Belmont World Film's 22nd Family Festival

Belmont World Film’s 22nd Family Festival, presented by the German International School of Boston, will screen some of the world’s most imaginative live action and animated films for and about children age 3-12. From January 18-20, and on January 26, 2025 at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), Regent Theatre in Arlington (7 Medford Street), and Brattle Theatre in Cambridge (40 Brattle Street) these films will be brought to life on the big screen as a shared experience. &nbsp; The line-up features a sensitively curated selection of films from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the US. Most films are making their North American premieres.Ten films are in other languages with subtitles, with one completely wordless short film program and five films in English. For younger viewers and those with difficulty reading, subtitles will be read aloud through headphones by a professional voice-over. Films include multicultural casts representing five different continents. &nbsp; Artist-in-residence David Feiss, co-director with previous artist-in-residence Cinzia Angelini of the recently released animated film HITPIG!, starring Jason Sudeikis, will take part in a Q&amp;A following the film’s screening on Sunday, January 19. Feiss will also lead a workshop where children can learn to draw characters from the Minions and Hotel Transylvania movies on January 19 from 11 AM-1:00 PM at the Regent Theatre Underground. Feiss has had a prolific career in animation, starting as an animator on HEAVY METAL; he has worked on all the Minions and Hotel Transylvania movies and is known for the Cartoon Network’s COW AND CHICKEN and I AM WEASEL. &nbsp; Films inspired by beloved classic and contemporary children’s books are a festival hallmark, with more than half of the coming edition’s selections adapted or re-imagined from books. These films, which will be shown on January 19 and January 20, ignite a love for books and reading, while complementing the Massachusetts Public School Curriculum Frameworks. The theme of reclaiming green spaces also takes center stage on January 26, inspiring young audiences to value and protect the natural world around them. &nbsp; The festival kicks off Saturday, January 18 at the newly created nonprofit West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), one of the festival’s community partners. Sunday, January 19 at the Regent Theatre features Day 1 of films inspired by books. Monday, January 20 at the Regent Theatre features Day 2 of films inspired by books. Sunday, January 26 at the Regent Theatre&nbsp;&nbsp;features films about reclaiming green spaces. Visit the web site for the complete list of films. &nbsp; Belmont World Film’s 22nd Family Festival is supported by generous grants from Newton Community Pride and the Belmont Cultural Council. Festival sponsors include German International School of Boston, British International School of Boston, RSM-Belmont, Quebec Delegation of Boston, Norwegian Consulate General in New York, Belmont Day School, and Powers School of Music. The support from grant makers and sponsors enables the realization of this culturally enriching festival.

Brattle Theatre

Belmont World Film’s 22nd Family Festival, presented by the German International School of Boston, will screen some of the world’s most imaginative live action and animated films for and about children age 3-12. From January 18-20, and on January 26, 2025 at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), Regent Theatre in Arlington (7 Medford Street), and Brattle Theatre in Cambridge (40 Brattle Street) these films will be brought to life on the big screen as a shared experience.   The line-up features a sensitively curated selection of films from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the US. Most films are making their North American premieres.Ten films are in other languages with subtitles, with one completely wordless short film program and five films in English. For younger viewers and those with difficulty reading, subtitles will be read aloud through headphones by a professional voice-over. Films include multicultural casts representing five different continents.   Artist-in-residence David Feiss, co-director with previous artist-in-residence Cinzia Angelini of the recently released animated film HITPIG!, starring Jason Sudeikis, will take part in a Q&amp;A following the film’s screening on Sunday, January 19. Feiss will also lead a workshop where children can learn to draw characters from the Minions and Hotel Transylvania movies on January 19 from 11 AM-1:00 PM at the Regent Theatre Underground. Feiss has had a prolific career in animation, starting as an animator on HEAVY METAL; he has worked on all the Minions and Hotel Transylvania movies and is known for the Cartoon Network’s COW AND CHICKEN and I AM WEASEL.   Films inspired by beloved classic and contemporary children’s books are a festival hallmark, with more than half of the coming edition’s selections adapted or re-imagined from books. These films, which will be shown on January 19 and January 20, ignite a love for books and reading, while complementing the Massachusetts Public School Curriculum Frameworks. The theme of reclaiming green spaces also takes center stage on January 26, inspiring young audiences to value and protect the natural world around them.   The festival kicks off Saturday, January 18 at the newly created nonprofit West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), one of the festival’s community partners. Sunday, January 19 at the Regent Theatre features Day 1 of films inspired by books. Monday, January 20 at the Regent Theatre features Day 2 of films inspired by books. Sunday, January 26 at the Regent Theatre  features films about reclaiming green spaces. Visit the web site for the complete list of films.   Belmont World Film’s 22nd Family Festival is supported by generous grants from Newton Community Pride and the Belmont Cultural Council. Festival sponsors include German International School of Boston, British International School of Boston, RSM-Belmont, Quebec Delegation of Boston, Norwegian Consulate General in New York, Belmont Day School, and Powers School of Music. The support from grant makers and sponsors enables the realization of this culturally enriching festival.

Regent Theatre

West Newton Cinema

Belmont World Film's 22nd International Film Series

Belmont World Film 22nd International Film Series, "Transformation/Preservation," runs March 25 to May 20, 2024, at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge (168 Alewife Brook Parkway; March 25, April 1 &amp; 8), Embassy Theater Waltham (16 Pine Street; April 15 &amp; 29), and the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street; May 6, 13 &amp; 20), and features eight films that have mostly screened at the world’s top film festivals. Films screen weekly on Mondays at 7:30 PM, followed by engaging discussions led by filmmakers and expert speakers that delve deeper into the themes and messages portrayed on screen. Belmont World Film’s annual observance of World Refugee Awareness Month follows on June 3 and 10 at the West Newton Cinema.   From moments of upheaval to transformative experiences, the films in Belmont World Film’s 22nd International Film Series delve into the complexities of human existence with depth, compassion, insight—and even humor. In these remarkable stories from around the globe, we invite you to immerse yourself in the narratives of individuals and groups confronting the unexpected twists and turns that life presents, helping us gain a deeper understanding of resilience, adaptation, and the universal truths that bind us.   This year's International Film Series has some impressive array of numbers, underscoring its commitment to diversity and excellence:<ul><li>An equal number of films are directed by women and men, highlighting a commitment to gender parity in filmmaking.</li><li>A record-breaking ten languages are represented in the series (in addition to English and French), including Arabic, Croatian, Italian, Kabuverdianu, Mongolian, Persian, Swedish, Swiss-German, Turkish, and Urdu.</li><li>Three films are their respective countries' submissions for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, demonstrating the caliber of the selection.</li></ul>  Opening night on March 25, at Apple Cinemas features the East Coast premiere of The Queen of My Dreams, about a Pakistani Muslim woman and her Canadian-born daughter who come of age in two different eras, sharing an obsession with the Bollywood fantasy film Aradhana. Director Fawzia Mirza will participate in a Q&amp;A on Zoom following the screening; the screening will be preceded by a dinner reception featuring Indian and Canadian cuisine from 6:00-7:00 PM.   The other films include (only two films will be available online in addition to in-person: Traces and Bonjour Switzerland):   April 1 (Apple Cinemas): THE OLD OAK (UK, New England premiere). Said to be director Ken Loach’s (The Angel’s Share) last film, about a previously thriving mining town in Northern England and the owner of The Old Oak pub struggling to hold onto his establishment. When Syrian refugees are placed in empty houses, the townspeople become divided on their presence.   April 8 (Apple Cinemas): TRACES (Croatia, US premiere). Croatia’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. While grappling with loneliness, loss and an uncertain future an anthropologist spends her time researches an ancient burial ritual in the mountains of Croatia in which exposed stones in a burial area would mark the length of a deceased person’s body, and therefore leave a sign—a trace—of the life that had been lived. Speaker: Ellen Elias-Bursać, a scholar known for her translations of fiction and nonfiction books by Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian writers.. Available online: April 16-21   April 15 (Embassy Theater): HESITATION WOUND (Turkey, New England premiere). A criminal lawyer divides her time between the courthouse by day and her mother's hospital bed at night. The plot turns on the moral choices she has to make that will affect the lives of her mother, the judge, and her murder suspect client. Speaker: Roberta Micaleff, Professor of the Practice in Middle Eastern Literatures and Coordinator of the Turkish Language Program at Boston University. April 29 (Embassy Theater): GREEN TIDE (France, East Coast premiere). Following the deaths of several locals on the beaches in Brittany, a freelance reporter comes to investigate the mystery surrounding algae that may be a cause of these tragic events. Complimentary Far Breton (a tart that originated in Brittany) served starting at 7 PM.   May 6 (West Newton Cinema): ÀMA GLORIA (France/Cape Verde, East Coast premiere). Depicts the precious bond between a six-year-old French girl and her Cape Verdean nanny, who spend one last summer together on the shores of the Cape Verdean islands. The film captures themes of family, separation, and the ties that bind from the point of view of its captivating young star. Speaker: Alirio Pereira, a native of Cape Verde and Chief Program Officer of the Massachusetts Association of Portuguese Speakers.   May 13 (Majestic 7): CITY OF WIND (Mongolia, New England premiere). Mongolia’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar is a coming-of-age drama about a 17 year-old shaman who is juggling his spiritual responsibilities while attending high school in modern day Ulaanbaatar, trying to reconcile his ties to the past with the practices of cold, contemporary society. Speaker: Manduhai Buyandelger, an anthropologist of religion, gender, and politics at MIT, with regional expertise in Mongolia and shamans.   May 20 (West Newton Cinema): BONJOUR SWITZERLAND (Switzerland, East Coast premiere). When a referendum in Switzerland leaves the country with French as the only national language, it precipitates a crisis among the German and Italian speakers. Think Woody Allen’s Bananas crossed with The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming!   Funding is provided by a generous grant from the Mass Cultural Council. The Consulate of Sweden is the festival’s Province sponsor.

Apple Cinemas

Belmont World Film 22nd International Film Series, "Transformation/Preservation," runs March 25 to May 20, 2024, at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge (168 Alewife Brook Parkway; March 25, April 1 &amp; 8), Embassy Theater Waltham (16 Pine Street; April 15 &amp; 29), and the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street; May 6, 13 &amp; 20), and features eight films that have mostly screened at the world’s top film festivals. Films screen weekly on Mondays at 7:30 PM, followed by engaging discussions led by filmmakers and expert speakers that delve deeper into the themes and messages portrayed on screen. Belmont World Film’s annual observance of World Refugee Awareness Month follows on June 3 and 10 at the West Newton Cinema. &nbsp; From moments of upheaval to transformative experiences, the films in Belmont World Film’s 22nd International Film Series delve into the complexities of human existence with depth, compassion, insight—and even humor. In these remarkable stories from around the globe, we invite you to immerse yourself in the narratives of individuals and groups confronting the unexpected twists and turns that life presents, helping us gain a deeper understanding of resilience, adaptation, and the universal truths that bind us. &nbsp; This year's International Film Series has some impressive array of numbers, underscoring its commitment to diversity and excellence:<ul><li>An equal number of films are directed by women and men, highlighting a commitment to gender parity in filmmaking.</li><li>A record-breaking ten languages are represented in the series (in addition to English and French), including Arabic, Croatian, Italian, Kabuverdianu, Mongolian, Persian, Swedish, Swiss-German, Turkish, and Urdu.</li><li>Three films are their respective countries' submissions for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, demonstrating the caliber of the selection.</li></ul>&nbsp; Opening night on March 25, at Apple Cinemas features the East Coast premiere of The Queen of My Dreams, about a Pakistani Muslim woman and her Canadian-born daughter who come of age in two different eras, sharing an obsession with the Bollywood fantasy film Aradhana. Director Fawzia Mirza will participate in a Q&amp;A on Zoom following the screening; the screening will be preceded by a dinner reception featuring Indian and Canadian cuisine from 6:00-7:00 PM. &nbsp; The other films include (only two films will be available online in addition to in-person: Traces and Bonjour Switzerland): &nbsp; April 1 (Apple Cinemas): THE OLD OAK (UK, New England premiere). Said to be director Ken Loach’s (The Angel’s Share) last film, about a previously thriving mining town in Northern England and the owner of The Old Oak pub struggling to hold onto his establishment. When Syrian refugees are placed in empty houses, the townspeople become divided on their presence. &nbsp; April 8 (Apple Cinemas): TRACES (Croatia, US premiere). Croatia’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. While grappling with loneliness, loss and an uncertain future an anthropologist spends her time researches an ancient burial ritual in the mountains of Croatia in which exposed stones in a burial area would mark the length of a deceased person’s body, and therefore leave a sign—a trace—of the life that had been lived. Speaker: Ellen Elias-Bursać, a scholar known for her translations of fiction and nonfiction books by Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian writers.. Available online: April 16-21 &nbsp; April 15 (Embassy Theater): HESITATION WOUND (Turkey, New England premiere). A criminal lawyer divides her time between the courthouse by day and her mother's hospital bed at night. The plot turns on the moral choices she has to make that will affect the lives of her mother, the judge, and her murder suspect client. Speaker: Roberta Micaleff, Professor of the Practice in Middle Eastern Literatures and Coordinator of the Turkish Language Program at Boston University. April 29 (Embassy Theater): GREEN TIDE (France, East Coast premiere). Following the deaths of several locals on the beaches in Brittany, a freelance reporter comes to investigate the mystery surrounding algae that may be a cause of these tragic events. Complimentary Far Breton (a tart that originated in Brittany) served starting at 7 PM. &nbsp; May 6 (West Newton Cinema): ÀMA GLORIA (France/Cape Verde, East Coast premiere). Depicts the precious bond between a six-year-old French girl and her Cape Verdean nanny, who spend one last summer together on the shores of the Cape Verdean islands. The film captures themes of family, separation, and the ties that bind from the point of view of its captivating young star. Speaker: Alirio Pereira, a native of Cape Verde and Chief Program Officer of the Massachusetts Association of Portuguese Speakers. &nbsp; May 13 (Majestic 7): CITY OF WIND (Mongolia, New England premiere). Mongolia’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar is a coming-of-age drama about a 17 year-old shaman who is juggling his spiritual responsibilities while attending high school in modern day Ulaanbaatar, trying to reconcile his ties to the past with the practices of cold, contemporary society. Speaker: Manduhai Buyandelger, an anthropologist of religion, gender, and politics at MIT, with regional expertise in Mongolia and shamans. &nbsp; May 20 (West Newton Cinema): BONJOUR SWITZERLAND (Switzerland, East Coast premiere). When a referendum in Switzerland leaves the country with French as the only national language, it precipitates a crisis among the German and Italian speakers. Think Woody Allen’s Bananas crossed with The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! &nbsp; Funding is provided by a generous grant from the Mass Cultural Council. The Consulate of Sweden is the festival’s Province sponsor.

Embassy Theater Waltham

Belmont World Film's 21st Family Festival

Presented by <a href="https://calendar.artsboston.org/organization/belmont-world-film/" target="_blank">Belmont World Film</a> at Apple Cinemas, Cambridge, MA; West Newton Cinema, West Newton, MA; The Brattle Theatre, Cambridge MA; Regent Theatre, Arlington MA; Belmont Media Center, Belmont, MA Children age 3-12 and their families can embark on an enchanting adventure when Belmont World Film presents its 21st Family Festival, a four-day celebration of international culture from January 13-21, 2024 that guarantees an immersive and culturally rich experience for young audiences. The festival features films from around the world in English and multiple languages, including Chinese, Czech, French, Dutch, Norwegian—even sign language. Most films cannot be seen anywhere else in New England. The festival kicks off Saturday, January 13, at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge (168 Alewife Brook Parkway, followed by screenings at West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street) on Sunday, January 14, the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge (40 Brattle Street) on Monday, January 15, in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Day, and the Regent Theatre in Arlington (7 Medford Street) on Sunday, January 21. Five shorts programs will also be available online from January 20-21. Subtitles for films in languages other than English will be read aloud through headphones, ensuring an inclusive experience for children with difficulty reading. Many films are making their US or New England premieres; most films are also based on classic and contemporary children’s books, which help reinforce an interest in reading and literature, while supplementing the Massachusetts Public School System’s Curriculum Frameworks. The lineup includes a carefully curated mix of animated and live-action feature length and short films, offering something for every age group. View the complete schedule at&nbsp;<a href="www.belmontworldfilm.org/family-festival)" target="_blank">www.belmontworldfilm.org/family-festival</a>. Highlights include: •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yuku and the Himalayan Flower (1/13, Apple Cinemas; US premiere): a colorful and adorable animated musical, about a little mouse who goes in search of a rare plant that radiates eternal light to restore her grandmother back to health. With her ukulele and her original bouncy rap tunes, she makes friends along the way during her sometimes-perilous journey. The film premiered at the Annecy Film Festival. •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;OkThanksBye (1/14, West Newton, New England premiere): a road movie that follows two hearing impaired pre-teens from Rotterdam to Paris, followed by a discussion with ASL interpretation. •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light (1/14, West Newton, US premiere): an astounding stop-motion film from the Czech Republic, winner of the Contretemps Award at the prestigious Annecy Film Festival, about an 11-year-old boy who glows. •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tabby McTat (1/14, West Newton; North American premiere): a short, animated film based on the picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s (The Gruffalo), about the warm and wonderful friendship between a musical cat and a street busker in London, featuring the voice of Jodi Whittaker (Dr. Who) and comedian Rob Brydon. •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/15, Brattle), a short film program based on books about Dr. King and his contemporaries, including the US premiere of I Am Ruby Bridges, written by the civil rights activist who was the first African American child to attend a formerly whites-only elementary school. •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Totem (1/21, Regent, New England premiere): a gripping film about a girl whose parents are asylum seekers from Senegal but is raised to feel completely Dutch, and her journey to discover her roots through an extraordinary totem animal. Followed by a discussion about the film and dual cultural identities, led by Ghanaian-American filmmaker Menefese Kudumu-Clavell. •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Intro to Film Camera Techniques Workshop (Sunday, January 21, 10 AM-Noon, Belmont Media Center) for children age 10+, covering fundamental camera techniques, as well as rarely-used ones that define the unique style of foreign films.&nbsp;

Belmont World Film's 21st International Film Series

Belmont World Film's 21st International Film Series, “Complicated Identities,” features eight of the world’s top films, screening in person from March 27-April 17, at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge and from April 24-May 15, at the Majestic 7 Cinema in Watertown on Mondays at 7:30 PM. Four of the films will also be available for viewing online (see below for films). Each film is immediately followed by a discussion led by an expert speaker or a Q&amp;A with filmmakers and film stars.   Played by a veritable who’s who of international stars—Catherine Deneuve, Cecile de France, Daniel Auteuil, and Gilles Lelouche, to name a few—the characters in this year's films paint a portrait of our humanity, furthering understanding and creating the possibility of a more equitable society.   Most films premiered at the world’s major film festivals, such as The Worst Ones, the most recent winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard prize and A Man, which competed for the Horizon Award at the Venice Film Festival; The Beast, recently won a César Award (the French Oscars) for Best Foreign Film. Films are in seven different languages: French, Galician, German, Japanese, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian. And for the second year in a row, there are nearly an equal number of women and men directors. Films include: March 27: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/a-man-63f81f2180a15406085518cf">A Man</a> - When a lawyer's former client tasks him to investigate her late husband's past, he begins to discover that her husband had been living a double life. April 3: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/luxembourg-luxembourg-63f8d80e5b0e3900e1620bbe">Luxembourg Luxembourg</a> - When identical twin brothers hear that their long-absent father is sick in Luxembourg, they set out on a journey to see him one last time. Will the man they find be the bad-ass father they remember? April 10: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/the-worst-ones-63f821850e2f4500352de9fb">The Worst Ones</a> (also available online) - Four teenagers from a working-class neighborhood in the north of France are selected to act in a feature film during the summer. Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival. April 17: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/burning-days-63f8ee06f7ada500e7013dca">Burning Days</a> - Newly appointed to a small town in Turkey, a young prosecutor finds himself being pulled into a political conflict during his first murder investigation. The film explores topics of social amnesia, denial, the climate crisis, and problems caused by short-signed infrastructural projects that lack long-term, environmentally sustainable solutions. April 24: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/farewell-mr-haffman-63fec895612cb2004409d304">Farewell Mr. Haffmann</a> (also available online) - After the Nazi occupation of Paris, a talented jeweler, Joseph Haffmann, arranges for his family to flee the city and offers one of his employees the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. May 1: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/chile-76-63fed5b4612cb2004409e818">Chile '76</a> (also available online) - The life of a bourgeois housewife during Pinochet's reign in Chile is interrupted when the priest at the church where she does charity work asks her to take care of a young revolutionary--a man he is giving asylum to--who has just been hurt. May 7: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/the-beasts-63ff9a82cc975b00a6261529">The Beasts</a> (also available online) - A French couple move to a small village in Galicia in order to practice ecologically responsible agriculture and to restore abandoned houses and to facilitate the town's re-population. May 15: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/peaceful-63f80f6aaa192a039ed1ac81">Peaceful</a> - Catherine Deneuve, Benoit Magimel, and Cécile de France star in this film about an unconventional oncologist and a reluctant patient.

Majestic 7 Cinema

Belmont World Film's 21st International Film Series, “Complicated Identities,” features eight of the world’s top films, screening in person from March 27-April 17, at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge and from April 24-May 15, at the Majestic 7 Cinema in Watertown on Mondays at 7:30 PM. Four of the films will also be available for viewing online (see below). Each film is immediately followed by a discussion led by an expert speaker or a Q&amp;A with filmmakers and film stars.   Played by a veritable who’s who of international stars—Catherine Deneuve, Cecile de France, Daniel Auteuil, and Gilles Lelouche, to name a few—the characters in this year's films paint a portrait of our humanity, furthering understanding and creating the possibility of a more equitable society.   Most films premiered at the world’s major film festivals, such as The Worst Ones, the most recent winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard prize and A Man, which competed for the Horizon Award at the Venice Film Festival; The Beast, recently won a César Award (the French Oscars) for Best Foreign Film. Films are in seven different languages: French, Galician, German, Japanese, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian. And for the second year in a row, there are nearly an equal number of women and men directors. Films include: March 27: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/a-man-63f81f2180a15406085518cf">A Man</a> - When a lawyer's former client tasks him to investigate her late husband's past, he begins to discover that her husband had been living a double life. April 3: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/luxembourg-luxembourg-63f8d80e5b0e3900e1620bbe">Luxembourg Luxembourg</a> - When identical twin brothers hear that their long-absent father is sick in Luxembourg, they set out on a journey to see him one last time. Will the man they find be the bad-ass father they remember? April 10: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/the-worst-ones-63f821850e2f4500352de9fb">The Worst Ones</a> (also available online) - Four teenagers from a working-class neighborhood in the north of France are selected to act in a feature film during the summer. Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival. April 17: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/burning-days-63f8ee06f7ada500e7013dca">Burning Days</a> - Newly appointed to a small town in Turkey, a young prosecutor finds himself being pulled into a political conflict during his first murder investigation. The film explores topics of social amnesia, denial, the climate crisis, and problems caused by short-signed infrastructural projects that lack long-term, environmentally sustainable solutions. April 24: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/farewell-mr-haffman-63fec895612cb2004409d304">Farewell Mr. Haffmann</a> (also available online) - After the Nazi occupation of Paris, a talented jeweler, Joseph Haffmann, arranges for his family to flee the city and offers one of his employees the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. May 1: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/chile-76-63fed5b4612cb2004409e818">Chile '76</a> (also available online) - The life of a bourgeois housewife during Pinochet's reign in Chile is interrupted when the priest at the church where she does charity work asks her to take care of a young revolutionary--a man he is giving asylum to--who has just been hurt. May 7: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/the-beasts-63ff9a82cc975b00a6261529">The Beasts</a> (also available online) - A French couple move to a small village in Galicia in order to practice ecologically responsible agriculture and to restore abandoned houses and to facilitate the town's re-population. May 15: <a href="https://belmontworldfilm2023.eventive.org/films/peaceful-63f80f6aaa192a039ed1ac81">Peaceful</a> - Catherine Deneuve, Benoit Magimel, and Cécile de France star in this film about an unconventional oncologist and a reluctant patient.

Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Concert: Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra & Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), composed of some of the Northeast’s top musicians age 12-21, performs Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 on Friday, March 10, 2023, in person at Symphony Hall, under the direction of Conductor Benjamin Zander. A live stream is also available.   Since he’s celebrating his 84th birthday the day before, Maestro Zander wanted a program that is both energetic and exuberant. He considers Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra to be the ultimate test of an orchestra’s virtuosity and artistry, much like it did when the Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered it in 1943.   Although the Concerto is almost always the final work on any program, Zander chose Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony to conclude the concert. The audience favorite is also often regarded as one of the most hackneyed pieces in the entire repertory. Yet Zander’s take on the piece, which he has performed many times all over the world, is bracing and fresh.

Symphony Hall

Online

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9: Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

Having defied convention in his recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra in 2018, Maestro Benjamin Zander leads the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) in what he describes as a “newly liberated interpretation” of the piece on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 8 PM at Symphony Hall in Boston, with a repeat program on Sunday, February 26, at 3 PM at Carnegie Hall in New York (also available via live stream). Zander also provides his legendary “Guide to the Music” talk at 6:45 PM on February 24 and at 1:30 PM on February 26. Zander and the conductors descending from the more classical Mendelssohn (such as Rene Leibowitz and Zander in the early 1970’s, under the influence of the legendary Rudolf Kolisch)—and more recently the historically informed conductors—take Beethoven’s text, including the tempos, literally. The post Wagner and Bruckner conductors (from Romantic conductors such as Furtwangler to prominent modern-day conductors such as Barenboim) ignore Beethoven’s stated and fervently advocated tempo indications. Today the octogenarian Zander, who is marking his 50th year as a conductor in 2022-23, believes there is room for both   Guest soloists and performers include multi-Grammy-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan, soprano Liv Redpath (a graduate of both Harvard and Juilliard, who is making her Boston orchestral debut), mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon, baritone Alfred Walker, Boston’s Chorus Pro Musica, and the Marsh Chapel Choir at Boston University directed by Scott Allen Jarrett.   After spending nearly 50 years studying and obsessing over the most epic of Beethoven's symphonies—both in length and performers utilized—Zander aims to unite two very different schools of thought on tempo indications into a single powerful and moving vision while on the conductor’s podium. Zander’s recording is considered revolutionary for its faithful adherence to Beethoven’s designated tempi—relying on the metronome markings from the composer to indicate the exact pace at which he wanted passages played. The recording finally fulfilled Zander’s quest to give the world the version that, by all written indications, Beethoven appears to have heard in his mind. According to The Sunday Times, “This account of the Ninth is unprecedented in using all 14 of Beethoven’s late-added metronome marks. [It] heaps revelation on revelation.”

Belmont World Film's 20th Family Festival

Belmont World Film’s Family Festival marks its 20th year from January 14-22, 2023, with both in-person screenings and workshops, with some films available virtually from January 20-22, at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street) on January 14, the Majestic 7 Cinema (81 Arsenal Yards Blvd., Watertown) on January 15, the Brattle Theatre (40 Brattle Street, Cambridge) on January 16, and the Regent Theater (5 Medford Street, Arlington). Most films are based on international children’s books, with many making their North American premieres, and include 11 feature length films and 30 short animated and live action films grouped into five separate programs. Most in-person films will be shown in their original languages with English subtitles read aloud through headphones. Workshops include Become a Junior Film Critic on Saturday, January 14, from 2-5:30 PM at the the New Art Center @ Trio, led by legendary arts and entertainment critic Joyce Kulhawik and Cambridge Day film critic Tom Meek, and three virtual Learn to Model Shaun the Sheep or Gromit workshops on Sunday, January 22, with Aardman’s senior model maker. The festival provides children age 3-12 and their families and caregivers the opportunity to see some of the world’s most remarkable current films for children that can’t be seen anywhere else. Film subjects include everything from a sassy young boy becoming captivated by movies in a village in India and the creation of mischievous little comic character named Nicholas by the creator of Asterix to a school where students receive their own magical animal companion and a society where all children have their own personal robots. Films based on children’s books include How I Learned to Fly (Serbia), Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be (Luxembourg), Oink (The Netherlands), The School of Magical Animals 2 (Germany), The Path (Germany), The Websters (Czech Republic), Icarus and the Minotaur (France), and My Robot Brother (Denmark), as well as a selection of short film programs from Scholastic/Weston Woods based on picture books, such as their newest never-before seen films, ones about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ideals, and ones based on books by Mo Willems. Films this year are from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Latvia, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. In-person screenings: feature films $12, shorts programs $8. Virtual screenings: shorts programs $14, feature films $18. Junior Film Critic Workshop $25; Learn to Model Shaun the Sheep or Gromit Workshops $20 each and mue purchased in advance. Passes also available.

Belmont World Film Observes World Refugee Day & Pride Month with the East Coast premiere of CONCERNED CITIZEN

Belmont World Film holds its annual World Refugee Day observance and celebrates Pride Month in June with the East Coast premiere of the Israeli film Concerned Citizen, which had its world premiere at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival. The film will be shown both in-person on World Refugee Day, Monday, June 20, at 7 PM at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street) and online from June 16-22.   The satirical parable brings to light our unconscious, but deep-seated prejudices.Ben and Raz (played by real life couple Shlomi Bertonov and Ariel Wolf) are a gay couple living in an updated flat in a migrant neighborhood of Tel Aviv, who are painstakingly pursuing their desire to have a child. When one of the men decides to improve his neighborhood by planting a tree on his street, it triggers a sequence of events leading to the arrest of an Eritrean immigrant. The film’s director, Idan Haguel, will participate in a recorded Q&amp;A available on YouTube or after the in-person screening at the West Newton Cinema on June 20.   World Refugee Day is an annual worldwide observance that honors the world’s 22.5 million refugees and those who work on refugee and immigrant issues. This year’s observance focuses on the right to seek safety—whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to flee.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

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S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

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S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

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S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

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S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Discover kid-friendly fun in Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas! Enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum, explore the New England Aquarium, and visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Find parks, playgrounds, and seasonal events perfect for families across Massachusetts.

Top 20 kid-friendly things to do in Boston, MA

Kid-friendly things to do in Boston

Kid-friendly events

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.