Belmont World Film's International Film Series runs March 25-May 20

Belmont World Film's 22nd International Film Series kicks off Monday, March 25 at 7:30 PM at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge with the East Coast premiere of The Queen of My Dreams, starring Amrit Kaur (Mindy Kaling's "The Sex Lives of College Girls") as 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. Following the screening the film's director, Fawzia Mirza, will participate in a virtual Q&A. The screening will be preceded by an optional opening night reception
featuring a Pakistani dinner and Canadian dessert from 6:00-7:00 PM at the theater.

This year's Film Series,"Transformation/Preservation," features the area premieres of eight of the world's top films on Mondays at 7:30 PM, followed by engaging discussions led by filmmakers and expert speakers. From moments of upheaval to transformative experiences, the films delve into the complexities of human existence with depth, compassion, insight—and humor. Audiences will become immersed 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.

Screenings continue at Apple Cinemas for two more weeks, with Ken Loach's (The Angel's Share, The Wind That Shakes the Barley) The Old Oak on April 1, about a previously thriving mining town in Northern England that becomes divided and when Syrian refugees are placed in empty houses
while the owner of The Old Oak pub struggling to hold onto his establishment, and Traces, on
April 8 (also available virtually), Croatia's submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar that tells the story of an anthropologist researching 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. Traces will be followed by a discussion lead by Croatian scholar Ellen Elias-Bursać.

The series moves to the Embassy Theater Waltham on April 15 and 29, and the West Newton Cinema on May 6, 13 and 20. Belmont World Film’s annual observance of World Refugee Awareness Month follows on June 3 and 10 at the West Newton Cinema. Films in the International Film Series include:

Hesitation Wound (April 15), about a criminal lawyer in Turkey who, while dividing her time between the courthouse by day and her mother's hospital bed at night, must make moral choices that will affect the lives of her mother, the judge, and her murder suspect client. Boston University Middle Eastern Literature Professor Roberta Micaleff will lead the discussion.

Green Tide (April 29), about a freelance reporter who moves to Brittany, France to investigate the mystery surrounding algae that may have caused the deaths of several locals on the area's beaches. Complimentary Far Breton (a tart that originated in Brittany) will be served starting at 7 PM.

Àma Gloria (May 6), a film about family, separation, and the ties that bind from the point of view of a captivating six-year-old French girl and her CapeVerdean nanny, who spend one last summer together on the shores of the Cape Verdean islands. Alirio Pereira, a native of Cape Verde and Chief
Program Officer of the Massachusetts Association of Portuguese Speakers will lead the discussion.

City of Wind (May 13), 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. Manduhai Buyandelger, an MIT anthropologist of religion, gender, and politics, with expertise in Mongolia and shamans, will lead the discussion.

Bonjour Switzerland (May 20, also shown virtually), a hilarious film in which a fictitious referendum in Switzerland leaves the country with French as the only national language, precipitating a crisis among the German and Italian speakers. Thomas Lienhard, President of the Swiss Society of Boston, will lead the discussion, and the screening will be preceded by an optional closing night reception with French, Italian, and Swiss food.

Films in the observance of World Refugee Awareness Month include:
Opponent (June 3), Sweden’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, stars Payman Maadi (star of the Oscar-winning A Separation) as a wrestler from Iran who has moved to Sweden as a refugee with his wife and their daughters. Dr. Kasra Tabatabaei, a native of Shahreza,
Isfahan, Iran, will lead the discussion following the film. The film is sponsored by the Consulate of Sweden.

Striking the Palace (June 10), based on a true story about a team of chambermaids, mostly immigrants, at one of Paris’s finest palace hotels, who work tirelessly to keep the hotel's high standards, where one night can cost as much as one's entire annual salary. While on strike against the hotel's poor working conditions, they come up with a plan to disrupt Paris's famous “Fashion Week" with their own colorful fashion show.

Tickets are $12 for in-person screenings and $16 for virtual screenings. “Passports,” which can be shared with one other person, offer eight films for $80. Memberships, for which individuals receive tickets or passports and other benefits, are also available. EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholder tickets and passes are half-price. For tickets,passes, or for more information visit www.belmontworldfilm.org or call 617-484-3980.

The program is supported by a generous grant from the Mass Cultural Council and the Consulate of Sweden.