World Film Series
The World Film Series is offered to the Wofford community in support of the College’s goals of developing intellectual curiosity and aesthetic sensitivity. Often these films are incorporated into course syllabi to enhance classroom learning and to increase cultural awareness. The Series is funded through the Wofford College Cultural Affairs Committee and the Department of Foreign Languages.
The films will be shown in widescreen DVD. Students are admitted free to all showings. There is no charge for films in DVD. All films are in the original language, with English subtitles when appropriate. The films are presented in the Teaching Theater of the F.W. Olin Building (Olin 101). All films are shown
Wednesdays at
3:30 p.m. and
7:30 p.m., on the dates indicated.
Some films may not be appropriate for younger viewers.
2008-2009 Schedule
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Sept. 10
Le Fils de L'épicier (The Grocer's Son)
France, 2008. Director: Eric Guirado. (96 minutes)
In French with English subtitles
Director Eric Guirado follows up his feature filmmaking debut with this drama about a grocer's son who returns to the village where he was born in order to take over his father's business. Ten years ago, Antione left his family behind and moved to the big city. Now, after discovering that his father has suffered a heart attack and that the family grocery store will soon be forced to shut down, Antoine heads back to the French mountain town. But when Antoine's poor manners rub the villagers the wrong way, can his lovely friend Claire, who accompanies him home, help smooth things over?
Sept. 24
La misma luna (Under the Same Moon)
Mexico, USA, 2008. Director: Patricia Riggen. (106 minutes)
In Spanish with English subtitles
The story of the enduring bond between mother and son, Rosario, is a mother struggling to support her family in Mexico while living illegally in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, her son, Carlitos is left under the care of his grandmother. But when she dies, nine-year-old Carlitos embarks on a colorful and arduous journey across the border in search of his mother. The script has Carlitos narrowly escaping kidnapping, drug addicts, and Border Patrol workers, aided by the unlikely friendships he forges along the way. While it touches on timely and pressing issues concerning immigration and discrimination, the film, which won a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival, works on a simpler level as well by focusing primarily on the sweet relationship between a mother and her son.
Oct. 8
Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters)
Austria, Germany, 2008. Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky. (98 minutes)
In German with English Subtitles
Facing an ethical quandary, Jewish master forger Salomon Sorowitsch must choose between abetting the Nazis and saving his skin in this taut Oscar-nominated drama based on a true story. Assembled at a death camp, a cadre of printers, artists and chiselers ― led by the opportunistic Sorowitsch ― is tasked with counterfeiting currencies to weaken Allied economies. But will Sorowitsch's conscience begin to gnaw at him as the war draws to a close?
Oct. 22
Xiang ri kui (Sunflower)
China, 2005. Director: Yang Zhang. (129 minutes)
In Mandarin with English Subtitles
The tumultuous relationship between a father returning home after years in a labor camp and the nine-year-old son who doesn't quite know what to make of this new man in his life lies at the heart of director Zhang Yang's heartfelt drama addressing the nature of change and the importance of family in Chinese culture. Troubled by the sudden presence of a father he has never known and his strict rules, in the years that follow Xiangyang continues to rebel against the path laid before him and his relationship with his father remains forever troubled.
Nov. 5
Persepolis France, 2007. Director: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi. (95 minutes)
In French with English subtitles
In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study for a better life. However, this change proves an equally difficult trial with the young woman finding herself in a different culture loaded with abrasive characters and profound disappointments that deeply trouble her. Even when she returns home, Marji finds that both she and her homeland have changed too much and the young woman and her loving family must decide where she truly belongs.
Nov. 19
El crimen perfecto (The Perfect Crime)
Spain, 2004. Director: : Álex de la Iglesia. (105 minutes)
In Spanish with English subtitles
Pompous salesman and ladies' man Rafael sets his sights on becoming floor manager of the ritzy department store where he works. But his sworn enemy Don Antonio Fraguas gets the job. They argue, and Don Antonio winds up dead. Rafael goes nuts wondering when he'll be caught until the most plain woman on his staff, Lourdes, assures him the incriminating corpse will be safely disposed of ... but her help isn't for free. Rafael soon starts considering a new crime. A new perfect crime. Alex de la Iglesia's hilarious crime caper nabbed six nominations for Spain's Goya Awards.
Feb. 11
Zwartboek (Black Book)
Netherlands, Germany, 2006. Director: Paul Verhoeven. (145 minutes)
In German and Dutch with English subtitles
Director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Total Recall) brings to life this war drama based on long-forgotten true events surrounding the end of World War II. Rachel Stein is a beautiful Jewish woman hiding out in Holland from the Nazis. When her plan to escape goes terribly wrong, she manages to take on a new identity and infiltrate the enemy. But working for both sides takes its toll ― especially when they both turn against her.
Feb. 25
Ping guo (Lost in Beijing)
China, 2007. Director: Ju Li. (112 minutes)
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Set against the frenzied backdrop of Beijing, where a fast growing economy has created a new class of urban socialites and nouveau riche, this film tells the story of An-kun and his wife Ping-guo, who have built a modest living for themselves. An-kun works washing the windows of Beijing's skyscrapers while Ping-guo earns a decent wage as a masseuse at a massage parlor owned by Lin, a rich businessman. When Ping-guo is raped by her boss one afternoon, An-kun, who is washing the windows of the building, witnesses the act. Seeing this as a moneymaking opportunity, he decides to blackmail Lin; either he pays or he gets brought up on charges for rape. But when Ping-guo learns that she's pregnant, the stakes get even higher.
March 11
Hors de prix (Priceless)France, 2008. Director: Pierre Salvador. (104 minutes)
In French with English subtitles
Jean, a shy waiter working in a grand hotel, is mistaken for a successful millionaire by the beautiful, scheming adventuress Irène. When she discovers his lowly status, Irène beats a quick retreat. But love struck Jean has no intention of letting her escape, and pursues her to the Côte d'Azur. Quickly running out of money, he adopts his beloved's lifestyle, setting himself up as a male gigolo and moving into a magnificent luxury hotel. Irène eventually accepts the new Jean and starts to give him advice on her way of life. As they grow closer and closer she starts to realize that love is working its subtle magic on her too.
March 25
Voces inocentes (Innocent Voices)
El Salvador, 2005. Director: Luis Mandoki.
In Spanish with English subtitles
Based on the true story of screenwriter Oscar Torres's embattled childhood, this movie is the poignant tale of Chava, an eleven-year-old boy who suddenly becomes the "man of the house" after his father abandons the family in the middle of a civil war. In El Salvador in the 1980s, the government's armed forces are already recruiting twelve year olds, rousting them out of their classes at the local middle school. If he is lucky, Chava has just one year of innocence left, one year before he, too, will be conscripted to fight the government's battle against the peasant rebels of the FMLN. Chava's life becomes a game of survival, as his tiny home village becomes both playground and battlefield. Faced with the impossible choice of joining either the army or the rebels, Chava finds the courage to keep his heart open, and his spirit alive, in his race against time.
April 15
NaPolA (Before the Fall)
Germany,
2004. Director: Dennis Gansel. (110 minutes)
In German with English subtitles
In 1942, Friedrich Weimer's boxing skills get him an appointment to a National Political Academy (NaPolA) ― high schools that produce Nazi elite. Over his father's objections, Friedrich enrolls, seeing this as his ticket out of factory life to university and a good salary. During his year in seventh column (fifth form), this innocence is altered as Friedrich encounters hazing, cruelty, and the Nazi code. As his training quickly shifts from fighting to killing, he's not sure whether his conscience can take it.
April 29
Sanxia haoren (Still Life)
China, 2006. Director: Zhang Ke Jia. (111 minutes)
In Mandarin with English subittles
Two couples reunite amid the construction of a new neighborhood along the Yangtze River near the old city of Fengjie, which is now under water after the opening of the Three Gorges Dam. After 16 years apart, Han Sanming returns to look for his ex-wife, while Shen Hong has come back in search of her husband who's been away for more than two years. Like the submerged city, the couples must decide what's worth saving and what's best left behind.