August 13, 2009
The Pope's Toilet. Download image.
Sept. 1
The UAB Foreign Film Series presents "The Pope's Toilet" at 8 p.m. in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The UAB Foreign Film Series, sponsored by the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-4652 for more details. Cesar Charlone and Enrique Fernandez directed this 2007 film. Bouncing between moments of humor and gentle drama, the Uruguayan film is set in the late 1980s in a small town that is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Pope John Paul II. While the swell of visitors promises to be a boon for the local economy, a smalltime crook, Beto, thinks he has figured out a unique way to capitalize on the pope's visit: charge a fee for the visitors to use a toilet in his front lawn. Of course, not everything goes according to Beto's plan. Co-produced by Fernando Meirelles, this film was Uruguay's submission to the 2008 Oscars. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Sept. 15
The UAB Foreign Film Series presents "The Secret of the Grain" at 8 p.m. in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The UAB Foreign Film Series, sponsored by the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-4652 for more details. Abdel Kechiche directed this 2007 French film. Mr. Slimani, a 60-year old shipyard worker, drags himself to his job, which has become more and more difficult to cope with as the years go by. He is a divorced father who forces himself to stay close to his family despite the tensions between them. He wants to escape from it all and set up his own restaurant. It appears to be an unreachable dream given his meager, irregular salary. Then, thanks to his and his family's ingeniousness and hard work, his dream is about to become a reality - or almost. The film is in French with English subtitles.
Oct. 13
The UAB Foreign Film Series presents "The Emigrant" at 8 p.m. in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The UAB Foreign Film Series, sponsored by the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-4652 for more details. Youssef Chahine directed this 1994 Egyptian film. The story of "The Emigrant" is loosely based around the Biblical tale of Joseph. The central character of Ram is the Joseph-like figure, who casts himself out into the wilds of Egypt to study agriculture after tiring of his family's incessant feuding. While traveling with his brothers, he is cruelly sold by them to the military. The military officers are impressed by Ram's drive and determination. Ram is embroiled in all manner of political and sexual intrigue, and his story contains a salient lesson for all. The film is in Arabic with English subtitles.
Oct. 27
The UAB Foreign Film Series presents "Sangre de Mi Sangre" at 8 p.m. in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The UAB Foreign Film Series, sponsored by the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-4652 for more details. Christopher Zalla directed this 2007 film. A Mexican boy smuggles himself to Brooklyn to meet his long-lost father, only to have his identity stolen on arrival by an impostor who seeks to steal the father's fortune. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Nov. 17
The UAB Foreign Film Series presents "Nana" in celebration of International Education Week at 8 p.m. in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The UAB Foreign Film Series, sponsored by the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-4652 for more details. Kentaro Otani directed this 2005 Japanese film. Two strangers, Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, meet on a night train to Tokyo and in spite of their differences become best friends. Romantic and fickle, Komatsu wants to escape her relationship problems while the more edgy Osaki hopes to make it big in the capital with her punk band, the Black Stones. This Japanese coming-of-age drama follows the romantic and professional adventures of the young women as they set out to achieve their personal goals. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles.
About the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a full range of language, culture, literature and civilization courses that are designed to help students to understand the diverse global challenges of today.