Foreign Film Friday: “Taste of Cherry” by Kiarostami
(1997, 1h 35m, Iran, Drama by Abbas Kiarostami)
The first Iranian film to win the Palme d’Or, this austere, emotionally complex drama by the great Abbas Kiarostami follows the enigmatic Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) as he drives around the hilly outskirts of Tehran looking for someone who will agree to bury him after he commits suicide, a taboo under Islam. Extended conversations with three passengers (a soldier, a seminarian, and a taxidermist) elicit different views on mortality and individual choice. Operating at once as a closely observed, realistic story and a fable populated by archetypal figures, Taste of Cherry challenges the viewer to consider what often goes unexamined in everyday life.
Foreign Film Fridays • 7:00pm
Classic movies from around the world every Friday!
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
Flood Gallery Fine Art Center
Centrally located just off I-240 Exit 8; River Ridge Business Center, Suite 1200, 802 Fairview Rd, Asheville 28803 (behind Hamrick’s and Sun Soo Martial Arts, next to Hot Yoga Asheville and Asheville Dance Theater)
Foreign Film Fridays: “Where the Green Ants Dream”
Classic movies from around the world!
“Where the Green Ants Dream” (1984, 1h 40m, West Germany/Australia, by Werner Herzog)
A surveying team led by Australian geologist Lance Hackett (Bruce Spence) is setting off subterranean explosions deep in the outback, searching for possible uranium mining sites. Hackett’s work is interrupted by Aboriginals Miliritbi (Wandjuk Marika) and Dayipu (Roy Marika), who claim that green ants dream underneath this land, and, if the insects’ slumbers are interrupted, the world will come to an end. The dispute between the two sides becomes both a court case and a philosophical debate.
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
Foreign Film Fridays: “The Cremator”
Classic movies from around the world!
“The Cremator” (1969, Horror/Comedy, 1h 42m, Czechoslovakia, by Juraj Herz)
In Prague, Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský) enjoys his work at the crematorium perhaps a bit too much, having gained a perverse idea of reincarnation from his haphazard studies of Tibet. After World War II breaks out, there is a sudden need to be as Aryan as possible, and Kopfrkingl’s old friend Reinke (Ilja Prachar) points out that Kopfrkingl has some German heritage. But his wife is Jewish, which makes his children Jewish, which makes the now-Nazi Kopfrkingl’s blood boil.
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
Foreign Film Friday: “Ciao Professore!”
Classic movies from around the world!
“Ciao Professore!” (1992, 1h 40m, Italy, by Lina Wertmüller
An error puts a strict teacher (Paolo Villaggio) from northern Italy with street-smart third graders to the south.
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.
Foreign Film Fridays: “My American Uncle”
“My American Uncle” (1980, 2h 5m, France, by Alain Resnais)
In this unconventional French film, renowned writer/philosopher Henri Laborit (portraying himself) presents three stories that illustrate the complexities of human behavior. René (Gérard Depardieu) is a man from humble farming roots who becomes manager at a textile factory and must contend with the pressures of the job. Meanwhile, Janine (Nicole Garcia), an actress turned stylist, is involved in an affair with Jean (Roger Pierre), a politician and aspiring writer who faces difficulties at home.
Donation-based admission. Light refreshments available.