Senior Citizen Month at the Cinematheque

Screenings of award winners and classics such as His Girl Friday and My Best Friend’s Wedding, advance screenings in intimate settings such as Berlin Hero and My Uncle Jens, conversations with creators, a special screening courtesy of Kan 11 of The Baghdad Files, and more.

In collaboration with the Social Services Administration’s Senior Citizens Division and the “Muni100” Senior Citizens Council.

Conversations with Mother

Fifty-year-old Jaime lives far beyond his financial means. He has just been fired from his job and does not know how he will continue to afford a large house, two cars, his daughter’s higher education, and his wife’s lavish lifestyle. His wife and mother-in-law are pressuring him to find an easy and obvious solution. Jaime’s 80-year-old widowed mother lives in an apartment registered in his name. He must persuade her to move to another apartment, to his home, or to a nursing home so that he can sell the apartment. Jaime, who has kept his distance from his mother until now, becomes a devoted son who visits her almost every day, but his clear-headed mother is aware of the real reason for his visits and refuses to cooperate. To Jaime’s astonishment, she also turns out to have a boyfriend—a homeless Marxist whom she took in one night. Jaime becomes entangled in half-truths and lies to his wife and mother, while at the same time, despite everything, a genuine bond begins to form anew between the estranged mother and son. Chyna Zorrilla won the Best Actress Award at the Moscow Festival for her role in Santiago Carlos Oves’s refined and deeply human comedy.

Advance Screening Courtesy of Red Cape | My Uncle Jens

An acclaimed comedy-drama. In the middle of a rainy night, Ajam, the son of immigrants who moved from Kurdistan to Norway, is awakened by the doorbell at his shared apartment. To his surprise, he finds his uncle on the other side, having just arrived from Iran. Out of respect, and partly in shock, Ajam agrees to let his uncle sleep there for two or three days, and the cultural encounter between him and his roommates takes a humorous turn. Gradually, Ajam begins to suspect that his uncle may not be planning to leave anytime soon—and that he may not be telling him the whole truth about his situation. In his debut film, Barwa Ahvafour presents a moving comedy-drama about family, immigration, and tradition, which screened in the official competition of the SXSW Festival.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

One of the iconic romantic comedies of the early millennium, bringing Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey together as a journalist and an advertising executive who meet by chance and embark on a brief and tempestuous romance. What the two do not know is that one of them must create the optimal conditions for a breakup, while the other must make her fall in love with him—all within ten days. A short conversation with Maayan Shavit from the Content Department will take place after the screening.

45 Years

Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor and Best Actress, Berlin Festival 2015. Kate is in the midst of preparing for her 45th wedding anniversary party when her husband receives shocking news that takes the couple back into the past, to the period before their marriage. After 45 years of a loving and stable marriage, the couple find themselves reconsidering the past—and the future.

His Girl Friday

A screwball comedy from master filmmaker Howard Hawks. A cynical and brilliant newspaper editor tries to sabotage the impending marriage of his leading desk reporter, who also happens to be his ex-wife, by luring her into covering one final exclusive scoop. Cary Grant stars in this wonderful, fast-paced cinematic delight about the passion of two journalists. A short conversation with Maayan Shavit from the Content Department will take place after the screening.

Advance Screening Courtesy of Red Cape | Whatever It Takes

A single mother joins forces with a con man, and together they manage to deceive the authorities. Over time, he becomes attached to the family, and they become attached to him. When he wants to leave, the mother asks him for one more favor. Will he agree to make a commitment for the first time in his life, or will he run away again?

The Way We Were

A film by Sydney Pollack about a couple in the midst of a remarkable romance, whose opposing political views threaten to separate them. Katie is an activist, while her partner Hubbell is a military man. They meet several times throughout their lives and ultimately find themselves together, despite their disagreements and much to the dismay of their parents.

Screening Courtesy of Kan 11 | The Baghdad Files

Although more than seventy years have passed, the state refuses to open the files of the investigative committees established to address the question that troubles many: Who threw the grenade at the Mas‘uda Shem-Tov synagogue? The grenade, thrown in 1951, killed five people, wounded around twenty, and is considered the major attack that led to the rapid immigration of most of Iraq’s Jews in Operation “Ezra and Nehemiah.” For years, a large number of immigrants believed that the State of Israel was involved, as it wanted to encourage the wealthier strata of the Jewish community to immigrate. But recently, a box of documents and testimonies intended for “the future researcher of the material” was found at a university in the United States. It addresses the question: “Who threw the grenade?” The documents were left by Baruch Nadel, one of Israel’s senior journalists, who independently investigated more than 150 witnesses over many years and reached the conclusion that the grenade was thrown by a member of the Jewish underground, who apparently acted on behalf of the state.

A conversation with the director and Professor Yehuda Shenhav will take place after the screening.

Play

A shopping center in Gothenburg, Sweden. Five Black children harass three white children. When the latter ask for the time, a mobile phone slips from one of their hands. The Black children accuse him of stealing the expensive device belonging to one of their brothers. How can they get out of this situation? They suggest that the three accompany them to the child whose phone was stolen so that he can identify his device. As the group moves away from the city’s built-up areas, relations between the children become increasingly extreme; the Black children treat the white children as hostages and intensify their psychological manipulation. Ruben Östlund has created a provocative, direct, honest, and intelligent film about the new Europe, poised on the brink of explosion amid inter-racial tensions.

Screening Courtesy of Kan 11 | Sarah

After leaving the ultra-Orthodox world, 21-year-old Sarah embarks on a five-year journey following an unplanned pregnancy. Without a permanent home, she moves between temporary apartments and confronts the past from which she fled. Between constant movement and inward reflection, Sarah struggles to build a new identity for herself and find a place she can call home. A conversation with the director will take place after the screening on 20/11.

Berlin Hero

Berlin, 2019. Micha owns a video-rental store, a business that, unsurprisingly, is struggling in the age of streaming. His personal life is not in much better shape, and when an enthusiastic journalist enters his video store with questions about Micha’s involvement, 30 years earlier, in the largest mass escape from East Germany to the West, Micha mainly sees an opportunity to make some money. But when the story is published, Micha becomes an overnight sensation, thanks to an extraordinary and astonishing story—the kind that could only be invented... Berlin Hero, the new film by acclaimed and beloved director Wolfgang Becker (Good Bye, Lenin!), is a charming romantic comedy about truth and fiction, nostalgia, love, and the stories we tell the world and ourselves.

My Best Friend’s Wedding

An iconic romantic comedy considered groundbreaking. Julianne is a restaurant critic who discovers that her best friend is about to get married. When she realizes that the love of her life is about to slip away, she decides to do everything she can to stop the wedding. P. J. Hogan (Muriel’s Wedding) directs a Hollywood romantic comedy that challenges all the usual conventions while still managing to touch and entertain with campiness and charm. A short conversation with Maayan Shavit from the Content Department will take place after the screening.

Would you like to enjoy all our new and worthwhile benefits and exclusive events throughout the city?

Download the My DigiTel app and look for the Events and Benefits Lobby >>

Link

Everything is waiting for you in the palm of your hand: theater performances, shows, concerts, festivals, free tours, benefits at businesses and sporting events, and more!