2012 Season
The Skin I Live In
January 11th, 2012
Dir. Pedro Almodóvar | 120 mins | 2011 | Spain, USA | Spanish
In honor of his late wife who died in a flaming car accident, scientist Dr. Robert Ledgard is trying to synthesize the perfect skin which can withstand burns, cuts or any other kind of damage. As he gets closer to perfecting this skin on his flawless patient, the scientific community starts growing skeptical and his past is revealed that shows how his patient is closely linked to tragic events he would like to forget.
Take Shelter
January 25th, 2012
Dir. Jeff Nichols | 120 mins | 2011 | USA | English
Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.
My Week with Marilyn
March 7th, 2012
Dir. Simon Curtis | 99 mins | 2011 | United Kingdom, USA | English, French
Sir Laurence Olivier (Sir Kenneth Branagh) is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When movie star Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin’s intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty, and her desire to be a great actress.
Good Food, Bad Food
March 8th, 2012
Dir. Coline Serreau | 113 mins | 2011 | Canada | English
Beyond the mere denunciation of an agricultural system corrupted by a desire for irrational growth, filmmaker Coline Serreau invites us to discover new farming systems, practices that work, repair the damage and offer improved health by ensuring sustainable and secure food. Camera in hand, Coline Serreau traveled the world for nearly three years to meet women and men in the field, thinkers and economists who are experimenting locally with successful solutions to heal the wounds of a land that has been abused for too long.
Screening of the documentary film, Good Food, Bad Food by Coline Serreau, with discussion afterwards hosted by Dr. James Murton, plus highlights from the “Ethical Eats” Challenge The screening is free to the public and all are welcome. This event is part of the International Women’s Week events hosted by the department of Gender Equality and Social Justice, and sponsored in part by North Bay Film.
Carnage
March 21st, 2012
Dir. Roman Polanski | 80 mins | 2011 | France, Germany, Poland, Spain | English
In New York’s Brooklyn Bridge park, 11-year-old Zachary strikes his 11-year-old classmate Ethan. The boys’ parents learn of the fight and meet to deal with the incident. Although the meeting starts civilized, it rapidly disintegrates after an unfortunate incident. Their meeting is now not only about their boys’ fight, but also the couples’ fitness as parents.
A Separation
April 11th, 2012
Dir. Asghar Farhadi | 123 mins | 2011 | Iran, France, Australia | Persian
Nader (Payman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter.
La Havre
April 25th, 2012
Dir. Aki Kaurismäki | 93 mins | 2011 | Finland, France, Germany | French
A dock worker in Le Havre hears a human sound inside one of the containers in port, that container which left Gabon three weeks ago and which was supposed to arrive in London five days after its departure from Gabon, which didn’t happen. The Le Havre police and French border guards find a still alive group of illegal African immigrants inside. On the sign from one of his elders, a young teen boy among the illegal immigrants manages to escape, news of which hits the local media. The first friendly face that boy, Idrissa, encounters is that of former artist now aged shoeshine Marcel Marx. Marcel decides to help Idrissa by hiding him in his house, news which slowly trickles through his community of friends – most of whom he associates with at his local bar – and neighbors, most who assist Marcel in this task. Marcel goes to great lengths to find out Idrissa’s story, which leads to Marcel’s further task of trying to get Idrissa to London, his original end destination. The one neighbor who wants to turn Idrissa in and the authorities seem to be on to Marcel’s activities, most specifically hard nosed police Inspector Monet, who may have his own private agenda. Through it all, Marcel has on his mind the health of his terminally ill and hospitalized wife Arletty, the terminal aspect being something of which he is unaware and which may in turn eventually kill him as Arletty is his life.
In Darkness
May 9th, 2012
Dir. Agnieszka Holland | 144 | 2011 | Poland, Germany, Canada | Polish, German, Yiddish, Ukranian
IN DARKNESS tells the true story of Leopold Socha who risks his own life to save a dozen people from certain death. Initially only interested in his own good, the thief and burglar hides Jewish refugees for 14 months in the sewers of the German-occupied town of Lvov (former Poland).
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
May 16th, 2012
Dir. Lasse Hallström | 107 mins | 2011 | United Kingdom | English, Arabic, Mandarin
Visionary Sheikh Muhammed bin Zaida bani Tihama (Amr Waked) believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain’s leading fisheries expert, Dr. Alfred “Fred” Jones (Ewan McGregor), who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary, Patricia Maxwell (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a “good will” story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.
Moonrise Kingdom
September 12th, 2012
Dir. Wes Anderson | 94 mins | 2012 | USA | English
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, as a young boy and girl fall in love they are moved to run away together. Various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down – which might not be such a bad thing.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
September 26th, 2012
Dir. Benh Zeitlin | 93 mins | 2012 | USA | English
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
First Position
October 3rd, 2012
Dir. Bess Kargman | 90 mins | 2011 | USA | English
First Position follows six talented young dancers (ages 9-19) from five continents as they prepare for a worldwide ballet competition that could transform their lives overnight.
Intouchables
October 25th, 2012
Dir. Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano | 112 mins | 2011 | France | French
A Parisian aristocrat, quadriplegic since a paragliding accident, hires a young man to be his live-in caretaker. Although very different the two men bond and develop a close friendship.
Farewell My Queen
November 7th, 2012
Dir. Benoît Jacquot | 100 mins | 2012 | France, Spain | French, English, German, Italian
In July 1789, the French Revolution is rumbling. Far from the turmoil, at the Château de Versailles, King Louis XVI, Queen Marie-Antoinette and their courtiers keep on living their usual carefree lives. But when the news of the storming of the Bastille reaches them, panic sets in and most of the aristocrats and their servants desert the sinking ship, leaving the Royal Family practically alone. Which is not the case of Sidonie Laborde, the Queen’s reader, a young woman, entirely devoted to her mistress; she will not give her up under any circumstances. What Sidonie does not know yet is that these are the last three days she will spend in the company of her beloved Queen.
The Master
November 15th, 2012
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 137 mins | 2012 | USA | English, Filipino
Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled, boozy drifter struggling with the trauma of World War II and whatever inner demons ruled his life before that. On a fateful night in 1950, Freddie boards a passing boat and meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the charismatic leader of a religious movement called the Cause. Freddie tries hard to adhere to Dodd’s weird teachings and forms a close bond with his mentor, even as other members of Dodd’s inner circle see him as a threat.
Take This Waltz
November 28th, 2012
Dir. Sarah Polley | 116 mins | 2011 | Canada, Spain, Japan | English
we are working with Arts Health North to screen TAKE THIS WALTZ at the North Bay Regional Health Centre this Wednesday, November 28 at 7pm. The event is free and parking passes (from any visitor lot) will be validated at the end of the film. It will screen in the auditorium (volunteers can direct you there if you aren’t sure how to find it). Popcorn will also be supplied by the Nipissing Lakers Hockey team. This event is part of Arts + Health month. We hope you’ll join us!