Sweet Briar College will kick off its Weekend Film Series for the fall 2006 semester on Friday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 2 with a screening of the Academy Award’s 2005 pick for best foreign film, “Tstosi.”

The series is free and open to the public, and offers titles that can run the gamut from wide-release Hollywood fare to independent and art house movies. A selection committee looks for recent, high-quality films, particularly those that didn’t play in local theaters or ran for only a short time.

The fall lineup takes movie goers from the violent streets of a South African shantytown in “Tsotsi” to Al Gore’s podium, where he presents his case for global warming in “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Also playing are “Transamerica,” starring Golden Globe winner Felicity Huffman as a transsexual who discovers she’s a, um, father, and the futuristic “A Scanner Darkly,” which employs big-name actors such as Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Wynona Ryder as well as the latest in animation techniques.

All shows are 7:30 p.m. in Tyson Auditorium (Room 100) in Benedict Hall.

Fall 2006 Weekend Film Series Schedule

• Sept. 1 and 2: “Tsotsi” – Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto – where survival is the primary objective – “Tsotsi” traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking. “Tsotsi” is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation. The film is a psychological thriller in which the protagonist is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of hope and triumph of love over rage. Rated R


• Sept. 15 and 16: “Kontroll” – The massive labyrinthine netherworld that is the Budapest subway system provides the stunning setting for “Kontroll,” a high-style, high-speed romantic thriller in which the lives of assorted outcasts, lovers and dreamers intersect and collide, and where one handsome young hero, one mysterious woman, and one particularly nasty killer must conduct a race against time, trains and destiny itself in their frantic pursuit of one another. Rated R


• Sept. 22 and 23: “Transamerica” Bree is a perfectly adjusted conservative transsexual woman. Born Stanley, a genetic male, she’s about to take the final step to becoming the woman Stanley always wanted to be – until she finds out that she is the parent of a long-lost 17-year-old son. Afraid to tell the rebellious teenager the truth, Bree embarks on a journey with him that will challenge and change both their lives and bring them closer to the truth of their connection. “Transamerica” is a funny, completely modern look at the modern American family, starring Emmy award winner Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers. Rated R


• Oct. 6 and 7: “Brick” – In a modern-day Southern California neighborhood and high school, student Brendan Frye’s piercing intelligence spares no one. He’s not afraid to back up his words with actions, and knows all the angles. Yet he prefers to stay an outsider, and does – until the day that his ex-girlfriend, Emily, reaches out to him unexpectedly and then vanishes. His feelings for her still run deep; so much so, that he becomes consumed with finding his troubled ex. To find her, he enlists the aid of his only true peer, the Brain, while keeping the assistant vice principal only occasionally informed of what quickly becomes a dangerous investigation. Brendan’s single-minded unearthing of students’ secrets thrusts him headlong into the colliding social orbits of rich-girl sophisticate Laura, intimidating Tugger, substance-abusing Dode, seductive Kara, jock Brad and – most ominously – non-student the Pin. Only by gaining acceptance into the Pin’s closely guarded inner circle of crime and punishment will Brendan be able to uncover hard truths about himself, Emily and the suspects that he is getting closer to. Rated R


• Oct. 13 and 14: “Kinky Boots” – When his father passes away, Charlie is unexpectedly left in charge of the sinking family shoe business. Believing that all is lost, Charlie suddenly meets the feisty female impersonator “Lola,” who inspires him to buck tradition. As Charlie and Lola set out to conquer the brave new world of sexy cross-dressing footwear, their unlikely idea catches fire and takes them all the way to the catwalks of Milan. With a mix of brassy humor and heartwarming poignancy, “Kinky Boots” explores what happens when people who have spent their entire lives trying to fit in suddenly decide to truly stand out. Rated PG-13


• Oct. 20 and 21: “An Inconvenient Truth” – Director Davis Guggenheim weaves the science of global warming with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. “An Inconvenient Truth” is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share. “It is now clear that we face a deepening global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly and wisely,” Gore says. Rated PG


• Nov. 3 and 4: “Down in the Valley” – Siblings Lonnie and Tobe live at the edge of the bleeding sprawl of the San Fernando Valley. One day, a mysterious horseman strolls into their lives. With his folksy-naïve manner and cowboy garb, Harlan Fairfax Carruthers initially evokes a bemused “Are you for real?” from one of their friends. But to Lonnie and Tobe, Harlan’s alien behavior seems to be exactly what they need. Director David Jacobson brings a fresh perspective to the city and the ways it functions as a locus of both hopeful reinvention and dark violence. Rated R


• Dec. 8 and 9: “A Scanner Darkly” – “A Scanner Darkly” is set in suburban Orange County, Calif., in a future where America has lost the war on drugs. When one reluctant undercover cop is ordered to start spying on his friends, he is launched on a paranoid journey into the absurd, where identities and loyalties are impossible to decode. It is a cautionary tale of drug use based on the novel by Philip K. Dick and his own experiences. “A Scanner Darkly” uses live-action photography overlaid with an advanced animation process (interpolated rotoscoping) to create a haunting, highly stylized vision of the future. Rated R

For more information, e-mail
esalotto@sbc.edu or call 381-6159.