Cinema Updates

Sunday, December 4, 2011 (2 events)

THE SECOND TIME at the Italian Institute of Culture, 6:00 PM (rerun 8:00 PM)
Italian with English subtitles
Directed by Mimmo Calopresti.
Featuring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Nanni Moretti, Simona Caramelli, Marina Confalone.
Drama, Runtime : 80 min.
Italy / 1995.

A university professor sees on the street the terrorist who shot him twelve years ago in the head, without killing him, but leaving a dangerous bullet in his skull. The terrorist was sentenced to thirty years, but now enjoys a special permit, so that she can walk around the city. The professor approaches her but she does not recognize him, and mistakes him for a suitor. But the truth comes to light. The professor feels he has the right to obtain explanations from his executioner. The directorial debut of M. Calopresti, is a film about the memory of political terrorism that plagued Italy since the '60s.

EIN SHAMS (EYE OF THE SUN) at the Netherlands Institute of Culture, 7:00 PM
Directed by Ibrahim El-Batout
With: Ramadan Khater, Hanan Yousef, Boutros Boutros Ghali
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Duration: 115 minutes. Egypt – 2008

From once being the capital of Egypt during the Pharaonic era and a sacred location marked by the visit of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Ein Shams has become one of Cairo's poorest and most neglected neighbourhoods. Through the eyes of Shams, an 11-year-old girl inhabitant of this neighbourhood, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelops everyday life in Egypt. In a series of heart-rending events, the diverse characters of the film showcase the intricacies of Egypt's political system and social structure, and give a glimpse into the grievances of the Middle East region and the complex relationships of its nations.
Address: 1, Mahmoud Azmi Str (www.tinyurl.com/NVICmap), Zamalek, Egypt, 11211

Monday, December 5, 2011

GEBOREN IN ABSURDISTAN (BORN IN ABSURDISTAN) at the Austrian Cultural Forum, 6:30 PM
Directed by Houchang Allahyari, Tom Dariusch Allahyari
Featuring Karl Markovics, Julia Stemberger and Ahmet Ugurlu
Comedy / Drama. Austria / 1999.
116 min. German with English subtitles

It all begins with a mistake, an error with serious consequences: in a hospital the new-born babies of an Austrian couple and a Turkish family of immigrant workers are mixed up and go home with the wrong parents. By the time the mistake comes to light, it emerges that the Turkish family, including the baby, has been deported. The despairing Austrian couple begins a confusing odyssey through Turkey in order to track down the unsuspecting family to their native village. But they are not at all convinced that the babies have been mixed up. It is decided that the only way to know for sure is to have a blood test done. It is decided that the blood work is done in Vienna due to the better medical resources, but that will be far from simple. It will involve an illegal smuggling of the Turks across the Austrian border.

1103 Corniche El Nil (near Hotel), 1st Floor, Apt. 7, Garden City.