Belmont World Film series explores the human condition and the immigrant experience
Through the theme “Transformation/Preservation,” Belmont World Film begins its 22nd annual International Film Series on Monday, highlighting eight films that explore the complexities of what it means to be human.
The festival will screen the films on Mondays at 7:30 from March 25 to May 20, and will begin with “The Queen of My Dreams.” The film centers on a Pakistani mother and her Canadian-born daughter who share an obsession over Bollywood fantasy film “Aradhana” and “come of age in two different eras,” according to the festival’s website. The inaugural presentation concludes with a Q&A discussion with director Fawzia Mirza.
The festival kicks off with a prescreening opening reception at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge, where attendees will be served Pakistani dishes, including samosas, biryani, haleem, and naan, and Canadian desserts to reflect the film’s Pakistan and Canada settings.
“As far as I know, they’re the only movie theater that sells Indian samosas at their concessions, and because [the film is] about the shared love of a Bollywood film, there was no doubt in our mind that we were going to show it there,” she said.
Two other films, “The Old Oak” and “Traces,” will also be shown at Apple Cinemas on April 1 and April 8, respectively. The following films, “Hesitation Wound” and “Green Tide,” will play at Embassy Theater Waltham on April 15 and April 29; “Àma Gloria,” “City of Wind,” and “Bonjour Switzerland” conclude the festival on May 6, 13, and 20 at West Newton Cinemas. “Traces” and “Bonjour Switzerland” will be screened virtually, on April 16 and May 21 at 7 p.m., in addition to in-person.
The festival’s closing reception features a special in-person screening of “Bonjour Switzerland,” preceded by a selection of foods important to the cultures the film represents.
“The films are about humanity, things that we can all relate to, and sometimes things that are culturally specific that we maybe can’t relate to, but we can learn to appreciate,” executive director Ellen Gitelman said. “We looked for the theme after [selecting the lineup] but we still get a sense of what the theme is going to be [beforehand].”
Belmont World Film hosts its international film series between March and May so it can finish its run with a handful of films in honor of World Refugee Awareness Month each June. This year, “Opponent,” a Swedish film about an Iranian wrestler who immigrates to Sweden with his family, and “Striking the Palace,” a French film that follows a team of chambermaids — most of whom are immigrants — who oppose their harsh working conditions, will be shown at West Newton Cinemas on June 3 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.
This year’s lineup features an equal number of films directed by men and women, represent a dozen languages, and three of the films portray or allude to LGBTQ+ characters and themes, decisions that weren’t necessarily intentional, but allowed for representation of multiple identities, according to Gitelman.
“I’m very conscious of whether it’s a woman or a man who’s directing the film, and it does go into the mix when we’re deciding which films to show, but the overarching decision is about the quality of the storytelling and revealing something about a culture,” she said. “I also think it’s important to normalize showing LGBTQ people.”
Discussions with filmmakers and expert speakers, virtually or in-person, follow each of the screenings and explore the themes portrayed on screen.
“We have people from various backgrounds, authors or independent scholars, who have knowledge of the subject matter, and they don’t just talk, we have a very vocal audience. A lot of our audience members are from all over the world, too,” Gitelman said. “It’s really great to hear other points of view and it’s a great way to experience other cultures without leaving home.”