Belmont World Film will present its 22nd International Film Series — on the theme of Transformation/Preservation — March 25 – May 20 in three theaters: Apple Cinemas in Cambridge, the Embassy Theater in Waltham, and the West Newton Cinema in Newton. West Newton Cinema will host these screenings:
Monday, May 6 at 7:30PM: Áma Gloria (director Marie Amachoukeli), a major discovery of the Cannes Film Festival and a Sundance entry, depicts a bond between a six-year-old French girl and her Cape Verdean nanny. With Guest Speaker Alirio Pereira, Cape Verdean native and Chief Program Officer of the Massachusetts Association of Portuguese Speakers.
Monday, May 13 at 7:30PM: City of Wind (director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir) is a coming-of-age drama about a 17-year old Mongolian shaman juggling his spiritual responsibilities while attending high school. With Guest Speaker MIT anthropologist Manduhai Buyandelger.
Monday, May 20, at 7:30PM: Closing Night Film Bonjour Switzerland (director Peter Luisi) was a huge hit in Switzerland with its side-splitting satirical premise: when French is declared the only national language, a crisis erupts among Swiss German and Italian speakers. With Guest Speaker Thomas Lienhard, President of the Swiss Society of Boston. The film is preceded by dinner to include French, Italian, and German cuisine.
The series includes five other films and kicks off with Opening Night film The Queen of My Dreams on March 25 at 7:30PM at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge. A Pakistani Muslim woman and her Canadian-born daughter come of age in two different eras in this entertaining and funny drama. With Director Fawzia Mirza via Zoom for a post-screening Q&A. The screening is preceded by a reception — the first in five years! — featuring a Pakistani dinner and Canadian desserts.
Non-profit Belmont World Film presents films from around the world that promote cross-cultural understanding. This year’s films are in English, Urdu, Arabic, French, Turkish, Portuguese, Mongolian, Swiss German & Italian, and Swedish (with subtitles). The series is followed by World Refugee Awareness Month with screenings on Monday, June 3 and June 10 at the West Newton Cinema.
Series schedule, film details, and film and reception ticket purchases are available online. For more information call 617-484-3980.
