Westfield Memorial Library presents Spring Foreign Film Festival

(March 2, 2016) – The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present three foreign films in the months of March, April and May. They will be shown on Mondays: March 14, April 11 and May 16 at 2:00 and 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

The first film, “Testament of Youth” is in English and runs 130 minutes. It tells the story of a Vera Brittain, an upper class girl with ideas of her own, her brother and her brother’s friend with whom she becomes romantically involved. They had wonderful plans for the future, but when Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, all of their beautiful dreams were shattered, except for one.

“Rust and Bone” is a French film that runs 120 minutes. Put in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.

Running 109 minutes and in English, “Jimmy’s Hall” takes place in 1932 in the Irish countryside. Jimmy Gralton is back home after ten years of forced exile in the USA. Everyone is happy except the local priest, the village squire, and the chief of the fascists.

The reason is simple: Jimmy is a socialist activist. So when the “intruder” reopens the village hall, thus enabling the villagers to gather to sing, dance, paint, study or box, they take a dim view of the whole thing. People who think and unite are difficult to manipulate, aren't they? From that moment on they will use every means possible to get rid of Jimmy and his “dangerous” hall.

The films are free and open to the public.

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 1:00 to 5:00 pm on Sunday.

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org, and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

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