Whale Rider

Friday June 8 at 7:30 PM

If you saw it before you will love it again!Based on the novel of the same name by Maori writer Witi Ihimaera, Whale Rider is a unique family drama directed Niki Caro. On the eastern coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their ancestor Paikea was saved from drowning by riding home on the back of a whale. The tribal group has since granted leadership positions to the first-born males, believing them to be descendants of Paikea. This tradition is challenged when a young mother dies in childbirth along with her newborn male son. His twin sister manages to survive and the father (Cliff Curtis) runs off, overwhelmed with grief.

The little girl, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), is brought up by stubborn grandfather Koro (Rawiri Paratene) and gentle grandmother Nanny (Vicky Haughton). Koro, the chief of their tribe, is disappointed because Pai’s twin brother was supposed to be the next leader. Trying to find the proper successor, he attempts to organize a leadership group amongst the local boys while Pai enlists the help of her has-been uncle Rawiri (Grant Roa) to teach herself the art of chiefdom. She appears to possess a natural leadership ability and adventurous spirit that draws her to the proliferation of her faltering tribe. Whale Rider premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and won the World Cinema Audience Award

Bab’Aziz – The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul

Friday June 22 at 7:30

With its rich blend of mystical poetry, its diverse literature, its spiritual ethics, and its many musical masterworks, Sufism is a path of the heart that speaks to those who yearn for a closer intimacy with God, a richer interior life, and a repertoire of spiritual practices that give it depth and meaning. Bab’Aziz — The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul is the last film in the Desert Trilogy of Tunisian director Nacer Khemir (The Searchers of the Desert, The Dove’s Lost Necklace). This visually stunning film, filmed in the sandscapes of Tunisia and Iran, presents a multi-leveled glimpse of Sufism, the mystical expression of Islam. Bab’Aziz enchants with its beautiful and profound depictions of the love that animates our relationship with the Beloved, with the world, and with our neighbors.