Cinema Akil - A Hard Day's Night film screenings in August/September
Here's the line up for the last session of Cinema Akil's A Hard Day's Night film screenings at the Cinema Room in A4 Space at Alserkal Avenue.
3rd, 4th, 5th August 2016 at 7.00pm
Ayanda
Directed by Sara Blecher
2015 | 105 min | English | South Africa | PG-13 | Drama
In a vibrant and diverse Johannesburg community, 21-year-old Afro-hipster Ayanda has a knack for taking neglected pieces of furniture and “bringing them back to love”. Eight years after her father’s death, she is determined to revive his prized garage business, which is in deep debt and in danger of being sold.
The film crackles with infectious energy and style, capturing a vividly contemporary view of South Africa. Inspired by the possibilities of a modern African aesthetic, Ayanda explores the core theme of how we let go of the things and people we love.
The film has been nominated for 9 African Movie Academy Awards including best film, best director, best lead actor and actress and supporting actor and actress.
10th, 11th, 12th August 2016 at 7.00pm
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Directed by Mel Stuart
1971 | 100’ | English | UK | G | Comedy, Fantasy, Family
The world is astounded when Willy Wonka, for years a recluse in his factory, announces that five lucky people will be given a tour of the factory, shown all the secrets of his amazing candy, and one will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate.
Nobody wants the prize more than young Charlie, but as his family is so poor that buying even one bar of chocolate is a treat, buying enough bars to find one of the five golden tickets is unlikely in the extreme. Charlie, along with four somewhat odious other children, get the chance of a lifetime and a tour of the factory. Along the way, mild disasters befall each of the odious children, but can Charlie beat the odds and grab the brass ring?
17th, 18th, 19th August 2016 at 7.00pm
Factory Boss
Directed by Wei Zhang
2014 | 102 min | Mandarin | China | PG-13 | Drama
After successfully running a toy factory in Shenzhen for 20 years, Lin Dalin has to face the economic squeeze and competition from cheaper Southeast Asian countries. New orders are scarce, pay is slow, savings are done on safety rules, and workers threaten to revolt. In order to avoid bankruptcy, Lin reluctantly accepts a large but very low profit margin order from a big international client.
Meanwhile Ai Jing, a young journalist, is sent undercover to investigate the working conditions of the factory, one of the many ‘blood and sweat’ factories. When the government announces a minimum wage increase, the risk of a strike looms. Under intense pressure from all sides, Lin Dalin struggles to hold his business together and fulfill the big order.
The confrontation that results will bring the entire industry to the brink of collapse. The film is a riveting exploration of the challenges of the manufacturing industry in China. Winner of Best Actor at the Montreal World Film Festival.
24th, 25th, 26th August 2016 at 7.00pm
The Grapes of Wrath
Directed by John Ford
1940 | 129 min | English | USA | PG | Drama
Adapted from John Steinbeck’s novel, this classic drama shows how the Great Depression affects one American family. Evicted from their Oklahoma farm homes, the Joads head West to seek work, but two die during the journey.
In California, the family’s deterioration continues as they live in poverty in migrant camps. The film won an Academy Award for Best Director and was nominated for Best Picture.
31st August and 1st, 2nd September 2016 at 7.00pm
The Solitary Life of Cranes
Directed by Eva Weber
2008 | 28 min | English | UK | G | Documentary, Short
Part city symphony part visual poem, ‘The Solitary Life of Cranes’ explores the invisible life of a city, its patterns and hidden secrets, seen through the eyes of crane drivers working high above its streets. Within the loose structure of a day, starting with the drivers climbing up at dawn and ending with them coming down after a nightshift, the film observes the city as it awakens with a bustle of activity, through the lull of midday and the manic rush in the evening, until it calms down again deep into the night.
Throughout the film, the drivers share their thoughts and reflections on London and life in general. What emerges is a lyrical mediation about how our existence is shaped through the environment we inhabit, both for the drivers high up in the sky and the people on the ground they are watching.
The Match Factory Girl
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
1990 | 68 min | Finnish | Finland | PG–13 | Drama
Iris has a dead-end job in a match-factory, lives with her dour and forbidding parents, and her social life is a disaster. But when she is made pregnant after a one-night stand by a man who thought she was a prostitute, she decides that enough is enough and plans her revenge.
- Schedules are subject to change, please check our website for updates.
- Screenings are free, open to the public and are on a first-come-first-seated basis.
- Please note the ratings before bringing children or underage adults to the screenings.