International Film Festival - Open to Public

Mercy College will host its 13th annual International Film Festival May 3–6, featuring movies from around the world, including Argentina, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and South Korea.  Each evening’s program will begin at 6:00pm in the Dobbs Ferry Lecture Hall and will include an introduction by a guest speaker, the film screening and a post-film discussion on the movie’s theme and perspectives. Refreshments will be served.

The International Film Festival is presented by the Mercy College School of Liberal Arts.  It is open to the public, with a suggested nightly donation of $10.  College and high school students with ID are free, as is all parking.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m.  Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis with no RSVP required.

Film Festival Schedule

Thursday, May 3
Aballay, the Man without Fear
Argentina, 2010

In Spanish with English subtitles, 100 minutes.

NR, mature audiences. Directed by Fernando Spiner.

A young boy witnesses the murder of his father by Aballay, a hardened gaucho.  Ten years later, the boy tracks down Aballay’s gang, intent on revenge. Winner of 8 Argentine Academy Awards.

Guest speaker: Sandra Iurcovich, Art Director of Aballay.

Additional Note:  This evening’s program is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Friday, May 4
The White Ribbon
Germany / Austria / France / Italy, 2009

In German, Italian, and Polish with English subtitles. 100 minutes.

Rated R. Directed by Michael Haneke.

In this Oscar nominee for Best Cinematography and winner for Best Foreign Film, strange accidents begin to destroy the social fabric of a small village in Northern Germany, just prior to World War I.

Guest speaker: Dr. Ellen Kreger, Lecturer in Media Studies/Film and Culture, Mercy College.

Saturday, May 5
Mother
South Korea, 2009

In Korean with English subtitles. 128 minutes.

Rated R. Directed by Bong Ioon-Ho.

A single mother tries to exonerate her 27 year-old intellectually disabled son when he is accused of murdering a teenage girl and coerced into signing a confession.  Winner of Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.

Guest Speaker:  TBA

Sunday May 6
Animating Reality (Selections)
Multiple Countries, Multiple years

In Dutch, French, Japanese and Finnish with English subtitles. Approximately 115 minutes.

NR. Multiple Directors.

In this collection of animated documentaries from around the world, filmmakers use innovative techniques to explore personal histories, political and social injustices, national identity, and social change.

Guest Speaker:  TBA