Bowdoin’s World Cinema Film Festival, running Feb. 17-23, offers a varied program of important contemporary narrative and documentary films from around the world, with post-screening discussions moderated by faculty and students. All films are free and open to the public, screening at 7:00 pm in Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center.
Monday, February 17 – “MEMORIES OF OVERDEVELOPMENT” (Miguel Coyula, Cuba, 2010) is presented by Miguel Coyula, Nadia Celis (Romance Languages) and the Latin American Student Organization. Based on a novel by Edmundo Desnoes, the film tells the story of a Cuban intellectual who leaves “underdevelopment” behind to find himself at odds with the ambiguities of his new life as a professor in the “developed” world. The protagonist is a witness to the Cuban Revolution and the several waves of migration leaving the island from the 60’s to the 80’s, as well as to the attacks of September 11th in New York. The film was selected by the International Film Guide as the Best Cuban Film of 2011. Official trailer
Tuesday, February 18th – “THE RETURN” (Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2003) is presented by Kristina Toland (Russian). In this award-winning thriller, a man returns to his wife and two adolescent sons after a long and unexplained absence. Father and sons embark on a fishing trip, but their quest for reunion becomes a struggle for survival. Official trailer
Wednesday, February 19th – “THE GREAT BEAUTY” (Paolo Sorrentino, Italy 2013) is presented by Allison Cooper (Italian) and Gretchen Williams ’14 (Art History/Italian). A love letter to Roman decadence, this tragicomedy of Italy’s leisured classes is a sensual overload and a scathing commentary on Italian politics and society. Official trailer
Thursday, February 20th – “THE AMBASSADOR” (Mads Brugger, Denmark, 2011) is presented by Ericka Albaugh (Government) and Evan Bulman (Reed House). Armed with hidden cameras, black-market credentials, and his wit, a journalist transforms himself into the caricature of a European-African consul to expose Africa’s blood diamond trade. A post-screening reception will be provided by the students of Reed House. Official Trailer
Friday, February 21st – “MAP of the SOUNDS of TOKYO” Isabel Coixet, Spain, 2009) is presented by David George (Bates College, Spanish/European Studies). A Japanese assassin makes the mistake of falling for her Spanish quarry in this stylish and beautiful thriller set in Tokyo. Official trailer
Saturday, February 22nd – “PLEASE VOTE for ME” (Weijun Chen, China, 2007) is presented by Shu-chin Tsui (Asian Studies). A democratic experiment is happening in central China’s most populous city: third-grade students are electing a class monitor. Their experience reveals the sacrifices and benefits required by democracy’s implementation. Official trailer
Sunday, February 23rd – “BLANCANIEVES” (Pablo Berger, Spain, 2012) is presented by Elena Cueto-Asin (Romance Languages), Tricia Welsch (Film Studies), Birgit Tautz (German), and MacMillan House. This wonderfully eerie silent film treat and Oscar nominee recasts Snow White as a talented bullfighter in 1920s southern Spain. A post-screening reception will be provided by the students of MacMillan House. Official trailer
