UAB Foreign Film Series for Winter/Spring 2009 Begins January 27

The UAB Foreign Film Series is held at 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month during the academic year at the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. The film series is free and open to the public.

   November 17, 2008

Still Life. Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB Foreign Film Series is held at 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month during the academic year at the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. The film series is free and open to the public. For details, contact the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at 205-934-4652.

Jan. 27 - "Still Life," 8 p.m., UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. - Shot in the old village of Fengjie, which has been destroyed by the building of China's Three Gorges Dam, the film tells the story of a group of people who return to Fengjie during the upheaval. A miner returns to the village to look for his wife. A nurse searches for her husband. Jia Zhangke directed the film. The film will be presented with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes.

Feb. 17 - "Guelwaar," 8 p.m., UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. - In this drama/comedy from Senegal, Pierre Henri Thioune - called Buelwaar, the Noble One - a political activist, and pillar of the local Christian community dies mysteriously. What is even more mysterious is his disappearance after his death. To the horror of his fellow Christians, they discover that Guelwaar's body was misidentified and mistakenly buried in a Muslim cemetery. This mix up results in family conflicts, religious battles and bureaucratic red tape, leading to a tense standoff at the grave site. Ousmane Sembène directed "Guelwaar." The film is in Wolof with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

March 17 - "The Way We Laughed," 8 p.m., UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. - In this Italian film, Giovanni moves to Turin in 1958 where his younger brother, Pietro, is in school. Giovanni has sacrificed so that his brother can have an education. However, Pietro is failing. Giovanni eventually becomes a businessman and as the country becomes more prosperous, Giovanni becomes more corrupt. Gianni Amelio directed the film. The film will be presented with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours, 8 minutes.

April 7 -  "Talk to Her," 8 p.m., UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. - This Spanish film tells the story of two men, Benigno, a male nurse, and Marco, a writer, who meet at a private clinic where Marco's girlfriend, Lydia, lies in a coma. Their chance meeting becomes an intense friendship. Pedro Almodóvar directed the film. The film will be presented with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes. 

April 21 - "Good Bye Lenin," 8 p.m., UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. S. - "Good Bye Lenin" is a German film in which the character Alex's mother, a devout socialist, has fallen into a coma. She awakens eight months after the Berlin Wall has fallen and capitalism has triumphed in her beloved East Germany. The situation is complicated because his mother has a weak heart and the shock could kill her. To save his mother, Alex transforms the family apartment into an island of the past, a socialist-era museum where his mother is duped into believing that nothing has changed. Alex recruits the neighbors to help with this elaborate ruse. The film is co-written and directed by Wolfgang Becker. The film will be presented with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes.