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Common Ground Middletown International Film Festival

Russell Library has partnered with the Middletown Commission on the Arts, Middlesex Community College, Green Street Arts Center, and Wesleyan University to select and screen six international and acclaimed films. The festival provides an opportunity to learn more about our local community’s diverse cultures and to gather together on ‘common ground’ to celebrate the global human spirit.

Each screening is followed by a scholarly discussion of the film’s cultural and societal themes. Enjoy an entertaining and educational experience each fall, no passport required.

2011

BOY - Taika Waititi, Director, New Zealand, 2010, 87 min.

BOY lives in New Zealand with his grandmother and his demented brother Rocky. When his good-for-nothing dad drifts back into his life, BOY's happy-go-lucky life becomes a bit more complicated.

Cherry Blossoms - Doris Dorrie, Director, Germany, 2008, 127 min.

A tender, emotionally intense and profoundly moving story of marital love. You follow the main character, a man who has lived a rather mundane life through a transformative, spiritual journey.

Departures - Yojiro Takita, Director, Japan, 2008, 130 min.

Daigo, an out-of-work cellist accepts a job as a 'Nokanashi' or 'encoffineer' . Upon discovering that he will actually be preparing the bodies of the deceased for their trip to the afterlife, he accepts the position as gatekeeper between life and death and gradually gains a greater appreciation for life. This thought-provoking look at life and death won best foreign film at the 2008 Oscars.

Undertow - Javier Fuentes-Leon, Director, Peru, 2009, 100 min.

An unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside; a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town’s rigid traditions.

We Still Live Here - Anne Makepeace, Director, Native American, 2010, 82 min.

The amazing story of the return of the Wampanoag language, the first time a language with no Native speakers has been revived in this county. Wampanoag people helped the Pilgrims survive and many of their descendants are still in Massachusetts. Spurred on by an indomitable linguist named Jessie Little Doe, the Wampanoag are bringing their language and culture back.

The Italian - Andrey Kravchuk, Director, Russia, 2005, 90 min.

After discovering his mother is still alive, a six-year-old Russian boy runs away from his orphanage and sets out on a perilous journey to find her. Pursued by orphanage staff and the police, he must now face the most difficult challenges of his young life in this story inspired by true events.

2010

Sin Nombre - Honduran/Mexican
Kaadhal - South Indian/Tamil
Yesterday - South African
My Best Friend - French
The Cave of the Yellow Dog - Mongolian
Reel Injun - Native American

2009

Under the Same Moon - Latino
Offside - Iranian
Chungking Express - East Asian
Dance Me Outside and 4 shorts by local directors - First Nations/Native American
Golden Door - Italian
Everything is Illuminated - Ukranianian

Film Lists from The Middletown International Film Festivals

Common Ground International Film Festival is made possible through a grant from the Middlesex County Community Foundation.