nature threatens to disrupt his plans for a respectable and profitable marriage. Presented as part of the Tournées Festival.

October 24 – No films scheduled due to Fall Recess

October 31, 2008, 7:00 pm

Baghead
Directed by Mark and Jay Duplass, English, 84 min., 2006.

A hilarious and scary slacker comedy about four friends who go to a cabin to write a realistic low-budget horror screenplay, and find that reality can be very frightening.

November 7, 2008, 7:00 pm

The Edge of Heaven
Directed by Fatih Akin, in Turkish and German w/English subtitles, 122 min., 2007.

Winner of the prize for best screenplay at the Cannes film festival, The Edge of Heaven tells the overlapping stories of several individuals whose lives and identities are tied to both Germany and Turkey.

November 14, 2008, 7:00 pm

The Duchess of Langeais
Directed by Jacques Rivette, in French w/English subtitles, 137 min., 2008.

A general in 1820s France, becomes fascinated the Duchess Antoinette de Langeais, who toys with her admirer's feelings in an extended game of thwarted seduction. Presented as part of the Tournées Festival.

November 21, 2008, 7:00 pm

Absurdistan
Directed by Veit Helmer, in German wi/English subtitles, 88 min., 2008.

A romantic comedy about a boy and girl who are destined for each other, but whose union is threatened when the women go on strike until the men decide to do something about the growing water shortages.

November 28 – No films scheduled due to Thanksgiving holiday

December 5, 2008, 7:00 pm

Man on Wire
Directed by James Marsh, English and French, 94 min., 2008.

An intense investigation of French tightrope artist Phillippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire walk between New York City's World Trade Center twin towers in 1974. While the feat has been considered by some "the artistic crime of the century," this film is easily one of the most brilliantly constructed documentaries of the year.

The Tournées Festival was made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC), in collaboration with the Florence Gould Foundation, the Grand Marnier Foundation, highbrow entertainment, agnès b. and the Franco-American Cultural Fund.

Spring Semester 2007

March 9, 7:00 pm

Babel
Tragedy strikes an affluent married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, initiating an interconnected series of stories involving six different families from around the world. This latest collaboration by Mexican director Inarritu and writer Arriaga, stars Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt. (Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, written by Guillermo Arriaga, 35 mm print, Japanese / French / English / Spanish / Berber / Arabic w/ English subtitles, 142 min., Rated R, 2006)

Tuesday, March 13, 5:00 pm

Easy Street
Easy Street is a documentary film on the daily lives of the homeless in St. Petersburg. It profiles the experiences of homelessness from the perspectives of homeless people, focusing on five individuals with varied backgrounds and circumstances - Patrick, GW, Peg, Karl, and Jaime. This film provides a frank, unembellished view on homelessness at a time when the issues of homelessness in our city are the focus of local and national attention. Regardless of your interest in homelessness, this is an important film for anyone with an interest in community. A discussion led by Professor of Sociology Patrick Henry will follow. (Directed by Stephen Ashton and Andrew Lee, 90 min., 2007)

March 16 & 23 - no films due to Spring Break

March 30, 7:00 pm

The Aura
Lovers of great films everywhere suffered a great loss when the great Argentinean director Fabian Bielinsky died over the summer from a heart attack at only 47 years of age. He had only directed two films, but showed great promise in both, and illustrated an ability to take fairly conventional film genres and transform them into something completely new. His debut film "Nine Queens" was critically acclaimed around the world as a sophisticated reinvention of the "scam" film, and was remade into the less interesting American film "Criminal." In "The Aura" we have an unlikely hero in the middle-aged epileptic taxidermist Espinosa, who is obsessed by the idea of committing the perfect crime. It is a beautifully shot and intelligently plotted film, with exceptionally strong performances. (Directed by Fabian Bielinsky, Spanish with English subtitles, 134 min., 2006)

April 6 - no films due to Good Friday

April 13, 7:00 pm

Inland Empire
The latest film by David Lynch is, well ... how do you describe a film by David Lynch? Starring Laura Dern, this is Lynch's first sustained exploration of the aesthetics of digital cinema; critically acclaimed, but hardly screened in the United States. It never came to Tampa Bay anyhow. (Directed by David Lynch, 179 min., Rated R, 2006)

April 20, 7:00 pm

Ten Canoes
After aboriginal Australian film legend David Gulpilil (Walkabout, Crocodile Dundee, Rabbit Proof Fence, The Proposition) starred in Rolf de Heer's film "The Tracker" he told him he should come meet his people and make a film about them. This gorgeous and compelling film is the product of their collaboration, which Rolf de Heer co-directed with Peter Djigirr. The story of the film had its origins in black and white photographs of traditional aboriginal life in the Arafura Swamp region of Australia, that were taken by ethnographic filmmakers in the early parts of the 20th Century. The story, both mythical and authentic in its dimensions and at the same time amusing and delightful, is told simultaneously from three different times (the present of the teasing narrator/storyteller voiced by David Gulpilil; the past depicted in the photographs in which a man tells his brother a cautionary tale; and a timeless past or dreamtime in which the tale takes place). (Directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr, Ganalbingu with English subtitles, 92 min., 2006)

April 27, 7:00 pm

Bamako
This film is getting rave reviews everywhere it plays. In a small courtyard of a house shared by several families a trial court has been set up where African spokesmen are taking proceedings against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. That is to say that the film aims to put global capitalism itself on trial. Meanwhile, life goes on in the courtyard. A discussion led by Eckerd Professor of Economics Linda Lucas will follow. (Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, 115 min., Country: Mali/France, 2006).

Co-sponsored by the Eckerd College Organization of Students (ECOS)

February - March 2007 Program

February 9, 7:00 pm

Army of Shadows
This recently restored print of Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film has been acclaimed almost universally by critics as one of the best films to be shown theatrically in 2006. In fact, critics from The New York Times, Premiere, L.A. Times, Film Comment, Sight and Sound, Chicago Times, Village Voice and many others have placed the film as #1 on their list of best films in 2006. Melville, himself part of the French resistance and considered one of the fathers of the French New Wave, has created a powerful exploration of the will to resist that can survive even seemingly impossible opposition. This is a film for the ages, that deserves to be seen on the big screen, and on the beautiful print that has been so carefully restored. (Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, 35mm print, 35mm print, 145 min., not rated, 2006). Part of the College Program Series.

February 16, 7:00 pm

The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes
The long-awaited second feature film from the extraordinary animating team of identical twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay, combines live action and animation to create a breathtakingly beautiful surreal horror film. On the eve of her wedding, a beautiful opera singer is abducted by Dr. Felisberto, who intends to include her as part of an elaborate mechanical musical contraption. (Directed by the Brothers Quay, 35mm print, Portuguese and English w/ English subtitles, 99 min., not rated but not suitable for children, 2005)

February 23, 7:00 pm

The Host
U.S. military scientist orders deadly chemicals to be dumped in a Korean sewer, inadvertently giving birth to a mutant monster. This film, which has won rave reviews from critics and audiences around the world, does for the age of chemical weapons and bioterroism what Godzilla did for the era of the atomic bomb. Apart from its subtle allegorical overtones, it is a very-well made film, whose director has been compared with Steven Spielberg for his ability to combine relentless thrills with poignant characterizations. (Directed by Joon-ho Bong, 35mm print, Korean w/ English subtitles, 119 min., Rated R, 2006)

March 2, 7:00 pm

Fast Food Nation
Based on Eric Schloesser's bestselling non-fiction expose of the American fast food industry, the film creates an ensemble of fictional characters who are connected in various ways to fast food, and examines the health risks and the environmental and social consequences of the industry. (Directed by Richard Linklater, 35mm print, English, 116 min., Rated R, 2006) This film is part of the Environmental Film Festival. Part of the College Program Series.

November - December 2006 Program

November 3, 7:00 pm

Yojimbo
A masterless samurai wanders into a town divided by two warring clans. After displaying his formidable swordsmanship before both clans in a brawl with street thugs, he offers his services to the highest bidder. (Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Japanese w/English subtitles, 110 min., 1961).

November 3, 9:00 pm

A Fistful of Dollars
The "Western" remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo featuring actor-director Clint Eastwood. (Directed by Sergio Leone, English, 102 min., 1964). Official Website.

November 9 & 10

Latino Film Festival
Thursday, Nov. 9: 1:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Friday, Nov. 9: 11 am – 9:30 pm
Films to be announced.

November 10, 7:00 pm

El Crimen del Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro)
A young, newly-ordained priest succumbs to temptation and corruption after he's assigned to a new church. (Directed by Carlos Carrera, Spanish w/English subtitles, 120 min., 2002). Official Website.

November 17, 7:00 pm

The Sons of Great Bear (Die Söhne der Grossen Bärin)
A young and fearless chief of the Dakota tribe is forced to endure horrific living conditions in an attempt to protect his homeland from gold-seeking white invaders. He and his tribe ultimately leave the reservation in search of more verdant lands in Canada. (Directed by Josef Mach, German w/English subtitles, 96 min., 1966).

November 24, no film scheduled

December 1, 7:00 pm

Brokeback Mountain
Based on Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx's short story, "Brokeback Mountain" is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The film received several Academy Awards including the category for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. (Directed by Ang Lee, English, 134 min., 2005). Co-sponsored by EC Pride. Official Website.

Fall 2006 Program

September 8, 7:00 pm

"Water"
Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, the story begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. Chuyia's feisty presence affects the lives of the other residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist. (Directed by Deepa Mehta, Hindi w/English subtitles, 114 min., 2005). Official Website.

September 15 , 7 p.m.

"Three Times"
Three different time periods - 1966, 1911, 2005 - three stories and the same actor and actress, Shu Qi and Chang Chen, play out the two lead roles, evoking a sentimental tale of three reincarnations of an unfinished love. ( Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Mandarin and Taiwanese dialect with English subtitles, 135 min., 2002). Official Website.

September 22, 7 pm

"My Country, My Country"
Working alone in Iraq over eight months, director/cinematographer Laura Poitras creates an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Iraqis living under U.S. occupation. Her principal focus is Dr. Riyadh, an Iraqi medical doctor, father of six and Sunni political candidate. Part of Eckerd's Presidential Events Series. (Directed by Laura Poitras, i n Arabic, English, and Kurdish w/English subtitles, 90 min., 2006). Official Website.

September 29, 7 pm

"Drawing Restraint 9"
A film with no dialogue, this abstract fairy tale is carried by striking visuals and music (much like opera), drawing its inspiration from Japanese cultural tradition, the history of petroleum-based energy, and the evolution of the whale. (Directed by the celebrated experimental artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney, starring the Icelandic musician Bjork, 135 min., 2005). Official Website.

October 6, 7:00 pm

"Wild Blue Yonder"
The film follows a hypothetical proposition: a group of astronauts are circling the earth in a spacecraft, but they cannot return, as our planet has become uninhabitable. (Directed by Werner Herzog, English, 81 min., 2006). Official Website.

October 6, 9:00 pm

"The Descent"
Six girlfriends meet in a remote part of the Appalachians for their annual extreme outdoor adventure, in this case the exploration of a cave hidden deep in the woods. Far below the surface of the earth, disaster strikes, and there's no way out. (Directed by Neil Marshall, English, 100 min., 2005, Rated R for strong violence/gore and language). Official Website.

October 13, 7 pm

"Son of Man"
The story of the Gospels retold as a tale of corruption and redemption in contemporary Africa unveils a portrait of a man of our time whose currency is the politics of compassion. (Directed by Mark Dornford-May , Xhosa w/English subtitles, 86 min., 2005). Official Website.

October 20, 8 pm

"Gabrielle"
A seemingly ideal marriage is thrown into embarrassing turmoil in this 19 th century drama based on Joseph Conrad's short story, The Return . (Directed by Patrice Chéreau, French w/English subtitles, 90 min., 2005). Official Website.

October 27

No film scheduled.

Spring 2006 Program

March 31, 7:30 pm

"Games of Love and Chance"
Set in a bleak suburban housing project, "Games of Love and Chance" follows a group of teenagers, poor and immigrant for the most part, most of whom are involved (for a variety of reasons, not all having to do with a love of theater) in a class production of Marivaux's 18th-century classic "Le jeux de l'amour et du hasard." (Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, French with English subtitles, 117 min., 2005)

This film is part of a "Special Focus on French Cinema," made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC).

April 7, 7:30 p.m.

"Soba"
A story of corruption and sexual violence that is at the same time an unconventional love story, set in Mexico City, and based loosely on the novel "Justine" by the Marquis de Sade and inspired by Nabokov's "Lolita." The filmmaker, Alan Coton, will be present to introduce and discuss the film! Part of the College Program Series. (Directed by Alan Coton, Spanish, 94 min., 2004)

This film is brought to us from Deluna Productions, from the program for the International Latino Independent Film Festival.

April 14

no film scheduled

April 21, 7:30 pm

"Le Grande Voyage"
Against his wishes, a young French teenager is coerced into accompanying his grim father on a pilgrimage to Mecca. (Directed by Ismael Ferroukhi, French with English subtitles, 108 min., 2004)

Part of the "Special Focus on French Cinema" sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

April 28, 7:30 pm

"Aries"
Indonesian filmmaker Faozan Rizal has created a stunning meditation on the nature of man and woman, a kind of retelling of the story of the fall from Eden, all wordless choreography, set against a gorgeous landscape. (Directed by Faozan Rizal, Indonesian with English subtitles, 70 min., 2004)

May 5, 7:30 pm

"Lucia"
A classic film of Cuba, which is perhaps the best exemplar of the ideal of a "third cinema" proclaimed by filmmaker and theorist Fernando Solanas. Tells the stories of three women who struggle for independence and against oppression, one before the revolution, one during and one after. (Directed by Humberto Solas, Spanish, 160 min., 1968)

May 12, 7:30 pm

"Night Watch"
This Russian blockbuster film borrows some tricks from American films like "The Matrix," but only in order to create a stylistically and thematically unique and distinctively Russian vampire sci-fi saga. The first in a trilogy. (Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, Russian with English subtitles, 115 min., 2005)

Previous Spring 2006 Films

February - Films Focusing on Alumni

The first three Fridays in February will feature films inspired by graduates of Eckerd College. All alumni will be present to discuss their respective films.

February 3, 7:30 pm

"Mystic River"
Dennis Lehane '88, creative writing major
Winner of three Academy Awards (Best Director, Clint Eastwood; Actor in a Leading Role, Sean Penn; Actor in a Supporting Role, Tim Robbins), Mystic River was based on the New York Times best-selling novel written by Dennis Lehane '88. Mr. Lehane is an award-winning author, co-director of the Writers in Paradise Workshop, and is currently a writer-in-residence at Eckerd College. (Directed by Clint Eastwood, English, 137 min., 2003)

February 10, 7:30 pm

"This is a Business"
Tom Stern '00, philosophy major
Tom Stern filmed, directed and edited This is a Business. Resolved to be a 'somebody,' a shipping clerk starts his own business knowing only that he intends either to create a product or to provide a service, and whichever one it is, he pledges, it will be good... for everyone. (Directed by Tom Stern, English, 2006)

February 17, 7:30 pm

"Failing Haiti"
Rod Paul '72, creative writing major
Rod Paul shot, directed, produced and edited Failing Haiti. Rod has over 30 years of experience in film and video production - directing award-winning commercials, films for the 1996 and 1998 Olympics, documentaries for National Geographic and Discovery Channels. Failing Haiti is a documentary that seeks to examine why international efforts continue to fail to make a difference in the lives of Haitians. (Co-directed by Rod Paul and St. Petersburg Times Latin American correspondent David Adams, English, 60 min., 2005)

March 10, 7:30 pm

"Abouna" ("Our Father")
The second feature film by Mahame Zaleh Haroun, whose first film "Bye Bye Africa," was the first feature film ever to be produced in the central African country Chad, presents a sensitive and tragic portrait of a family in crisis. Two boys learn that their father has left them and embark on a desperate quest to bring him home. Believing they see him in a film playing locally, they steal the film reel to confirm their suspicions. This event leads to further difficulties, but the boys refuse to believe their father has abandoned them for good. A powerful and moving film, that is beautifully shot. Presented as part of the Tournees Festival. (Directed by Mahame Zaleh Haroun, French, 84 min., 2004)

This film and other future films in the series are made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC).

March 17 & 24

no films scheduled

Fall 2005 Films

September 9, 7 pm

"Howl's Moving Castle"
Academy Award-winning Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated feast tells the story of a young girl who is transformed into a 90-year old woman and who also falls under the spell of the powerful, young and melancholy wizard Howl and his magical moving castle. (Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, English, 119 min., 2005)

September 9, 9 pm

"Pulse"
Following a string of suicides in Tokyo, presumably linked to the Internet, strange and ghostly things begin happening to a group of young people. Pulse, also known as Kairo and Circuit, is Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest film and is easily one of the scariest films to come out of Japan (or anywhere else for that matter) since Ringu (the film that the American hit remake The Ring was based on). Not for the timid. (Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japanese with English subtitles, 118 min., 2002)

September 16, 7 pm

"Millions"
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting and 28 Days Later) tells the story of two young boys who find a bag of money that is most likely stolen, and know they have only a week to use it before the U.K. converts to euro. Damien thinks it is a gift from God and should be given to the poor, while his more materialistic brother Anthony is excited to spend it for themselves. Meanwhile, the actual robbers want their money back. (Directed by Danny Boyle, English, 98 min., 2005)

September 23, 7 pm

"Nobody Knows"
This stunningly beautiful but unsettling film by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda is based on a true story of four siblings who were abandoned in an apartment in Tokyo by their unstable mother. (Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, Japanese with English subtitles, 141 min., 2005)

September 30, 7 pm

"Machuca"
Set in the time leading up to the violent military overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende on Sept. 11, 1973, Machuca tells the story of two 11-year old boys who are profoundly affected by the tensions in Chilean society as they begin to grow up. Director Andres Wood, who was 8 years old at the time, has written, "Nobody has ever touched the loss of the democracy in Chile from this innocent perspective. Children experience events, but they do not judge. They simply live, and bear witness." (Directed by Andres Wood, Spanish with English subtitles, 121 min., 2005)

October 7

No film, academic recess.

October 14, 8 pm
General admission, $5; Students, $1 with/ID. Proceeds will benefit hurricane relief.

"The Great Warming"
Produced by the Discovery Channel in Canada, this documentary has not been aired in the United States - even by the Discovery Channel - largely because of a political movement within the U.S. to deny or spin the accepted facts about global warming. Narrated by singer/songwriter Alanis Morrissette and actor Keanu Reeves, the film examines what really is happening to the world's climate and what we can begin to do about it. (Created and produced by Karen Coshof, English, 2004)

October 21, 7 pm

"Brothers"
The latest film by director Suzanne Bier, whose film Open Hearts was a hit a few years ago at the International Cinema, presents a scenario that seems like a cliche (two brothers, one responsible and the other reckless, who fight over a woman) and renders it remarkably fresh and free of stereotype. (Directed by Suzanne Bier, Danish with English subtitles, 117 min., 2005)

October 28, 7 pm

"Born into Brothels"
When photographer Zana Briski went to India to photograph women in 1998, she forged a bond with the children of women who were working in the red-light district. She bought them cameras, taught them how to shoot and made a remarkable film that not only documents the life of children growing up in the context of poverty and prostitution, but also offers these children a vision of hope for a different future than the one their families have faced for generations. (Directed by Ross Kaufman and Zana Briski, English, 95 min., 2004)

November 4, 7 pm

"The 3 Rooms of Melancholia"
This poetic documentary, comprised of three "rooms" named Longing, Breathing, and Remembering, uses stirring images to depict the lives of children victimized by the Chechen conflict. (Directed by Pirjo Honkasalo, in Russian/Arabic/Chechen with English subtitles, 106 min., 2005)

November 11, 7 pm

"The Power of Nightmares"
In the past our politicians offered us dreams of a better world. Now they promise to protect us from nightmares. Developed by Adam Curtis as a BBC News Miniseries that has never yet been aired in the United States, The Power of Nightmares attempts to show that the idea we are threatened by a hidden and organized terrorist network is a myth, which originated in the efforts of two groups, both of whom were born in the mid-twentieth century out of the failure of the liberal dream to build a better world: the American neo-conservatives and the radical Islamists. Rather than offering new dreams of hope, both groups found that those with the darkest fears became the most powerful. (Directed by Adam Curtis, English, 2004)

November 18, 7 pm

"Whisky"
This critics hit, winner of the Prix Original Regard Award in Cannes last year, presents the delightfully deadpan comedy about the owner of a sock factory, Jacobo, whose routinely dull life is shaken up by a visit from Jacobo's estranged brother Herman. Rather than admit he is still a bachelor, Jacobo asks his assistant Marta to pose as his wife, and the three relative strangers gradually discover themselves as they learn to overcome the awkwardness of being together. (Directed by Juan Pablo Rebella, Spanish with English subtitles, 94 min., 2004)

November 25

No film, Thanksgiving.

December 2, 7 pm

"Kings and Queen"
A hugely ambitious film about love and betrayal and madness, Kings and Queens tells the story of a single mother and working woman, Nora, and the men in her life. The film plays off of the contradictions between the ways in which we live our lives, and the we choose to think about and tell stories about ourselves and the ways we are perceived by the others who form the substance of our lives. (Directed by Arnaud Desplechin, French with English subtitles, 150 min., 2005)

December 9, 7 pm - 1 am and
December 11, 5 pm - 11 am
Both screenings will have an intermission

"The Best of Youth"
A 6-hour film about which every review I've seen and everyone I've talked to says they wish it would have gone on longer. As Roger Ebert has written about the film, "It is a luxury to be enveloped in a good film, and to know there's a lot more of it - that it is not moving inexorably toward an ending you can anticipate, but moving indefinitely into a future that is free to be shaped in surprising ways." The film follows two brothers and the people in their lives from 1963 to 2000, as they grow up, establish commitments and careers and relationships, in the midst of political change. (Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana, Italian with English subtitles, 360 min., 2005)

Spring 2005 Program

February 4

"Moolaadé"
Extending the strong feminist consciousness that marked the director's previous film "Faat Kiné " "Moolaadé" is both a rousing polemic directed against the still common African practice of female circumcision and a vibrantly humanist portrait of village life. (Directed by Ousmane Sembene, Jula and French with English subtitles, 124 min., 2004)

February 11

"Burn!" (Restored version)
A double-dealing British nobleman, played by Marlon Brando, is sent to a Caribbean island to incite a revolution. Shortly after the violent action takes place, he betrays the people who once saw him as their savior. The remarkable follow-up to Pontecorvo's incendiary Battle of Algiers now includes the crucial 20 minutes that United Artists cut for its American release. (Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian with English subtitles, 132 min., 1969)

February 18

"Au Hasard Balthazar"
This rarely seen masterpiece by Robert Bresson, who was a significant influence on a number of film auteurs such as Bergman and Tarkovsky, traces the life of a donkey, christened Balthazar by a group of young children, from birth to death. (Directed by Robert Bresson, French with English subtitles, 88 min., 1966)

February 25

"Bright Future"
The bond between two young men who work in a hand towel factory is based on uncontrollable rage - something neither can articulate or control - and the strange jellyfish that they keep as a pet. (Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japanese with English subtitles, 115 min., 2004)

February 26-March 5

Environmental Film Festival

March 11

"Dolls"
This gorgeous film by the eclectic and constantly surprising director Takeshi Kitano recounts three tragic stories about the impossibility of consummation of love, inspired by the tradition of Japanese Bunraku doll theatre. (Directed by Takeshi Kitano, Japanese with English subtitles, 114 min., 2004)

March 18 & 25

No films scheduled. (Spring recess)

April 8

"Hotel Rwanda"
In this Academy Award-nominated film, Don Cheadle gives a riveting performance as Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a European-owned hotel in Rwanda, who created a secret refugee camp for the Tutsi people during the brutal genocide committed against them by the Hutu people in 1994. His efforts helped to save 1,200 lives out of close to a million who were killed. Sponsored in part by Eckerd's Service Ministries. (Directed by Terry George, English, 122 min., 2004)

April 15

"Bright Leaves"
Ross McElwee directs this part travelogue, part autobiography, part cinematic essay about his family's roots in the tobacco business in North Carolina and offers a culturally interesting history of the South as viewed through the biggest, wealthiest tobacco enterprises. (Directed by Ross McElwee, English, 107 min., 2004)

April 1

"Primer"
Director Shane Carruth debuts with an indie - low budget high concept sci-fi thriller that was the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Two young engineers work for a large corporation by day while conducting extracurricular experiments on their own time in a garage at night. While tweaking their current project, they accidentally discover that it has some highly unexpected capabilities - ones that could enable them to do and to have seemingly anything they want. Can they deal with the consequences? (Directed by Shane Carruth, English, 80 min., 2004)

April 22

"Buddy"
This "Jackass!"-inspired Norwegian film is, in spite of its deliberate references to the MTV series about insane daredevil tricksters, a very touching, funny and clever comedy about growing up and falling in love. (Directed by Morten Tyldum, Norwegian with English subtitles, 100 min., 2003)

April 29

"Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed"
Director Shola Lynch will be present to discuss this celebrated documentary about the outspoken and influential black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, and her bid to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 1972. Sponsored in part by the Women's Resource Center and Letters Collegium. Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress, passed away in January. (Directed by Shola Lynch, English, 88 min., 2004)

May 6, 6:30 pm

"Ballad of a Soldier"
A moving and dramatic film classic about the life of an innocent young Russian soldier in WWII. Sponsored in part by the Russian Studies Program. (Directed by Grigori Chukhrai, in Russian with English subtitles, 89 min., 1960)

May 6, 8:15 pm

"The Star (Zvezda)"
Described as something of a Russian Private Ryan, this war thriller is set in the summer of 1944 following a group of Russian soldiers behind enemy lines on a reconaissance mission. According to one Internet source, "The action is so intense that the movie 'explains itself' even if you do not understand the dialogue." Sponsored in part by the Russian Studies Program. (A Shakhnazarov film, directed by Nikolai Lebebyev, in Russian without subtitles, 95 min., 2002)