Oakton’s Department of Modern Languages presents the Modern Language Film Festival, part of Oakton Celebrates Cultures Week. These films have been selected for their artistic and cinematic merits, as well as to showcase the language studies offered at Oakton. All films are presented in the original language with English subtitles. Screenings are free and open to the public.
Most foreign films are not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. Viewers should assume that the film may be appropriate for mature audiences only.
Film Fest
Des
Plaines Schedule
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Skokie Schedule
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
The Yacoubian Building (2006) Arabic
The lives and loves of a handful of Egyptian aristocrats—some flush, others living in shabby gentility—set the stage for this epic drama, the first feature film from director Marwan Hamed. Built in Cairo in the late 1930s, the Yacoubian was a luxury apartment building that seven decades later still has charm and a reputation for elegance. Clear signs of decay are showing, such as the rooftop laundry facilities that now double as flats
for the less fortunate. (105 min.)
Fearless (2006) Chinese
Directed by Ronny Yu, this martial arts film stars Jet Li in a story loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a legendary Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters in highly publicized events. Yuanjia restored pride and nationalism to China at a time when the country’s values were under attack by Western imperialism and Japanese manipulation. Li says Fearless is his final wushu martial arts epic. (105 min.)
Congorama (2006) French
Directed by Philippe Falardeau, Congorama is a darkly humorous, faux documentary about two very different men attempting to live together. The story concerns Michel, who is Belgian, and Louis, a Quebecois, who form a strange bond when Michel travels to Quebec to find his biological father and trace the rest of his genealogy. The film is a sprawling meditation on cultural identity, parenthood, the act of invention, and the Congorama exhibit at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. (106 min.)
The Counterfeiters (2007) German
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, The Counterfeiters tells the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), a swindler known as Berlin’s “King of the Counterfeiters.” His glamorous lifestyle is cut short, however, when he is arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. As Sorowitsch and other hand-picked specialists begin producing counterfeit bank notes to fund the Nazi War effort, they are rewarded with better food, comfortable beds, and fair treatment. Sorowitsch knows he will live if he cooperates—but can he live with himself? (98 min.)
Beaufort (2007) Hebrew
Beaufort Castle, an ancient fortress in southern Lebanon, came under Israeli control at the start of the 1982 Lebanon War, and stayed that way until it was abandoned by Israel in 2000. Directed by Joseph Cedar, Beaufort is a film about retreat, not war, depicting the end of the occupation as seen by the final group of Israeli soldiers to be stationed there. Beaufort is considered one of the best Israeli war films ever produced. (125 min.)
100 Steps (2000) Italian
Intrigue and violence engulf a Sicilian family when Luigi Impastato’s adolescent son Peppino becomes an
outspoken critic of his father’s employer. Peppino refuses to walk the 100 steps between his home and where
the local Mafia chieftain lives. Taking his battle to the public arena, Peppino and his friends start a radio station to openly criticize the local Mafia network. He also decides to stand in the council elections, with the aim of bringing the fight to the town hall. Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana. (114 min.)
Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005) Japanese
In this film directed by Takashi Yamazaki, teenage Mutsuko leaves her provincial home for Tokyo to take a job in a major automotive company. She soon learns, however, that her employer is a small auto repair shop owned by Norifumi Suzuki. The Suzuki shop lies almost in the shadow of the Tokyo Tower as it rises steadily above the city’s skyline during construction in 1958. Others in the neighborhood also strive to better themselves as Japan continues to emerge from the shadow of war. (133 min.)
Marathon (2005) Korean
Based on a true story, this award-winning drama, directed by Jeong Yun-Cheol, is about an autistic youth
training to become a marathon runner. A box-office smash in 2005, Marathon is a solid family film that
delicately handles the issue of autism, in large part due to the outstanding and utterly believable performance
by its lead actor, Cho Seung-Woo. Marathon was honored for best picture, actor, screenplay, first-time director, music direction, and production planning at the Daejong Film Festival. (117 min.)
Hania (2007) Polish
On Christmas Eve, a young childless couple, Ola and Wojtek, celebrate with Kacper, a child from the local orphanage they have invited to share the holiday. Wojtek recalls his own childhood as being a nightmare because of his authoritative father. During that special day, spent with a resolute boy of a great imagination, Wojtek is able to relax, overcome his own fears, and open himself up to love. A beautiful and poignant story by director and Oscar-winning cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski. (100 min.)
The Wedding (2000) Russian
After supposedly working as a model in Moscow, Tanya returns to her small mining town to marry her shy school sweetheart Mishka. When the miners are finally paid, Mishka still finds himself unable to buy his
beautiful bride a gift, and for help turns to his perpetually drunk friend, Garkusha. Mishka’s poor working-class family puts on a fine wedding with copious amounts of vodka. Suspicions remain, however, about Tanya’s time in Moscow, as well as Borodin, an ex-boyfriend with Mafia ties. (114 min.)
Innocent Voices (2004) Spanish
Directed by Luis Mandoki and based on the childhood experiences of writer Oscar Torres, Innocent Voices serves as a commentary on the military use of children. Set during the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s, the film follows the story of its narrator, a boy named Chava, to expose the injustice of innocent people being forced to fight in the war. The film earned many honors in 2005 including three Ariel Awards; a Crystal Heart Award; the Heartland Film Festival’s Audience Choice Award for Dramatic Feature; and the Seattle International Film Festival’s Golden Space Needle. (123 min.)
Direct questions about
this page to the Web Communications Specialist.
Direct technical questions about Oakton's Web site to the Webmaster.
Copyright © 2004-09 Oakton Community College (Last update
2/9/09.)