Union South Marquee Theatre
1308 W. Dayton St.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
all films start at 7:00 pm
followed by a conversation led by a member of the UW’s faculty or academic staff
Eight members of the UW College of Letters & Science, drawn from across departments and disciplines, are presenting films of their choice in the main UW campus movie theater, the Union South Marquee.
Each film has some element of religion in the story, representing the three religions — Islam, Judaism, and Christianity — which are the focus of the series organizer, the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions. The presenters will lead a discussion after each screening, in which they will illuminate some aspect of the film’s perspective on religion.
Thank you to WUD Film, the student-run film programming group of the Wisconsin Union Directorate, for hosting this collaboration.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
Le Grand Voyage
dir: Ismaël Ferroukhi | France, Morocco | 2004 | 108 min
in French and Arabic with English subtitles
[trailer]
A few weeks before his college entrance exams, Réda finds himself obligated to drive his curmudgeonly father on a pilgrimage from France to Mecca. This is perhaps the first feature film to capture the “incredible spectacle [of the Hajj]: an authentic religious phenomenon which is largely invisible and under-imagined in Western culture” (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian).
presented by
Mouna Mana | UW Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
The Apostle
dir: Robert Duvall | United States | 1997 | 134 min
[trailer]
Pentecostal preacher Sonny Dewey, estranged from his family after a troubling incident at home, sets up an evangelical church in the black community of Bayou Boutte, Louisiana. “Duvall's screenplay does what great screenwriting is supposed to do, and surprises us with additional observations and revelations in every scene” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times).
presented by
Professor Craig Werner | UW Department of Afro-American Studies
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
Pi
dir: Darren Aronofsky | United States | 1998 | 85 min
[trailer]
Madness, obsession, and 216 letters in the name of God: reclusive Maximillian Cohen studies the patterns of the universe in the hopes of finding the numerical key to chaos— pursued by stock market traders and an Hasdic cabal. “Writer/director Darren Aronofsky’s audacious debut comes across like Eraserhead re-envisioned by cyberpunk author William Gibson” (Joshua Klein, The Onion AV Club).
presented by
Professor Charles L. Cohen | UW Department of History; Lubar Institute for Study of the Abrahamic Religions
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
The Mission
dir: Roland Joffé | United Kingdom | 1986 | 125 min
[trailer]
Two great colonial forces clash over the Guaraní indians in eighteenth-century South America: the imperial government of Portugal, seeking slaves and gold, and the Jesuit missionaries who want to convert the high-mountain natives to Christianity. Winner, 1987 Academy Award for Best Cinematography; Palm d’Or, 1986 Cannes Film Festival.
presented by
Shawn Peters | UW Integrated Liberal Studies
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
Lies My Father Told Me
dir: Ján Kadár | Canada | 1975 | 103 min
[trailer]
Plucky youngster David, surrounded by the colorful neighborhood of his 1925 Montreal ghetto, is raised by an inventor father who is determined to abandon traditional Jewish ways, and is much loved by his grandfather, is “a sweet-spirited, loving junk dealer, who is equally determined to imbue David with the belief that an Orthodox faith can still serve successfully as a guide to existence” (Richard Schickel, Time).
presented by
Professor Steven Nadler | UW Department of Philosophy
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
Jesus of Montreal (Jésus de Montréal)
dir: Denys Arcand | Canada, France | 1990 | 119 min.
in French with English subtitles
[trailer]
An actor is hired to modernize the local Passion play—and become the lead—in this “intelligent, audacious” drama which “attempts to shake up stale religious assumptions, undermine religiosity with wit, and question the Gospels with a new reverence” (Caryn James, New York Times).” Winner, Jury Prize & Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, 1989 Cannes Film Festival; Best Film, 1990 Genie Awards (Canada).
presented by
Ritt Deitz | UW Professional French Masters Program
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
Guelwaar
dir: Ousmane Sembène | France, Senegal | 1993 | 115 min
in French and Wolof with English subtitles
[trailer]
The trouble begins when the corpse of outspoken firebrand and philanderer Guelwaar disappears from the funeral home. Could it have been accidentally buried in a Muslim cemetery? Legendary director Sembène drolly fans tensions in this community of corrupt officials, religious leaders, colonialists, expatriates, and bickering family members. “It’s all the little moments in Guelwaar that are so vivid and memorable” (Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle).
presented by
Professor Aliko Songolo | UW Department of French and Italian; Department of African Languages and Literature
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
7:00 pm | Union South Marquee | 1308 W. Dayton St.
[parking info]
The Matrix
dir: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski | United States | 1999 | 136 min
[trailer]
A 20th-century computer hacker named Neo may have some sort of messianic function in deciding the fate of the world. He gradually understands that everything he imagines to be real is actually the handiwork of 21st-century computers which can only be stopped only by a savior known as the One. “The Matrix is so wild and crazed it requires adult supervision. Thank God, it never got it. It rocks” (Stephen Hunter, Washington Post). Winner, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, 2000 Academy Awards.
presented by
Professor Robert Glenn Howard | UW Department of Communication Arts; Digital Studies Program