Mona Lisa
(UK 1986, Dir. Neil Jordan, 104 Min., colour,
English) It is a film about the total and absolute gap of understanding
between a man and a woman. Bob Hoskins (who snagged an Oscar nomination
for his performance) plays George, a small-time loser employed as a chauffeur
to an enigmatic, high-class call girl. His fascination with her leads him
on a dangerous quest through the sordid underbelly of London, where love
is a weakness to be exploited and betrayed. El Bireh, Sunday 16 and Wednesday
26 January 19:30, Popular Art Center
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(Dir. Robert Hakim, 110 Min., English)Two-time
Academy Award winner Anthony Quinn and Gina Lollobrigida star in this unforgettable
tale of passion and desire. Lollobrigida plays the seductive and beautiful
Gypsy Esmeralda, who befriends Quasimodo (Quinn), the mysterious hunchback
who hides in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a must-see masterpiece
that's sure to entertain everyone! El Bireh, Monday 17 January 19:30, Popular
Art Center.
Three Colours Blue
Venice 1993: Golden Lion, Best Film, Best
Actress, Best photography (France 1993, Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 100
min. French with English subtitles) The film is the first of a trilogy
exploring the French Revolutionary ideals of Freedom, Equality, and Brotherhood.
Julie (Juliette Binoche) loses her composer husband and their child in
a car crash and, a would-be lover. But music still surrounds her and she
uncovers unpleasant facts about her husband's life. Slowly Julie learns
to live again, as music and the gift to create it prove to be a healing
force. El Bireh, Wednesday 12 and Sunday 23 January 19:30, Popular Art
Center.
Welcome to Sarajevo
(USA 1997, Dir. Michael Winterbottom, 102
Min., English) Woody Harrelson, Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and Stephen
Dillane team up and deliver powerhouse performance in this true story of
courage and daring! living on the edge amid the constant threat of attack,
an offbeat band of TV journalists, led by hotshot Jimmy Flynn (Harrelson),
report from a devastated war- torn country. The action intensifies when
one of the journalists crosses the line and risks his life in a bold attempt
to smuggle an orphaned girl to safety. Filling the screen with a jarring
mix of passion and danger, Welcome to Sarajevo is a gritty, behind-the-scenes
look at covering a war...head-on and on the run. El Bireh, Saturday 15
and Tuesday 25 January 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Trial by Fire (Hartetest)
(Germany 1997, Dir. Janek Rieke, 80 min. 16mm,
German with English subtitles) Trial by fire is a classical comedy about
a young man, Jonas, who is exactly what young people today call a " softy"
. He has everything he wants and his life is more than perfect. But in
the minute he starts to care for women all this will change. His friendship
with Lena, who does not like frightened little boys, forces him on numerous
occasions to prove his courage. In this film the director has tried to
keep up a steady flow of gags so that his viewers do not have to wait too
long for the next laugh, at the same time, he has also sought to build
up a dramatic tension and to keep the viewer's interest in the story's
progress awake. A promising first film of the young film director. This
film will be screened in cooperation with Goethe Institute- Ramallah El
Bireh, Thursday 13 and Monday 24 January 19:30, Popular Art Center.
No More Mr. Nice Guy
(Germany 1993, 92 min. 16mm, German with English
subtitles) Kipp has been given a pass to leave his institution and visit
the grave of his grandmother, who has left him an inheritance. He is picked
up by his brother Most. The two can't read or write are forced to be joined
by Viktor, and a deserter from one of the barrack of the former Soviet
army, who cannot speak a word of German. The three men are ambushed by
a gang of highwaymen and Viktor demonstrates his power with a klashnikov.
They are spending all the money they have, thinking they are about to be
rich. At the same time the Police are hunting them down, whom they consider
to be very dangerous. This mad comedy was one of the most successful German
films of the year 1993. This film will be screened in cooperation with
Goethe Institute- Ramallah El Bireh, Tuesday 18 and Saturday 29 January
19:30, Popular Art Center.
Kramer vs. Kramer
Winner of 3 Oscars (best picture, best actor,
best supporting actress) (USA 1979, Dir. Robert Benton, 100 min., English)
It is a story of relationships, values and choices. Returning home late
from work one night, a career-obsessed Ted Kramer is told by his wife that
she is leaving him. After a life of being "somebody's daughter" or "somebody's
wife", she is going off, leaving Ted to care for their six- year-old son.
Ted, while trying to hold down his job, gets to really know his son: cooking
his meals, taking him to the park, understanding every need and fear. For
the first time in his life he feels like a fulfilled parent. But then Joanna
returns. And she wants her son back... El Bireh, Wednesday 19 and Sunday
30 January 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Date Wine
Winner of 7 Awards- National Egyptian Film
Festival (Egypt , Dir. Radwan El-Kashef, 110 min, Arabic with English Subtitles)
All the able men of a small Egyptian village migrate in search of wealth,
except for Ahmad, on the threshold of adolescence, who insists on staying
behind in the hope of fulfilling his dream of climbing "al-'alia", the
tallest palm tree in the village. In the absence of the village's men,
however, the women quickly see Ahmad as the gigantic responsibility. When
the migrants men return, the village is thrown into turmoil. El Bireh,
Wednesday 12 January 19:30, Popular Art Center.