A film festival showcasing films from around the world is coming to the University of Chester.
After a successful inaugural year in 2014, the university’s Department of Modern Languages is once more hosting Borders, featuring films from Argentina, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Germany and the USA.
The festival starts on Monday, December 7 and runs until Friday, December 11.
The theme of the week is Once upon a Time, a City. The films are being shown in the Beswick building (Beswick 013), which is on the Parkgate Road Campus in Chester and they all begin at 7pm. It is free to attend and all are welcome to come along.
Claire Griffiths, head of modern languages at the university, said: “Our annual film festival Borders represents all the language cultures we study at the University of Chester and showcases different aspects of cultural change around the world.
“This year’s theme is viewed through the prism of urban landscapes in a programme that includes films from Central Africa, mainland Europe, China, South America and North America.”
The films showing are:
Monday, December 7: Medianeras (Sidewalls): Gustavo Taretto, Argentina, 2011. Slightly damaged people, Martín and Mariana live in buildings opposite one another. While they often don’t notice each other, separation might be the very thing that brings them together.
Tuesday, December 8: Victoria: Sebastian Schipper, Germany, 2015. Victoria, a young Spanish woman, recently moved to Berlin. Her flirtation with a local man turns potentially deadly when their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.
Wednesday, December 9: The Flowers of War: Zhang Yimou, China, 2011. Starring Christian Bale, this Chinese historical war film is set in Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he leads a group of women to safety after the violent invasion of the city.
Thursday, December 10: Smoke; Wayne Wang, USA, 1995. Smoke follows the lives of multiple characters, who frequent a small Brooklyn tobacco shop managed by Auggie (Harvey Keitel).
Friday, December 11: Benda Bilili: Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2010. A musical documentary following the lives of Kinshasa street musician group Staff Benda Bilili, whose core members are disabled due to polio. The film charts their rise to worldwide fame on the world music circuit.
