A young girl in Mozambique dreams of becoming a doctor but must show that educating a woman isn’t a waste of time. A photographer documenting the construction of a bridge in Argentina is stunned when the literal becomes metaphorical. Three children experience hilarious mishaps in a public market in Jakarta. From April 11–22, the Walker Art Center presents
Global Lens 2007: Developing a New World Cinema
. The Global Film Initiative originated its Global Lens series to encourage the creation and expand the reach of arresting films that address universal concerns. Take in exciting visions from Chile, China, Croatia, Indonesia, Africa, and beyond, and get an early glimpse of new world cinema as it develops.
Acclaimed films in the series include Li Yu’s Dam Street (Hong Yan), which earned the filmmaker the CICAE Award at the 2005 Venice Film Festival (April 11, 7 pm); Arsen Anton Ostojic’s A Wonderful Night in Split (Ta Divna Splitska Noc), which won Best Feature Film at the 2006 RiverRun International Film Festival (April 13, 7 pm); and Sebastián Campos’ The Sacred Family (La Sagrada Familia), which won Special Mention at the 2006 Austin International Film Festival of the Americas (April 17, 7 pm). The series also includes a free program of Global Shorts on Thursday, April 19, 7 pm, including films from Mexico, Iran, South Africa, India, and Brazil.
Unless otherwise noted, screenings are in the Cinema and tickets are $8 ($6 Walker members). All films are in their original language with English subtitles.
GLOBAL LENS 2007: DEVELOPING A NEW WORLD CINEMA
APRIL 11–22
Wednesday, April 11
Dam Street (Hong Yan), 7 pm
Directed by Li Yu
When her pregnancy publicly shames her family and dashes her hopes of becoming an opera performer, teenage Yun makes a living singing pop songs in a shabby revue in her remote village. After years of being ostracized by the townspeople, she befriends a fiercely protective boy who forces her to confront her troubled past and the limits of their friendship. 2005, China, 35mm, in Mandarin and Sichuan with English subtitles, 93 minutes.
Repeat screenings Sunday, April 15, 4 pm; Thursday, April 19, 9 pm; Saturday, April 21, 1 pm; Sunday, April 22, 4 pm
Enough! (Barakat!), 9 pm
Directed by Djamila Sahraoui
In director Sahraoui’s first feature, two feisty Algerian women share their spirit of resistance during the resurgence of war in the 1990s. A nurse with vivid memories of her nation’s fight for independence joins a young doctor on her tense yet poignant journey across the war–torn country as she searches for her husband—a journalist whose writings led to his disappearance. 2006, Algeria/France, 35mm, in French and Arabic with English subtitles, 94 minutes.
Repeat screening Sunday, April 22, 2 pm
Friday, April 13
A Wonderful Night in Split (Ta Divna Splitska Noc), 7 pm
Directed by Arsen Anton Ostojic
A Wonderful Night in Split centers on a group of addicts and pushers during the two hours prior to midnight on New Year’s Eve in a squalid seaside town. As the film’s ingenious plot unfolds with dazzling cinematography, stories intersect and betrayals confound when revenge, lust, and desperation lead to further perilous outcomes. 2004, Croatia, 35mm, in Croatian and English with English subtitles, 100 minutes.
Repeat screening Saturday, April 21, 8:30 pm
Fine Dead Girls (Fine Mertve Djevojke), 9 pm
Directed by Dalibor Matanić
A lesbian couple moves into a seedy apartment building in Zagreb, yet keep the nature of their relationship a secret from the other tenants. When the investigation of a kidnapped child leads the police to their flat, neighbors are shocked to find out what has gone on behind closed doors. 2002, Croatia, 35mm, in Croatian with English subtitles, 77 minutes.
Repeat screening Saturday, April 21, 7 pm
Saturday, April 14
Of Love and Eggs (Rindu Kami Padamu), 1 pm
Directed by Garin Nugroho
A light comedy, Of Love and Eggs is set in a Jakarta market during the Muslim holiday of Lebaran. Centered on the common desire for affection and fellowship in their busy Islamic community, three children have mishaps with eggs, a prayer rug, and a mosque’s cupola. 2004, Indonesia, 35mm, in Bahasa Indonesian with English subtitles, 90 minutes.
Repeat screening Saturday, April 21, 3 pm
Sunday, April 15
Another Man’s Garden (O Jarin do Outro Homem), 12 noon
Directed by João Luis Sol de Carvalho
This tense and uplifting tale illustrates barriers women face while seeking an education in Mozambique. Sophia, an aspiring medical student, receives no moral or financial support from her family. When an error in judgment leaves her vulnerable to ruin at the corrupt school, her female colleagues help her fight patriarchy. 2006, Mozambique/Portugal/France, in Portuguese with English subtitles, 35mm, 80 minutes.
Repeat screening Wednesday, April 18, 7 pm
Kilometre Zero, 2 pm
Directed by Hiner Saleem
Ethnic tensions between Kurds and Iraqis ignite during the 1980s Iran/Iraq war in this taut road film. A Kurdish soldier is ordered to return the body of an Iraqi soldier to his family, and his journey reveals the strain of life as an ethnic minority in his country as well as in the army. 2005, Iraqi Kurdistan, in French/Kurdish/Arabic with English subtitles, 35mm, 96 minutes.
Repeat screening Wednesday, April 18, 8:45 pm
Tuesday, April 17
The Sacred Family (La Sagrada Familia), 7 pm
Directed by Sebastián Campos
This film follows the slow disintegration of polite company at a beach house during the Easter holiday. Fueled by drink, drugs, and an alluring new girlfriend who enjoys stirring up trouble, a middle-class family and their guests lose their reserve as rivalries flare and sexual energy erupts between same-sex and mixed partners. 2005, Chile, 35mm, in Spanish with English subtitles, 99 minutes.
Repeat screening Friday, April 20, 9 pm
On Each Side (A Cada Lado), 9 pm
Directed by Hugo Grosso
A photographer, hired to document the construction of a bridge between villages over the course of several years, has no idea of the impact this undertaking will have on his or the townspeople’s lives. As the project progresses, the structure becomes a symbol of change, passage, and transformation, especially for those transitioning from youth to adulthood. 2006, Argentina, 35mm, in Spanish and German with English subtitles, 101 minutes.
Repeat screening Friday, April 20, 7 pm
Thursday, April 19
Global Shorts, 7 pm, Free
The Perfect Day (El Día Perfecto)
Directed by Bernardo Loyola. Plans for a spectacular suicide are derailed by a phone call. 2004, Mexico, video, 13 minutes.
A Little Bit Higher (Kami Balatar)
Directed by Mehdi Jafari. Two ill-prepared men wait for the workday to begin on a construction site. 2005, Iran, video, 12 minutes.
Your Dark Hair Ihsan (Tes Cheveux Noirs Ihsan)
Directed by Tala Hadid. A young man returns to North Africa for his mother’s funeral and reflects on the sacrifices she made for him. 2004, Morocco, video, 14 minutes.
Riding with Sugar
Directed by Sunu Gonera. A South African teen finds BMX championship racing as a way to escape the lure of drugs. 2005, South Africa, video, 10 minutes.
Broad Day (Üks päev)
Directed by Rajeev Ahuja. Returning to the crime site, actors reenact the rape of a woman on a train in Mumbai. Based on a true event. 2004, India, video, 11 minutes.
Absent (En Ausencia)
Directed by Lucia Cedron. Violent memories haunt Maria as she waits for her pregnancy test results. 2003, Argentina, video, 15 minutes.
Girl of Faith (Mina De Fé)
Directed by Lucina Bezerra. Silvana and her boyfriend must outfox the police and gangs in order to survive in the favelas of Rio. 2004, Brazil, video, 15 minutes.
Repeat screening Sunday, April 22, 12 noon, Free
