Foreign Film Festival at the Carroll Arts Center

Lauren LaRocca, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·3 min read

Jan. 30—The Film Lovers in Carroll County's (FLICC) will present its 20th annual Foreign Film Festival at the Carroll Arts Center in February with a slate of contemporary international films that expand cinematic horizons. This year's films immerse audiences in new cultures and locales, from a rehearsal room in Hiroshima to an Israeli soundstage to London's National Gallery to a remote Himalayan village.

There will be two screenings of each film at 1 and 7:30 p.m. All screenings will be captioned. Assistive Listening Devices are always available.

Tickets are $7 for adults; $6 for ages 25 and under and ages 60 and up. Series subscriptions are available for $22. Subscriptions must be for either all the matinee or all the evening showings. Tickets are available online or at the box office at the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster.

For more information, tickets and COVID-19 safety protocols, go to carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

Feb. 3 — "Drive My Car" (Japan)

2021; 2 h 59 m; NR (several sexual situations, sexual dialogue, and brief nudity)

Two years after his wife's unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director, receives an offer to direct a production of "Uncle Vanya" at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There, he meets Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), a taciturn young woman assigned to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. Forced to confront painful truths raised from his past, Yusuke begins — with the help of his driver — to face the haunting mysteries his wife left behind. Winner of Best International Film at the 2022 Academy Awards.

Feb. 10 — "Tel Aviv on Fire" (Israel)

2018; 1 h 37 m; NR (some violence and language)

Salam, a young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. As he solicits the soldier for ideas for the show, Salam's creative career is on the rise — until the soldier and the show's financial backers disagree about how the show should end. Thoughtful and well-acted, this comedy highlights the awful absurdity of war — and proves it's possible to find humor in the midst of cultural conflict.

Feb. 17 — "The Duke" (United Kingdom)

2020; 1 h 36 m; R for language and brief sexuality

In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery's history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government agreed to provide television for free to the elderly. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren.

Feb. 24 — "Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom" (Bhutan)

2019; 1 h 49 m; NR (some smoking)

A disillusioned schoolteacher is transferred to the most remote school in the world, cut off from modern life deep in the Himalayan glaciers. In a classroom with no electricity or even a blackboard, he finds himself with only a yak and a song that echoes through the mountains.