|
 |
|
VISION: From the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen
January 30 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Margarethe von Trotta (Germany, 2009) 111 min.
The inspirational portrait of the life of German Benedictine nun Saint Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179). Von Bingen was a visionary Christian mystic, composer, philosopher, playwright, physician, poet, naturalist, scientist and ecological activist. Known as the most important female leader of the Medieval age, she is credited with bringing Europe out of the darkness and into the modern era of science and enlightenment. Directed by Margarethe von Trotta and starring Barbara Sukowa.
|
|
 |
|
Malcolm X
February 6 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Spike Lee (U.S., 1992) 202 min.
Based on Alex Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X (completed after Malcolm X’s assassination), this biographical film directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett, depicts the dramatic life and pivotal evolution of the charismatic civil rights activist born Malcolm Little. This film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". |
|
 |
|
Frida
February 13 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Julie Taymor (U.S., 2002) 123 min. 
The biography of surrealist Mexican painter and political activist, Frida Kahlo, starring Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd and Antonio Banderas. Frida is considered one of Mexico’s greatest artists and feminist icons. This vibrant film shows Frida’s colorful and painful life - from her devastating injury she sustained in a bus crash as a teenager to the tumultuous marriage to Mexican painter and muralist, Diego Rivera – two subjects which became the focal point of her work. |
|
 |
|
Factory Girl
February 20 at 1:30 pm
Directed by George Hickenlooper (U.S., 2007) 90 min.
The controversial biographical film about Edie Sedgwick; the 1960’s heiress, socialite, fashion model, and Warhol Superstar who died tragically at the age of 28 from a barbiturate overdose. Born into a life of wealth and privilege, Edie Sedgwick found herself the star of Andy Warhol’s Factory in the 1960’s, but her brief flirtation with fame lead her to a tragic drug addiction. Starring Sienna Miller as Edie Sedgwick and Guy Pearce as Andy Warhol. |
|
|
|
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
February 27 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Julian Schnabel (France, U.S., 2007) 112 min.
An inspiring biographical drama film based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir of the same name. At 43 years old, and the editor of the French Elle fashion magazine, Bauby became paralyzed from the neck down from a massive stroke resulting in “locked-in syndrome”. He painstakingly tells his story through a transcriber, who he communicates with by blinking his left eye-lid, letter by letter. Juxtaposed with his recollections of family, friends, and regrets, he tells of what it is like to be him now, trapped in his body, while others see his spirit as a butterfly. Artistically crafted, the film was nominated for four Academy Awards, and won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival that year. |
|
 |
|
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
March 6 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Zach Niles and Banker White (U.S., 2005) 80 min.
A heartfelt, award-winning documentary about six young musicians displaced by the brutal civil war in the West African nation of Sierra Leone who use music to heal the scars of their homeland. The film follows the band for three years as they are relocated between various refugee camps, culminating with the group's homecoming, several years after a bloody conflict tore the nation in half. Often compared to the Buena Vista Social Club (1998), this film combines musical elements with a distinctly uplifting and optimistic sociopolitical undercurrent. |
|
 |
|
Fair Game
March 20 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Doug Liman (U.S., UAE, 2010) 108 min.
A biographical docudrama thriller starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn based on Valerie Plume's memoir, “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House”, and Joseph C. Wilson's memoir "The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir". The real life story of CIA secret agent, Valerie Plume, and how her status was leaked by the White House to discredit her husband’s allegation that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq. |
|
 |
|
Sylvia
March 27 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Christine Jeffs, (U.K., 2003) 110 min.
A biographical drama about one of the most celebrated American literary figures - poet and novelist Sylvia Plath. This controversial film tells the story of Plath’s successful but troubled life and marriage to author and British Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes. Adapted in part from Birthday Letters, a collection of poems Ted Hughes published in 1998, in which he dealt with his marriage to Plath in print for the first time. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig and Lucy Davenport. |
|
 |
|
Jack Kerouac
April 3 at 1:30 pm
Directed by John Antonelli (U.S., 2001) 78 min.
This award-winning biography about one of the most important modern American writers that inspired a generation, examines Jack Kerouac's life through rare and fascinating documentary footage and revealing interviews with some of his most famous contemporaries and friends such as Allan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William Burroughs. |
|
 |
|
The Motorcycle Diaries
April 10 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Walter Salles (Argentina, 2004) 126 min.
The dramatization of the 1952 South American motorcycle journey of 23 year-old Ernesto Guevara - who would later become known as the iconic Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara. This transformative expedition that he took with his friend Alberto Granado, introduced the men to the indigenous people of remote regions and exposed them to social classes and injustices they would have never encountered otherwise, revealing to him his life’s calling. |
|
 |
|
Into the Wild
April 24 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Sean Penn (U.S., 2007) 148 min.
A biographical film based on the non-fiction book of the same name by John Krakauer about the real-life story of Christopher McCandless. In 1990, after graduating from Emory University, Christopher McCandless rejected his conventional life, abandoned his possessions, and set out on a journey to Alaska to live off the land. This film depicts his journey; the people he met along the way, how he affected his family, and his ultimate demise in the wilderness. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and described the film as “spellbinding”. Starring Emile Hirsch as McCandless. |
|
 |
|
Evita
May 1 at 1:30 pm
Directed by Alan Parker (U.S., 1996) 135 min.
The musical film drama based on the life of Eva Perón as a child from the lower class to becoming the first lady and spiritual leader of Argentina. Narrated by Antonio Banderas as “Che” (an everyman), he tells the story of Eva’s rise to power and later her illness and death. Based on the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and starring Madonna as Eva Perón. |
|
| |
