
Each summer, SGS hosts a film festival featuring movies from around the world. This summer, we will show ten films that focus on the theme “Friends & Family: Tales From Near and Far.”
The film festival will run most Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., from June 13 to September 12, and feature a post-screening discussion.
Admission is free and open to the community.
Films will be screened in the Geology Corner, Building 320, Room 105. Click here for a map.
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June 13
In Between
Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud (Israel/France, 2016)
Q&A with Ramzi Salti, Division of Literatures Cultures and Languages, Stanford University
Three strong Israeli-Palestinian women share an apartment in Tel Aviv. Away from the constraints of their families and enforced tradition, they find themselves “in between” the free lives they’re aspiring to lead and the restrictions imposed by their country and families. View the trailer.
Sponsored by the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies
June 20
Ice Cream
Directed by Saba Riazi (Iran, 2017)
Q&A with Director Saba Riazi
Maryam, a 30-year-old woman in Tehran, is forced to move in with her grandmother after losing her job and apartment. This semi-autobiographical film combines animation and live-action into a poetic meditation about identity and belonging.
Sponsored by the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies
June 27
Liyana
Directed by Aaron & Amanda Kopp (Swaziland, 2017)
Q&A with Meredith Miller Vostrejs, WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Stanford University
A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her twin brothers. This animated tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children who tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams.
Sponsored by the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice
July 11
Like Father Like Son
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan, 2013)
Q&A with Natalia Konstantinovskaia, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Stanford University
Ryota is a successful workaholic businessman. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another boy after birth, he faces the difficult decision to choose his true son or the boy he and his wife have raised as their own. View trailer.
Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies
July 18
Force Majeure
Directed by Ruben Östlund (Sweden, 2014)
Q&A with Jonas Tallberg, The Europe Center, Stanford University
A model Swedish family is on a holiday in the French Alps. During lunch at a restaurant, an avalanche bears down on the happy diners. The father’s selfish reaction to the ensuing panic causes cracks in his marriage and relationships with his children. View trailer.
Sponsored by The Europe Center
August 15
The Summer of La Boyita
Directed by Julia Solomonoff, (Argentina, 2009)
Q&A with Héctor Hoyos, Division of Literatures Cultures and Languages, Stanford University
Young Jorgelina feels estranged from her boy-crazy older sister. Finding refuge in their Boyita camper-van, Jorgelina travels with her father to the countryside, where her lifelong playmate Mario is undergoing changes of his own. View trailer.
Sponsored by Center for Latin American Studies
August 22
A Season in France
Directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun (France, 2017)
Q&A with Rebecca Wall, Department of History, Stanford University
Abbas has fled the war-torn Central African Republic with his two children to live in France, where he awaits political asylum. A French woman falls in love with him. When Abbas’ application is rejected, they face a crucial decision. View trailer.
Sponsored by the Center for African Studies
August 29
Quit Staring At My Plate
Directed by Hana Jušić, (Croatia, 2016)
Q&A TBA
When Marijana’s dominant father falls ill, she takes over his role as the head of the family. This new power allows her to explore her sexuality and her inner strength and gives her a taste of freedom. View trailer.
Sponsored by Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
September 5
The Secret of the Grain
Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, (France, 2007)
Q&A with Marie-Pierre Ulloa, Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, Stanford University
In southern France, a Franco-Arabic shipyard worker, along with his partner’s daughter, pursues his dream of converting a dilapidated boat into a restaurant that will specialize in his ex-wife’s fish couscous, a meal that she prepares for the family every Sunday. View trailer.
Sponsored by the France-Stanford Center
September 12
Kapoor and Sons
Directed by Shakun Batra, (India, 2016)
Q&A with Sangeeta Mediratta, Center for South Asia, Stanford University
A man and his brother return home to Coonoor, India, to visit their ailing grandfather. Amidst numerous ongoing family problems, emotions get intensified when a girl causes a rift between the two. View trailer.
Sponsored by Center for South Asia

