4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [Romania]
4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile
Saturday, January 12, 8:30
Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes as well as Best Film and Director at the European Film Awards, this taut, harrowing drama set during the last days of Romanian communism stars Anamaria Marinca as a university student who must help her roommate (Laura Vasilu) get an illegal abortion. (Opening at the Rafael in February.) In Romanian with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Cristian Mungiu. 113 min.  photo 1

Caramel [Lebanon]
Saturday, January 19, 6:30
A hit at last year’s Mill Valley Film Festival and trueto its title, director Nadine Labaki’s feature debut is a sweet confection of a film, focusing on a Beirut beauty salon around which the lives of five women friends revolve, creating a microcosm of the issues Lebanese women face today In Arabic with English subtitles. 95 min. photo 2

Crossing a Shadow [Peru]
Una Sombra al frente
Friday, January 18, 8:45
Sunday, January 20, 4:30
Based on the life of director Augusto Tamayo’s great grandfather, the film takes us to the early 20th century when civil engineer Enrique Aet (Diego Bertie) was determined to improve communication to the distant Peruvian jungle, despite the hardships involved.  His obsession forces him to choose between the conflicting interests of work, family and love. In Spanish with English subtitles. 135 min.

Days of Darkness (The Age of Ignorance) [Canada]
L'Âge des ténèbres
Saturday, January 19, 8:30
Wednesday, January 23, 6:30
Denys Arcand’s  seriocomic conclusion to his celebrated trilogy (Oscar-winning The Barbarian Invasions and 1986’s The Decline of the American Empire), brilliantly portrays how an ordinary guy, Jean-Marc (Marc Labrèche), tolerates his excruciatingly routine government work by fantasizing about living as a romantic hero in a lush imaginary world—complete with dazzling women and thrilling adventures. In French with English subtitles. 111 min.

Eduart [Greece]
Tuesday, January 15, 9:00
Monday, January 21, 6:30
Starring Albian actor Eshref Durmishi, the film, based on a true story, tells of a young man raised in a cruel and oppressive family who dreams of becoming a rock star and living a better life. However, his reckless character and passions lead him to commit guiltless murder, endure harsh imprisonment for a lesser crime, and eventually come to terms with the consequences of his actions. In Greek with English subtitles. Director: Angeliki Antoniou 105 min. photo 3

I Just Didn’t Do It [Japan]
Soredemo boku wa yattenai
Saturday, January 12, 3:30
Reminiscent of Hitchcock's The Wrong Man, this gripping drama from erstwhile comedy director Masayuki Suo (Shall We Dance) follows the travails of a young man (Ryo Kase,  Letters from Iwo Jima) who navigates a labyrinthine Japanese legal system after a schoolgirl on a commuter train falsely accuses him of molestation. Shall We Dance star Koji Yakusho plays his lawyer. 143 min.

In the Heliopolis Flat [Egypt]
Fi shaket Masr El Gedeeda
Sunday, January 13, 4:30
Tuesday, January 15, 6:30
A romantic comedy-drama about a young man who rents an apartment only to discover that it’s still inhabited by the ghost of a former tenant. Acclaimed director Mohamed Khan delivers a timeless story, infused with the culture, sights and characters of modern-day Egypt—from the urban sophistication of Cairo to the traditional beliefs of rural Upper Egypt. In Arabic with English subtitles. 118 min. photo 4

Jar City
[Iceland]Mýrin
Saturday, January 12, 6:30
Monday, January 14, 8:15
Thursday, January 17, 9:15
Based on the novel by Arnaldur Indriðason, this multi-award winning thriller follows a father desperate to discover how his young daughter died of a rare genetic disease and a detective (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson) tracking a vicious murderer. Their paths cross as the detective's search leads him to Jar City, a repository for preserved body parts including the brain of a young girl who died decades earlier. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, Jar City is the highest grossing film in Iceland’s history. In Icelandic with English subtitles. 91 min.

M for Mother [Iran]
Mim mesle madar
Friday, January 18, 6:30
Sunday, January 20, 2:00
This highly acclaimed film, which was one of the most successful in the history of Iranian cinema, was directed by one of Iran’s greatest filmmakers, Rasoul Mollaqolipour, who died at the age of 50 in March 2007 making this his final film. Sepideh (Golshifteh Farahani) is injured by chemical attacks during the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war and years later, when she is expecting her first baby, discovers that the embryo is damaged due to the chemical effects. In Farsi with English subtitles. 112 min.  photo 5

On the Wings of Dreams [Bangladesh]
Swopnodanay
Wednesday, January 23, 8:45
An impoverished street peddler and his family think they’ve struck it rich when they find a wad of foreign cash. But since no one in the destitute village can read, they’re not sure what currency the money is in or what it’s really worth. The story builds as the family imagines how their lives will be transformed by wealth, causing their dormant desires and deceptions to creep to the surface. In Bengali with English subtitles. Director: Golam Rabbany Biplob. 84 min. photo 6

The Russian Triangle [Georgia]
Rusuli samkudhedi
Monday, January 21, 8:45
Tuesday, January 22, 6:30
In this edgy political thriller with recurring themes of Chechen terrorism and Russian racism, Georgian director Aleko Tsabadze’s third feature hits the ground running as Nikolay (Artyom Tkachenko), a rookie detective, is put in charge of investigating a series of killings by a blind serial killer. Considered an allegory about the rise of Putinism, The Russian Triangle was also the winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Moscow Film Festival. In Russian with English subtitles. 121 min. photo 7

Satanas: Profile of a Killer
[Columbia] Satanás
Wednesday, January 16, 6:30
This stirring drama, based on Mario Mendoza's best selling novel and true events, depicts a trio of interwoven stories illustrating the interconnectedness of our world and how just one person’s actions can have a devastating ripple effect. These lives collide on the evening of December 4, 1986—the scene of the Pozzetto Massacre, one of the most notorious mass murders in history. In Spanish with English subtitles. Director: Andi Baiz  95 min. photo 8

Secret Sunshine [S. Korea]
Milyang
Friday, January 11, 7:15
Do-yeon Jeon won Best Actress at Cannes as a young widow who moves with her only child to the small town of Milyang to start over, only to encounter a new set of tragedies that will test her will to survive. Approaching devastating topics with both comedy and despair, Secret Sunshine is a romantic thriller that’s riveting to the very end. In Korean with English subtitles. Director: Lee Chang-Dong 142 min.

The Unknown Woman
[Italy] La Sconosciuta
Sunday, January 13, 7:15
Wednesday, January 16, 9:00
This thriller by Giuseppe Tornatore (Oscar®-winning Cinema Paradiso) tells of a trafficked Ukrainian immigrant, Irena (Xenia Rappoport), working as a domestic for a wealthy family. As she becomes closer to their little girl, Irena’s mysterious personal and shocking story begins to unfold. In Italian with English subtitles. 118 min.

You, the Living [Sweden]
Du levande
Sunday, January 20, 7:15
Thursday, January 24, 8:45
This darkly comic symphony from director Roy Andersson (Songs from the Second Floor) offers a series of visually ingenious, brilliantly choreographed, frequently hilarious sketches of modern life, resembling what you might get if Jacques Tati’s Monsieur Hulot wandered into the moody existential vistas of Andrei Tarkovsky! 92 min.   

FYC SHOWTIMES

Friday, January 11
Secret Sunshine >> 7:15

Saturday, January 12
I Just Didn’t Do It >> 3:30
Jar City >> 6:30
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days >> 8:30

Sunday, January 13
In the Heliopolis Flat >> 4:30
The Unknown Woman  >> 7:15

Monday, January 14
Belle Toujours >> 6:30
Jar City >> 8:15

Tuesday, January 15
In the Heliopolis Flat >> 6:30
Eduart >> 9:00

Wednesday, January 16
Satanas >> 6:30
The Unknown Woman >> 9:00

Thursday, January 17
Jar City >> 9:15

Friday, January 18
M for Mother >> 6:30
Crossing a Shadow >> 8:45

Saturday, January 19
Caramel >> 6:30
Days of Darkness >> 8:30

Sunday, January 20
M for Mother >> 2:00
Crossing a Shadow >> 4:30
You the Living >> 7:15

Monday, January 21
Eduart >> 6:30
The Russian Triangle >> 8:45

Tuesday, January 22
The Russian Triangle >> 6:30
Belle Toujours >> 9:00

Wednesday, January 23
Days of Darkness >> 6:30
On the Wings of Dreams >> 8:45

Thursday, January 24
You the Living >> 8:45