We will be discussing the following film: Film title: Yeelen Synopsis: This adaptation of an ancient oral legend from Mali, is one the most acclaimed and widely seen African films ever made. An Oedipal story mixed with magic, Yeelen is as visually stunning as anything from Hollywood. Set in the powerful Mali Empire of the 13th century, Yeelen follows the journey of Nianankoro, a young warrior who must battle the powerful Komo cult. Nianankoro’s greatest enemy is his own father, a dangerous and corrupt wizard who uses his dark magic to try and destroy his son. Traveling over the arid Bambara, Fulani and Dogan lands of ancient West Africa, Nianankoro…

  We will be discussing the following film: Film title: Médecin de campagne (The Country Doctor, 2016) Synopsis: This social dramedy stars Francois Cluzet as a devoted and revered countryside doctor whose life gets rocked by a middle-age woman who has come from the city hospital to earn her chops. Challenging each other with opposite views on medicine, the pair eventually bonds and learns from one another. Nominated for Best Actor (Francois Cluzet) at the Cesar Awards. Nominated for an Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Free and available online at Kanopy https://princeton.kanopy.com/video/country-doctor (PUID required)   Watch the trailer: https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1260631577?playlistId=tt5078326&ref_=vp_rv_0  

We will be discussing the following film: Film title: Leona, Mexico 2018 https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/11700747   Synopsis: An intimate, insightful, and moving film that tells the story of a young Jewish woman from Mexico City who finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love. Ripe with all the drama and interpersonal conflicts of a Jane Austen novel, watching her negotiate the labyrinth of familial pressure, religious precedent, and her own burgeoning sentiment is both painful and beautiful – there are no easy choices to be made. Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEKp-Ort7hU