Eight year old Valentin lives with his grandmother in Buenos Aires in the late 1960s. Valentin dreams of becoming an astronaut, finding a new wife for his absent father and of being reunited with his missing mother. While caught in the middle of his family, he attempts to better the bewildering world around him.This heartwarming (and at times heartbreaking) tale follows the smart and resourceful Valentin, as he reacts to and observes the troubled individuals he encounters.
Release Years Archives: 2002
A Wedding in Ramallah
Even in the midst of intense political conflicts, people try to get on with their lives. So it is with Mariam and Bassam, a Palestinian couple who met during the relatively peaceful summer of 2000. This wonderfully observant film follows their relationship from courtship to marriage, and beyond. Bassam, a telephone repairman in Cleveland, returns to Palestine to find a “home-made” bride. He quickly meets and marries the young Mariam, but leaves he in Palestine with his family. Soon afterward, a new intifada takes place and violence erupts throughout Palestine. Life in wartime is brilliantly evoked: people talk on cell phones, quarrel and cook dinner while tanks are shelling buildings a few blocks away. After many months, Bassam is able to procure a visa for Maraiam, but she soon discovers that life is exile in the UC is not what she expected. This charming film says a great deal about love, courtship, and the roles of women and men in Palestinian society, while touching on the details of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
Real Women Have Curves
Real Women Have Curves is the story of Ana, a first generation Mexican American teenager on the verge of becoming a woman, who’s torn between her mainstream ambitions and her cultural heritage.
Spellbound
Spellbound follows eight kids on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee. This Oscar-nominated entry documents the intense experience of the National Spelling Bee as seen through the eyes of eight young spellers, with viewers glimpsing the kids’ private lives as they train for and compete in the ultimate cerebral showdown.
Swing
Ten year-old Max is bored, he’s looking for some fun. One day, he finds himself listening to the virtuoso guitar-playing of a gypsy named Miraldo. Max is transfixed by the unusual music: he has discovered “manouche”. Like a bee to honey, he’s drawn to this haunting music, heading off to the wrong side of town, where the gypsies live–a place he knows he’s not supposed to visit. Undeterred, he buys a guitar and convinces Miraldo to tutor him. Soon he’s discovered a whole new world–gypsy jazz and a girl named Swing. A generous, purely joyful and exuberant film that teaches the importance of delving into other cultures.
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