<<< January 9 - 13, 2006 >>>

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We’re happy to be hosting this weeklong series of screenings devoted to the films and filmmakers nominated for the Golden Globes Best Foreign Language Film Awards. Five films will be spotlighted, including TSOTSI, from South Africa, directed by Gavin Hood, relating the violent travails of a young Johannesburg gang leader, Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae); THE PROMISE (MO GIK), from China, directed by Chen Kaige, a martial arts fantasy about the mutual love shared by a general (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his slave, Kunlun (Jang Dong Gun) for a princess (Cecilia Cheung); MERRY CHRISTMAS (JOYEUX NOËL) from France, directed by Christian Carion, based on the true story of how, on Christmas Eve during World War I, German, Scottish and French soldiers declared a truce for one day and shared sentiments about the meaning of the season; KUNG FU HUSTLE from China, directed by Stephen Chow, a brilliant action/comedy/martial arts extravaganza, also starring Chow, about a tenement being victimized by gangsters in 1940s Shanghai; and PARADISE NOW, from Palestine, directed by Hany Abu-Assad, which follows two Palestinian childhood friends recruited for a suicidal strike on Tel Aviv and focuses on their last days together. But a young woman who discovers their intentions causes an unexpected change in plans.

In early 1944, a number of movie stars went to 20th Century Fox Studios to see what a small group of foreign journalists, reporting from Hollywood back to their homelands, had found to be especially interesting and worthwhile during the turbulent preceding year. Lunch was served in the commissary, and all applauded when THE SONG OF BERNADETTE was declared best motion picture and Jennifer Jones and Paul Lukas took home the honors (in the form of scrolls) in the leading actress/actor categories. The journalists, all members of the Hollywood Foreign Press, decided that this would be a yearly event for the purpose of delivering an impartial view on motion pictures and their impact. In order not to be swayed and influenced by the powers in Hollywood--not even the Academy Award choices--it was important to them that they give their awards before the Oscars. The basic awards for motion picture, leading and supporting actors and actresses were supplemented with a director's award the second year, an award that became permanent. Since 1955, the Golden Globes have honored achievement in television as well as film. By 1962, the general public was invited to share in the celebration when KTTV in Los Angeles first televised the awards. The Golden Globes Awards, from the very first, were born out of a wish to create bridges between countries and cultures all around the globe and have, over the years, kept alive a feeling of celebration rather than competition.

Monday, January 9 – 7:30 PM

Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees:

Film # 1 TSOTSI, 2005, Miramax, 94 min. Director Gavin Hood’s blistering account of a tumultuous six days in the life of Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae), a young gang leader in Johannesburg, who undergoes a surprising change after being involved in the shooting death of a young mother. With an exhilirating catalogue of Kwaito dance hall music on the soundtrack, TSOTSI pulsates with a vibrant, violent energy. Adapted from a novel by Athol Fugard (Boesman And Lena), it compares favorably to Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund’s CITY OF GOD. Discussion following with director (or director to introduce screening).

Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees:

Film # 2 THE PROMISE (MO GIK), 2005, Moonstone Entertainment and China Film Group., 102 min. Director Chen Kaige (FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE) delivers a stirring martial arts fantasy in the tradition of HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, drawing on the acting talents of Japanese leading man, Hiroyuki Sanada, Korean Jang Dong-Kun and Chinese Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. A cursed Princess (Cheung) gathers strength from the love of the slave (Dong-Kun) of an esteemed general (Sanada) and must brave the perils of an evil duke (Tse). Director Chen Kaige will appear at the screening.

Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees:

Film # 3 JOYEUX NOËL (MERRY CHRISTMAS), 2005, Sony Classics, 110 min. Dir. Christian Carion’s poignant film is based on a real incident, the story of how German, Scottish and French soldiers declared a truce for one day on Christmas Eve during World War I and shared feelings about the meaning of the season. This uplifting saga is both profoundly moving and a scorching condemnation of the idiocy of war. Starrring Guillaume Canet, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Thomas Kretschmann. Discussion following with director (or director to introduce screening).

Thursday, January 12 – 7:30 PM

Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees:

Film # 4 KUNG FU HUSTLE, 2004, Sony Classics, 95 min. Wunderkind Stephen Chow not only directs this brilliantly comic, martial arts tour de force, but also performs as an amusingly arrogant wannabe thug attempting to join the evil "Axe Gang" in 1940’s Shanghai. What he doesn’t count on is inadvertently starting an all-out war between the gang and the downtrodden members of a poor housing community, a number of whom are hiding nearly superhuman martial arts prowess! Discussion following with director (or director to introduce screening).

Friday, January 13 – 7:30 PM

Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees:

Film # 5 PARADISE NOW, 2005, Warner Independent Pictures, 90 min. Director Hany Abu-Assad’s harrowing film follows two Palestinian childhood friends who have been recruited for a strike on Tel Aviv and focuses on their last days together. When they are intercepted at the Israeli border and separated from their handlers, a young woman who discovers their plan causes them to reconsider their actions. Starring Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal. Director Hany Abu-Assad will appear at the screening.