Film Movement - An Independent Film Festival

The Library is proud to announce the fifth season of its Film Movement series. Experience these powerful, first-run feature films by independent filmmakers. The festival of six films will run every Thursday from April 3 - May 8, 2008 at 6:45 p.m. in the McMaster Center at Main Library. Free underground parking is available.

These films are not subject to rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. Recommended for adults; some films may contain strong language, violence or sexual content.

A Map for Saturday            Darius Goes West              Summercamp!

Arranged                           Bothersome Man               Festival of Shorts: Validation

Thursday, April 3, 2008 - A Map for Saturday
(USA, 2007)
EXCLUSIVE SCREENING

90 minutes

On a trip around the world, every day feels like Saturday. Emmy-winning producer Brook Silva-Braga left his cushy gig with HBO to travel the world for a year with five pounds of clothes and 30 pounds of video equipment, visiting 26 countries on four continents. The trip is lonely and difficult, yet joyous and adventurous, tracking the emotional arc of extreme long-term travelers; people who wondered, "What would it be like to travel the world?" Then did it.

Thursday, April 10, 2008 - Darius Goes West

(USA, 2007)

EXCLUSIVE SCREENING

92 minutes

Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia. In the summer of 2005, he and a group of young college students traveled across the country in an RV to test accessibility in the United States. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customize Darius's wheelchair. Along the way, they found joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

Thursday, April 17, 2008 - Summercamp!
(USA, 2006)
EXCLUSIVE SCREENING

85 minutes

There's S'more to Growing Up. Flapping fans may have been replaced by battery-operated spritzing whirrers, computers are missed as much as mommies, and attention deficit meds are as common as hot dogs and Jell-O, but the yearly school-break tradition of kids attending woodsy retreats continues. Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price's documentary chases campers for three weeks at Wisconsin's Swift Nature Camp. Charm, personality and camp-life details abound, showing why some thrive in an oasis of animal worship, outdoor revelry and zero-to-hero popularity that forgives a nerdy rep back home.

Thursday, April 24, 2008 - Arranged

(USA, 2007)

90 minutes

An Orthodox Jewish-American woman and a Muslim woman from Brooklyn meet as first-year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn. Over the course of the year they learn they share much in common - not least of which is that they are both going through the process of arranged marriages. The film sympathetically depicts conservative lifestyles much in the news of late, broadening our understanding and appreciation for both.

Thursday, May 1, 2008 - Bothersome Man

(Norwegian with English subtitles, 2006)

95 minutes

In this bone-dry black comedy, Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there. Everything is provided for him; but before long, he notices that something is wrong. The world lacks passion and flavor; the city is spotless but sterile, everyone and everything is nice, but bland and mechanical. Andreas makes an attempt to escape the city in comically bleak Wile E. Coyote fashion, but discovers there's no way out. Then he hears music coming from a mysterious crack in the wall. . . .

Thursday, May 8, 2008 - Festival of Shorts

Validation (16 min. )

A wonderfully funny fable about a parking attendant who gives his customers REAL validation - dispensing both free parking and free compliments. EXCLUSIVE SCREENING.

Madame Tutli-Putli (17 min.)

Madame Tutli-Putli boards the Night Train and, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past, she finds herself caught up in a desperate adventure. This stunning, stop-motion animated film uses groundbreaking visual techniques and a haunting and original score, combining Jungian thrills and Hitchcockian suspense.

Gimme Green (27 min.)

The lawn is America’s largest irrigated crop, as well as a social status symbol. This humorous documentary makes us reflect on our obsession and its widespread economic and environmental effects. EXCLUSIVE SCREENING.

La Guera (8 min.)

During WWII, a boy tries to save himself and his baby sister from a German soldier. Gritty cinematography adds suspense and realism to this gut-wrenching tale. EXCLUSIVE SCREENING.

Uncle / Cousin / Brother (6 min, 6 min, 8 min = 20 min.)

Whimsical claymation trilogy of funny and poignant autobiographical stories from Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot.

Lucky (4 min)

A man is caught in a terrible, yet thrilling, bind - and it's going to take more than a Houdini act to get out of this situation. EXCLUSIVE SCREENING.