Season Four - Autumn/Winter 2015

Session 1: Mugabe and the Democrats (2015) 

For the theme: Democracy

When: Tuesday 15th September
Where: The Allegro Cafe

This BBC Four political documentary, directed by Camilla Nielsson is set in Zimbabwe, following two political enemies forced on a joint mission.
Two top politicians, MP Paul Mangwana and MP Douglas Mwonzora, from the governing party and the opposition respectively, have been appointed to lead Zimbabwe through the process of writing a new constitution. It is the ultimate test that will either take the country a decisive step closer to democracy and away from President Robert Mugabe's dictatorship, or towards renewed repression.

The film follows the two adversaries as they undertake their gargantuan task, travelling together throughout the country to ask Zimbabweans about their opinions on matters including the judicial system and the president's authority. Overcoming their initial suspicion, a kind of understanding grows between the two men, as they endure intrigue during the negotiations that follow. In a country impeded by economic sanctions from the international community and hyperinflation, failure is not an option.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052790w

Session 2: Captain Phillips  (2013)
For the theme: Piracy

When: Tuesday 22nd September

Where: The Allegro Cafe 
 

 Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. It is - through director Paul Greengrass's distinctive lens - simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama's commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Award (R)-winner Tom Hanks), and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips' unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control. The film is directed by Academy Award (R) nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray based upon the book, A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca.(c) Sony

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_phillips/ 

Session 3: Rosewater 

(For the theme: Crimes against Journalists)

When: (Tuesday 13th October)

Where: The Allegro Cafe

Rosewater is based on The New York Times best-selling memoir "Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival," written by Maziar Bahari. The film marks the directorial debut of "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, and stars Gael García Bernal. Rosewater follows the Tehran-born Bahari, a broadcast journalist with Canadian citizenship. In June 2009, Bahari returned to Iran to interview Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who was the prime challenger to president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As Mousavi's supporters rose up to protest Ahmadinejad's victory declaration hours before the polls closed, Bahari endured personal risk by sending footage of the street riots to the BBC. Bahari was arrested by police, led by a man identifying himself only as "Rosewater," who tortured and interrogated him over the next 118 days. With Bahari's wife leading an international campaign to have her husband freed, and Western media outlets keeping the story alive, Iranian authorities released Bahari on $300,000 bail and the promise he would act as a spy for the government. 

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rosewater/

Session Four: Bridge of Spies (Release: Oct 2015)              
(For the theme: Cold War Cinema)

When: TBA
Where: Odeon Cinema Castletroy 

Tom Hanks stars as the American attorney tasked with negotiating the release of a U-2 spy plane pilot who was shot down over Russia at the height of the Cold War in this historical drama from DreamWorks Studios. Steven Spielberg and Mark E. Platt produce a film written by Matt Charman.  

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies/













Session Five: Carlito's Way (1993)
(For the theme: Al Pacino Cinema)

When: Tuesday 10th November
Where: Allegro Cafe

Carlito's Way is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino and Sean Penn.

The film follows the life of Carlito Brigante after he is released from prison and vows to go straight and retire. However, unable to escape his past, he ends up being dragged into the same criminal activities that got him imprisoned in the first place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlito's_Way












Session Six: Cinema Trip - Brookyln (2015)

An Irish immigrant (Saoirse Ronan) in 1950s New York falls for a tough Italian plumber (Emory Cohen), but faces temptation from another man (Domhnall Gleeson) when she returns to her homeland for a visit.

(this ended up being an all-girl's cinema trip - the guys bailed out!)












Session Seven: Oliver Stone's Documentary 'South of the Border' (2010)

Filmmaker Oliver Stone interviews Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, Brazil's Lula da Silva and other leaders, in an examination of social and political movements in South America.