invisibles - 5 short fims about unreported crises

bristol | miscellaneous | event notice Friday May 16, 2008 17:45 by Nick Thomas - The Pierian Centre info at pieriancentre dot com The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA 0117 924 4512

Film Night at the Pierian Centre: Sunday 25th May

This month’s Film Night at the Pierian Centre is almost a mini-festival in itself. Oscar-winning Javier Bardem has brought together five renowned directors, Wim Wenders among them, to make short films about five of the most neglected crises in the world today. The resulting film, "invisibles", won a recent Spanish Goya award for best documentary.

"invisibles" - produced by Javier Bardem

The project was sponsored by Medecins Sans Frontieres, the international aid organization, to raise awareness of its work around the world. Bardem came across MSF while researching an acting role in Ethiopia; and he belied the unfeeling image he’d created in No Country for Old Men by resolving at once to spread the word about their work. He contacted five influential directors and inspired them to produce this powerful compendium of documentary shorts.

The Pierian Centre is showing invisibles on Sunday 25th May: bar open and refreshments available from 7pm, screening starts at 7.30pm. In keeping with the format of these monthly Film Nights, there will be a speaker present to introduce the film and to lead discussion afterwards. In this role we’re delighted to welcome Peter Metelerkamp, a documentary photographer and film-maker, who teaches film production at the University of Bristol. So the evening is a chance not just to enjoy five very different documentaries and learn about the startling issues they highlight, but also to discuss the impact of the different approaches these directors adopt. It should be a rewarding night out!

invisibles (Spain, 2007) consists of Letters to Nora, directed by Isabel Coixet, examining how the parasitic disease Chagas, afflicting her family in Bolivia, affects a young woman working in Madrid. Invisible Crimes is directed by Wim Wenders, and looks at the widespread sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its effects on its victims. Good Night, Ouma, directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, highlights the ongoing crises of the "night commuters" and child soldiers in northern Uganda. Bianca's Dream, by Mariano Barroso, looks at the dual role of eflornithine, a drug used as a beauty product in wealthy nations, but which is urgently needed to treat Sleeping Sickness in the Central African Republic. And Voices of the Stones, Javier Corcuera travels to Colombia to document the life of people affected by the ever-present violence as they try to return to their rural homes.

The Pierian Centre is at 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA. There’s parking right outside – free on a Sunday. The Film Night costs £4.50 (£3 concessions) – the screening starting at 7.30pm, and bar and refreshments from 7pm. For more information contact 0117 924 4512, or info@pieriancentre.com, or go to www.pieriancentre.com.