Happy February, fellow cinephiles, and welcome back to your favorite weekly write-up of all things happening in the Center for Film Studies. Coming up this week, of course, is that dreaded/beloved heart-shaped holiday, Valentine’s Day. Luckily for you, we have multiple events to choose from to celebrate with your loved one/hook up(s)/best friends, or even on your own as a reprieve from the dominant narrative of romantic idealism.

Aside from our regularly scheduled weekly screenings, we also have a few special events to look forward to. This Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Powell Family Cinema, we have a screening of the 2018 documentary “The Rest I Make Up,” followed by a Q&A and conversation with the director Michelle Memran, moderated by Professor of English and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Lisa Cohen. The film is a collaborative portrait of Cuban-American playwright and educator María Irene Fornés, by Michelle Memran and Fornés herself. The film presents us with the power of queer friendship and resilience in the face of disease and the passage of time. On Wednesday, we’re screening a fascinating documentary about the life and work of feminist, gender, animal, and technology studies scholar and professor Donna Haraway. The film is titled “Donna Haraway: Story Telling for Earthly Survival.” It was directed by Fabrizio Terranova and was released in 2016. The film is bound to be an illuminating and highly enjoyable viewing experience, and we encourage you to check it out at 7:30 p.m. in the Powell Family Cinema.

“Shoelaces”

2018. Israel. Dir: Yaakov Goldwasser. With Doval’e Glickmai. 90 min.

Wednesday, Feb. 13. 8 p.m. Free.

We hope you are enjoying the Ring Family Israeli Film Series! Pop in on Wednesday of this week for the third installment in the series, director Yaakov Goldwasser’s “Shoelaces.” When aging father Reuben begins to experience kidney failure, his special-needs son Gadi wishes to donate one of his own, but this decision is quickly challenged. The transplant committee objects, forcing Gadi to fight for the right to save his father’s life. Nominated for 8 Ophir Awards (Israel’s Oscars), including Best Picture of the Year, this drama tells a complex tale of family and sacrifice and raises questions about society’s attitude toward disabled individuals.

“Beau Travail”

1999. France. Dir: Claire Denis. With Denis Lavant, Michel Subor. 90 min.

Thursday, Feb. 14. 8 p.m. Free.

This 1999 French film topped the Village Voice’s Film Critics’ poll in 2000 and was cited by many critics at the time as a “masterpiece”—evidenced, if only numerically, by the fact that it scored a 91 on Metacritic (a marker of what they call “universal acclaim”). The film is set in Djibouti in Northern Africa and revolves around a group of soldiers stationed in the French Foreign Legion. The film is adapted from Herman Melville’s novella,“Billy Budd,” and parts of the soundtrack are actually excerpts from an opera of the same name. Claire Denis’ sixth and much beloved feature film is a firm favorite amongst fans and critics alike and is definitely a must-see for any newcomers to her work. Another reason why you’d best make it a priority to see this lady’s film on Goldsmith’s screen is that her upcoming A24 film, “High Life,” is already creating quite the storm in the film industry, and its release date is just around the corner.

“2018 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films”

Friday, Feb. 15. 8 p.m. $5.

From across the Atlantic to Ireland and all the way back to North America, travel with us on an animated adventure starring dumplings, pigs, praying mantises, aspiring astronauts, pirates, and a little bird. We’ve got it all for you this week at the Film Series! Join us on Friday for an eclectic mix of animated short films from around the globe. This selection includes the 2019 Academy Award Nominees for Best Animated Short Film as well as two extra short films specially curated for your entertainment. See what’s happening in the world of animation and what styles and stories are at the forefront of this innovative art form, and get an eye on Oscar nominations early so you can make your winning predictions!

“Memories of Underdevelopment”

1968. Cuba. Dir: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. With Sergio Corrieri. 97 min.

Saturday, Feb. 16. 8 p.m. Free.

This landmark of Cuban cinema follows bourgeois intellectual Sergio as he wanders Havana after his wife and children have fled to Miami in the wake of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Romantic entanglements and political malaise ensue as Sergio gives viewers a glimpse of life in post-revolutionary Cuba. This temporally fragmented narrative features archival material and spontaneously shot street scenes, leading viewers into a world of subjective memory and alienation.

 

Beatrix Herriott O’Gorman can be reached at bherriottogo@wesleyan.edu and Julia Levine can be reached at jjlevine@wesleyan.edu.