Thursday, January 28, 2010
Montgomery County Community College’s Humanities Division will present its 2010 Multi-Cultural Film Series, “Films Directed by Women,” on Feb. 13, March 6 and April 17. Screenings will begin at 8 p.m. with pre-film lectures at 7:30 p.m. and discussions following the films. The screenings will be held in room 214 of the Science Center, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Admission is $5, and the screenings and discussions are open to the public. For more information, contact Tim Connelly at 215-641-6410 or
tconnell@mc3.edu.
The series kicks off with a screening of “The Day I Became a Woman” (2000), directed by Marzieh Makhmalbaf, on Feb. 17. The film is presented in three vignettes that tell the stories of women at various life stages in Iran. The first story is told from the perspective of a nine-year-old girl who struggles with being told that she can no longer play with her life-long friends who are boys because she is now a woman. In the second vignette, a young wife enters a bicycle race despite her husband’s wishes. As the plot unfolds, the race begins to symbolize the freedom she desperately wants from the limitations society has placed on her. The last vignette depicts an elderly woman who comes into some money and is now free to make her own decisions. The film runs 78 minutes and is not rated.
On March 6, the series continues with a screening of “La Petite Jerusalem” (2005), directed by Karin Albou. The film revolves around two sisters in an Orthodox Jewish family. The 19-year-old Laura is an open-mined student of philosophy who tries to elevate herself above passion and traditional religion. Her sister, Matilde, is older and is married with children. She discovers that her husband is having an affair and struggles with what to do. The film runs 94 minutes and is not rated.
The series will conclude on April 17 with a screening of “Cadillac Records” (2008), directed by Darnell Martin and starring Ardien Brody and Beyonce Knowles. The film chronicles the rise of Chess Records in 1950s Chicago along with issues of race, sex, violence and rock and roll while following the exciting but turbulent lives of musical legends that include Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry. The film runs 109 minutes and is rated R.
