December 05, 2008

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UTSA hosts second European film forum March 21-24 at Bijou at Crossroads Cinema Cafe

(March 18, 2005)--The UTSA Department of Modern Languages and Literatures hosts "European Cinema in Transition: The Second San Antonio Forum on Contemporary French, German, Italian and Spanish Film," March 21-24 at the Santikos Bijou at Crossroads Cinema Café, Interstate 10 at Loop 410 in the Crossroads of San Antonio mall.

The film showings and accompanying panel discussions are free and open to the public.

With funding by the Houston cultural offices of the Embassy of France and the Consulates General of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and Santikos Theaters, the festival showcases 12 renowned European films and includes panel discussions with film scholars and representatives from the film industries of the four nations. The festival offers San Antonio filmgoers the opportunity to see films they probably would not be able to see otherwise.

Panelists will discuss film criticism, film production, American perceptions of foreign films and how films are tailored to the American market.

The project was proposed by Joel Savary, cultural attaché to the Consulate General of France in Houston, and John Collet, honorary consul of France in San Antonio, who approached the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA) in 2003 with the idea for the international film event.

For more information, contact Christopher Wickham, COLFA associate dean and UTSA cinema forum coordinator, at (210) 458-4350.

View the film schedule and synopses below.

Read more about the films at the Internet Movie Database Web site.

--Tim Brownlee

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Films at a glance

France:

"Les Triplettes de Belleville" ("The Triplets of Belleville") (2003), directed by Sylvain Chomet, adventure, animated, Academy Award nominee.
-- When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch, Bruno, team up with the Belleville Sisters, an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire, to rescue him.

"Depuis qu'Otar est parti" ("Since Otar Left") (2003), directed by Julie Bertucelli, drama
-- The one joy in the lives of a mother and daughter comes from the regular letters sent to them from Paris from the family's adored son.

"Mon Idole" ("My Idol") (2002), directed by Guillaume Canet, drama
-- Bastien, an ambitious young production assistant, catches the attention of Jean-Louis, a producer of high regard, and is granted a shot at his own television show.

Germany:

"Lichter" ("Distant Lights") (2003), directed by Hans-Christian Schmid, drama
-- The film reflects on the situation around the border between Poland and Germany. The fate of many single characters creates a picture of life in the region.

"Fickende Fische" ("Do Fish Do It?") (2002), directed by Almut Getto, drama
-- The film is about first love and the problems of growing up.

"Kurz und schmerzlos" ("Short Sharp Shock") (1998), directed by Fatih Akin, thriller
-- Three friends get caught in a life of major crime.

Italy:

"Le chiavi di casa" ("The Keys to the House") (2004), directed by Gianni Amelio, drama
-- Meeting his handicapped son for the first time, a young father attempts to forge a relationship with the teenager.

"La finestra di fronte" ("Facing Windows") (2003), directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, drama
-- Overburdened and stuck in an unhappy marriage, Giovanna takes care of a Jewish Holocaust survivor her husband brings home. As she reflects on her life, she turns to the man who lives next door.

"Ora di religione" ("My Mother's Smile") (2002), directed by Marco Bellocchio, drama
-- A celebrated painter is visited by a cardinal's assistant, who informs him that his mother could become a saint.

Spain:

"Tasio" (1984), directed by Montxo Armendáriz, drama
-- The childhood, love adventures and ordinary life of Tasio, a coal miner in rural Navarre.

"Días contados" ("Running Out of Time") (1994), directed by Imanol Uribe, thriller
-- A member of a terrorist organization is helping to arrange an attack in Madrid, but he sets other priorities when he meets a girl who is adicted to drugs and to whom he is attracted.

"El espíritu de la colmena" ("The Spirit of the Beehive") (1973), directed by Víctor Erice, drama
-- In Castile, Spain, 1940, a traveling movie theater brings James Whale's black-and-white, 1931 film classic, "Frankenstein." Two young filmgoers, Isabel and Ana, decide to find the monster.

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Film Schedule

This schedule supersedes times and listings on the event poster.

Theater 5

Time	Mon. March 21	Tue. March 22	Wed. March 23	Thur. March 24
3:00	Dias contados 93 min.	Mon Idole 110 min.	Fickende Fische 104 min.	La finestra di fronte 106 min.
5:30	Panel	Panel	Panel	Tasio 95 min.
7:00	Kurz und schmerzlos 100 min.		Ora di religione 102 min.	7:30 Mon Idole 110 min.
9:30	Depuis qu'Otar est parti 103 min.		Le Chiavi di casa 105 min.

Theater 6

Time	Mon. March 21	Tue. March 22	Wed. March 23	Thur. March 24
2:30	Fickende Fische 104 min.	Ora di religione 102 min.	El espíritu de la colmena 97 min.	Depuis qu'Otar est parti 103 min.
5:00	La finestra di fronte 106 min.	Dias contados 93 min.	Les Triplettes de Belleville 80 min.	Lichter 105 min.
7:30	Les Triplettes de Belleville 80 min.	Lichter 105 min.	Tasio 95 min.	Le chiavi di casa 105 min.
9:30		El espíritu de la colmena 97 min.	Kurz und schmerzlos 100 min.