International Film Series 2009-2010

The annual film series will remain the same film series film aficionados have loved for years - with a few changes. This semester, the film series will take place at the new Rialto Cinemas at 1405 East Jackson Street.

The series takes place Wednesday and Thursday afternoons during fall semester. This year's lineup includes a variety of documentaries, foreign and independent films.

The Rialto Cinemas six screens will allow more showings of each film. Films times will vary week to week; check the Rialto Cinemas website for showtimes and ticket prices.

The Go West bus system makes stops in front of the Rialto about every half-hour.

The International Film Series is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois University.

Line-Up

Aug. 26 & 27 “Every Little Step”
A documentary about the 2005 revival of “A Chorus Line”, the popular, long-running Broadway musical. Documentary, PG-13, 1:36 min.
Sept. 2 & 3 “Easy Virtue”
The twenties have roared... the thirties have yet to swing. John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), a young Englishman, falls madly in love with Larita (Jessica Biel), a sexy and glamorous American woman, and they marry impetuously.
When the couple returns to the family home, his mother Mrs. Whittaker has an instant allergic reaction to her new daughter-in-law. Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe through the minefield laid by her mother-in-law. Larita quickly realizes Mrs. Whittaker’s game and sees that she must fight back if she’s not going to lose John. A battle of wits ensues and sparks soon fly. Comedy, PG-13, 1:33 min.
Sept. 9 & 10 “Cheri”
When retired courtesan Charlotte (Kathy Bates) asks her former colleague, Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer) to instruct her son, Chéri (Rupert Friend), in the ways of love, the result is a passionate affair that lasts six years. But Charlotte arranges for Chéri to marry a younger woman, and insists the affair come to an end. Lea retreats to southern France, but destiny brings the two lovers together once more. Drama, R, 1:40 min.
Sept. 16 & 17 “Sin Nombre,”
An epic dramatic thriller written and directed by Student Academy Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga in his feature debut. The filmmaker’s firsthand experiences with Central American immigrants seeking the promise of the U.S. form the basis of the Spanish-language movie. Drama, R, in Spanish with subtitles, 1:36 min.
Sept. 23 & 24 “Rudo Y Cursi”
Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna play two brothers scraping by as laborers in rural Mexico , until one day a scout spies their friendly game of soccer and sign them on as star athletes for rival teams. They quickly learn that the high life of top players-fame, money, and beautiful women-has a dark side. And when their professional rivalry turns bitter and personal, the brothers see that they must reunite before they lose everything they once dreamed of. Comedy, R, in Spanish with subtitles, 1:43 min.
Oct. 7 & 8 “IL Divo,”
Director Paolo Sorrentino’s audacious and inventive biopic of Italian parliamentarian (and “Senator for Life”) Giulio Andreotti. Drama, no rating, in Italian with subtitles, 1:57 min.
Oct. 14 & 15 “Seraphine”
This film vividly recounts the tragic story of French naïve painter Séraphine Louis aka Séraphine de Senlis (1864-1942), a humble servant who becomes a gifted self-taught painter. Drama, not rated, in French with subtitles, 2:05 min.
Oct. 21 & 22 “Food, INC,”
Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner uses reports by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore’s Dilemma author Michael Pollan as a springboard to exploring where the food we purchase at the grocery store really comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations. Documentary, PG, 1:34 min.
Oct. 28 & 29 “Thirst”
Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, and Kim Ok-bin star in Oldboy director Park Chan-wook’s frightener concerning a priest whose life takes a turn for the worst after he participates in a medical experiment to find a cure for a deadly disease. Horror, R, 2:13 min.
Nov. 4 & 5 “The Stoning of Soyara M.”
Stranded in a remote Iranian village, a French journalist is approached by Zahra, a woman who has a harrowing tale to tell about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of her death the day before...As the journalist turns on his tape recorder, Zahra takes us back to the beginning of her story which involves Soraya’s husband, the local phony mullah, and a town all too easily led down a path of deceit, coercion, and hysteria. The women, stripped of all rights and without recourse, nobly confront the overwhelming desires of corrupt men who use and abuse their authority to condemn Soyara, an innocent but inconvenient wife, to an unjust and torturous death. Drama, R, in Farsi and English, 1:56 min.
Nov. 11 & 12 “The Cove”
This documentary, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The mysteries they uncovered were only the tip of the iceberg. Documentary, PG-13, 1:56 min.
Nov. 18 & 19 “Soul Power”
In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. “Soul Power” is a verité documentary about this legendary music festival (dubbed “Zaire ‘74”), and it depicts the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, among a host of others. Documentary, PG-13, 1:33 min.
Dec. 2 & 3 “Moon”
An astronaut miner extracting the precious moon gas that promises to reverse the Earth’s energy crisis nears the end of his three-year contract, and makes an ominous discovery in this psychological sci-fi film starring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey. Science fiction, R, 1:37 min.
Dec. 9 & 10 “Lorna’s Silence”
An Albanian woman (Arta Dobroshi) has second thoughts when a local thug decides to kill her junkie husband so that she marry a Russian mobster as part of a marriage scam. drama, not rated, 1:05 min.