Sister Cities Announces Festival Film Series

FWSCI Film Series Boasts Fun & Thrilling
US & Regional Film Premieres and Live Entertainment

Fort Worth, TX (Sept. 27, 2007) – Fort Worth Sister Cities (FWSCI) today announced its line up for the Sister Cities Film Series, a sidebar event during the Lone Star International Film Festival in downtown Fort Worth, including three regional premiers.
“Sister Cities International has drawn on our global connections to bring fun and edgy films to Fort Worth for this series,” said Steve Roth, FWSCI film chairman. “Our goal is to show people that today’s foreign films aren’t stodgy. They’re exciting and eye opening. They’re where Hollywood often turns for tomorrow’s blockbuster.”
The films represent six of Fort Worth’s seven international Sister Cities: Trier, Germany; Budapest, Hungary; Bandung, Indonesia; Reggio Emilia, Italy; Nagaoka, Japan; and Toluca, Mexico. Mbabane, Swaziland, the city’s seventh Sister City, will be honored during the festival with a reception hosted by The Africa Channel.
The Films
• HÄNDE WEG VON MISSISSIPPI (Hands Off Mississippi), directed by Detlev Buck, US debut,
Germany
• EL VIOLIN (The Violin), directed by Francisco Vargas, regional debut, Mexico
• MIO FRATELLO E FIGLIO UNICO (My Brother is an Only Child), directed by Daniele Luchetti, regional
debut, Italy
• HORUMAIKA, documentary, directed by Shinichi Hashimoto, Japan
• HANA YORI MO NAHO (Hana), presented by FUNimation Entertainment, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan
• FEHER TENYER (White Palms), directed by Szabolcs Hajdu, Hungary
• BERBAGI SUAMI (Love for Share), directed by Nia Di Nata, regional premier, Indonesia
• “Contemporary Classic Film” LOLA RENNT (Run Lola Run), directed by Tom Tykwer, Germany
Swaziland has no film industry, and therefore is not represented with a feature film. A special pass for all eight Sister Cities Film Series movies is $45 (a $19 savings) and individual tickets are $8.
Tickets for the FWSCI Film Series are on sale now at http://www.fwsistercities.org/ until Oct. 31, 2007. Beginning Nov. 1, tickets will be available via Lone Star International Film Festival and at theaters during the festival. The FWSCI Film Series will be presented at the AMC Palace Theater, 220 E. Third St., in downtown, Friday, Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007.
Additionally, Sister Cities will host cultural performances representing each of the seven Sister Cities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 10 on the patio stage at 8.0 Bar and Cafe in downtown Fort Worth.
“We’re providing a day of international excitement during the festival with our free performances,” said Peter Fekety, FWSCI Film Series entertainment chairman. “We wanted to bring the flair of the festival out of the theaters and into the streets. We’ll have everything from drummers to dancers.”
The annual Fort Worth Mayor’s International Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007 will be the official kick-off event for Sister Cities during the Lone Star International Film Festival. Second City comedy group will be the featured entertainment. Second City alums include Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, and Stephen Colbert. Come see tomorrow’s film and TV stars while they’re unknown. Tickets are $125 for individual tickets and can be purchased through Sister Cities at 817.392.2650.
The Lone Star International Film Festival runs Nov. 7 through Nov. 11 and promotes the work of emerging international filmmakers by providing resources to distribution and cutting edge technology. Through both competition and showcases, the Lone Star International Film Festival aims to cultivate global cultural awareness through the art of the moving image by selecting quality independent films, and showcase Fort Worth, Texas, as an international destination, highlighting both cultural and professional resources.
About the Lone Star Film Society: The Lone Star Film Society exists to preserve and present the art of the moving image and to examine its influence on world culture. LSFS is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation, dedicated to cultivating an appreciation of the Visual Arts; engendering visual literacy, supporting community efforts regarding the film; and to building recognition for Fort Worth as an international film destination. The LSFS supports its mission through a variety
of activities including Classics at The Modern: Celebrity Choice, Lone Star Open Screen Night, Teen VideoFest, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and debuting November 2007, the Lone Star International Film Festival. For more information call (817) 735-1117 or visit www.lonestarfilmsociety.com.
About Fort Worth Sister Cities International Inc.: Fort Worth Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network dedicated to creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase global cooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding and to stimulate economic development.
Fort Worth Sister Cities include Reggio Emilia, Italy; Nagaoka, Japan; Trier, Germany; Bandung, Indonesia; Budapest, Hungary; Toluca, Mexico; Mbabane, Swaziland. For more information, call (187) 392.2650 or visit http://www.fwsistercities.org/.

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This Just In: New DVD Releases

Bitter Sweet (Nôkô furin: torareta onna), 2004, directed by Mitsuru Meike, Japan
When young Shoko (Konatsu) begins to have doubts about her impending marriage, she sets out to explore the boundaries of love by seducing and having an illicit affair with an older man (Hitoshi Ishikawa). This provocative and erotic study of love, betrayal and sexual awakening makes for a notable entry in the catalog of Japanese "pink" films. Yuya Matsuura, Rinako Hirasawa, Mutsuo Yoshioka and Kazuhiro Sano co-star.

A Woman Without Love (Una Mujer Sin Amor), 1951, directed by Luis Buñuel, Mexico
Married to an old and ailing antiques dealer (Julio Villarreal), lonely society wife Rosario (Rosario Granados) has an affair and becomes pregnant. She successfully hides the true identity of the child's father for 20 years -- until a large inheritance arrives for her son. Filmed in Mexico by master surrealist director Luis Buñuel, this melodrama is based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant.

Grandes Muralistas, 2004, Mexico
Art and politics converge in this dramatic exploration of two famous Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to paint a mural, the fiery Rivera ultimately saw it destroyed when he refused to remove a portrait of Communist Party leader Lenin. The film further canvases the work of Siqueiros, a socialist whose paintings were strongly influenced by the Mexican Revolution.

Leyendas Del Cine Mexicano: Vol. 2, 2004, directed by Luis Kelly, Mexico
Originally produced for television, these programs pay tribute to two of Mexican cinema's beloved stars: María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz. Known to her fans as La Doña, Félix enjoyed a long, celebrated career as an actress, a profession she came upon by accident. Similarly, Armendáriz made his start as a railroad worker and tour guide when a chance encounter with a film director led to movie stardom.

Robinson's Garden (Robinson No Niwa), 1987, directed by Masashi Yamamoto, Japan
A contemporary take on the Robinson Crusoe story, this lyrical Japanese drama takes place in Tokyo, where a young woman, Kumi, loses herself in an abandoned factory and the surrounding lush gardens she discovers on the edge of town. Entranced by the beauty she finds there, Kumi starts spending more and more time in this haunting paradise, until she withdraws completely from the world outside. Cutting-edge filmmaker Masashi Yamamoto directs.