Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (WHBPAC) continues its Finest in World Cinema Series with three films screening in March2015. The series selects the best of current releases from art houses, foreign, independent and documentary films for the series, according to WHBPAC. Film screenings in the Hamptons run concurrently with showings at prominent film houses in New York City.
Presented in March will be "Two Days, One Night", "Timbuktu" and "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem". Keep scrolling for complete descriptions. Screenings take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $15 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, and $5 for WHBPAC Film Society members.
The Finest in World Cinema series connects WHBPAC to its grittier roots when it was a single-screen movie house. Constructed for that purpose in 1932, the building was also a United Artists Theatre. In 1997, a major renovation was undertaken and transformed the building into a plush and richly detailed world-class performing arts center. Films are screened upon a silver screen using a state-of-the-art digital cinema projection system.
Following are details on this month's films:
"Two Days, One Night"
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
Friday, March 6: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7: 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8: 4 p.m.
Sandra has just returned to work after recovering from a serious bout with depression. Realizing that the company can operate with one fewer employees, management tells Sandra she is to be let go. After learning that her co-workers have opted for a significant pay bonus in exchange for her dismissal, she races against time over the course of the weekend to convince each of her fellow employees to sacrifice their much-needed bonuses so she can keep her job. With each encounter, Sandra is brought into a different world with unexpected results in this powerful statement on community solidarity.
Starring Best Actress Academy Award Nominee (and past winner), Marion Cotillard.
"A moving and meticulous moral fable." - The New York Times
NYT Critics' Pick
French/Arabic/English
PG-13; 95 Minutes; View Trailer - whbpac.org.
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Still from "Two Days, One Night." Courtesy IFC Films.
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"Timbuktu"
Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako
Friday, March 13: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 14: 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 15: 4 p.m.
Not far from Timbuktu, now ruled by religious fundamentalists, Kidane lives peacefully in the dunes with his family. In town, the people suffer from the regime of terror imposed by the Jihadists determined to control their faith. Music, laughter, cigarettes, even soccer have been banned. Every day, the new improvised courts issue tragic and absurd sentences. Kidane and his family are being spared the chaos that prevails in Timbuktu. But their destiny changes and Kidane has to face the new laws of the foreign occupants.
Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award Nominee.
"Breathtakingly Beautiful." - The New York Times
NYT Critics' Pick
French/Arabic/Bambara/English/Songhay
PG-13; 97 Minutes; View Trailer - whbpac.org
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Still from "Timbuktu." Courtesy of Cohen Media Group.
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"Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem"
Directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz
Friday, March 20: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 21: 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 22: 4 p.m.
In this powerhouse courtroom drama, an Israeli woman seeking to finalize a divorce (gett) from her estranged husband finds herself effectively put on trial by her country's religious marriage laws. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Viviane Amsalem has been applying for a divorce for three years but her religiously devout husband continually refuses. His cold intransigence, Viviane's determination to fight for her freedom, and the ambiguous role of the rabbinical judges shape a procedure where tragedy vies with absurdity and everything is brought out into the open for judgment.
Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe Nominee
"Expertly written and brilliantly acted!" - Variety
Hebrew/French/Arabic
NR; 115 Minutes; View Trailer - whbpac.org
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Still From "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem." Courtesy Music Box Films.
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BASIC FACTS: Three films will be screened in March as part of Westhampton Beach Performing Art Center's Finest in World Cinema Series. Screenings take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $15 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, and $5 for WHBPAC Film Society members.
To purchase tickets, visit www.whbpac.org, call the Box Office at 631-288-1500 or stop by the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center located at 76 Main Street, Westhampton Beach, N.Y. 11978. Open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
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