Sonita Winning two awards at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Sonita tells the inspiring story of Sonita Alizadeh, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee in Iran, who thinks of Michael Jackson and Rihanna as her spiritual parents and dreams of becoming a big-name rapper. Currently her only fans are the other teenage girls in a Tehran shelter, […]
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change, and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II. Human Flow, an epic documentary by the internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei, gives a powerful visual expression to the massive human migration. Captured over the course of one year in 23 countries, the film witnesses its subjects and their desperate search for safety, shelter, and justice. A visceral work of cinema that begs the question: Will our global society emerge from fear, isolation, and self-interest and choose a path of openness, freedom, and respect for humanity?
“Directed by Academy Award–winner Thomas Lennon and shot around the world by 40 filmmaking teams, Sacred immerses the viewer in an exploration of spirituality across cultures and religions. This nomadic film explores faith as primary human experience and shows how people turn to ritual and prayer to navigate the milestones and crises of life.
This wry, melancholic comedy from Aki Kaurismäki—whose films the MFAH has premiered for more than three decades—speaks to the current refugee situation. Khaled (Sherwan Haji), a displaced Syrian, lands in Helsinki as a stowaway. Meanwhile, middle-aged salesman Wikström (Sakari Kuosmanen) leaves behind his wife and job and improbably buys a seafood restaurant. Despite being denied asylum, Khaled remains in Finland, and the paths of the two men cross fortuitously. A bittersweet tale of human kindness, The Other Side of Hope is as deadpan as the best of the director’s work, with a deep well of empathy for its down-but-not-out characters—many of them played by members of Kaurismäki's ever-reliable stock company.
A bittersweet tale of human kindness, The Other Side of Hope is as deadpan as the best of the director’s work, with a deep well of empathy for its down-but-not-out characters—many of them played by members of Kaurismäki's ever-reliable stock company.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of this festival, established by The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Rice Cinema. Screenings will take place at both venues and at The Asia Society Texas Center. Following last year’s screening of Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this year's selections include Breath, Iran’s 2017 Oscar submission. It is one of several narratives by and about young Iranian women, and, like Tehran Taboo, features the innovative use of animation. 24 Frames, the mesmerizing, experimental last film by the internationally celebrated Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) will be shown at both the Museum and Rice Cinema.
In this monumental documentary, veteran Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan explores how India’s political climate has moved dramatically away from the nonviolent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Organized in chapters that move from the past to the present, Reason unflinchingly chronicles the rise of right-wing extremism and recent instances of violence, yet concludes with a message of cautious optimism. The screening includes a 15-minute intermission.
