Nebraska Wesleyan University’s 10th annual International Film Festival is February 18-24 and will feature six films from Spain, Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, and Estonia.
All films will be shown with English subtitles. Discussions will follow each film.
All festival screenings are free and open to the public. Some films contain material for mature audiences. All films will be held in Olin A and B lecture halls, located in the Olin Hall of Science near at 51st Street and St Paul Avenue.
The following is a schedule of events:
Thursday, February 18
7 p.m., Living is Easy with Eyes Closed
Spanish – Not Rated
In 1966 Spain Antonio is a teacher and a Beatles fan, facets he combines by getting his pupils to recite the lyrics from “Help” in English class. When he learns that his idol John Lennon is making a film in southeastern Spain, he resolves to meet him. On the journey he picks up two young runaways: Belen, a pregnant girl fleeing a convent, and Juanjo, a boy escaping a dictatorial father. Winner of six Goya Awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Actor.
Friday, February 19
7 p.m., I Wish
Japanese – Rated PG
Twelve-year-old Koichi lives with his mother and retired grandparents in the southern region of Japan. His younger brother Ryunosuke lives with their father in the northern region of Japan. The brothers have been separated by their parents’ divorce, and Koichi’s only wish is for his family to be reunited. When he learns that a new bullet train line will soon open linking the two towns, he starts to believe that a miracle will take place the moment these new trains first pass each.
Saturday, February 20
2 p.m., Ilo Ilo
Mandarin, Tagalog, English – Not Rated
Set in Singapore during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Ilo Ilo chronicles the day-to-day drama of the Lim family— troublesome grade-schooler Jiale and his overstressed parents, Heck and Leng. Comfortably middle-class with a baby on the way, they hire Teresa, a Filipino immigrant, as a live-in maid and nanny. An outsider in both the family and Singapore itself, Teresa initially struggles to manage Jiale’s antics and find her footing in her new community. The two eventually form a unique bond, but just as Teresa becomes an unspoken part of the family, unforeseen circumstances in an uncertain economy will challenge the new normal yet again.
7 p.m., School of Babel
French – Not Rated
Follow a class of immigrant students in a one-of-a-kind education program as they begin a new life in Paris, France. Hailing from countries across the globe the students must learn French as they combat homesickness, juggle weighty familial responsibilities, and recover from the trauma of previous lives of social and economic devastation.
Sunday, February 21
2 p.m., Vincent Wants to Sea
German – Not Rated
Embattled with the symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome, Vincent Gellner has just endured the loss of his mother. His father, an ambitious politician running for office and burdened with the task of caring for Vincent, sends him off to a rehabilitation clinic where he will learn how to manage his twitches, tics, and ill-timed but unpremeditated verbal outbursts. At the clinic Vincent befriends two other clients, and the new friends plot an escape. What follows is a hilarious road movie with the trio cruising down the autobahn on a surrealistic journey that liberates them from their afflictions.
Wednesday, February 24
7 p.m., Tangerines
Estonian, Russian, Georgian – Not Rated
Tangerines is the spare yet haunting tale of an older Estonian man who cares for two wounded soldiers from opposite sides of the 1990s-era war in Georgia. The film reveals compassion to be the ultimate response to centuries of political, cultural, and ethnic conflict, a compelling and relevant message for contemporary audiences. This film was a 2015 Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.
Funding for the International Film Festival has been made possible by Nebraska Wesleyan University’s Office of Global Engagement, Student Affairs Senate, Global Studies Program and the Department of Modern Languages.