Yes, Shannon, I did get your earlier message with the e-mail address. Thank
you for that and for the tentative indication that the dates are still OK.
We have generally started with the film and then tried to see if there was
someone who might be able to offer insight about the film or its subject. I
don't know specific individuals that would be in position to comment on,
say, "IXCANUL" or "AFERIM!", but I would not be surprised if there were
faculty members (History, Anthropology Departments, etc.) at Colby or others
that might be able to offer insight. Does anyone have any suggestions for
guest speakers/discussion leaders either for the films that I have suggested
or for other films on the list? I would also indicate that we don't always
need to have a special guest. We have often had quite valuable discussions
just from the audience. Sometimes guests can respond to and enhance the
audience participation and at other times they can seek to dominate the
discussion with their perspective. Of course, there clearly are occasions
when what the expert is providing is so valuable that it makes sense to just
let them inform us and listen.
Joel
From: cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Shannon Haines
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 12:11 PM
To: cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cinemaexp] Re: Contact Information for Associate Professor John
Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
Joel - I sent you John Turner's contact info. Please let me know if you
didn't receive it.
Those dates should still be fine. I just need to double check with Ken. I am
assuming that as "Cinema Explorations presents" events, you will be looking
to incorporate a community discussion after the films, so in selecting
films, perhaps you should also think about possible local
speakers/discussion leaders who might add a level of interest to the events.
Shannon
From: cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Laurie
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 9:04 AM
To: cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cinemaexp] Re: Contact Information for Associate Professor John
Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
Joel, sounds good, and I would have no problem going with "Ixcanul" and
"Aferim!"
Laurei
On 02/11/2016 08:59 PM, Joel Johnson wrote:
Shannon:
Could you give me the e-mail address for Professor Turner? Thanks!
Everyone:
We had some discussion of possible spring screenings-most recently in
e-mails under the heading of "Opening weekend and beyond; dates for spring
evenings." We had learned from Shannon that the schedule was very busy for
March, but that April and May were more open. In response, I had suggested
that we could have a one-night screening of a film during the second week of
April (Tuesday, April 12th; Wednesday, April 13th; or Thursday, April 14th)
and have another one-night screening the first week of May (Tuesday, May
3rd; Wednesday, May 4th; or Thursday, May 5th). Hopefully, these dates are
still available. We were hoping to broaden the exposure of foreign-language
films and needed to know which of the submitted films would be nominated.
The nominees are EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Colombia); MUSTANG (France); SON OF
SAUL (Hungary); THEEB (Jordan); and A WAR (Denmark). In past years, all of
the nominees have eventually been shown by Railroad Square. So currently I
am assuming that none of the nominees are available. You may be aware that
SON OF SAUL (considered the favorite to win the Oscar) has a trailer running
now. I have once again sent out the listing of the submissions. This is
informational. There are only 10 of the submissions (other than the
nominees) that have US distribution and are not now or soon-to-be available
on DVD and/or streaming. I think there are some quite interesting films on
this list. The Internet Movie Database ( http://www.imdb.com/ ;) may be a
helpful resource to get additional information about these films, but I have
included links to distributor's webpages for each film which usually has a
trailer or directly to a subtitled trailer. There are a number of
interesting storylines. Which films seem particularly attractive to you? We
have a true crime story; a film that looks like a different perspective on
the SPOTLIGHT story of the transgressions of those with religious vocations;
drag performers in Havana; a coming-of-age story for a young indigenous
woman in Central America; two films with estranged brothers; a look at the
history of persecution of gypsies, etc. We can certainly go in a number of
different directions, but I am partial to IXCANUL and AFERIM! IXCANUL has
received some very favorable reviews and has shown at several high-profile
film festivals. AFERIM! has likewise received good reviews and portrays an
interesting piece of history. I guess I'm a bit of a sucker for history and
ethnography.
http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-langu
age-film-oscar-updating/
FILM US DISTRIBUTOR
US RELEASE DATE
THE CLAN (Argentina) Twentieth Century Fox 3/18/16
(Limited)
The true story of the Puccio Clan, a family who kidnapped and killed people
in the 80s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14 Trailer with English subtitles
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films
2/5/16 (Limited)
http://www.musicboxfilms.com/the-club-movies-127.php
A crisis counselor is sent by the Catholic Church to a small Chilean beach
town where disgraced priests and nuns, suspected of crimes ranging from
child abuse to baby-snatching from unwed mothers, live secluded, after an
incident occurs.
IXCANUL (Guatemala) Kino Lorber
N/A
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2266 ;
Maria, a 17 year old Mayan (Kaqchikel) woman, lives on the slopes of an
active volcano in Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her, but her suitor
must first spend months working in the city. It is a world Maria knows
nothing of, but is forced to encounter when problems arise.
RAMS (Iceland) Cohen Media Group
2/3/16 (Limited)
http://cohenmedia.net/films/rams ;
In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi and Kiddi live side by side, tending
to their sheep. Their ancestral sheep-stock is considered one of the
country's best and the two brothers are repeatedly awarded for their prized
rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although they share the land and a way of
life, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken to each other in four decades. When a
lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi's sheep, the entire valley comes under
threat. The authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to
contain the outbreak. This is a near death sentence for the farmers, whose
sheep are their main source of income, and many abandon their land. But
Gummi and Kiddi don't give up so easily - and each brother tries to stave
off the disaster in his own fashion: Kiddi by using his rifle and Gummi by
using his wits. As the authorities close in the brothers will need to come
together to save the special breed passed down for generations, and
themselves, from extinction.
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures
4/29/16
http://www.magpictures.com/profile.aspx?id=eba486dd-ffa7-4648-992e-de07ff66d
8e0
When everything is for sale, what's the value of love? Jesus does make up
for a troupe of drag performers in Havana, but dreams of being a performer.
When he finally gets his chance to be on stage, a stranger emerges from the
crowd and punches him in the face. The stranger is his father Angel, a
former boxer, who has been absent from his life for 15 years. As father and
son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, Viva becomes a
love story as the men struggle to understand one another and become a family
again.
600 MILES (Mexico) Pantelion
N/A
http://www.pantelionfilms.com/ ;(Currently not especially helpful)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDMqB5VlTo Trailer with English subtitles
Arnulfo Rubio smuggles weapons for a deadly Mexican cartel. ATF agent Hank
Harris (Tim Roth) attempts to apprehend him, but gets kidnapped by Rubio,
instead. Rubio takes him to his bosses, but during the 600-miles-long drive,
they slowly befriend.
ARABIAN NIGHTS: VOLUME 2, THE DESOLATE ONE (Portugal) Kino Lorber
12/4/15
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2215
This is part 2 of a trilogy. It is not based on the Arabian Nights stories,
but does borrow from their format. Check out the website for the synopsis.
AFERIM! (Romania) Big World Pictures
1/22/16
http://bigworldpictures.org/films/aferim/index.html
Set in early 19th century Wallachia, when a local policeman, Costandin, is
hired by Iordache, a boyar (local noble), to find Carfin, a Gypsy slave who
had run away from the boyar's estate after having an affair with his wife,
Sultana. Costandin sets out to find the fugitive, beginning a journey full
of adventures. Gypsy slavery lasted from the 14th century up until the
middle of the 19th century, a situation which is very little known and
almost nonexistent in the public debate today, although its impact continues
to influence Romania's social life.
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
https://typecastfilms.com/3563/iraqi-odyssey/ ;
Documentary tracing the emigrations of his family over more than half a
century, this riveting 3D documentary epic from acclaimed expatriate Iraqi
filmmaker Samir pays moving homage to the frustrated democratic dreams of a
people successively plagued by the horrors of dictatorship, war, and foreign
occupation. NOTE: 163 minutes
BROTHERS: THE FINAL CONFESSION Intellect Pictures N/A
http://www.intellectpictures.com/Brothers_The_Final_Confession
The film is a psychological drama developing on the highlands of the
Carpathian Mountains. Two helpless old men, brothers, desperately keep
competing with each other in order to prolong their lives. Even though their
bodies are decaying and both are sick the one still wants to outlive the
other ... But one day a woman enters their remote dwelling...
Joel
