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Escape From Freedom | 31st Annual Film Series

Sundays, 2 PM, Kerr McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business
NW 27th Street and McKinley Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73106
A discussion session follows each film for those who wish to stay
Free Admission, Donations Appreciated

October 7, 2012, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

Yimou Zhang’s The Flowers of War, China (2011), 146 Min.

The Flowers of War is a moving story set in 1937 China during the Sino-Japanese war. A mortician, played by Christian Bale, arrives in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he finds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he must confront his own identity.

October 21, 2012, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

Carlos César Arbeláez’s The Colors of the Mountain, Colombia (2010), 90 Min.

A soccer ball marooned in a minefield is the central image of Arbeláez’s quietly assured debut feature film set in a remote village in the Andean region of Colombia. It’s a symbol of the characters’ lives, which are menaced on one side by guerrillas and on the other by paramilitary groups. The plot follows a group of boys led by 9-year-old Manuel. The group is obsessed with playing soccer even though minefields abound in the area. The film was Colombia’s Oscar candidate submission and the first film from that country in the ֭Ƶ Film Institute’s history.

November 4, 2012, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

Krzysztof Kieslowski’s The Double Life of Véronique, Norway (1991), 98 Min.

Kieslowski’s international breakthrough remains one of his most beloved films — a mysterious rumination on identity, love, déjà vu and human intuition. Those familiar with Kieslowski's later Three Colors trilogy of Blue, White and Red will recognize his fascination with accidental happenings and chance encounters, as well as Irène Jacob from “Red,” whose performance won the 1991 Cannes Film Festival award for best actress. The Double Life of Véronique was one of the two most requested films on last year’s film series evaluations.

January 27, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation, Iran (2011), 123 Min.

The Foreign Language Oscar winner of last year as well as one of the most acclaimed films of recent years, A Separation is from Iran, the country that was most requested on last year’s film series evaluations. The plot involves a married couple that confronts a difficult decision—to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.

February 10, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

So Yong Kim’s Treeless Mountain, South Korea (2008), 89 Min.

Winner of many international awards, including the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival, Treeless Mountain luminously renders the experience of childhood. When their mother needs to leave in order to find their estranged father, 6-year-old Jin and her younger sister, Bin, are left to live with their Big Aunt for the summer. With only a small piggy bank and their mother's promise to return when it is full, the two young girls are forced to acclimate to changes in their family life. Counting the days, and the coins, the two bright-eyed young girls eagerly anticipate their mother's homecoming.

February 24, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's The Kid with a Bike, Belgium (2011), 87 Min.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, this deeply moving French-language film by a pair of brother directors delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril, showing once again their ability to chart the wilds of childhood. This film’s screening is timed to connect with the speech of Children’s Defense Fund leader Marian Wright Edelman, who will talk on campus in the ֭Ƶ Distinguished Speaker Series event on March 4.

March 10, 2013, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM

Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant, Australia (1980), 107 Min.

Breaker Morant, one of the most acclaimed Australian films, was screened in competition at the 1980 Cannes Festival and won best supporting actor as well as many other honors, including the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film and 10 Australian Oscar equivalents. Based on a famous incident in Australian history, Henry "Breaker" Morant was an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When the Boer war broke out in 1899 between Britain and the descendants of Dutch colonists, Morant and a number of Australians volunteered for duty in South Africa. What followed became the content for one of the most powerful films ever made on both war and military justice.

Admission to the film series is free to the public. Donations to help sustain the institute’s mission are appreciated. Donations can be made at each film, mailed to the ֭Ƶ Film Institute Endowment or to the ֭Ƶ Film Institute’s Designated Endowment in the Community Foundation of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. ֭Ƶ and the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund for the University’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature also support the institute.

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