Cinemateca, August 25–31

José Luis Pick’n’tip

La Sierra

One of the finest documentaries I’ve ever seen. If you have any interest in Colombia, its people, their way of life, the dangers they face, it goes deep inside a community and focuses on several people who live there. This is a masterpiece, no boring parts in it, but it is also sad showing the perpetual dealings with death and how little life is valued on the streets. This film takes you to a place that few would ever venture and reveals the grim reality. La Sierra, a small town on a Medellín hillside, is “in the hands of kids with guns,” as said to the cameraman early in the film. These are kids, in fact, who have been waging war with neighboring kids for decades, with little in the way of ideology and much in the way of machismo posturing. Don’t miss this very intimate and fascinating documentary.


The Tip Important: In order to provide the best viewing experience, the show times for some movies may be adjusted to accommodate their length. Be sure to check the schedule carefully. I also want to remind you of our new ticket price: 50 pesos and discount cards buy 12 shows for 450 pesos. Starting Monday, after 11am, buy your tickets in advance for any movie or show of the week. If you have a discount card, collect your pass to secure a seat; don’t take the risk of being locked out. Would you like to receive this info by email? Write to José Luis at alephamour@hotmail.com.  Thank you.

The Movies

La Sierra (2005) 
Monday, September 1 at 7:30pm
Thursday, September 4 at 5pm 
Latin America, Spanish with English subtitles, 84 minutes
Director: Scott Dalton Margarita Martinez
Cast: Edison Flores, Cielo Munoz, Jesus Martinez 

Colombia-based journalists Scott Dalton and Margarita Martinez introduce us to a nation at civil war by hitting the streets of Medellín, a dangerous city ruled by a fierce paramilitary gang. By focusing on three vastly different personalities—Edison, a gang leader; Cielo, a widowed teenage mother; and Jesús, a drug-using thug—the filmmakers draw us into their world and capture startling moments of truth and sorrow.



Forget Baghdad (2002) 
Tuesday, September 2 at 7:30pm 
Friday, September 5 at 3pm
Foreign documentary, English, 111 minutes
Director: Samir
Cast: Shimon Ballas, Ella Shohat, Moshe Houri, Sami Michael, Samir Naqqash 

Conceived and directed by Samir, the son of an Iraqi communist who immigrated to Switzerland, the film follows four fascinating Iraqis living in exile in Israel. This compelling documentary traces the experience of “Arab Jews” (people of Jewish religion and Arab culture, also known as “Sephardis” or “Mizrahim”) offering a rare glimpse of a little-known community that has long found itself caught between warring worldviews.



De Nadie (2005) 
Tuesday, September 2 at 5:30pm 
Thursday, September 4 at 3pm 
Documentary, Spanish with English subtitles, 84 minutes

Director Tin Dirdamal’s powerful documentary, an award winner at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, follows several Central American immigrants—armed with nothing but hope and the dream of a better life—on their 1,300-mile trek through Mexico to the United States. This intimate look at immigration lets politics take a backseat to the resonant narratives of those struggling to survive a journey marked by hardship and hypocrisy.


Sin Dejar Huella (2000) 
Wednesday, September 3 at 3pm
Friday, September 5 at 5pm
Spanish with English subtitles, 109 minutes
Director: María Novaro
Cast: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Thiare Scanda, Jesús Ochoa, Martin Altomaro

In this drama directed by the acclaimed Maria Novaro, two women, Ana (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) and Aurelia (Tiare Scanda), are trying to escape their past lives in hopes of building a new future. They meet by chance and soon discover that, to realize their dreams of a better life, they must lean on each other for inspiration and support. But can they trust one another?



The Kite Runner (2007)
Friday, August 29 at 7pm
Drama, English, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, Russian with English subtitles, 128 minutes
Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub

After spending years in California, Amir returns to Afghanistan to help the son of his old friend Hassan. Amir had been an Afghan boy from an affluent family and Hassan the son of their servant Ali. The boys spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. 

A notoriously violent older boy, Assef, threatens Amir with brass knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, promising Assef a shot in the eye with a slingshot. Assef and cronies back off but swear revenge.

Later Assef and two henchmen assault and anally rape Hassan. Amir witnesses the attack but is too scared to help.

When the Russians invade Afghanistan, Amir and his father leave their expensive mansion and escape to California, where they settle in a run-down apartment. Amir takes community college classes in writing and embarks on a successful career as a novelist, but 15 years later receives a call from Pakistan. 

Amir learns Ali was killed by a land mine and Hassan and his wife were murdered by the Taliban. The secret truth about Hassan is that he is Amir’s half-brother so he must now go to Kabul to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from an orphanage.

The orphanage director says Sohrab was recently taken by a Taliban official, who naturally is childhood nemesis Assef. Sohrab has been sexually assaulted by Assef and made to dance in women’s clothes. In a fight to the death, Assef brutally beats Amir, but Sohrab saves him by shooting out Assef’s left eye with a slingshot, fulfilling his father’s threat of years before.


Sohrab’s frozen emotions thaw a year later when Amir reminisces about Hassan while kite flying, underscoring the film’s sense of atonement.



Kids Movies: Cartoons
Saturday, September 6 at noon

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