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Palestine (1996)
Directed by Elia Suleiman
88 minutes
Color, Arabic w/English subtitles

Chronicle Of A Disappearance

January 27, 2008

"With a strong sense of irony and a deadpan visual style" (Janet Maslin, The New York Times), Chronicle of a Disappearance unfolds in a series of seemingly unconnected cinematic tableaux, each of them focused on incidents or characters which seldom reappear later in the film.

Defined by writer/producer/director Elia Suleiman (Divine Intervention) as a "search for what it means to be Palestinian," this "beautiful and understated" film is "a triumph of succinct images and adroit structure" (Kevin Thomas, The Los Angeles Times). Split in two parts, "Nazareth Personal Diary" and "Jerusalem Political Diary," Chronicle features outstanding performances by a cast of non-professional actors and combines a sarcastic sense of humor with moments of silent contemplation; it speaks of the absurdity and complexity of a people without a land.

***Winner, Luigi De Laurentiis Prize, Best First Feature Film, Venice Film Festival 1996

--> synopsis courtesy Kino On Video

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Co-sponsored by ROSETTA STONE BOOKSTORE

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(France/Austria/Belgium) 2004
Directed by Hubert Sauper
107 minutes
Color, English, Russian, Swahili w/English Subtitles

Darwin's Nightmare

February 17, 2008

Feeling more like sci-fi/horror than documentary, DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE is the stranger-than-fiction tale of two relentless killing machines: the Nile Perch which, over the course of a few decades, ate through everything that used to live in Tanzania's Lake Victoria; and the foreign capitalists who introduced that non-native fish in order to sell it to European consumers. Losing out to both of these were the local Tanzanians who once lived off the lake's bounty, and now, literally, are left with bones and rotting carcasses. When things take an even stranger turn, thanks to an astounding third-act revelation, the relentlessness becomes a cautionary tale it may not be too late to heed.

A fascinating cautionary tale in the guise of a documentary showing how, in the age of globalization, things can evolve in the worst possible of unforeseen ways. Witty, incisive, heart-breaking, angry, shocking, and very imaginative." – Time Out UK

“A biting allegory … of greed, opportunism and First World indifference toward the Third World. Fascinatingly detailed and enriched by the candor and dignity of its subjects. A lucid picture of the ugly realities of the economic food chain. "Survival of the fittest" here takes on a new, uneasy meaning.” -- David Rooney, Variety

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Co-sponsored by ALLIED PHYSICIANS AND REHAB OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

(Russian) 1990
A film by Alexander Sokurov
92 minutes
Color, Russian w/English Subtitles

The Second Circle

March 23, 2008

The story of a young man who travels to a small village in coldest Siberia to take care of his father’s funeral. Through epic simplicity and chronological accuracy, the mundane rituals of burial take on universal significance without losing its cultural specificity. For the son, the death of his father is more than a personal loss; he also sees the final balance of his father’s life as an extension of his whole society. This is an unforgettable masterpiece filmed in a luminous palette of muted colors, and a penetrating confrontation with death in a society that has lost touch with spiritual values.

”A starkly beautifully, awesomely impressive exercise in purely visual cinema shot through with the subtles streak of bleak absurdist humor. “ – Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

“Rarely has so much visual and emotional power been generated through such deliberately limited means; the film is extreme in its rigor, its sobriety and its sublimity.”
– David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor

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Sponsored by GATOR AUTOMOTIVE

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(Czech Republic) 2005
Directed by Ivo Trajkov
90 minutes
Color, Macedonian w/English subtitles

The Great Water

April 20, 2008

Zhivko Chingo’s Yugoslavian best selling children’s book 'Golemata voda' ('The Great Water'), is stunningly brought to the screen by Ivo Trajkov. THE GREAT WATER takes place after the end of World War II, when Young Lem, like so many war orphans, wanders aimlessly through the Macedonian countryside only to be caught by communist soldiers. They take him to the children’s orphanage, a labor camp where kids go to be ideologically “reprogrammed.” Lem endures terrible abuse at the hands of the camp leaders, but one day, in the midst of this distressing and frightening environment comes a beautiful young boy named Isaak. He is strangely serence, and provides the few moments of peace in this grim film, but even his presence cannot dissipate its stark inhumanity. Lem chases after him, and the two become partners in religiously tinged crime.

The course of their friendship serves as the tender core of this film, which is shot in subdued earth tones as barren and bleak as the childrens' lives.

“Stunning! Extraordinary!” --Dana Stevens, THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Nicely acted and stylishly photographed." -- V.A. Musetto, NY POST ;

“Excellent performances by the boys keep you captivated!" -- E! ONLINE

“An exquisitely crafted film.”
Sheri Linden, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Co-sponsored by COMMON GROUNDS COFFEE HOUSE