Bamako preceeded by the Anthem August 10, 2007

"I have never seen a film quite like Bamako... [it's] a work of cool intelligence and profound anger, a long, dense argument that is also a haunting visual poem."—A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES

A mock trial examining the impact of the West's economic policies on Africa is the centerpiece of Bamako, set, as the title indicates, in the capital city of Mali. Against this highly charged background, the tenuous relationship between a sexy lounge singer and her unemployed husband, a suspect in the theft of a gun, unwinds. Danny Glover is an executive producer for the film and also appears in a small role. (118 mins., 35mm)

In The Anthem, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the director of Syndromes and a Century, plays on the Thai tradition of playing the Royal Anthem before feature films: he proposes a "Cinema Anthem" to bless the approaching feature and clear the minds of the audience. (5 mins., 35mm) Weerasethakul, a former Wexner Center Residency Award recipient in media arts, introduced screenings of some of his earlier films here in November 2004.

Official Website: http://www.wexarts.org/fv/index.php?eventid=2225