College of DuPage Annual Global Flicks Film Festival Kicks Off Fe

Global Flicks, a festival featuring six award-winning international films, will be presented on Wednesdays, Feb. 5 to March 11, at the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., in Glen Ellyn.

Screenings are at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Films are shown in their original language with English subtitles, and each screening concludes with a moderated discussion of the film and its subject matter.

Now in its 24th year, Global Flicks is co-sponsored by the College’s Field and Experiential Learning/Study Abroad program and the McAninch Arts Center.

For more information, call the MAC Box Office at (630) 942-4000 or click here.

“Frida” (Mexico) – Feb. 5, Belushi Performance Hall

Directed by Julie Taymor

A biography on one of Mexico’s best-known artists, “Frida” charts the life of Frida Kahlo from feisty schoolgirl to her complicated relationship with Diego Rivera to becoming a world-renowned artist in her own right. Artwork of Kahlo shown directly or depicted in the film by the characters include “The Bus,” “Frida and Diego Rivera” “What the Water Gave Me,” “The Two Fridas,” “The Broken Column” and “The Wounded Deer.” (123 min.)

“Sky and Ground” (Syria/Germany) – Feb. 12, Belushi Performance Hall

Directed by Joshua Bennett and Talya Tibbbon

During the greatest humanitarian crisis of recent times, a Syrian-Kurdish family makes their way from their home in Aleppo, bombed out by the war, to a refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian border. Their ultimate goal is Berlin, where they will reunite with relatives and seek asylum, but first they must painstakingly journey 3,000 miles across Europe. Partly shot by family members, this film follows the refugees step-by-step on their perilous trek toward freedom. (86 min.)

“Z” (Algeria/Russia) – Feb. 19, Playhouse Theatre

Directed by Costa-Gavras

The first film to be nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film, “Z” is a political thriller involving the assassination of a democratic Greek politician and the ensuing investigation. The film captures the outrage of the military dictatorship that ruled Greece in the late ‘60s as well as mirroring political unrest occurring around the world. (127 min.)

“Two Days, One Night” (Belgium/France/Italy) – Feb. 26, Playhouse Theatre

Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne

Sandra, a factory worker paid minimum wage, has returned to work after seeking help with depression. Management has realized it can operate with one less employee and if her coworkers will vote her out, they will receive a bonus. Sandra has the weekend before their vote to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so she can keep her job. This is a story about working-class people on the fringe of society fighting for their livelihood, a noble and worthy fight regardless of the outcome. (95 min.)

“Virunga” (Congo) - March 4, Belushi Performance Hall

Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel

Virunga National Park is one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth and home to the last remaining mountain gorillas. A small and embattled group of park rangers risks their lives to build a better future in a part of Africa the world has forgotten. Part investigative journalism and part nature documentary, “Virunga” exposes the gripping realities of life in the Congo. (120 min.)

“Shoplifters” (Japan - March 11, Playhouse Theatre

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

Struggling to provide food, clothes and education while living on meager wages, the Shibata’s supplement their income through odd jobs and petty theft. Despite their own needs, this unconventional family takes in an abandoned child and teaches her their ways of survival. In their fight to endure and even thrive, an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets and tests the bonds that unite them. (121 min.)