The blood of a Poet (France 1992, Dir. Jean Cocteau,
91 min., B & W, French with English subtitles)
Jean Cocteau's first feature is an episodic piece of
imaginary events and transformation, and comprises four riveting vignettes,
entitled The Wounded Hand, Do The Walls have Ears? The Snowball Fight and
The Profanation of the Host. It opens with a poet creating a drawing with
a living mouth. And in his effort to erase the mouth from the picture,
it transfers from the canvas to his hand. After a distracted sleep, the
poet presses his hand against the mouth of a female statue, which comes
"to Life" . The rest of the story involves the poet condemned to walk the
halls of the "Hotel of Dramatic Follies" for his crime of bringing the
statue to life. Spying on various tableaux with his movements directed
by the statue, and building up into a starting and mesmerizing finale.
El Bireh, Sunday 05 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Jerry Macguire Oscar Nominations (USA 1996, Dir. Cameron
Crowe, 133 Min., English. )
Tom Cruise is Jerry Macguire. He is popular, he's a top-notch
sports agent, and he's at the top of his game, but driven by his conscience
he writes a 'mission statement" of a new belief that it is quality not
quantity, the people not the money, that really counts. Fired as soon as
his boss reads the statement, Jerry is soon stripped of his friends, fiancée
and self-respect, and is forced to start from scratch. Only through his
shared journey to success with Rod, his sole remaining client, and his
relationship with Dorothy and her son does he begin to understand the values
that really matter. El Bireh, Tuesday 21 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Three Colours White (France, Poland, Switzerland 1993,
Dir. Krzysztof
Kieslowski, 88 min. French with English subtitles) The
film is the second of a trilogy exploring the French Revolutionary ideals
of Freedom, Equality, and Brotherhood. Karol, a Polish hairdresser, is
divorced by his beautiful French wife Dominique and thrown onto the streets
of Paris, penniless and with no passport. All seems lost until he meets
a fellow Pole who ingeniously smuggles Karol back to Warsaw in a suitcase.
Once there, Karol is determined to take revenge against his ex-wife. He
deals successfully on the black market until he has enough money to put
his plan into action, but he hasn't counted on love getting in the way
of its perfect execution. El Bireh, Thursday 02 March 19:30, Popular Art
Center.
Three Colours Red 3 Oscar nominations, 4 BAFTA
nominations, L.A. & New York Critic's Circle best Foreign film. (France,
Poland, Switzerland 1994, Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 95 min. French with
English subtitles.)
The third and the final part of Kieslowski's outstanding
trilogy and it have been acclaimed as his masterpiece. Immaculately played
by an extraordinary cast, "Red" masterfully plays on Kieslowski's interpretation
of brotherhood and destiny. Irene Jacob is stunning as a young model that
meets a retired judge by chance when she rescues his dog from a car accident.
Jean-Louis Trintignant is utterly compelling as the embittered judge who
spends his days eaves-dropping on his neighbors' phone conversation. Their
initial fiery relationship mellows into a close friend of fate reveals
the destinies of the characters from all three parts of the trilogy. El
Bireh, Thursday 09 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Blood Simple (USA 1983, Dir. Joel Coen, 95 min., English
)
Deep in the heart of Texas, a jealous bar owner hires
a private eye to kill his wife (Frances McDormand) and her lover. The sleazy
hit man kills him instead and pockets the cash. The perfect crime, or so
it seems, but disposing of the corpse is not so simple. El Bireh, Sunday
26 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Savage Nights (France 1992, Dir. Cyril Collard, 122
min., French with English subtitles.)
Cyril Collard's provocative and brilliant debut film
swept the boards at the 1993 French Oscars, winning four major awards and
attaining instant cult status. Adapted from the director/star's semi-autobiographical
novel, it portrays the reckless bisexual lifestyle of a young man living
under the threat of Aids. Jean (played by Collard) has come too close to
the sun and life has scorched his wings: he is HIV positive. But he is
charming and intelligent and life offers him many choices. He is prepared
to take them all. Why should he have to choose between 18 year old Laura
and 20 year old Samy? for Jean, Life has become a precious thing... Collard
died tragically at the age of 35 of an Aids related disease only three
days before " Savage Nights" was honored at the French Cesar Awards. El
Bireh, Sunday 19 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Mischeif (Fervel) (Germany 1983, 97 min. 16mm, German
with English subtitles)
Peter Fleischmann's film is above all the exact opposite
of a German TV crime story, starting with the casting of the main role,
which the director took over him-self. At the same time, Fleischmann refuses
the priniple of every crime story, that the world falls into some disorder
through a crime and that order is reinstated when the case is cleared up
and the perpetrator brought to justice. Police detective Lohmann takes
part in an interrogation of a young woman who is suspected of murdering
her own child. The suspect does not say a single word, yet the case starts
to irritate the detective, and he starts to doubt her guilt. At the same
time he begins to suspect that they both have something in common: a misspent
life, which they could make good together. (Screened in cooperation with
Goethe Institute-Ramallah)
El Bireh, Tuesday 07 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Execution in Justice (Germany 1993, 106 min. 16mm,
German with English subtitles)
Hans W. Geissendrfer's film is based on the novel "Justiz"
by the great Swiss author Friedrich Durrenment, a moral detective story
about the possible difference between judicial justice and moral justice.
Felix, a young lawyer, is one of the many wit-nesses who see how the respectable
civil-servant Kohler shoots Professor Winter for no apparent reason in
the middle of the well-filled restaurant "Di Theatre" in Zurich. Kohler,
an influential man, positively insists on being arrested and accepts his
sentence for 20 years in jail without any sign of emotion. But then he
asks Felix to investigate the case, purely theoretically. The young lawyer,
knowing that Kohler is guilty, takes over the task and...in the end, Kohler
is suddenly a free man. (Screened in cooperation with Goethe Institute-Ramallah)
El Bireh, Tuesday 28 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
Trains "N" Roses (Zugvgel-Einmal nach Inari) (Germany
1997, 87 min. 16mm, German with English subtitles)
The Author and director Peter Lichtefeled relates the
story of his first film, which won a national film award, as a two-track
story over considerable geographical distances. Hannes Weber drives a beer-delivery
van in Dortmud and engaged in an unusual hobby: European railway timetables.
Without batting an eyelid, the normally shy young man even risks his job
in order to take part in an international competition for time table specialists
in Finland. On his way to Inari, he does not have any clue that the police
detective Fanck is on his heels because of a crime which was discovered
shortly after he had left: his boss was found dead; the company safe has
been plundered and suspicion immediately falls on Hannes... (Screened in
cooperation with Goethe Institute-Ramallah)
El Bireh, Thursday 23 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
The Cell of Glass - (Die Glkserne Zelle) (Germany
1978, 93 min. 16mm, color, German with English subtitles)
Philip Braun is an architect who served five years in
prison for a fatal mistake for which the building con-tractor Lasky was
responsible. When he is released, he tries with the help of his lawyer
(David) to find evidence to prove his innocence. On the other hand, Lasky,
who does not want the case to be reopened, sets Philip against David by
providing fake evidence of an affair between David and Philip's wife Lisa.
Philip is gradually caught in the web of Lasky's claim and finally commits
a real crime and is now really at the mercy of Lasky who has reit on tape
and black-mails him. How can he conceal his crime and defend the family
happiness which he has restored with such difficulty?
(This film will be screened in cooperation with Goethe
Institute - Ramallah) El Bireh, Sunday 12 March 19:30, Popular Art Center.
The Birds (USA 1963, dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 119 min.)
In a California coastal area, flocks of birds unaccountably
make deadly attacks on human beings. A curiously absorbing work that starts
as a light comedy that ends as apocalyptic allegory, this piece of hitchcockery
has no visible point except to tease and provide plenty of opportunity
for shock, offbeat humor, and special effects. Ramallah, Wednesday 08 and
Monday 27 March 19:00, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center.
Spellbound (USA 1945, dir. Alfred Hitchcock, B&W,
111 min.)
The new head of a mental institution is an imposter and
amnesiac, a staff member falls in love with him and helps him recall the
fate of the real Dr. Edwards who was supposed to run this institution.
The film features a famous dream sequence de-signed and directed by Salvadore
Dali. Starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. Ramallah, Monday 13 and
Wednesday 22 March 19:00, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center.
North by Northwest (USA 1959, dir. Alfred Hitchcock,
136 min.)
A businessman is mistaken for a spy, and enemy agents
then try to kill him because he knows too much. A delightful chase comedy
thriller, a kind of compendium of its director's best work. Features the
famous 2 scenes of the crop duster chasing Cary Grant in the cornfield,
and Eve Marie-Saint and Cary Grant hanging on the edge of Mount Rushmore.
Ramallah, Monday 20 and Wednesday 29 March 19:00, Khalil
Sakakini Cultural Center.
The last five short films of the millennium (Bethlehem
2000 production, December 1999, 45 minutes, Arabic with English subtitles,
directors Azza al Hasan, Mai Masri, Subhi Zbeidi., Rachid Mashharawi, and
Elie Suleiman)
A testament on the last century, and a glimpse into the
future, five Palestinian film makers, commissioned by the Bethlehem 2000
project, embarked on producing the film of their fantasy for New Year's
Eve. It was their platform to give a testimony of what is "Palestinian"
to them, and to place their own imprint on the new millennium.
Azza al Hassan's "The Place" brings to
this group of films the poeticism of a young Palestinian woman with artistic
insight and high ambitions.
Elia Suleiman presents a short fiction
film of 15 minutes, "Cyber Palestine", which plays on the theme of a modern
day Joseph and Mary living in Gaza.
Mai Masri presents a short version of her
acclaimed documentary "Children of Shatilla".
Rachid Mashharawi playfully presents a
film about Palestinian food, namely about a famous Palestinian meal, "Makloubeh"
or "Upside Down" which is the title of the film.
Subhi Zbeidi presents a group of children
from the Jalazone refugee camp, his home camp, "Ali and his Friends" as
the heroes of this original documentary.
Ramallah, Saturday 11 March 19:00, Khalil Sakakini Cultural
Center.