.”Kung Fu Hustle”
7:15 p.m. Saturday, Riverview Theater
Stephen Chow’s much-anticipated “Kung Fu Hustle” arrives in the Twin Cities early, thanks to the film festival, weeks before it goes to wide release.
This comic martial arts extravaganza boasts many of the staples we have come to expect from a Chow film. His last, “Shaolin Soccer,” had an excess of jokes, kung-fu battles and special-effects sequences. Needless to say, this is sure to be the wildest of the screenings Saturday.
“And Thereafter”
5:45 p.m. Saturday, McNally Smith Auditorium
Hosup Lee’s “And Thereafter” is a deconstruction of the American dream. A 76-year-old immigrant, Young-Ja Wike, married a U.S. soldier and traveled overseas only to encounter a land that was less than it promised.
The film is the first in a planned trilogy about the reality Korean War brides faced in the United States. The short “A Cat and I,” by Don-hee Ann, about a young girl who uses paper dolls as an escape from reality, precedes “And Thereafter.”
“The Center”
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Bell Auditorium
A film existing as an extended metaphor, “The Center” is Stanislaw Micha’s search for the center of Europe, in terms of geography, politics and personal perspective.
In the process, he finds a number of unique personalities. Micha explores the difficulty of grasping how the old Europe is no more and the new, unified Europe has changed the rules forever.
“Minnesota Shorts Showcase”
7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Bell Auditorium
Consisting of 14 short films from local filmmakers, ranging in length from four to 11 minutes, the “Minnesota Shorts Showcase” was programmed by Isaac Gale and Joe Midthun. They said they hope to show what they feel best represents the diversity and artistry of our local filmmaking community.
Topics vary from therapy sessions to the spiritual transformation of a young Iranian Muslim woman and even a story told from the perspective of a tree.
“Black Mor’s Island”
2:45 p.m. Sunday, Riverview Theater
Part of the festival’s eclectic Childish Film Festival, Jean-Francois Laguionie’s “Black Mor’s Island” is a rousing animated adventure on the high seas, featuring a teenage boy who escapes an orphanage to follow his pirate hero on a search for treasure.
Naturally, that treasure ends up being far different from what he bargained for.
In a style similar to 2003’s “Triplets of Belleville,” “Black Mor’s Island” is the product of Laguionie’s 20-plus years of experience in creating animated features.
