Film Screenings at Mirage City Cinema - October 2020
Sharjah Art Foundation has announced a program of film screenings this month at its outdoor Mirage City Cinema that will focus on “behind-the-scenes look at the world of stage productions”.
In tales of social and economic hardship, the characters strive to achieve their dreams while struggling to keep their art and business alive.
The films will screen on Fridays from 16 to 30 October at 8.30pm and are free to attend. Here’s the location map. Information about each film is added below. Gold Diggers of 1933 is essential and a must-see on the big screen.
October 16
Gold Diggers of 1933
Director: Busby Berkeley, Mervyn LeRoy
1933 | USA | 97 min | English with Arabic subtitles
Set during the Great Depression in the 1930s, Gold Diggers of 1933follows three showgirls who must find a way to fund their Broadway play and achieve their dreams when the show is suddenly shut down because of unpaid bills. With notable musical numbers choreographed by the renowned Busby Berkley, hailed for his extravagant set designs, the film offered audiences of that time an escape from the harsh reality of the economic downturn.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording (1934), the film was selected in 2003 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as it was considered ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’.
Watch this clip highlighting one of the dance scenes in the film.
October 23
A Dog’s Life
Directors: Mario Monicelli and Steno
1950 Italy | 108 min | Italian with English and Arabic subtitles
This film follows the mischievous antics of variety show cast members as they perform in different Italian cities. As the film proceeds, the characters reveal their inner desires and ambitions.
This film is considered a commedia all’italiana, an Italian genre that combines comedy and tragedy, pleasure and misery. In a 1999 interview with Donato Totaro for Offscreen, director Mario Monicelli explained the appeal of this genre: ‘The themes that make one laugh always stem from poverty, hunger, misery, old age, sickness and death. These are the themes that make Italians laugh, anyway.’
October 30
To Live to Sing
Director: Johnny Ma
2019 | Canada, China, France | 100 min | Chinese with English and Arabic subtitles
Frustrated with performing to empty seats, members of a Sichuan Opera troupe contemplate moving on from the theatre that has also served as their home for the past 10 years. The manager struggles to keep the looming threat of demolition a secret while looking for a way to save the ramshackle theatre and protect the livelihoods of the performers.
To Live to Sing premiered at the Director’s Fortnight programme, Cannes Film Festival (2019). It won Best Film and Best Actress in the Asian New Talent Award Section of the Shanghai International Film Festival (2019); Best Screenplay in the Chinese Competition and the NETPAC Award at the International Film Festival and Awards Macao (2019); and Honorable Mention in the International Competition category at the Guanajuata International Film Festival (2019).