Don't Miss the 'Great Films You Missed' Festival at Stratford Library

The Stratford Library will present its seventh annual film festival of little-seen movies, Great Movies You Missed, beginning Monday, April 1 through Friday, April 5.

The festival will highlight six critically acclaimed films from last year that-for whatever reason-did not reach a wide audience during their general release. Three films slated to be shown were 2012 Oscar nominees.

The library series will feature guest film critics Joe Meyers from the Connecticut Post and Tom Holehan of Elm City Newspapers for commentary prior to the screenings.

The complete schedule for Great Movies You Missed is:

April 1: The Invisible War- One of the year's best documentaries was Kirby Dick's potent expose about the high rate of sexual assault taking place in the United States military. This documentary calls attention to little-known facts about the high prevalence of rape within the ranks of America's armed forces. Interviews with military personnel, elected officials and rape victims provide alarming evidence. Shown at noon. No rating, 93 minutes.

April 2: Bernie- A Southern fried black comedy about a Texas funeral director, beloved by the residents of his folksy Texas town, who murders his unlovable lady friend (Shirley MacLaine). Jack Black is sublime in the title role of Richard Linkletter's pitch-perfect film based on an amazing true story. Shown at noon. Rated PG-13, 98 minutes.

April 2: A Separation- An Iranian husband and wife split up over his decision to stay and care for his aging father instead of leaving the country with his family. But his fateful choice to hire a stranger to do most of the caretaking breeds unexpected consequences. Winner of the 2011 Best Foreign Film Oscar. Connecticut Post arts critic Joe Meyers will introduce the film. Shown at 7 pm. Rated PG-13, 123 minutes.

April 3: Compliance- Based on a true incident, this tense drama unfolds as a prank caller pretends to be a cop and convinces a restaurant manager to interrogate her teenaged employee about a supposed theft from a customer. The situation soon spirals out of control with devastating results. Shown at noon. Rated R, 90 minutes.

April 4: The Sessions- Helen Hunt was Oscar-nominated for her fearless performance as a sex surrogate enlisted to help a man in an iron lung (John Hawkes). Based on a true story, the film is poignant, tasteful and humorous as it examines this most unusual relationship. Brilliant performances. Shown at noon. Rated R, 94 minutes.

April 5: Searching for Sugar Man- The incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest '70s rock icon who never was. Decades after Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez disappeared following the failure of his two critically praised records in the 1970s, two fans from South Africa, where Rodriguez was a huge hit, try to track down their idol. Winner of this year's Best Documentary Academy Award. Shown at noon.  Rated PG-13, 86 minutes.

All movies will be shown uncut and in widescreen format. The film festival, recommended for adult audiences, will be held in the library's Lovell Room. As always, these programs are free and open to the public.

For further information, call the Stratford Library's Public Relations and Programming Office at 203.385.4162 or check its updated website at: www.stratfordlibrary.org