February
10th - 7.30pm- SON OF A LION
(Australia- drama - 2007) 92m
A sensitive Islamic boy wants to go to school rather than follow his fundamentalist
father into the gun-making business. Disguised as a local, Australian
film-maker
Benjamins Gilmour made his extraordinary film in north-west Pakistan under
great
difficulties and using non-professionals in acting roles. the resulting
film has an
authentic, almost documentary feel, providing insight into coulture of
the people depicted.
March 10th
- 7.30 - THE VISITOR
(US - Drama - 2008) 104m
An emotionally stunted college professor (Richard Jenkins) travels to
New York to
attend a conference and is appalled to find illegal Senegalese immigrants
(Haas
Sleiman and Danai Gurira) staying in his appartment as a result of a scam.
As he
becomes involved in their lives, the professor awakens something within
himself.
This simple, understated film by Thomas McCarthy (The station agent)
is immensely
satisfying and features a great performance by Jenkins, an actor who will
be familiar
to audiences for his many appearances in supporting roles over the years.
April
14th - 7.30 - WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
(US - courtroom drama - 1957) 111m (DVD)
Superbly entertaining adaption of an Agatha Christie play from American,
Billy
Wilder, with a knock-out cast including Charles Laughton as the irascible
defence
attorney and Marlene Dietrich as the wife of accused killer, Tyrone Power.
Elsa Lanchester also scores as Laughton's long-suffering nurse.
May
12th - 7.30 - CHILDREN OF THE SILK ROAD
(Australia/China– drama – 2007) 114m
During the Japanese occupation in 1937, a young British journalist (Jonathan
Rhys-
Meyers) rescues a group of orphan children with the aid of an Australian
nurse
(Radha Mitchell). Based on real characters and events, Roger
Spottiswoode's film has
been universally recognised for its stunning cinematography, though critics
have been
divided on its dramatic worth. A co-production involving Australia, Germany
and China.
June 9th - 7.30 - THE BANK JOB
(UK– thriller – 2007) 111m
A gang of small time crooks becomes involved in a bank safe deposit room
break-in,
unaware that the robbery is a front for the retrieval of some incriminating
photos
of a royal family member. Roger Donaldson's absorbing film, based on actual
events
from 1971, is a fast-paced yarn that grips from beginning to end, and
poses some
fascinating questions. How close to the truth is it?
July 14th - 7.30pm - THE THIRD MAN
(UK– drama– 1949) 104m (DVD)
An American writer of pulp novels arrives in post-war Vienna to find his
old friend,
Harry Lime, has been killed. Or has he ? One of the greatest British films
of all time,
Carol Reed's classic is one of those rare films where every element -
script, casting,
photography, music - seems just right. Joseph Cotton, Orson Wells, Trevor
Howard
Valli head a wonderful cast.
August 11th - 7.30 THE PAINTED VEIL
(US - Drama/love story - 2007) 125m
Trapped in a loveless marriage, a British doctor (Edward Norton) volnteers
to go to
rural China during a cholera outbreak in the 1920's taking his flighty
wife (Naomi Watts) with him. In this new and frightening setting, the
couple begin to see each
other in a new light. John Curran's film changes the ending from the W.Somerset
Maugham novel on which it is based, but on its own terms, it succeeds
superbly.
The characters are strongly drawn and engage the viewer throughout - both
Norton
and Watts are excellent. The breathtaking beauty of the Chinese limestone
mountains area is a bonus.
(Germany/Turkey/Italy - drama - 2007) 122m
The fragile lives of six people connect on emotional voyages to forgiveness across
two divergent cultures. Winner of Best Screenplay awards at Cannes, writer/director
Fatih Akin's moving, compassionate film is a beautifully constructed, emotionally
involving experiance.
October
13th - 7.30 - FOUR MINUTES
(Germany - Drama - 2006) 112m
In a women's penitentiary, an elderly piano teacher (Monica Bleibtreu)
trains a
dangerously violent young convict (Hannah Herzsprung) for a musical competition.
At the centre of this intense, confronting drama are the two powerful
performances
by the lead actors. Writer/Director, Chris Kraus, stamps himself as a
force to be
reckoned with in the future with this German Best Picture award winner.
November 10th - 7.30 - WAKE IN FRIGHT
(US/Austrlia
- Drama - 1971) 114m
A young school teacher is caught up in the ugle side of life in outback
Australia on
his way home to the city for the holidays. This brilliant but absorbing
film holds up
a mirror to a part of Australian "culture" which is less flattering
and has been little
seen since its initial release (the negative was missing for many years).
Gary Bond,
Donald Pleasence and Jack Thompson feature in Ted Kotchoff's film based
on the
Kenneth Cook novel.
December 8th - 7.30 - THE BAND'S VISIT
(Israel - Comedy/Drama - 2007) 87m
An Egyptian police band arrives in Israel to perform at the Arab Arts
Cultural Centre
but ends up in the wrong town. Although it has serious undertones, this
wry, warm-
hearted film is charming and often very funny. Directed by Eran Kolirin,
the film has
won numerous awards in festivals around the world.
All
feature films screened in 35mm prints unless otherwise stated.
(Subject to availability).
