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Sunday, September 19, 2010
3:00 pm Mid-August Lunch
Directed by Gianni Di Gregorio (the screenwriter of Italian film Gomorrah)
4:30 pm The Oath
Directed by by Academy Award-nominated director Laura Poitras
Mid-August Lunch, a gentle comedy that was a box office hit in Italy, and a documentary film that has won awards at three of the world’s top festivals, will launch the new ‘Weekend Film Series’ when it debuts Sunday September 19. It won three prizes at the Venice Film Festival, earned Di Gregorio the Best New Director award at the David di Donatello Awards (Italy’s Academy Awards), won the Satyajit Ray Award at the London Film Festival for Best First Film, and was nominated for Best Picture at the European Film Awards.
The film, in Italian with English subtitles, tells the story of handsome middle-aged Gianni, who takes care of his aging mother in the family’s ‘shabby chic’ Rome apartment. When their landlord offers to forego the rent arrears if only Gianni will take care of his mother for the holiday weekend – and Gianni’s doctor makes a similar offer – Gianni ends up with an apartment full of feisty women, and he prepares an impromptu feast for the hungry octogenarians.
“The film features two Italian ‘musts’ – a son’s devotion to his mother, and the unending quest to eat well,” says Hall. “The film is engaging, with charming performances, nuanced writing and subtle humour. It’s a sweet comedy, a little gem – and film critic Philip French of The Observer called it ‘the most likeable European picture of 2009’. Time Out New York called it ‘a mouth-watering cinematic feast’. It has screened at many of the world’s top festivals, including London, Berlin, Seattle and Karlovy Vary, and had a successful theatrical run in Italy.”
Documentary film The Oath, winner of jury prizes at the Sundance, Edinburgh and Hot Docs film festivals, will screen at 4.30 p.m. The film is in English and Arabic, with English subtitles.
Shot in Yemen, the film offers a quietly disturbing look into the inner workings of al-Qaeda through the eyes of two brothers-in-law, each of whom worked for Osama bin Laden. Abu Jandal, a former bodyguard to bin Laden, named names in the aftermath of 9/11 and now works as a taxi driver in Yemen. Salim Hamdan, a former driver for bin Laden, spent years in prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The film constructs a three-dimensional portrait of a conflicted ex-jihadist. It follows Jandal as he poses his young son on a blanket with grenades and an AK-47, and lectures disaffected youth about bin Laden. We get to know Hamdan, meanwhile, through letters written by him from prison, and follow his fate through a military trial process.
“The film provides us with a view of the ‘War on Terror’ from the other side, which we rarely see,” Hall says. “It is a deft exploration of the twin tragedies of terrorism and America’s response to it.”
The ‘Weekend Film Series’, to be held monthly, is a joint production of Bermuda Documentary Film Festival director Duncan Hall and BUEI.
Future dates for the Weekend Film Series include November 21, January 16 and February 20. The series will take a break in October for the presentation of the Bermuda Documentary Film Festival (Bermuda Docs), to be held October 22-24 at BUEI.
Tickets to each film, $15, go on sale Friday September 10 in the gift shop at BUEI. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Bermuda Docs is on Facebook, where filmgoers can find trailers of the two films.
Media Contact:
Duncan Hall
Programming Director, Weekend Film Series
bermudadocs@northrock.bm
or
Wendy Tucker
Director, BUEI
Wendy.tucker@buei.org
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Register now for BUEI’s Fall and Winter Camps!
Posted on: 2010-08-27 14:47:10
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"Found every minute here very interesting! Thank you…" Cynthia, Maine
"This was a very good experience. I am 14 and in LOVE with the Titanic. The exhibit was wonderful. Also the exhibits on the Bermuda Triangle explained a lot. Thank you!" Sara, New York
"Very nice. One of the best interactive museums" Dora, Georgia
"Very nice - worth admission price" Darrell, Arizona
Posted on: 2010-08-25 14:12:13
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BUEI has recently been featured in the news! Check out these clips from FOXNews.com and voyage.TV
FOXNews.com - click HERE to read about BUEI and to watch the video
Voyage.TV - click HERE to watch the video
Posted on: 2010-06-22 10:30:55
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