Nebraska Wesleyan University will host its annual International Film Festival February 26-March 1.
The festival will feature six productions from France, Japan, Germany, Spain, Cuba and China. All films will be shown with English subtitles. Discussions will follow each screening.
The festival is free and open to the public. All films will be held in Olin A and Olin B lecture halls, located one block east of 50th Street and St. Paul Ave. Some films contain material for mature audiences.
The following is a schedule of events:
Thursday, February 26
7 p.m. Tomboy
In Tomboy, a family with two daughters ages 10 and six years moves to a new suburban neighborhood during the summer holidays. Laure decides to pass herself off as “Mikael,” a boy different enough to catch the attention of Lisa, the leader of the pack, who is smitten. Finding resourceful ways to hide her female sex, Laure explores her new identity, as if the end of the summer would never reveal her secret in this contemporary coming-of-age story. French, not rated.
Friday, February 27
7 p.m. Like Father, Like Son
Following an unexpected phone call, affluent architect Ryota and his wife, Midori, learn that their six-year-old son, Keita, was switched at the hospital and is not their biological child. Seeing Midori's devotion to Keita even after the news, and observing the rough yet caring family that has raised his natural son for the last six years, Ryota begins to question his own values on fatherhood as he must choose between nature and nurture, a decision that will change their lives forever. Japanese, not rated.
Saturday, February 28
2 p.m. A Coffee in Berlin
Niko is a 20-something college dropout. On one fateful day, through a series of absurdly amusing encounters, everything changes: his girlfriend rebuffs him, his father cuts off his allowance, and a strange psychiatrist dubiously confirms his emotional imbalance. Meanwhile, a former classmate insists she bears no hard feelings toward him for his grade-school taunts but it becomes increasingly apparent that she has unfinished business with him. Niko finally concludes that he has to engage with life. This slacker dramedy is a love letter to Berlin and the Generation Y experience. German, not rated.
Saturday, February 28
7 p.m. Snow White
Carmen is a young girl whose mother died in childbirth, and whose torero father Antonio Villalta suffered a debilitating injury in the ring. Subsequently tormented by her flamenco-dancing stepmother Encarna, Carmen secretly learns the art of bullfighting. Now a teenager, Carmen falls in with a traveling troupe of dwarfs, adopts the name Blancanieves (Snow White), and thrills audiences with her formidable skills as a matador. Spanish, PG-13
Sunday, March 1
2 p.m. Maestra/Teacher
Maestra explores the experiences of nine women who, as young girls, helped eradicate Cuban illiteracy within one year. Interweaving recent interviews, archival footage, and campaign photos, this lively documentary includes one of the first Cubans of her generation to call herself a feminist and one of the first openly proud members of Cuba’s LGBT community. With wit and spirit, all recall negotiating for autonomy and independence in a culture still bound by patriarchal structures. Cuban, not rated.
Sunday, March 1
7 p.m. Never Sorry
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. Mandarin, rated R.