UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 20, Page 12
February 15, 1996
International film series to begin Sunday, Feb. 25

     The 1996 International Film Series, which is free and open to the
public, includes highly acclaimed American films from 1995, such as
Leaving Las Vegas and Dead Man Walking, as well as top international
films of 1995 from Italy, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
     Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Sundays from Feb. 25 through March 28,
the films can be seen in Room 140 of Smith Hall.
     The series opens Feb. 25 with the U.S. film Living in Oblivion.
The New York Times called this comedy about the pitfalls of
independent film making "wonderfully funny."
     Scheduled for March 3 is Lamerica from Italy. From the director
of Stolen Children, the film tells the story of an unscrupulous
businessman caught in the turmoil of Albania after the fall of
Communism. Rolling Stone called it "the best foreign-language film of
1995."
     Leaving Las Vegas, winner of the New York Film Critics Circle
best actor and best film awards, is scheduled for March 17. This film,
with Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue, tells the story of a
screenwriter who goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death.
     Dead Man Walking, a recently released and acclaimed film, will be
shown April 7. This powerful film examines the relationship of a nun
and a condemned man, with notable performances by Susan Sarandon and
Sean Penn. The New York Times calls it "a courageous and passionate
drama."
     Shanghai Triad, produced in Hong Kong, has been called
"astonishing." From the director of The Red Lantern, the film, to be
shown on April 14, tells the story of a boy hired to work for a
gangster's mistress.
     Scheduled on April 21 is Persuasion, produced in the United
Kingdom. This brilliant adaptation of the Jane Austen novel was named
by Time magazine as "the best film of the year."
     The series concludes on April 28 with The City of Lost Children,
filmed in Italy. Variety called this story of a power-crazed inventor
who tries to steal dreams from children a "vibrant, bubbling cauldron
of breathtaking special effects...a Looney Tunes fantasy sprung from
the head of Jules Verne."
     The film series is sponsored by the Faculty Senate Committee on
Cultural Activities and Public Events, the Office of International
Programs and Special Sessions, the University Honors Program and the
film program in the Department of English.