THE WALTER READE THEATER

The 1996 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

June 12 - 27, 1996

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival is the only international film festival in the world exclusively devoted to human rights. Now in its seventh year, the Festival was created to enhance public awareness of domestic and international human rights issues and specific human rights abuses, drawing on the power of film to communicate across borders, both physical and ideological. As always, this year's films features works from all corners of the globe -- Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, the United States. Themes that will be prominently addressed include: "Park Kwang-Su Retrospective" -- The first New York retrospective of the works of internationally acclaimed South Korean director, whose most recent work A Single Spark won kudos in this year's Berlin International Film Festival. "Chronicling Coexistence" -- recent works from Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers that portray the struggle for peace "Questionable Punishment / War Crimes" Incredible but true tales of injustice "Elections, Democracy and the Media" -- New and classic works for the 1996 election year "Dames Bond" -- stories of courageous women

about human rights watch Human Rights Watch promotes respect for human rights by rigorously and systematically monitoring abuses committed by governments in more than 70 countries. HRW defends freedom of thought and expression, due process of law and equal protection of the law. It denounces murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, exile, and censorship. HRW scrutinizes the conduct of all sides in war situations, supporting internationally recognized human rights.

special events Panel Discussion Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 pm Barnes & Noble Lincoln Square (Broadway at 66th Street) Free admission. more information: 595-9340 or 875-5206. Film clips and dialogue with directors David Scott, Where Credit is Due: documentary about the Central Brooklyn Partnership, a community credit union founded by activists in the country's largest African American community. Mandy Jacobson and Karmen Jelincic, 1996 Nester Almenendros Award winners, Calling the Ghosts: world premiere documentary about two women friends in Bosnia-Herzegovina who survive imprisonment, torture and rape to fight for peace and justice.

schedule (Filmmakers will be present at screenings marked with * )
AMNESIA
Gonzalo Justiniano, Chile, 1994, 90 minutes
In this Kafka-esque drama set in Chile, Ramirez is a low-ranking soldier who, while he was stationed at a prison camp in the desert, was forced by a sadistic sergeant to shoot prisoners. But will murdering the murderer really help Ramirez come to terms with his past? Director Justiniano elaborates: "It's a film to counter general amnesia, which I must say, is especially marked in certain circles in Chile. [There exists] a constant desire to forget, an attitude of stubbornly forging ahead without looking back."
with
New York Premiere
MASS GRAVE / Vala Comum
João Godoy, Brazil, 1995, 30 minutes (documentary)
While many of its neighbors have suffered tremendously at the hands of brutal and repressive governments, Brazil appears to have escaped relatively unscathed. Not so: Mass Grave exposes a startling episode that proves Brazil shares some of the darker elements of other countries' history-- the story of "disappeared" political prisoners who were buried in an illegal mass grave in a public cemetery in SÂo Paulo in the 1970s. Adopting the POV of the families of the "disappeared," the film unravels the complicated recent political history of Brazil and the curtain of secrecy that surrounds it.
Wednesday, June 12, 2pm
Friday, June 14, 9 pm
New York Premiere
YELLOW WASPS: ANATOMY OF A WAR CRIME
Ilan Ziv, USA, 1995, 69 minutes (video documentary)
This searing documentary examines the ugly activity in the former Yugoslavia that has given the world a new phrase--"ethnic cleansing." The Yellow Wasps were a Serbian paramilitary group that crossed the Drina River into Bosnia in the of 1992 and unleashed a campaign of torture, murder and deportation. Their crimes, along with those committed by other similar outfits, ultimately led to thousands of deaths and forced the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Yellow Wasps examines what Serbian, U.S. and United Nations officials knew about ethnic cleansing and what they did and did not do with this knowledge.
with
New York Premiere
BLACK KITES
Jo Andres, USA, 1995, 26 minutes
Dreamlike and spectral, Black Kites is based on the 1992 journals and drawings of Sarajevan visual artist Alma Hajric, who, with friends from an arts collective, was forced into a basement shelter in order to survive the lengthy siege of Sarajevo. Co-starring and produced by Steve Buscemi, Kites explores the artist's interior landscape--her hopes, fears and dreams--and interweaves them beautifully with the brutal truths of her daily existence.
Wednesday, June 12, 8:45pm *
Friday, June 14, 4pm
New York Premiere
THE FLOR CONTEMPLACION STORY
Joel Lamangan, Philippines, 1995, 120 minutes
Extreme poverty and a sense of hopelessness have driven many Filipinos abroad to seek work in order to support their families. Flor Contemplacion, a mother of four (played by Nora Aunor, one of the Philippines' biggest stars), went to Singapore to work as a maid. Although she avoided the lot of many of her fellow female domestic workers--horribly abused by their employers--her fate was in fact much worse: In March of 1995 she was hanged for the murder of another Filipina maid and her ward, a six- year-old Singaporean boy. Her sentencing unleashed an outpouring of sympathy from Filipinos and scathing condemnations of the Philippine government and its embassy in Singapore who, it was believed, had done little to help her.
Thursday, June 13, 4pm
Sunday, June 16, 6pm
New York Premiere
STRUGGLES IN STEEL
Tony Buba and Ray Henderson, USA, 1995, 80 minutes (documentary)
When a local television station did a program about the closing of a major steel mill in Duquesne, outside of Pittsburgh, Ray Henderson, a former mill employee who had worked there for 15 years, couldn't help notice that not one black worker was shown. This despite the fact that African-American workers had formed a critical part of the labor force in western Pennsylvania for 125 years. With his old friend and independent filmmaker Buba, Henderson set out to collaborate on a history of blacks and their contributions not just to the steel industry, but to the labor movement itself.
with
New York Premiere
WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
David Wilson Scott, USA, 1995, 12 minutes, (documentary video) Although "redlining"--the name given to the flight of commercial banks from inner-city areas and their refusal to lend on good terms to the residents of these communities--has been repeatedly exposed and brought to national attention, the process continues. Activists Mark Winston Griffith and Errol Louis founded the Central Brooklyn Partnership to stem the flow of capital from the country's largest African-American community. Where Credit is Due profiles their work and the evolution of the Partnership's community development credit union in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, only a few miles from Wall Street, but worlds apart.
Thursday, June 13, 6:30pm *
Saturday, June 15, 2pm *
PROCEDURE 769
Jaap van Hoewijk, The Netherlands, 1995, 85 minutes (documentary)
In April of 1992, for the 1978 abduction and slaying of two teenage boys, Robert Alton Harris became the first man in 25 years to be executed in California. Here, we experience the recollections of 11 people-- with radically different perspectives--who witnessed every detail of his death from the viewing gallery in the gas chamber at San Quentin Prison.
Saturday, June 15, 4:30pm
Tuesday, June 18, 9pm
Thursday, June 27, 4pm
New York Premiere
LOST IN MISSISSIPPI
Jim Chambers, USA, 1996, 85 minutes (documentary)
An original and shocking portrait of today's South, Lost in Mississippi probes the mysteriously high suicide rate among individuals imprisoned in Mississippi--47 persons in five years, half of whom were African-Americans. Through interviews with correctional officers, current and former inmates, victims' families and local citizens, this investigation of Southern justice turns into a much wider examination of sex, gender, religion and race relations
with
THAT RUSH! Isaac Julien, USA, 1995; 6 minutes (video documentary)
Written and performed by Patricia Williams, this short visual essay examines the phenomenon of "Rush Limbaugh TV." (From the series Signal to Noise: Life with Television, produced and directed by Cara Mertes for ITVS with funds provided by CPB.)
Saturday, June 15, 9pm *
Wednesday, June 19, 2pm
New York Premiere
TALE OF THE THREE JEWELS
Michel Khleifi, UK/Belgian/ Palestinian co-production, 1994, 112 minutes
In this modern fable, director Khleifi presents Gaza, an area where terror and violence are part of the daily routine. Youssef, a 12-year-old Palestinian Arab, has retreated into an imaginary world: One day, while hunting birds, he becomes a modern hero: he falls in love with AŒda, a young Gypsy leader of a gang of kids. To marry her, he must find the three lost diamonds from a family necklace. Through his quest, Youssef discovers not just the jewels, but also the meaning of life in an embattled land.
Sunday, June 16, 2pm
Monday, June 17, 4pm
Thursday, June 20, 9:30pm *
New York Premiere
HOW THE HELL DID THEY SURVIVE?

Trix Betlam, The Netherlands, 1993; 53 minutes (documentary) The incredible but true story of three French brothers who spent over 18 years (1973-1991) in Moroccan prison camps without ever receiving a trial or even having charges brought against them. This documentary tells the story of brutal suffering and the brothers' current fight for justice.
with
BLACK KITES
Sunday, June 16: 4pm
Monday, June 17: 6:15pm
New York Premiere
ON THE EDGE OF PEACE
Ilan Ziv, Israeli/Palestinian co-production, 1995, 103 minutes (video documentary)
In this groundbreaking Israeli-Palestinian co-production, three Palestinians and three Israelis were given video cameras to document their lives and the lives of their communities during the turbulent first year of the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords, from the signing of the accords in Washington to Arafat's arrival in Gaza. with
American Premiere
INTEZAAR
Rashid Masharawi, UK/Palestinian co-production, 1995, 26 minutes (video documentary)
In this provocative documentary, director Masharawi critically scrutinizes the refugee camps established in 1948 as a temporary solution for the Palestinians who lost their homes in what became the state of Israel, and the role the United Nations has played in maintaining them. Raised in one of these camps himself, and firmly believing that UN aid has been used as a way of containing [and repressing] its inhabitants, Masharawi delves into the fears and shattered hopes of a people who have become refugees in their own country.
Tuesday, June 18, 2pm
Sunday, June 23, 4pm *
I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG
Mervyn LeRoy, USA, 1932, 72 minutes
Based on a true story, this powerful Depression-era drama follows returning WWI veteran James Allen (Paul Muni) into a brutal Southern prison, after he's falsely accused of theft. Warner Brothers won box office success and a reputation for hard-hitting social commentary: Allen's prison life was so harrowingly realistic that massive chain gang reforms were instituted as a result and the character upon whom Allen was based was eventually pardoned. Now, 60 years later, chain gangs are being reintroduced.... Tuesday, June 18: 6:30pm (discussion to follow)
Thursday, June 20: 2pm
New York Premiere
OLLIE'S ARMY
Brett Morgen, USA, 1996, 60 minutes (video documentary)
Armed only with a Hi-8 camera and microphone, filmmaker Brett Morgen set out on his own to document Oliver North's historic 1994 campaign for the Virginia Senate. Through sheer determination, he gained access to the campaign and was perfectly situated to examine the passion and the fury that gave rise to North's grassroots support. A startling look at a unique campaign that succeeds in going beyond the sound bites and headlines to produce an insightful portrait of the entire American political process. with World Premiere DAYS OF DEMOCRACY Attiyat El-Abnoudi, Egypt, 1996, 90 minutes (video documentary) This tragi-comic documentary records the highs and lows of women candidates running for the 1995 People's Assembly in Egypt. Because of the tremendous lack of coverage of the female candidates and difficulty in contacting them, El-Abnoudi was forced to shoot for 20 days straight, crisscrossing nearly the entire country, interviewing almost half of the candidates and scores of voters. Despite the ultimately disappointing electoral result, El-Abnoudi has captured the tenor of a country on the verge of great political change. Wednesday, June 19, 4pm
Friday, June 21, 6:15pm *
American Premiere
119 BULLETS + THREE
Yeud Levanon, Israel, 1996; 62 minutes (documentary)
This explosive political documentary addresses the historical conflict in Israel between religious and secular Jews since Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. The title refers to the number of bullets fired respectively by Baruch Goldstein in his 1994 massacre and Yigal Amir in his slaying in November 1995. Between these two horrendous acts, filmmakers Yeud Levanon and Amit Goren followed the fanatic ideologues in the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank as well as their enemies across the ideological divide.
with
ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE
Amir Feldman, Israel, 1995, 45 minutes (video documentary)
Scores have been killed in suicide bombings in Israel over the past year, leaving friends and families grieving and creating political turmoil. All Hell Broke Loose is a highly stylized look at the survivors of a car bomb attack on a bus in northern Israel. One year after the bombing, filmmaker Feld-man meets with the Jews and Arabs who were on the bus and discusses the effects the event has had on their lives. Cutting swiftly, Feldman creates a unique rhythm that helps elucidate his theme: fear caused by traumatic events leads some to violent feelings of racism and prejudice and others to expressions of tolerance and forgiveness--a timely expression of an important concept.
Wednesday, June 19: 6:45pm (discussion to follow)
Sunday, June 23: 2pm
American Premiere
FORBIDDEN MARRIAGES IN THE HOLY LAND
Michel Khleifi, UK/Belgian/Palestinian co-production, 1995, 66 minutes (video documentary)
Palestinian filmmaker Khleifi looks at mixed marriages between partners of different religious and ethnic groups in Israeli and Palestinian society. With humor and pathos, Khleifi elicits wonderfully charming interviews from eight couples of all ages and backgrounds who have placed their love for one another above the restrictions placed on them by their family, friends, and religion.
with
YOU, ME, AND JERUSALEM
Micha X. Peled and George Khleifi, Israeli/Palestinian co-production, 1995, 53 minutes (video documentary)
If the hit show E.R. were to move from Chicago to Jerusalem, it might end up looking very much like this documentary. In a cinema v»rit» style, the filmmakers follow an all-volunteer ambulance crew, comprised of both Palestinians and Israelis, on its daily rounds. Ideologically opposed, the crew works smoothly with one another for the common good. In one exhausting 24-hour period, individual portraits of the men unfold, which, taken collectively, form a unique portrait of their society.
Wednesday, June 19: 9:15pm *
Friday, June 21: 2pm
PRIMARY
Robert Drew, USA, 1960, 60 minutes (documentary)
Robert Drew, a former Life magazine correspondent and editor, expanded his candid still photography into sound and motion pictures for Time, Inc., choosing as his topic the 1960 Democratic primary in Wisconsin, Hubert Humphrey and the young, handsome senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. With lightweight, synch-sound equipment he had engineered and with the help of such talented photographers as Albert Maysles, D.A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock, Drew's free-wheeling, cinema v»rit» photography captured the characters and flavor of campaign politics as it had never been seen before.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
Richard Leacock and Noel Parmentel, USA, 1964, 30 minutes (documentary) Long before James Carville and Mary Matalin, there was John Grenier--the brash, young ex-Marine pilot who almost single-handedly engineered the San Francisco Cow Palace takeover that secured the 1967 presidential nomination for Barry Goldwater. Although political handlers and "spin doctors" now often become celebrities in their own right, Grenier operated exclusively in the smoke-filled back rooms of the reawakened Republican party. Shot in a fast-paced, "fly-on-the-wall" fashion, Campaign Manager was one of the first films to expose the role of political operatives.
THE THIRD WAVE
Norman Cowie, USA, 1995; 4 minutes
(video documentary)
A wry commentary on Newt Gingrich's retro-vision of the "information age." (From the series Signal to Noise: Life with Television, produced and directed by Cara Mertes for ITVS with funds provided by CPB.)
Thursday, June 20, 4pm
Saturday, June 22, 6pm *
New York Premiere
WORDS OF WRITERS/THEATER OF LIFE
Amos Gitai, Israel, 1994, 90 minutes (documentary)
These two delightful shorts from Israeli director Gitai strike a more positive note amid the fractious chorus of Israeli/Palestinian dialogue. In the first film, several Israeli and Palestinian writers recite their poetry and their prose outdoors in the midst of the spectacular Middle Eastern landscape, the source of so many centuries of conflict. The second describes a children's' theater organized by an Israeli director in one of the Palestinian settlements, and a dance company in Jerusalem comprised of three women of mixed backgrounds.
Thursday, June 20, 6:30pm *
Monday, June 24, 2pm
American Premiere
A HOT ROOF
Lee Min-Yong, South Korea, 1995, 108 minutes
This captivating black comedy marks Lee's debut as a director. In the midst of an oppressive heat wave in South Korea, tempers begin to fray among the residents of an apartment complex. When the electricity supply collapses, the irritated and exhausted tenants slowly drift outside, led by Chong-Hee, who is desperate to get away from her abusive husband, Song-Ku. When Song-Ku catches up to her and begins to beat her, the neighboring women come to her defense, angering the men who are ready to dismiss his behavior on account of the heat. A riot ensues with damaging consequences and the women are forced to retreat to the roof, where they barricade themselves in, holding their position for four days, determined not to cave in to the sexism that surrounds them.
Friday, June 21, 4:15 and 9:30pm
Tuesday, June 25, 2pm
American Premiere
OUR HEEDLESS WARS
Randa Chahal Sabbag, France, 1996, 61 minutes (documentary)
A thought-provoking film about returning home from self-imposed political exile: Now living in Paris, director Sabbag was raised in Lebanon, where she filmed the war raging in that country from 1976 on. Although Sabbag eventually fled the destruction, her family, including her sister, remained behind. Her return to Lebanon is a journey of re-discovery, an attempt to understand her own identity as well as the twisted identity of Lebanon itself.
American Premiere
THE LAND IS WHITE, THE SEED IS BLACK
Koto Bolofo, South Africa, 1995, 67 minutes(documentary)
The impact the end of apartheid has had on South Africa has thus far been primarily measured in national terms. This lyrical black-and-white documentary explores that change on a more personal level by following the return from exile in 1994 of the filmmaker's father, a history teacher accused of "communist practices" (a quote from Karl Marx was found among his teaching materials) and forced to flee in the 1960s. His return, nearly 30 years later, provides the opportunity for him to reminisce, movingly, about his work, his life, and his homeland.
Saturday, June 22, 2pm
Monday, June 24, 9:15pm
Wednesday, June 26, 2pm
American Premiere
OUR BURMESE DAYS
Lindsey Merrison, Germany, 1995, 90 minutes (documentary)
In George Orwell's novel Burmese Days, he describes how his British protagonist is destroyed for his transgressions against both race and class. In her film, Merrison set out to explore further what it meant to live uncomfortably between different cultures and classes by documenting her voyage with her mother and uncle from England to the land of their birth, Burma. Affectionate recollections and reunions are contrasted with strongly felt distaste for Burmese life and traditions as the two visitors piece together the fragments of the life they left behind. Our Burmese Days sheds fascinating light on a little-known country while reminding us that some of the strangest things we encounter are often those that lie closest to home.
Saturday, June 22, 4:15pm
Tuesday, June 25, 9pm
Wednesday, June 26, 4:15pm
TV NATION
Michael (Roger and Me) Moore presents excerpts from his Emmy-Award-winning comedic TV news-magazine show. TV Nation explores serious events in the news, bringing light to the controversial issues our corporate culture would rather hide. A unique combination of documentary, humor and satire.
Saturday, June 22: 8:30pm *
THE PARALLAX VIEW
Alan J. Pakula, USA, 1974, 102 minutes
One of the most exciting films by the director of All the President's Men and Sophie's Choice, this stylish political thriller offers a fascinating study of political assassination and its consequences. An investigative reporter, played by Warren Beatty, tries to penetrate the cover-up that has surrounded the assassination of a senator. The frightening story unfolds with each piece of evidence he uncovers and, gradually, the hunter becomes the hunted. Shot by Gordon Willis in Panavision, with production design by George Jenkins, the film looks stunning and seems even more relevant today than the day it was released.
Sunday, June 23: 7pm *
HUNTERS OF UTOPIAS
David Blaustrin, Argentina, 1995; 145 minutes (documentary)
Thirty-three of the protagonists of Argentine political history--people who resolved to give their lives for a better country--recount for the first time the events that punctuated the turbulent fight for power during this period. Testimony and archival footage shift and crisscross to document various political stages: the politicizing of Argentine youth in the 70s, militant commitment, armed struggle, power, utopia, repression, concentration camps, prison, democratic restoration.
Monday, June 24: 4pm
Wednesday, June 26: 9pm
American Premiere
CEASE FIRE: BELFAST/SARAJEVO
Baudoin Koenig, France, 1995; 52 minutes (video documentary)
From two opposite corners of Europe comes the engrossing, ultimately hopeful story of two schoolgirls doing their best to survive amid war and devastation: From Sarajevo, Sanina is linked by satellite with Ciara, a citizen of Belfast. As the two get acquainted, they share their views and opinions, as well as fascinating footage of their respective cities. Despite vast cultural differences, Sanina and Ciara both see their Europe caught between peace and war, haunted by the twin dangers of nationalism and religious persecution.
American Premiere
ROSE AND NEJMA: THE CITY
Patrice Barrat & Kim Spencer, France, 1995; 60 minutes (video documentary) To explore the theme of raising a family in the "inner city," a home in Brooklyn is linked via satellite to a home in Gennevilliers, a working-class neighborhood of Paris. Two mothers--one Haitian, the other Algerian--share their "ghetto" experiences, good and bad. (Both videos from Vis-a-Vis series.)
Monday, June 24, 6:45pm
Tuesday, June 25, 4pm
American Premiere
DEVIL'S CHILDREN
Annie Arnou & Stevan Thielen, Belgium, 1995, 30 minutes (video documentary)
A chilling investigation of the use of rape as a humiliating "weapon" against women in Rwanda during the genocide of 1994. Many women were killed after being raped but many others survived, burdened with pain and feeling disgrace that they tried to hide from their families and friends. Some became pregnant and were left with little choice if they wanted to survive in a country divided--have an abortion or abandon the child. In Devil's Children these women speak of their ordeal for the first time.
World Premiere
CALLING THE GHOSTS: A STORY ABOUT RAPE, WAR AND WOMEN
Mandy Jacobson & Karmen Jelincic (winners of the 1996 Nestor Almendros Award), USA, 1996, 60 minutes (documentary)
Jadranka Cigelj and Nusreta Sivac, childhood friends and legal professionals, enjoyed lives of ordinary modern women" in Bosnia-Herze-govina, until they were put into a concentration camp, and raped and tortured by their neighbors. This powerful but sensitive film chronicles the remarkable transformation of these women as their personal struggle for survival evolves into a larger fight for peace and justice. They formulate a mission--to put rape into the international lexicon of war crimes. Their success can be judged by the fact that their very torturers now stand indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal.
Tuesday, June 25, 6:30pm *
Thursday, June 27, 2pm
New York Premiere
TELL THE TRUTH AND RUN: GEORGE SELDES AND THE AMERICAN PRESS
Rick Goldsmith, USA, 196; 110 minutes
This award-winning examination of censorship and suppression in the American press profiles pioneering press critic Seldes. With Ben Bagdikian, Victor Navasky, Ralph Nader, Daniel Ellsberg, Jeff Cohen, and a host of other specialists on media and democracy. Screening to be followed by a panel discussion with several of the film's media personalities.
Wednesday, June 26: 6 pm
PARK KWANG-SU RETROSPECTIVE
We are pleased to mount the first New York retrospective of the entire feature oeuvre of acclaimed South Korean director Park Kwang-Su. Acknowledged as the leader of the "New Cinema" in South Korea, Park has consistently explored the points of tension in his homeland's history and society. Justly famous for the thorough and meticulous preparation he puts into each project, Park is respected as the kind of demanding director who achieves such stunning results that actors clamor to work with him.
New York Premiere
CHILSU AND MANSU (1988;108 minutes)
Park's feature debut depicts the conflicting attitudes felt by Korean youth regarding their society and future. It begins as a romantic comedy about an optimistic teenager who loves a fast-food waitress and dreams of emigrating to Miami. When Chilsu's life goes sour, he takes up with Mansu, a disillusioned artist who sells him on a get-rich-quick scheme, and the film turns darker as it contrasts two very different views of Korea and considers the possibility of reconciliation.
Wednesday, June 12, 4:15pm
Sunday, June 16, 8:30pm
OPENING NIGHT New York Premiere
A SINGLE SPARK (1995; 100 minutes)
In 1970, a young labor activist in South Korea committed suicide by self-immolation as a protest against the deplorable conditions under which Korean garment-industry workers were forced to work. Artfully blending color and b&w stock, moving back and forth in time, Spark delves into the character of Korean society, past and present, through the investigations of a fictional journalist, an amalgam of three real-life activists, who is writing a biography of the dead Jeon Tae-Il a decade after his suicide.
Wednesday, June 12, 6:30pm *
Thursday, June 13, 2pm
Friday, June 14, 6:30pm *
TO THE STARRY ISLAND
(1994; 102 minutes)
Just before his death in Seoul, an old man asks his friend, a poet, and his son to bury him on the distant island of Kwisong where he was born. This plan is thwarted when the islanders refuse to let the body come ashore. The poet, also an island son, tries to negotiate, and discovers past, unhealed wounds from the Korean War. Director Park says of this passionate, lyrical film: "I identify with the protagonist...a man who explores the naked truth of his childhood in order to find a way to forge ahead."
Thursday, June 13, 9pm
Monday, June 17, 2pm
BERLIN REPORT
(1991; 100 minutes)
Although it plays out in Europe after the unification of Germany, this stylish road movie/mystery thriller is yet another view of Korean society: a Korean boy, an artist and a socialist, raised in France by adoptive parents, has disappeared somewhere in East Germany. His sister has retreated into reclusive silence since her adoptive father's death; her journalist-lover aims to wake her up by finding her brother. Park explains: "The ultimate theme. . .is love. And this love is our emotional alternative for the unification of Korea. For unification without love. . .signifies mutual death."
Friday, June 14, 2 pm
Monday, June 17, 8:30pm
BLACK REPUBLIC
(1990; 100 minutes)
A young man named Kim comes to look for work in a bleak coal-mining town in dead winter. Against all odds, Kim finds a job, falls in love, and glimpses a better life--until his political past as a student is discovered. A quietly stirring film about social hypocrisy.
Saturday, June 15, 6:30pm *
Tuesday, June 18, 4:30 pm

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