Spring Foreign Film Festival Today at 2pm and 6:30pm - Westfield Library

The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present the Spring Foreign Film Festival in March, April and May on three Mondays at 2:00 and 6:30 p.m.  The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.  

The festival kicks off with "A Matter of Size," a Hebrew language film that runs 90 minutes, on March 12, 2012.  Next, the library presents "Toast," an English film that runs 96 minutes, on April 16, 2012 and finally, "The Piano in a Factory," which is in Mandarin Chinese and runs 100 minutes, on May 14, 2012.     

In "A Matter of Size," the audience learns that the basic principle that rules the world of sumo wrestling is stand your ground or be shoved aside.  It is a theme that resonates throughout. Herzl (Itzek Cohen) is a fat, lonely man who has just quit one job as a chef in dissatisfaction and is gaining weight while attending group therapy sessions.   He finds happiness when he embraces his true girth and dedicates himself and his friends to the discipline of sumo, and finds greater happiness when he finds the courage to be honest.  Fat people, guys in loin cloths, Jewish guys dreaming of going to Japan-there are tons of possibilities for cheap shots and buffoon humor.  But the writers take none of them while delivering a story of good humor and subtle poignancy (excerpt from Edge Boston).

"Toast" is based on the bittersweet story of food writer Nigel Slater's childhood.  It is a delicious love letter to the tastes and smells that a young boy associates with his journey into adulthood.  Nigel's mother was always a poor cook, and her addiction to all things canned isn't helping. Nigel, on the other hand, laps up cookbooks as if they were porn. Nigel's Dad worries something is "wrong" with his son and the two find it difficult to connect. Just before Christmas, Nigel's mother dies, leaving Nigel and his father heartbroken.  A Mrs. Potter arrives on the scene and bewitches the father with her curves and lemon meringue pies. They move to the country, and Nigel learns to cook and lands a job in his local pub. Cooking soon becomes the key weapon in the battle for Dad's affections (excerpt from amazon.com).

In "The Piano in a Factory," steelworker Chen has a passion for music and plays in a local band.  When his estranged wife returns one day after years of absence, she demands a divorce and sole custody of their daughter.  Chen is at a loss.  He doesn't mind divorcing a woman who has become a stranger, but he can't bear to part with his daughter. Chen has worked hard to give her a respectable life and has taught her his love of music.  When asked if she'd rather stay with her father or go with her mother, the girl gives a practical, devastating answer: she'll go with whoever can provide her with a piano.  Chen cannot afford such a luxury item, but the piano becomes his last hope to save what little is left of his family.  With the help of his loyal friends and the support of his girlfriend, Chen concocts several plans to fulfill his daughter's wish (excerpt from imdb.com).  

The movies are free and open to Westfield Memorial Library and MURAL cardholders.  (MURAL cardholders belong to libraries that are part of the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries.  Check our website to see if your library participates.)  To register for the program, visit the library's website at www.wmlnj.org , click on the Online Calendar, or call 908.789.4090 option 0.  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 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. 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."