MONDAY, NOV. 28 – 8:35 PM
CYPRUS
Fish n' Chips
Cyprus/Greece 2011. Director: Elias Demetriou
Cast: Marios Ioannou, Marlene Kaminsky, Anne-Marie O'Sullivan,
Diomedes Koufteros,
Alkistis Pavlidou
Writer-director Elias Demetriou was born in Cyprus, lives and works in Athens, and holds British, Greek, and Cypriot citizenship; so, in tackling a tale of immigration, identity, and complicated national loyalties, he knows whereof he speaks! Cockney-accented Andy (Marios Ioannou) is a hard-working Cypriot immigrant who has spent his life deep-frying fish n’ chips in a London shop. When he loses his job, Andy decides it’s time to take his Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother, his German girlfriend Karin, and her daughter Emma on a visit back to his homeland. Once in Cyprus, Andy hits upon the brilliant idea of starting his own business — a seaside fish n’ chips joint. But Cyprus is not London, and maybe you can’t go home again, especially if you haven’t yet figured out where home is. Colour, Digibeta video, in English and Greek with English subtitles. 102 mins.
MONDAY, NOV. 28 – 6:30 PM BELGIUM
The Barons
(Les Barons)
Belgium/France 2009. Director: Nabil Ben Yadir
Cast: Nader Boussandel, Mourade Zeguendi, Jan Decleir, Julien Courbey, Mohamed Fellag
Debut feature director Nabil Ben Yadir’s freewheeling Franco-Belgian comedy broke domestic box-office records for a home grown film and provides a picture of Belgian life seldom seen on screen. The good-hearted tale is set in Brussels’ multicultural neighbourhood of Molenbeek; its protagonists are a small group of Moroccan-Belgian friends who call themselves “Les Barons,” and whose philosophy is that idleness is the key to longer life. Much of the colourful comedy stems from generation-gap conflict; heading the cast is Nader Boussandel as Hassan, who aspires to be a stand-up comic, but whose father wants him to be a bus driver. “[Les Barons] serves up wisecracks with a generous dose of cheeky humour and biting verve, taking the edge off difficult subjects (racism, virginity, religion) ... Beneath its aura of popular comedy, the film is surprising and full of original ideas and creations — cartoon-esque flashbacks, mimed text messages, a John Woo-style brawl” (Cineuropa). Colour, 35mm, in French, Flemish, and Arabic with English subtitles. 110 mins.
Screenings restricted to 18+.
Pacific Cinémathèque
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