Fall Foreign Film Festival at Westfield Memorial Library

By Roz Giuditta

The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present three foreign films in the months of October, November and December. They will be shown on Mondays: October 5, November 16 and December 7 at 2:00 and 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

The first film, “Tangerines,” which will be shown on October 5, runs 87 minutes and is in Estonian. During the War in Georgia in the Apkhazeti region in 1992, the locals were fighting to break free from Georgia. The Estonian village between the mountains is almost empty; only Ivo and Margus have stayed. But Margus will leave as soon as he has harvested his crops of tangerines.

In a bloody conflict in their miniature village, wounded men are left behind, and Ivo is forced to take them in. But they are from opposite sides of the war. This is a touching anti-war story about Estonians who find themselves in the middle of someone else’s war. How do they handle it? How do the enemies act under a third-party roof?
“The Farewell Party,” an Israeli film which will run for 95 minutes on November 16, is the Winner of four Ophir Awards (the Israeli Oscars), including Best Actor, and 14 Ophir Nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actress.

Well into their 70s, Yehezkel and his wife Levana are living contented lives inside a Jerusalem retirement home. But they are shocked when their dear friend Max falls prey to an irreversible illness. Max asks Yehezkel, longtime amateur inventor, to construct a machine that allows Max to self-administer a fatal dose of tranquilizers.
Levana, however, believes that such a device is immoral, and expresses her passionate disapproval. But when Levana herself begins to face a serious health issue, Yehezkel finds that his feelings about his new contraption become increasingly complicated.

“Diplomacy” is a French film that will be aired on December 7 for 85 minutes. It is a historical drama that depicts the relationship between Dietrich von Choltitz, the German military governor of occupied Paris, and Swedish consul-general Raoul Nordling. The drama revolves around Hitler’s order to destroy Paris’ artistic and architectural treasures to buy time for the German army to retreat across France. The two men engage in dialogue and reveal their own personal convictions, leading to the possible answer as to why Hitler’s orders to plant explosives were never followed through.

The films are free and open to the public.

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday.

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org, and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”