The Friends of the Mercer Island Library are sponsoring another free Saturday Matinee Film series. All films will be shown in the large meeting room at the Mercer Island Public Library, 4400 88th Avenue SE, Mercer Island WA 98040.
Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette) (De Sica, Italy, 1948)
Saturday, January 29, 1 p.m.
A father and his young son search post-war Rome for the family’s stolen bicycle. Without it, the father will lose his job. A classic of Italian neorealism.
The Cranes Are Flying (Letyat zhuravli) (Kalatozov, USSR, 1957)
Saturday, February 12, 1 p.m.
A stunning visual poem set in Moscow during World War II about a woman clinging to the idea of love after her boyfriend does away to fight.
The Gods Must Be Crazy, Part II (Uys, Botswana, 1989)
Saturday, February 26, 1 p.m.
Kalahari bushman Xi once again encounters an array of eccentric characters in bizarre situations as he attempts to rescue his children accidentally taken away by elephant poachers.
Smoke Signals (Eyre, USA, 1998)
Saturday, March 12, 1 p.m.
Victor, an ill-tempered jock, and Thomas, a storytelling nerd learn how much they really have in common while traveling from the Coeur d’Alene Reservation home to Arizona. An odd couple road movie based on Sherman Alexie‘s short story “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.”
Central Station (Salles, Brazil, 1998)
Saturday, March 26, 1 p.m.
A cynical retired school teacher (Fernanda Montenegro, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance) who pretends to write and mail letters for illiterate clients has a change of heart after she befriends a young boy determined to find his absent father. Winner of several international prizes for best foreign picture including the BAFTA and Golden Globe and nominated for a best foreign language Oscar.
Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi (Lage Raho Munna Bhai) (Hirani, India, 2006)
Saturday, April 9, 1 p.m.
A crime boss learns the ways of Mahatma Gandhi in order to win the heart of a radio talk show host. An entertaining Bollywood musical romantic-comedy.
Treeless Mountain (Namueopneun San) (Kim, South Korea, 2008)
Saturday, April 23, 1 p.m.
Two sisters aged six and three, must fend for themselves when their mother leaves them with a neglectful aunt.