The Vernon Film Society presents its 20th annual International Film Festival with films from 11 different countries including South Africa, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Two films will be screened every night at the Vernon Towne Cinema, starting this Friday to Thursday, March 6.
The first film, Friday at 5:15 p.m., is The Invisible Woman, starring Ralph Fiennes as Charles Dickens. It is a passionate period drama following the secret affair that ended Dickens’ marriage, inspired characters in his novels, and lasted until his death in 1870.
Gloria, Chile’s entry for Best Foreign film at the 2014 Academy Awards, features a late-50s woman who wants a real romance, ideally with a partner who loves to dance.
A sensitive portrayal of a woman facing the reality of aging, Gloria is unwilling to compromise in affairs of the heart.
Gloria screens Friday at 7:45 p.m.
The Past, Saturday at 5:15 p.m., is a tale of an immigrant struggling to get by in a foreign country.
Ahmad, an Iranian, travels to Paris to finalize his divorce from his French wife. Ethical dilemmas are examined as the children are caught in the conflict between their parents while emotional failure and marital collapse take centre stage.
Saturday at 7:45 p.m. is Cutie Pie and the Boxer, showcasing an 80-year-old pugilist painter as he prepares for his latest show, hoping to reinvigorate his career. His wife, Noriko, seeks her own recognition through her Cutie illustrations.
The depiction of their 40-year marriage is a touching meditation on the eternal themes of love and sacrifice.
Le Week-End , from the U.K., is described as bracing, prickly, and full of passion.
Meg and Nick (Jim Broadbent) are reliving their honeymoon in Paris, but they have not left their conflicts at home. Sharply comic, yet deadly serious, Le Week-End is full of surprises.
It screens Sunday at 5:15 p.m.
Sunday at 7:45 p.m. is Kill Your Darlings, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Beat Generation icon Allen Ginsberg.
The story centers on a murder investigation during the poet’s early years at Columbia University. The arrest of Ginsberg and his fellow students Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs has a major impact on the lives of the three emerging artists.
Monday at 5:15 p.m., Canadian film The Husband is a gutsy black comedy about Henry, who is having a really bad year. His wife is in jail, he hates his job, and he is stuck raising his infant son on his own.
The film borrows elements of 1960s’ sex comedies while taking aim at more serious subjects.
Italian film, The Great Beauty, is the story of journalist Jep Gambardella.
His 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, forcing him to take stock of his life while turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries.
Voted the Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes, The Great Beauty screens Monday at 7:45 p.m.
Propelled by a soundtrack of foot-stomping bluegrass, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Tuesday at 5:15 p.m., tells the story of a couple who bond over their love of American music and culture.
When their sweeping romance is tested by an unexpected tragedy, all they know and love is tested.
All is Lost, Tuesday at 7:45 p.m., stars Robert Redford as a lone sailor who wakes to find his ship taking on water after a collision with a drifting shipping container. Barely surviving a violent storm, he finds himself facing death.
Redford won Best Actor for this role at the 2013 New York Film Critics Circle Awards.
Gold is a German film set in B.C.
Inspired by period diaries and photographs, this western follows a band of German immigrants as they travel the Klondike Gold Rush trail through the Cariboo. Nina Hoss plays Emily Meyer, a single woman who travels with a motley crew of settlers and gold-diggers on this long and dangerous journey.
Gold screens Wednesday, March 5 at 5:15 p.m.
March 5 at 7:45 p.m. is Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, a powerful film based on Nelson Mandela’s 1994 autobiography.
Starring Idris Elba, it spans Mandela’s life journey from his childhood through his imprisonment to his inauguration as South Africa’s president.
Siddarth, Thursday, March 6 at 5:15 p.m., is a heart-rending tale about a poor Delhi street merchant who sends his son, Siddarth, away to help support his family. When the son fails to return for Diwali, his father takes swift action, but faces obstacles at every turn because of his poverty.
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago is an up-close look at one of humanity`s most time-honoured traditions.
Five hundred miles of hot sun, blisters, and the kindness of strangers are all experienced when walking the pilgrim path to Santiago.
A Canadian premiere, Walking the Camino, screens March 6 at 7:45 p.m.
More information, including film ratings, can be found on the film society’s website at www.vernonfilmsociety.bc.ca. Tickets are available one week ahead at the Towne Cinema and the Bean Scene for $7. Festival passes are five films for $30.