Winter's Bone

Nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, this rural thriller follows a 17-year-old girl raising her two young siblings as she tracks down the truth about her father after he jumps bail.

Winter's Bone
directed by Debra Granik
Find it in the library's video collection at call number PN1995.9 .D7W56 2010

El Sistema

A look at Venezuela's acclaimed musical education program that has fostered a love of classical music for hundreds of thousands of students, including superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

El Sistema
directed by Paul Smaczy & Maria Stootmeier
Find it in the library at aclal number ML719 .V46S57 2009

Motorcycle Diaries

Our final destination this week is the entire continent of South America as we watch Gael García Bernal star as Che in this movie version of a real life trip the revolutionary took prior earning a spot on the CIA’s hit list (and tee-shirts the world over).


Motorcycle Diaries
directed by Walter Salles
Find it in the library's Video collection at call number PN1995.9 .F7M68 2005

Rabbit Proof Fence

Our next stop is Australia for the true story of three young aboriginal girls who successfully trekked across the Outback after being taken from their families as part of a government program to train domestic servants.

Rabbit Proof Fence
directed by Phillip Noyce
Find it in the library's Video collection at call number PN1995.9 .D7R37 2002

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...Spring

Continuing east on our trip we reach Korea, where little dialogue interferes with this spiritual coming of age story set mostly on a tiny island monastery on a lake (an island not unlike the one in our very own San Diego Reservoir). 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...Spring
directed by Ki-duk Kim
Find it in the library's video collection at call number PN1995.9 .F7S67 2003

Edge of Heaven

Continuing our around the world trip, Edge of Heaven spans two continents of plausible coincidences that draw several disparate stories into a moving whole. In three languages: German, Turkish and English.

Edge of Heaven
directed by Fatih Akin
Find it in the library's video collection at call number PN1995.9 .F7E32 2007

Satin Rouge

Each day this week we're showcasing a different foreign film.  Today's film is set in Tunisia (well before it ousted longtime dictator) and follows a traditionally reserved mother’s foray into the world of cabaret and belly dancing.

Satin Rouge
directed by Raja Amari
Find it in the library's Video collection at call number PN1995.9 .F7S27 2002

Arranged

A charming film about two young women teachers in Brooklyn - one an Orthodox Jew and the other Muslim - who are both struggling with the idea of arranged marriages.

Arranged
directed by Diane Crespo and Stefan Schaefer
Find it in our video collection at call number PN1995.9 .D7A77 2007

Julia & Julia

Meryl Streep stars as cooking legend Julia Child in this drama based on a true story (two true stories, as the case reminds us) of her inspiring another Julia to pursue a foody life.

Julia & Julia
directed by Nora Ephron
Find it in our Video collection at call number PN1995.9 .D7J84 2009

The Cove

Winner of the Academy Award for best feature-length documentary, The Cove uncovers Japan's illicit dolphin hunting trade.

The Cove
by Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
Find it in the Video collection at call number QL737 .C432C68 2009

Health Matters

A collection of five health related PBS documentaries covering such topics as depression, heart disease, Alzheimer's, obesity and cancer.

Health Matters
includes:
The Truth About Cancer
The Hidden Epidemic: Heart Disease in America
Depression: Out of the Shadows
FAT: What No One is Telling You
The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's
Find it in our Video collection at call number RC46 .H4 2008

Knife in the Water

Roman Polanski's first feature length film displays many of the characteristics that have come symbolize the Polish directors films.

Knife in the Water
by Roman Polanski
Find it in the Library at call number PN1995.9 .F7K59 1962

Blue Gold

Missed last week's showing of Blue Gold? Borrow this award-winning documentary that predicts water will soon be fought over much like oil is today.

Blue Gold: World Water Wars
by Sam Bozzo
Find it in the Library at call number HD1691 .B58 2010

Crimes and Misdemeanors

One of a dozen Woody Allen movies recently added to our collection, Crimes and Misdemeanors also stars Alan Alda, Mia Farrow and Anjelica Huston.

Crimes and Misdemeanors
directed by Woody Allen
Find it in our video collection at call number PN1995.9 .C6C73 1989

Short Films ...How to Make and Distribute Them

A well-organized guide to the entire process of creating short films along with several pages of resources.

Short Films ...How to Make and Distribute Them
by Nathan Parker
Find it in the Library at call number PN1995.9 .P7P315 2007

The Good Earth

The 1937 adaptation of Pearl S. Buck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel won Luise Rainer (as O-lan) a repeat Best Actress Oscar.

The Good Earth
directed by Sidney Franklin
Find it in our Video Collection at call number PN1995.9 .D7G659 1937

Find Pearl S. Bucks original book at call number PS3503 .U198 G66 1949

Omkara

An acclaimed Bollywood interpretation of Shakespeare's Othello set in India's most populous state.

Omkara
by Vishal Bhardwaj
Find it in the Library's Video collection at call number PN1995.9 .F7O44 2006

Short Films

All of the Oscar nominated live action and animated short films for 2006, 2007 and 2008. These hard-to-find gems are a treat you can enjoy even when your evenings are filled with studying.

Short Films
by various directors
Find them in the Library's Video collection at call numbers PN1995.9 .A1C645 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Alfred Hitchcock's Masterpieces

The prolific maestro of suspense created dozens of films in his lifetime. This four volume collection includes 15 of his time honored classics, such as Vertigo, The Birds and The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Find it in the Library at call number PN1995.9 .T5 A43 1976

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Set in Southern California, Jane Fonda stars in this film adaptation of Noir writer Horace McCoy's novel of the same title.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
directed by Sydney Pollack
Find it in our Video Collection at call number PN1995.9 .D7T53 1969