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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

The Spring Foreign Film Fest Starts Tuesday, April 29


The ESOL and Foreign Languages Department and the Global Union International Students Association invite students, staff and members of the Rochester community to attend the screening of six foreign language films, as follows:

Tuesday, April 29
"La vie en rose," France, 2007. 140 minutes. Drama in French. Rated PG-13.  An unchronological look at the life of the Little Sparrow, Edith Piaf (1915-1963), a French singer and cultural icon. Her mother was an alcoholic street singer, her father a circus performer, her paternal grandmother a madam. During childhood she lived with each of them. At 20, she was a street singer discovered by a club owner who was soon murdered, coached by a musician who took her to concert halls, and then quickly famous. Constant companions were alcohol and heartache. The back and forth nature of the narrative suggests the patterns of memory and association. This film has won 3 Oscars (including Best Actress), 29 film awards around the world and 30 nominations.

"Paprika," Japan, 2006. 90 minutes. Anime drama in Japanese. Rated R.  Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination, where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. This magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject’s dreams. After it is stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a “dream terrorist” in this gripping anime thriller.

These two films will be screened in rooms 5-100 and 5-200 in the Brighton Campus.


Wednesday, April 30
"The Golden Door" (Nuovomondo), Italy, 2006. 118 minutes. Drama in Italian. Rated PG-13.  The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. Salvatore, a very poor farmer, and a widower, decides to emigrate to the US with all his family. During the grueling journey, he meets a beautiful Englishwoman, and an unexpected romance blossoms. Once they arrive on Ellis Island, neither is prepared for the realities of the quarantine period and the examinations to be admitted to the United States. Tests are not so simple for poor farmers coming from Sicily. Their destiny is in the hands of the custom officers.          

"The Motorcycle Diaries” (Diarios de motocicleta), USA/Argentina, 2004. 126 minutes. Drama in Spanish. Rated R. The Motorcycle Diaries is an adaptation of a journal written by Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna when he was 23 years old and before he became a leader in the Cuban Revolution. In the early 50s, he and his friend Alberto Granado were typical college students who, seeking fun and adventure before graduation, decided to travel across Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela in order to do their medical residency at a leper colony. The film begins as a buddy/road movie in which Ernesto and Alberto are looking for girls, fun and adventure before they grow up and have a more serious life. The two best friends start off with the same goals and aspirations, but by the time the film is over, it's clear what each man's destiny has become.

These two films will be screened at the Warshof Conference Center, Flynn Campus Center (Monroe A and B) in the Brighton Campus.


Thursday, May 1
"The Namesake," India/USA, 2004. 122 minutes. Rated PG-13.  Drama in Bengali and English. A thought-provoking coming-of-age drama that explores first-generation Americans' delicate dance between culture and identity. While he respects his immigrant parents and their decision to rear him in his United States birthplace, Gogol Ganguli is torn between Indian traditions and the modern New York lifestyle.  Adapted from the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Nameksake is populated by well-drawn characters and filled with memorable shots and engaging scenes. But in the larger sense, the film is a provocative look at the two sides of immigration: the adjustments faced by a couple who move here from a distant land, and the struggles of their offspring to reconcile their parents' traditional culture with their own distinctly American outlook.

"Deaf Way II: A Visual Anthology," USA, 2002. 66 minutes. Documentary in ASL with captions and voice-over. More than 9,700 people from around the world attended Deaf Way II, the international conference and festival in July 2002, sponsored by Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the successes of Deaf people everywhere. The documentary conducts viewers on a whirlwind tour of the festival, showcasing the sensational opening celebration, the magnificent art exhibited at Gallaudet University, the Millennium Arts Center, and the Kennedy Center, and pointed lectures by international scholars on Deaf issues. Viewers shift from wondrous dance, comedy, and drama segments to ingenious activities for children. Interviews with Deaf artists and attendees add insight to the varied experiences of the festival.

These two films will be screened at the Warshof Conference Center, Flynn Campus Center (Monroe A and B) in the Brighton Campus.

All the films will be introduced to the audience at 6:30 p.m. by an MCC student or professor. Arrive at 6:00 p.m. to mingle and enjoy coffee and nibbles. Two films will be shown concurrently on each of the specified dates. All films have English subtitles. The Foreign Film Fest is free and open to the public.
 

Louis Silvers
ESOL and Foreign Languages
04/28/2008