Mar. 2, 2016 Cantinflas.** The untold story of Mexico’s greatest and most beloved comedy film star of all time, from his humble origins on the small stage to the bright lights of Hollywood. Nominated for best foreign film for the Academy Awards in 2015. (102 min.)
Mar. 9, 2016. Timbuktu. This movie was an official selection in Cannes last year and a current nominee for the best foreign-language film Oscar. It was caught up in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo murders, when the mayor of a Paris suburb briefly succeeded in banning it from a local cinema. Coming amid an outpouring of public and official support for freedom of speech Mr. Sissako’s movie, far from being “an apology for terrorism,” as the mayor (who, of course, had not seen it) supposed, is an unflinching, quietly furious exploration of life under radical Islamist rule. (97 min.)
Mar. 16, 2016 Iron Jawed Angels.** This movie tells the remarkable and little-known story of a group of passionate and dynamic young women, led by Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and her friend Lucy Burns (Frances O’Connor), who put their lives on the line to fight for American women’s right to vote.
The young activists struggle with issues such as the challenges of protesting a popular President during wartime and the perennial balancing act between love and career. (123 min.)
Mar. 23, 2016 Calvary. A marvelous showcase for Brendan Gleeson who plays a parish priest—and a very good man—threatened with murder by an unseen person avenging priest pedophilia. Calvary unfolds like a ticking clock or a murder mystery in reverse, as Father James tends to his affairs in what may be his final week alive. (102 min.)
Mar. 30, 2016 La Dictadura Perfecta directed by Luis Estrada. (2014) TV MX, the most powerful Mexican Television Corporation, discloses a scandalous story involving Governor Carmelo Vargas in serious crimes and illicit business. Governor Vargas worried about his political future, decides to clean his image and negotiates a billionaire secret agreement with the owners of the TV Corporation. Carlos Rojo, an ambitious young news producer, and Ricardo Diaz, TV network star reporter, are responsible for making a dirty campaign to change the image the public has of the corrupt Governor and make him, at any cost, a political star and a great presidential candidate. (2hr 23 min.)
April 6, 2016 Breach.** A feature documentary film that asks the question, “Have we learned enough from our past to save the last, great wild salmon runs on the planet?” The cinematography is spellbinding. (90 min.)
