Posted on Apr 21, 1999

The Canadian-Indian film Fire by Deepa Mehta kicks off a six-event

International Film Festival on Wednesday, April 21, at 8 p.m. in Social Sciences 016.

Other films are Wedding in Galilee (April 26), Underground (May 3), In

the Realm of the Senses (May 10), Faust (May 17) and Men with Guns (May

24). All films (except Fire at 8 p.m.) are at 7:30 p.m. in Social Sciences 016.

For information, contact Prof. Daniel Mosquera, modern languages, ext. 6415 or mosquerd@union.edu.

Complete descriptions follow:

FIRE

Wednesday, April 21, at 8 p.m. in Social Sciences 016.

Canada/India 1997

in English

Written and Directed by Deepa Mehta

“A tender and Passionate love story that develops between two Indian women torn

between their devotion to duty and their own desires for love and companionship…Fire

is an incendiary exploration of the conflicting desires for tradition and freedom within a

modern Indian family”

WEDDING IN GALILEE

Mon. April 26, 7:30 PM

Israel 1987

In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

Directed by Michel Khleifi

“Winner of the International Critics' Award of 1987 Cannes Film Festival.,

Wedding in Galilee may be the most important and heartfelt exploration of the Israeli-Arab

conflict to date…”

UNDERGROUND (Il etait une fois un pays)

Mon. May 3, 7:30 PMFrance/Serbia 1997

In Serbian with English subtitles

Directed by Emir Kusturica

“The 800-pound gorilla of recent cinema, this unruly behemoth has battled

preposterous political charges, encountered distribution difficulties, won the Cannes

Grand Prize, and built up a reputation as a visionary masterpiece. Underground is the

national epic of a non-existent nation, tracing the inglorious history of Yugoslavia

through three wars…”

IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES

Mon. May 10, 7:30 PM

Japan 1977

In Japanese with English subtitles

Directed by Nagisa Oshima

“In the Realm of the Senses is one of the most controversial Japanese films ever

made. In 1936, a geisha was found wondering through the streets of Tokyo clutching the

severed penis of her lover as an assertion of their underlying passion for each other.

Almost all the film's action takes place within closed world of erotic intensity as

they deliberately isolate themselves from society.”

FAUST

Mon. May 17, 7:30 PM

Czech Republic/UK 1994

In English

Directed by Jan Svankmajer

“Svankmajer's Faust is an ordinary, inquisitive Everyman who upon exiting

Prague subway station, is handed a map that draws him to his doom… Svankmajer's

tour-de-force is hilarious and shocking, and utterly unforgettable.”

MEN WITH GUNS

Mon. May 24, 7:30 PM

United States 1998

In Spanish, English, Nahautl, Tzotzil, Maya, and Kuna with English

subtitles

Directed by John Sayles

“…a powerful political/spiritual odyssey in the tradition of The Grapes of

Wrath and Lamerica…The film's fusion of social criticism and religious allegory

is also its message: political and spiritual awakening are seen as inseparable, the one is

incomplete and ineffective without the other.”