King of the Hill
Steven Soderbergh, U.S., 1993, 109 min.
Saturday, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m., Brown, Free

The locally shot “King of the Hill,” adapted from native son A.E. Hotchner’s memoir, is set in 1933 St. Louis and chronicles the travails of 12-year-old Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford), a bright, affable boy coming of age during the heart of the Depression. Left frighteningly alone in the family’s shabby rooms at the Empire Hotel, Aaron must protect the impoverished family’s meager belongings from repossession. Director Soderbergh’s third feature, “King of the Hill” features an impressive cast that includes Jeroen Krabbe, Lisa Eichhorn, Spalding Gray, Karen Allen, Elizabeth McGovern and a young Adrien Brody. Rolling Stone says of “King of the Hill”: “The richly atmospheric film pierces the heart without ever begging for sympathy.” With producer Ron Yerxa, cinematographer Elliot Davis, St. Louis casting director Carrie Houk, Washington University professor Henry Schvey and a panel on book-to-film translation.
Co-presented by the Missouri Center for the Book and Washington University's Center for the Humanities

Kontakt
Sergej Stanojkovski, Macedonia, 2005, 120 min., German & Macedonian
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 4:15 p.m., Frontenac
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2 p.m., Frontenac

A pair of unwanted misfits – Janko, a curmudgeonly convict fresh from prison, and Zana, a mentally unstable woman recently released from an asylum – is brought together by Novak, who wants to shed responsibility for his difficult half-brother. A surprisingly tender relationship develops as the two mismatched housemates share Zana’s decaying family mansion in Skopje. Based on a screenplay by Gordan Mihic (the scenarist of Emir Kusturica’s “Black Cat, White Cat” and “Time of the Gypsies”), “Kontakt” features Balkan stars Labina Mitewska (“Welcome to Sarajevo,” “Before the Rain”) and Nikola Kojo (“Life Is a Miracle”).

The Last Lullaby
Jeffrey Goodman, U.S., 2008, 93 min.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 5:30 p.m., Tivoli 3

Price (Tom Sizemore of “Heat” and “Saving Private Ryan”) is a former hitman struggling with the boredom and restlessness of retirement. In “The Last Lullaby,” Price returns to his old life for a major payout, but the job turns complicated when he develops unexpected feelings for his target (Sasha Alexander of “NCIS”). Co-written by acclaimed crime novelist Max Allan Collins (“Road to Perdition”) – who adapts his own short story – “The Last Lullaby” is an expansion of first-time feature director Goodman’s award-winning short “A Matter of Principle.” With director Goodman.

Late Bloomers
(Die Herbstzeitlosen)
Bettina Oberli, Switzerland, 2008, 90 min., German
Friday, Nov. 14, 2:15 p.m., Frontenac
Friday, Nov. 14, 7:15 p.m., Frontenac

Fans of “Calendar Girls” will surely delight in “Late Bloomers,” a sweet and funny crowd-pleaser. Martha (87-year-old Stephanie Glaser), a plucky retiree and recent widow, stirs up things in her conservative mountain village when she and several friends fulfill a lifelong dream by opening a shop selling provocative lingerie. The buttoned-down locals – including Martha’s son, who serves as the town’s vicar – find the boutique scandalous, but the women bloom like alpine flowers, with old courage being found and new relationships blossoming.

Let the Right One In
(Låt den rätte komma in)
Tomas Alfredson, Sweden, 2008, 114 min., Swedish
Saturday, Nov. 15, 9:30 p.m., Frontenac

The winner of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Narrative Feature Award, “Let the Right One In” tells a darkly atmospheric, poetic and surprisingly tender story of adolescence … and vampirism. Fragile, anxious 12-year-old Oskar, regularly bullied by his stronger classmates, finds protection and friendship when 12-year-old Eli moves in next door. A pale, serious young girl, Eli only comes out at night, and her arrival coincides with a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. Based on a Swedish bestseller that recalls the work of Anne Rice, “Let the Right One In” is already slated for a Hollywood remake by the director of “Cloverfield.”

Let the Wind Blow
(Hava Aney Dey)
Partho Sen-Gupta, India, 2004, 93 min., English & Hindi
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 12:30 p.m., Frontenac
Thursday, Nov. 20, 4:45 p.m., Frontenac

At the height of nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, Arjun and his best friend, Chabia, weigh their options for the future against the reality of life on the streets of Mumbai. Enticed by the promise of wealth and opportunity in the Persian Gulf, Chabia is eager to leave his job as a mechanic, but for Arjun, who must finish college and care for his mother, the decision is not so easy in this gritty drama.

Little Heroes
(Giborim Ktanim)
Itai Lev, Israel, 2006, 76 min., English, Hebrew & Russian
Sunday, Nov. 23, 1:30 p.m., Frontenac

In this multiple-award-winning children’s adventure, four children work to overcome their differences and learn to face their fears. When Alicia, an immigrant girl from Russia with telepathic abilities, senses that there are people screaming for help in a valley nearby, she recruits other children to embark on a courageous journey. Navigating their way through Israel’s wild desert landscape, the quartet of kids gradually forms a heroic team in a valiant attempt to find and save the injured couple.

Luxury Car
(Jiang Cheng Xia Ri)
Wang Chao, China, 2006, 88 min., Mandarin
Monday, Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m., Frontenac
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2:30 p.m., Frontenac

“Luxury Car” explores the painful reality of thousands of parents who have lost contact with their children through the rural exodus and political upheaval in China. In this emotionally taut film – which won the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2006 Cannes fest – a father travels from his small village to the city of Wuhan, determined to fulfill his wife’s last wish that he see their son. But instead of finding his son, he discovers his daughter working as a karaoke-bar escort, forcing him to come to terms with their long-estranged relationship and the tenuous future of his family. Variety says that director Wang “attains an almost perfect balance between style and content in … a tightly written and beautifully played drama.”
Sponsored by East Asian Studies at Washington University.

Matchmaker Mary
Tom Whitus, U.S., 2008, 89 min.
Saturday, Nov. 22, noon, Brown, Free
Saturday, Nov. 22, 4:45 p.m., Frontenac

Promised a puppy if she earns straight A’s on her report card, 12-year-old Mary Carver is rewarded with a visit to the Wayside Waifs animal shelter. Three Labrador puppies are waiting for a home, and Mary ultimately chooses the adorable Tillie, but chance encounters with the man and woman who adopt the other pups lead her on a quest to play matchmaker. Mary actually works to bring together three couples: the new dog owners; her Aunt Mary (Dee Wallace from “E.T.”) and the kindly shelter owner; and even her own maritally troubled parents. A heartwarming film for the whole family, “Matchmaker Mary” co-stars St. Louis-area native Jilanne Klaus.
With director Whitus and co-star Klaus.
Sponsored by Rich and Judee Sauget and the Gateway Grizzlies

Mil Mascaras: Resurrection
Jeff Burr & Chip Gubera, U.S., 2005, 90 min.
Friday, Nov. 21, 11:15 p.m., Tivoli 3

Famed luchadore and film star Mil Mascaras journeys from Mexico to mid-Missouri to star as himself: a renaissance man of international repute, a connoisseur of the arts, a scholar of science and humanity, and a masked wrestler. Like his fellow luchadores, Mascaras is often called on to assist the authorities in combating threats to mankind, so when the evil and bloodthirsty Aztec Mummy is resurrected, he’s recruited to put it back under wraps. Will Mil Mascaras fall under the influence of his undead adversary? The answer hinges on the secret of his mask, which has been passed down through his ancestors since time in memoriam. With co-director Gubera and producer-writer-actor Jeffrey Uhlmann.