The Story of the Weeping Camel and Historias Minimas

Monday 28 Jan, 8pm
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Byambasuren Davaa & Luigi Falorni; Mongolia-Germany, 2003, 87 min

In the Gobi Desert in South Mongolia, a family of nomadic shepherds assists the births of their camel herd. One camel has an excruciatingly difficult delivery but, with help from the family, eventually delivers a rare white calf. Despite the efforts of the shepherds, the mother rejects the newborn, refusing it her milk and motherly love. When any hope for the little one seems to have vanished, the nomads send their two young boys on a journey through the desert, in search of a musician and a miracle...

"One of the most enchanting and thought-provoking documentaries of all time." Daily Mail.

"Magical and touching...a genuine miracle." The Times.

Monday 4 Feb, 8pm
Historias Minimas
Carlos Sorin; Argentina, 2002, 01 min

A charming and affecting tale charting the fortunes of three small town heroes pursuing their dreams, Sorin's film offfers further evidence of the richness of modern Argentinian cinema. It's a deceptively simple, yet delightful road movie about three disparate characters heading for the city of San Julian amid the beautiful landscapes of Patagonia. Gently probing the hopes and aspirations of his characters, Sorin uses the interconnected, tripartite structure to offer astute observations both on a culture relatively unscathed by modernity and on contemporary Argentina itself.

"Touching, witty, warm and wry. Beautifully performed by a cast low on experience but high on talent." Total Film

Special Prize of the Jury, San Sebastian Int Film Festival

Gunshy (Schussangst), Malaysian Shorts

Kelab Seni Filem's first presentation for 2008 is this terrific German thriller -

Gunshy (Schussangst)
Dito Tsintsadze; Germany, 2003, 105 mins

A major hit on the European film festival circuit, Dito Tsintsadze's "poetic thriller" will keep the viewer on edge from the startling beginning to the jaw-dropping final shot. A young man, Lukas, sits alone on a bus. A beautiful young woman drops a note in his lap asking for help. But what help could she, a self-assured martial arts student, ever need? And how could he, a gentle pacifist who delivers meals to the elderly, ever help her? Yet as our hero follows after her, his bizarre journey begins. Does he become a rescuing knight falling in love? Or a psychotic killer descending into madness? And is there even a difference? Spare, lean, and laced with humour, Gunshy is truly "a film of terrible beauty" (Toronto International Film Festival).
Best Cinematography, German Film Critics Association Awards; Best Director, San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Monday 14 Jan 2008, 8.00pm
HELP Univ College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Admission by membership, available at the door: RM60 1 year (students RM30); RM40 6 mths; RM30 4 mths
Free admission for Alliance Francaise, Goethe-Institut members & HELP students
Enquiries: 012-2255136

Coming up

Monday 21 Jan 8.00pm
Malaysian Shorts
New shorts by Ho Yuhang (As I Lay Dying), Woo Ming Jin (Blue Roof), Tan Chui Mui (Nobody's Girlfriend), Margaret Bong (Retrace), Akash (Totaa) etc. The directors will be present for the Q&A. Presented by Amir Muhammad.
Free admission.

Blue Roof by Woo Ming Jin is extracted form his much anticipated new telemovie Cinta Tiga Segi.
Catch Cinta Tiga Segi this Sunday 13 Jan on NTV7's Festival slot at 10.45pm.

Lights in the Dusk

Aki Kaurismaki; 2006, 78 min

Award-winning Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki rounds out his minimalist 'loser trilogy' -- including Drifting Clouds and The Man Without a Past -- with this 'radiantly beautiful' (Film Comment) noir melodrama about a lonely security guard (Janne Hyytiainen) in Helsinki who is dragged into the shady business of a Russian femme fatale (Maria Jarvenhelmi). Timo Salminen's evocative cinematography is fittingly oppressive. Nominated for the Golden Palm at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

8.00pm, Monday 10 Dec 2007

I Don't Just Want You to Love Me

Hans Gunther Pflaum
1993, 96 min.

This documantaryis an insightful and rich examination of the life and work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a true genius of German (indeed of world) cinema, filled with well-chosen excerpts from his many films and insightful comments from many of his collaborators. The film is divided into various sections profiling his life, career, and thoughts regarding the creative process.
Far superior to the later documentary Love, Life & Celluloid by long time Fassbinder editor Juliane Lorenz.

Monday 3 Dec 2007 8.00pm

BMW Shorties

Screened publicly for the first time, the 29 films shortlisted for the BMW short film competition 2007.

Presented by BMW Malaysia
Organised by Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia
in cooperation with HELP University College

Venue: HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL

Admission is free

Friday 30 Nov 8.00pm-9.20pm
1. Vroom² & Boot² (Law Gwo Yunn; 5' 17")
2. Roda-Roda (Akashdeep Singh; 1' 41")
3. Fortune Bucket (Muhammad Fatyhil Ahmad Shahab; 5' 50")
4. The Tale of Asli Dream (Mohd Aidil Mohd Snin; 12')
5. Average White Story (Mohd Hafizan Mohd Rajab; 13' 37")
6. Panjang Ceritanya (Anwar Fikri Abdullah; 4' 52")
7. Wake Up (Suntharesvaran Murugiah; 19' 54")
8. Old But Not Necessarily Dead (Ong Boon Keong; 17' 30")
(Total running time: 80' 41")

Saturday 1 Dec 4.00pm-6.00pm
1. Frozen Sun (Ooi Swee Yaw; 19' 24")
2. Still Frame (Derrick Yaw Kim Thean; 8’ 18”)
3. Satu Hari (Kamal Zihni Bin Zul Azhar; 15’ 33“)
4. Childrens (Balamurugan Kesavan; 13’ 33”)
5. Eyes Wider Than Before (Lim Benji; 6’)
6. Moving On (Michael Cheng Seong Mun; 15’ 55”)
7. En Passant (Cho We Jun; 13’ 13”)
8. Shattered (Lee Shee Bee; 20’)
9. The Promise (Sia Yaw Yie; 15’ 38”)
(Total running time: 2hrs 7:34min)

Sunday 2 Dec 4.00pm-6.00pm
<>1. Son of Coconut (Kartikesu Ramalingam; 2’ 42”)
2. The Broker ( Lawrence Tan Cheng Jin; 9’ 51”)
3. First Cut (Yong Jia Ling; 8’ 17”)
4. Karma (Nik Mohsain Harjuda Nik Ahmad; 3’ 2“)
5. The Waiting Room (Ding Jeet Sung; 8’ 32”)
6. Tears of the Island (Lai Soon Lee; 18’ 24”)
7. Noon (Ong Sau Kai; 18’)
8. Going Mobile (Choong Wei Chien; 10’ 14”)
9. ‘6693’ (Chong Kang Meng; 6’ 27”)
10. The Wrap (Hiong Hee Meng; 16 ’5”)
11. An Afternoon with the Box that Goes Around Town (Uzair Bin Sawal; 9’ 15”)
12. Cross Road (Chong Lead Yew; 15’ 3”)
(Total running time: 2hrs 5:52min)

Enquiries: 012-2255136

Offside

In Iran, all women are banned from watching live football matches, a decision which President Ahmadinejad wished to repeal but he was overruled by the ulema....

Kelab Seni Filem's next film is framed against this background --

Offside
Jafar Panahi; 2006, 93 min
This film recounts what happens when a group of six girls try to sneak into a stadium where the Iran-Bahrain World Cup qualfying match is taking place. They are caught, and although excluded from the game, they are not allowed to go home. While Iran's most important match in years unfolds within earshot but out of view, they are put in the custody of three young and bewildered army conscripts. United by their patriotism and an obsessive desire for Iran to win, but divided by their views on the proper place for women, the characters in Offside represent a society in the process of tumultuous change. Inspired by the occasion when the director's own daughter was refused entry to a football stadium.
Awards: Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival 2006; Best Film, Amnesty International Film Award 2006.

Monday 19 Nov 8.00pm

Akan datang
BMW Shorties - screening of nominations for the BMW short film competition 2007
- beginning Friday 30 November, details to come.

Palestinian Film Festival
Many members missed the first few films of this program owing to the short notice, we will make amends by re-screening a number of the films at a later date.

Happy viewing

Palestinian Film Festival

n conjunction with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people on 29 November 2007

Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) presents

Palestinian Film Festival

Organised by Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia in cooperation with HELP University College
Venue: HELP University College Theatrette, Pusat Bandar Damansara, KL
Open to the public - free admission

Wednesday 14 Nov 8.00pm
Children of Shatila (Dir Mai Masri, 1989, 50min)
Two Palestinian children record with video cameras the experience of Shatila, a refugee camp for 15,000 Palestinians and Lebanese that has survived massacre, siege and starvation.
Frontiers of Dreams and Fears (Dir Mai Masri; 2001, 56min)
Award-winning filmmaker Mai Masri traces the delicate friendship between two Palestinian girls.

Thursday 15 Nov 8.00pm
West Beirut (West Beyrouth) (Dir Ziad Doueiri; 1999, 105min)
About two young boys and how their lives are affected by the Lebanese civil war.

Friday 16 Nov 8.00pm
Paradise Now (DirHany Abu-Assad; 2005, 87min)
Two Palestinians are recruited to carry out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. But the operation does not go according to plan... Golden Globe Award 2005 for Best Foreign Language Film.

Saturday 17 Nov 8.00pm
Women Beyond Borders (dir Jean Chamoun; 2003, 58min)
Director Chamoun (with Mai Masri as producer) turns the camera on female ex-inmates of the notorious Khiam prison in southern Lebanon, run by Israel until 2000.

Sunday 18 Nov 8.00pm
In the Shadow of the City (dir Jean Chamoun; 2000, 105min)
In 1975, 12-year-old Ramli's life is turned upside down when Beirut is segregated into Muslim and Christian sectors. Twelve years later, Ramli is working as an ambulance driver, fighting to get news of his missing loved ones.

Related Program

Exhibition:

Palestin: Ketabahan Dalam Penderitaan

Organised by Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) in cooperation with RA Fine Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur