Worldbridger Film Series

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Thursday, January 29th, 2015
7:00 PM

The Worldbridger is an ancient Mayan symbol representing, among other things, equality and peace. The quintessential diplomat, the Worldbridger strives to find ways to bring together people of opposing views, to cross bridges into other worlds, and to expand the mind into realms never before dreamed. It is in this spirit that the Worldbridger Film Series has adopted this symbol as its own. Please join us Thursday evenings at the Vancouver Island University campus, for weekly presentations of cutting-edge films that explore a variety of themes including globalization, human rights, war and peace, capitalism, music, culture, health, gender, sexuality, and much more.

Admission is by donation.
LOCATION: Building 356 Room 109 __________________________________________________________________

OCTOBER 01
LEVIATHAN (LEVIAFAN)

How far would you go to fight for what is yours?   In a backdrop of corruption, a man will do anything to save his home from being taken from his family.  Winner 2014 Cannes Film Festival (Best Screenplay).

Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
2014 | 140 min | Russia | In Russian | Rated R

OCTOBER 08
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

What can the homeless of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana teach us?  This film follows a band of brothers as they awaken to the beauty and resilience of the human spirit.  Winner 2008 Maui Film Festival (Best Documentary Feature).

Directed by Charles Kinnane
2008 | 90 min | USA
In Spanish & English | Rated PG-13

Co-hosted by VIU’s Consciousness Studies Group

OCTOBER 15
WHIPLASH

Described as “a tour-de-force that defies easy stereotyping”, WHIPLASH follows an ambitious young drummer as he bids to become “one of the greats”. Partly inspired by the director’s own educational experience, the film offers up a breathless battle of wills between teacher and student that drives the film like an action thriller.  The viewer is left with a whirlwind of emotions wondering whether the end justifies the means.

Directed by Damien Chazelle
2014 | 107 min | USA
In English| Rated R

OCTOBER 22
EVERYTHING WILL BE

With elegance and assurance, award-winning director Julia Kwan poetically captures the subtle nuances of a culturally diverse neighbourhood—Vancouver’s Chinatown—in the midst of a transformation that plays out across many ethnic enclaves in North America. The community’s oldest and newest members offer intimate perspectives on this shifting landscape, a once vibrant and thriving community now in flux.

Directed by Julie Kwan
2014 | 85 min | Canada | In Chinese & English| Not Rated

Co-hosted by the Department of Anthropology
Guest speaker: Dr. Imogene Lim

OCTOBER 29
GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI

Told as only Jim Jarmusch could, Ghost Dog follows the exploits of a self-taught samurai-cum-hitman who lives according to the philosophies and moral code of the ancient Japanese warriors.  A tribute to traditional notions of honour, loyalty, and friendship, and a mish-mash of gangster, urban drama, western and martial arts films, Jarmusch brilliantly blends disparate themes into a cohesive film that is at once tender, funny and highly original.

Directed by Jim Jarmusch
1999 | 116 min | France/Germany/USA/Japan
In English & French | Rated R

NOVEMBER 05
HAPPY
In celebration of World VIU Days

From the director of Genghis Blues comes a film that sets out to answer all your questions about the nature of happiness.  Taking us from the bayous of Louisiana to the deserts of Namibia, from the beaches of Brazil to the villages of Okinawa, Happy explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.

Directed by Roko Belic
2011 | 76 min | USA
In English | Not Rated

Co-hosted by VIU’s Faculty of International Education

NOVEMBER 12
SIR! NO SIR!

Like the Vietnam War itself, the GI anti-war movement started small and within a few years had exploded into a force that altered history. Yet this military insurgency has been all but eliminated from collective memory and rarely appears in historical accounts. This film chronicles the struggle and tells the story of the activitists and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who refused to fight.  

Directed by David Zeigler
2005 | 85 min| USA
English | Not Rated

NOVEMBER 19
ALIVE INSIDE

Explore music’s capacity to awaken and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity.  This documentary chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals whose memories have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. Winner 2014 Sundance Film Festival (Audience Award).

Directed by Directed by Michael Rossato-Bennet
2014 | 78 min | USA | In English| Not Rated

Co-hosted by the VIU’s Consciousness Studies Group and PSYCH 388 class Guest Speaker: Dr. Rachel Cooper

NOVEMBER 26
WILD TALES (RELATOS SALVEIJES)

Comedy goes dark in this 2014 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.  Offering six vignettes of delicious variety, the film teaches us that little acts of revenge can have dramatic and often drastic consequences with far-reaching impacts.  Brought to us by award-winning producer Pedro Almodovar, this film is delightfully dark and quirky.

Directed by Damiàn Szifron
2014 | 122 min | Argentina/Spain | In Spanish| Rated R

Co-hosted by the VIU Spanish Club

DECEMBER 03
TIMBUKTU

2014 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, this extraordinary film by Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako is a cri de coeur against violence and intolerance in the world.  But what makes this film unusually compelling is that it is as much a poetic work of art as it is a protest film.  

Directed by Abderranhmane Sissako
2014 | 97 min | France/Mauritania | In French, Arabic, Bambara, English, & Songhay | Rated PG-13

Co-hosted by VIU’s The Status of Women’s Group
Guest Speaker: Joy Gugeler