| September 23, France ~ 2007 Her Name is Sabine French actress Sandrine Bonnaire gathered 25 years of family video footage to make this documentary about her sister, Sabine. Sabine was a highly-functioning, young autistic woman when she was incorrectly admitted to a psychiatric institution at age 28, where she lived for five years. Bonnaire’s film addresses the lack of resources and knowledge about autism and her love for her sister.In French with closed captions. Director: Sandrine Bonnaire.
September 30, Romania ~ 2006 The Way I Spent the End of the World In the last days of Ceausescu’s dictatorship, 17 year old Eva is expelled from her school for accidentally breaking a bust of the dictator. When Eva decides to escape Romania with her boyfriend, her seven year old brother, Lalalilu blames Ceausescu and plans with his friends to assassinate the dictator.In Romanian with closed captions. Director: Catalin Mitulescu.
October 7, Morocco ~ 2000 Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets Ali, Kwita, Omar, and Boukber are tough street children,sniffing glue and living in the harsh world of the streets of Casablanca, but dreaming of better lives. When Ali is killed by gang members, his friends, who rarely have even enough to eat, decide to “bury him like a prince.” Director Nabil Ayouch has won awards at more than 40 international film festivals for Ali Zaoua. In Arabic with closed captions.Director: Nabil Ayouch.
October 14, Argentina ~ 2007 XXY The pain and awkwardness of growing up is magnified for 15 year old Alex – born an intersex child – who manifests as a young woman. When Alex meets Alvaro, the son of family friends, her attraction to him raises difficult questions about her identity. Director/Producer Lucia Puenzo won the Critic’s Week Grand Prize at Cannes for XXY. In Spanish with closed captions. Director: Lucia Puenzo.
October 21, Russia ~ 2004 Roads to Koktebel A widowed, alcoholic, and unemployed father and his young son set off with no money to cross 1,000 miles of Russia, heading to the city of Koktebel on the Black Sea to stay with the father’s sister. Taking odd jobs alongt he way, the father becomes involved with a country doctor and decides to spend the winter with her. The son, convinced a fine new life waits for him in Koktebel, continues on, carrying his atlas in a plastic bag. In Russian with closed captions. Directors: Boris Khlebnikov & Alexei Popogrebsky.
October 28, Spain ~ 2000 El Bola Pablo, known to his friends as El Bola (“Pellet”) because of the steel ball he carries as a lucky charm, has grown up in a violent environment with an abusive father. When Pablo meets Alfredo, a new boy at school,he discovers a loving family and a world that lets him know there’s something wrong with his own. El Bola won awards for Best New Director, Best New Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Film at Spain’s Goya Awards. In Spanish with closed captions. Director: Achero Manas.
November, 4 Iran ~ 2006 Day Break Awakened at daybreak for his execution for the third time, Mansour awaits a confrontation with the family ofthe man he killed. According to Islamic law, the victim’s family must be present to decide whether the sentence will be carried out or not. Mansour’s short reprieve leaves him in a terrible place, caught between life and death. In Farsi with closed captions. Director: Hamid Rahmanian.
November 18, Norway ~ 2004 Hawaii, Oslo Selected as Norway’s Academy Award entry in 2004, Hawaii, Oslo introduces us to a handful of desperate people whose lives interconnect during one hot night in Oslo, a theme popularized in films such as Crash, Babel, and Magnolia. In his review for Variety Magazine Gunnar Rehlin wrote, “Hawaii, Oslo is one of the best Norwegian films made in many years. ”In Norwegian with closed captions. Director: Erik Poppe.
November 25, Netherlands ~ 2001 Morlang Inspired by a true story, Morlang carries us back and forth in time, unfolding the story of the artist, Julius Morlang, and his wife, Ellen, who died by suicide two years earlier. Morlang now lives happily in Ireland with Ann, until he receives a disturbing series of cryptic messages about Ellen’s death. Morlang was an official selection at the TriBeCa film festival. In English. Director: Tjebbo Penning.
December 2, USA ~ 2007 Arranged Rochel, a young Orthodox woman, and Nasira, a young Muslim woman, meet as first year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn, where their conservative dress and beliefs cause them to stand out. Rochel and Nasira’s parents’ attempts to choose their spouses make this American-made film a timely and appropriate choice for a foreign film series. In English. Director: Stefan Schaefer.
December 9, France ~ 2007 The Grocer’s Son When his father has a heart attack and cannot work, 30-yearold Antoine is forced to leave Paris and return home to help out with the family’s grocery business. Driving the family grocery cart from town to town, Antoine discovers the job involves much more than just delivering bread, butter and eggs. In French with closed captions. Director: Eric Guirado. | 
