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April 29 & May 1: “Abeni” 

Sun Apr 29 6:15pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark) 

Tues May 1 4:00pm NUVO Screening Room (Landmark) 

Ticket info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html 

See the best of “Nollywood” (Nigeria’s

Hollywood) with “Abeni.” In a country where fifty new films are produced every week and a movie mad population voraciously consumes them all with unparalleled ferocity, filmmaker Yunde Kelani sets himself apart from the formidable pack with this enthralling tale of long lost love set against the backdrop of the Yoruba culture. Abeni (Sola Asedeko) has lived a charmed life. The ambitious daughter of a wealthy father, she is set to be married and all signs point to a healthy and prosperous future. In contrast, Akanni (Abdel Hakim Amzat) was born into poverty, but has since managed to improve his lot in life through steady determination and a healthy dose of hard work. When Akanni was a child, his father worked for Abeni’s father and the two youngsters became sweethearts. Akanni was a reckless boy though, and as a result of his foolish actions his family was eventually forced to relocate across the Nigerian border and set up a new homestead in

Cotonou, Benin. When fate brings Abeni and Akanni together once again after years of separation and the childhood bond that the pair once shared proves as powerful as ever, both their well-planned futures - and their commitments to their respective fiancées - soon begin to crumble as the childhood sweethearts finally realize that they truly were meant to be together A subplot involving two young men recently returned from the United States in full hiphop regalia is hilarious; one of them becomes Abeni’s unwanted suitor. On a broader level, Kelani offers a fascinating portrait of the Yoruba culture that flows between Nigeria and

Benin. His trilingual characters may have arrived in the urban middle class, but still display proud traditions in their actions and in their spectacular clothes. Abeni represents the best of Nollywood, right up to the cliffhanger ending. 

If you like this film…See “Eagle vs. Shark,” another odd romantic tale. “War/Dance” shows another aspect of African life.  

You should know before you go… You might want to know a bit about Nigerian cinema (Nollywood). Learn about Yoruba culture to understand the pressures the characters are experiencing.

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April 29 & May 3: “Fraulein” is a German, Swiss, and Bosnian film about three Eastern European women who all seem to be both psychologically and physically displaced. 

Sun Apr 29 8:15pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark)

Thur May 3 9:15pm Key Cinemas 

Fraulein is a tale of three displaced and quietly sorrowful women. Their age difference means little – each has been ripped away from their homelands. Ana, the youngest of the trio, sadly declares, “No one calls it

Yugoslavia anymore.” Despite her youth Ana has the most to teach the women and makes a deep impression on Ruza. 

Writer/director Andrea Staka’s Das Fräulein paints an exceptionally sensitive, multilayered, and richly textured portrait of a blossoming friendship between two adult women. Mirjana Karanovic is Ruza, a Slavic émigré in her fifties, who years ago transplanted herself from her native Serbia to

Zurich, Switzerland. Quiet, introverted, and stoic, she runs a canteen business in the city and trusts absolutely no one, building her life exclusively around income. She and her Croatian associate, Mila (Ljubica Jovic), are confronted with the sudden arrival of Ana (Marija Skaricic), a much younger Bosnian drifter, who enchants Ruza with her fresh spontaneity and zest for life, but still draws some coldness from the Serbian woman. Despite a shared ethnic background, Ruza initially insists on communicating with Ana in German and scarcely acknowledges their common cultural identity. Nonetheless, in time, barriers begin to recede, and a tenuous, delicate bond of friendship forms between the two women. Staka uses the bulk of the drama to explore this relationship in all of its nuances and complexities, conveying the women’s inner emotional landscapes with an intelligent use of cinematic language and visual flourishes. Instead of simply using

Zurich as a backdrop, Staka employs the city — both cosmopolitan and yet somewhat distancing — as one of the story’s central characters.  

If you like this film, see “Adrift in Manhattan” for a perspective of similar characters in the

US.  

 

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April 29 & May 3: “Fraulein” is a German, Swiss, and Bosnian film about three Eastern European women who all seem to be both psychologically and physically displaced. 

Sun Apr 29 8:15pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark)

Thur May 3 9:15pm Key Cinemas 

Fraulein is a tale of three displaced and quietly sorrowful women. Their age difference means little – each has been ripped away from their homelands. Ana, the youngest of the trio, sadly declares, “No one calls it

Yugoslavia anymore.” Despite her youth Ana has the most to teach the women and makes a deep impression on Ruza. 

Writer/director Andrea Staka’s Das Fräulein paints an exceptionally sensitive, multilayered, and richly textured portrait of a blossoming friendship between two adult women. Mirjana Karanovic is Ruza, a Slavic émigré in her fifties, who years ago transplanted herself from her native Serbia to

Zurich, Switzerland. Quiet, introverted, and stoic, she runs a canteen business in the city and trusts absolutely no one, building her life exclusively around income. She and her Croatian associate, Mila (Ljubica Jovic), are confronted with the sudden arrival of Ana (Marija Skaricic), a much younger Bosnian drifter, who enchants Ruza with her fresh spontaneity and zest for life, but still draws some coldness from the Serbian woman. Despite a shared ethnic background, Ruza initially insists on communicating with Ana in German and scarcely acknowledges their common cultural identity. Nonetheless, in time, barriers begin to recede, and a tenuous, delicate bond of friendship forms between the two women. Staka uses the bulk of the drama to explore this relationship in all of its nuances and complexities, conveying the women’s inner emotional landscapes with an intelligent use of cinematic language and visual flourishes. Instead of simply using

Zurich as a backdrop, Staka employs the city — both cosmopolitan and yet somewhat distancing — as one of the story’s central characters.  

If you like this film, see “Adrift in Manhattan” for a perspective of similar characters in the

US.  

 

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April 29: Bruce Braden “Ye Will Say I Am No Christian”—The ThomasJefferson/John

Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values 

 

When: Sunday April 29 2:00 PM 

Where: Center for Inquiry Indiana, 350 Canal Walk, Suite A,

Indianapolis  

 

RSVP info: Anyone is welcome to attend. Admission is free. Books will be available for sale and Mr. Braden will be there to autograph your copy of the book. 

 

Did Thomas Jefferson and John Adams think they were Christians? Would Christians today accept them in the club?

Carmel author Bruce Braden explains. The “Culture Wars” have produced a lot of talk about religion, morals, and values, with both sides often hearkening back to our Founding Fathers. Here is your chance to learn firsthand what two of the most influential pillars of the

American Republic thought about these perennial topics. From 1812 to July 4, 1826 — when ironically death claimed both men — Thomas Jefferson and John Adams exchanged letters touching on these still controversial issues. 

 

The little-known letters in “Ye Will Say I Am No Christian”—The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values contain many surprising revelations. In the 1800 presidential election, in which the Republican Jefferson opposed the Federalist Adams, religion was a topic of hot debate, as reflected in this correspondence written many years after. What was it about

Jefferson’s religious beliefs that provoked such vitriol against him in the campaign? And what was there in

Adams’s theology that prompted certain Calvinists and Trinitarians to label him “no Christian”? Though they expressed different opinions, Jefferson and Adams agreed on what they called the “corruptions of Christianity.” Despite their criticisms and their critics, both men considered themselves Christians, in different senses of the term. These little-known letters contain many surprising revelations. In the 1800 presidential election, in which the Republican Jefferson opposed the Federalist Adams, religion was a topic of hot debate, as reflected in this correspondence written many years after. What was it about

Jefferson’s religious beliefs that provoked such vitriol against him in the campaign? And what was there in

Adams’s theology that prompted certain Calvinists and Trinitarians to label him “no Christian”? Though they expressed different opinions, Jefferson and Adams agreed on what they called the “corruptions of Christianity.” Despite their criticisms and their critics, both men considered themselves Christians, in different senses of the term. 

 

You should know before you go…Read a review of Braden’s book here and here. For a flavor of current debates about religion and faith in society, listen to the debate on “We would we be better off without religion”, with Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and AC Grayling on one side and Rabbi Julia Neuberger, Roger Scruton and Nigel Spivey on the other. 

 

For more information…Read some good recent books, including David L. Holmes, The Faiths of the Founding Fathers; Jon Meacham, American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation; Gordon S. Wood, American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation … and of course Bruce Baden’s.

 

Indy experts:

Bruce Braden would probably be happy to talk and sign copies of his book, reach him through the Center for Inquiry. Philip Goff is head of IUPUI’s Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture.

  

Get involvedIf you are skeptical about religion, you will find sympathetic friends at the Center for Inquiry. A more academic approach to faith in the

US can be found at events hosted by IUPUI’ Center for the Study of Religion and American Life.

Dr. Chuck Dietzen, Founder of the Timmy Foundation, discusses children and international conflicts  (more…)

April 29: The Trouble with Diversity

A Mosaic International Conversation Café 

When: Sunday April 29     4:00—6:00 pm.     

Where: Starbucks 3021 W. 16th St. Indianapolis

Seating is limited, so to reserve your spot at the table RSVP to Cindy Ball at 317.920.0231 or cindyball@sbcglobal.net (Donations accepted to benefit children orphaned by AIDS)  

One of last year’s most hotly discussed books was Walter Benn Michaels’s The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality. Its message: Stop worrying about race, instead focus on class. Controversial topic. And an excellent one for one of Cindy Ball’s International Conversation Cafes, which tend to be wonderfully diverse discussions. Whether you agree or disagree with Michaels — whether or not you have even read his book — this promises to be a lively discussion.

You should know before you go …

You can read some of the arguments Walter Benn Michaels has published in newspapers:

The Trouble With Diversity,” American Prospect, September 12, 2006

“Class Fictions,” Boston Globe, October 9, 2005

“Diversity’s False Solace,” New York Times, April 11, 2004

“Overrating Diversity,” Huffington Post, September 15, 2006

For more information after the event …

Read Trouble with Diversity, and be prepared to get riled. Some reviews of the book:

“Ideology Instead of Identity,” Jennifer Howard, The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 22, 2006

“Liberty, Equality … Diversity?,” Scott McLemee

“The Trouble With Prosperity,” Ezra Klein

“The Diversity Plutocracy,” John McWhorter

“Getting Your Priorities Straight,” Unfogged

“A Peculiarly Bifurcated Book,” University Diaries

“Benn There, Done That,” Discriminations

“Colorblinded,” The Boston Globe, September 3, 2006

If you like this event …see some of the films at the Indianapolis International Film Festival that address racism and its history, such a “La’lee’s Kin” and “Dare Not Walk Alone”

April 29 & May 2: “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen”  Sun Apr 29 7:30pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark)  Wed May 2 5:45pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark) Ticket info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html  How does a Vietnamese refugee growing up in Israel handles the multiple layers of alienation? Watch the documentary “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen” to find out. Vaan Nguyen’s story is the result of one of those quirks of history that trumps fiction. Her parents were Vietnamese refugees who fled the country after the fall of Saigon, and in 1979 were among a group of 200 “boat people” granted permanent refuge in

Israel. Hanmoi Nguyen desires to return to his village, reclaim his ancestral land and confront the man who forced him to flee. His daughter Vaan has grown up in

Israel, speaking Hebrew and living as an Israeli – and yet she is alienated from Israeli society and resents being treated as a cultural
curio.

  When the opportunity arises for her to travel back to Vietnam with her father in an attempt to determine the fate of some land that used to belong to his family, Vaan jumps at the chance. She bids a less-than-fond farewell and sets off with her father, hoping to find a new life – and a sense of belonging – in a land she barely knows. Balancing surreal archival footage of Vietnamese refugees being assimilated into Israeli culture with scenes of the affection and conflict between Hanmoi’s four other daughters, The Journey of Vaan Nguyen conveys the emotional tolls that war and displacement inflicts upon individuals. As the family’s story unfolds through the poetic voices and writings of father and daughter, their personal journeys lead them to the most unexpected places, and some surprising discoveries.  Filmmaker Duki Dror is an Israeli of Iraqi ethnicity. The Journey of Vaan Nguyen continues his interests in examining the social and ethnic dilemmas of contemporary

Israel, and in exploring the subtle, yet profound complexities of maintaining cultural identity in an increasingly interconnected world. If you like this…Check out “Bridge over the Wadi,” another film dealing the amalgamation of ethnic heritage in an Israeli setting You should know before you go…Information on Vietnamese exodus to Middle East.  

April 29 & May 2: “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen”  Sun Apr 29 7:30pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark)  Wed May 2 5:45pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark) Ticket info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html  How does a Vietnamese refugee growing up in Israel handles the multiple layers of alienation? Watch the documentary “The Journey of Vaan Nguyen” to find out. Vaan Nguyen’s story is the result of one of those quirks of history that trumps fiction. Her parents were Vietnamese refugees who fled the country after the fall of Saigon, and in 1979 were among a group of 200 “boat people” granted permanent refuge in

Israel. Hanmoi Nguyen desires to return to his village, reclaim his ancestral land and confront the man who forced him to flee. His daughter Vaan has grown up in

Israel, speaking Hebrew and living as an Israeli – and yet she is alienated from Israeli society and resents being treated as a cultural
curio.

  When the opportunity arises for her to travel back to Vietnam with her father in an attempt to determine the fate of some land that used to belong to his family, Vaan jumps at the chance. She bids a less-than-fond farewell and sets off with her father, hoping to find a new life – and a sense of belonging – in a land she barely knows. Balancing surreal archival footage of Vietnamese refugees being assimilated into Israeli culture with scenes of the affection and conflict between Hanmoi’s four other daughters, The Journey of Vaan Nguyen conveys the emotional tolls that war and displacement inflicts upon individuals. As the family’s story unfolds through the poetic voices and writings of father and daughter, their personal journeys lead them to the most unexpected places, and some surprising discoveries.  Filmmaker Duki Dror is an Israeli of Iraqi ethnicity. The Journey of Vaan Nguyen continues his interests in examining the social and ethnic dilemmas of contemporary

Israel, and in exploring the subtle, yet profound complexities of maintaining cultural identity in an increasingly interconnected world. If you like this…Check out “Bridge over the Wadi,” another film dealing the amalgamation of ethnic heritage in an Israeli setting You should know before you go…Information on Vietnamese exodus to Middle East.  

April 28 & May 1: “Tanyaradzawa”  Zimbabwean film “Tanyaradzawa” explores the sexual “double standard” many African women face  Sat Apr 28 2:00pm

Herron

School of Art (IUPUI)

 Tues May 1 2:00pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark) Ticket info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html 

Tanyaradzwa traces the journey of a young girl forced to leave home in a desperate bid to heal a family rift after she falls pregnant, leading to a fight between her mother and father. The film centers on a frequent theme in contemporary African cinema – the clash of the traditional and the modern. As Tanyaradzwa struggles to make a life for herself on the streets, her parents struggle with the harshness of their decision. It’s an unsustainable stand-off – for all concerned – that must one day come to a close. Taking an intimate and personal approach, Tawanda Gunda Mupengo’s debut film asks vital questions about the vulnerability of women in a culture where sex is as taboo as it is frequent, and frequently carries tragic consequences. If you like this…Check out “Fraulein,” a film about three displaced and psychologically isolated Eastern European women. Check out IUPUI’s “Take Back the Night” Events: http://csl.iupui.edu/cs/serviceevents/TBTN.html You should know before you go… read the article

Femininity, Sexuality and Culture: Patriarchy and Female Subordination in Zimbabwe  For more information after the film …Judith Mirsky and Marty Radlett, ed. No paradise yet : the world’s women face the new century 

May 4 & 5: Let Freedom Ring: Voices of Immigration: An original theatre piece by the Broad Ripple Theatre Department (more…)

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