International Lens

Kairo (Pulse)

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:14:51 +0000

Thursday, April 12
Presented by: Dr. Gerald Figal, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies
Japan (2001) Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After one of their friends commits suicide, strange things start happening to a group of young Tokyo residents. One sees visions of their friend in the shadows of a wall; another sees ghostly images on his computer. This horror thriller is also a poignant inquiry into the human condition. Japanese with English subtitles. Rated R. 118 mins.

Miral

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:13:40 +0000

Tuesday, April 10
Presented by: Shaiya Baer, Assistant Director, Office of Active Citizenship and Service
France, Italy, Israel, India, USA (2010) Dir: Julian Schnabel. From director Julian Schnabel (Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls) and novelist Rula Jebreal comes this drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict. English. Rated R. 112 mins.

Godzilla

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:12:44 +0000

Tuesday, April 3
Presented by: Dr. Yoshikuni Igarashi, Associate Professor, Department of History
Japan (1954) Dir: Ishirô Honda. In this classic sci-fi horror drama, American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast. The 164-foot radioactive reptile goes on a rampage, destroying Tokyo. The es- sential giant monster movie. Japanese with English subtitles. Not rated. 96 mins. Blu-ray. Funding provided by the Department of History.

Nashville

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:11:15 +0000

Saturday, March 31
starts at 7pm
Presented by: Dr. Michael Kreyling, Professor of English
USA (1975) Dir: Robert Altman. Spins together plot strands involving two-dozen musicians and hangers-on over the course of one particularly busy weekend in Music City, USA. Over the course of a few hectic days, numerous interrelated individuals prepare for a political rally as secrets surface and lies are revealed. English. Rated R. 159 mins. Fund- ing provided by the Department of English.

Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Politician

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:10:16 +0000

Thursday, March 29
International Lens film. Introduction and post-screening discussion led by Sherif Barsoum, director of International Student and Scholar Services
Months after Hosni Mubarak stepped down, Egyptians country-wide seem determined to maintain the insurgency until their demands are met. Tahrir 2011 is a laudable attempt to steer away from media reports and reflect on what historians will index as the first chapter of the uprising. Structured in three chapters, the film playfully debunks misconceptions and stereotypes. Arabic with English subtitles. Not rated. 90 minutes.

6 Easy Pieces

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:09:20 +0000

Wednesday, March 28
Presented by: Jonathan Rattner, Assistant Professor, Film Studies Program
USA, Italy, Portugal (2000) Dir: Jon Jost. Six short sketches investigate the boundaries of filmmaking. Jost looks with his digital painter’s eye at: the Bernini columns on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, two swimming Roman girls who dream of California, the light on two children in school uniforms in Lisbon, the arrival of a mediocre archi- tect in Venice during some incredible mist, the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, among other subjects. English, Portuguese with English subtitles. Not rated. 68 mins. DVD. Partial funding provided by the Film Studies Program. Jon Jost will be present to lead the post-screening discussion.

The Hedgehog

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:08:36 +0000

Tuesday, March 27
Presented by: Dr. Virginia Scott, Professor of French
France, Italy (2009) Dir: Mona Acache. Inspired by The New York Times best seller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. The timely story of Paloma, a young girl bent on ending it all on her upcoming twelfth birthday. Using her father’s old camcorder to chronicle the hypocrisy she sees in adults, her unlikely friendship with a grumpy concierge helps her to come of age in a different light. French with English subtitles. Not rated. 100 mins.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:07:58 +0000

Saturday, March 24 Note: screened at 10 p.m. in The Commons Center MPR
Presented by: Global Perspectives and VANIME
Japan (2006) Dir: Mamoru Hosoda. A teenage girl finds that she has the ability to leap through time. She tries to use her new found superpower to her advantage, but soon finds that tam- pering with time can lead to some rather discomforting results. Japanese with English subtitles. 98 mins. Rated PG-13. DVD.

Pardon

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:07:13 +0000

Thursday, March 22
Presented by: Vanderbilt Turkish Student Association
Turkey (2005) Dir: Mert Baykal. Based on a true event, the tragicomic story of three friends who end up in prison when they are mistaken as members of a terrorist organization. In prison, they remember the families and lovers they left behind. Turkish with English subtitles. Not rated. DVD.

12 Monkeys

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:04:53 +0000

Wednesday, March 21
Presented by: Dr. David Miguel Gray, Mellon Assistant Professor of Philosophy
USA (1995) Dir: Terry Gilliam. A stunning adaptation of Chris Marker’s La Jetée, this sci-fi mystery thriller is set in the year 2035, where a lethal virus has wiped out most of the population. A criminal volunteers to go back in time to 1995 to gather information about the origin of the virus and is mistakenly sent back six years earlier than expected. English. Rated R. 129 mins.