The Metuchen Public Library will begin its annual Edna Newby International Film Festival on March 10. The festival will feature four films. Each will be shown twice — at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Admission is free to all.
Each film will be shown in its original language with English subtitles.
The festival opens with the Lebanese film “The Attack” (Arabic & Hebrew, 2012). Amin Jaafari, an Israeli-Palestinian surgeon, has a loving wife, an exemplary career and many friends. But his life is turned upside down when a suicide bombing leaves 19 dead, and the Israeli police inform him that his wife, who also died in the explosion, was responsible. Convinced of her innocence, Amin abandons the security of his adopted homeland and searches for the truth about her, uncovering a startling secret.
The festival continues March 31, with the Swedish film “As It Is In Heaven” (2004). The film tells the story of Daniel, an internationally famous conductor, who returns to his childhood village in Sweden. Soon, the local church choir seeks him out to solicit his advice. He can’t refuse, and nothing in the village is the same again. As the amateur choir develops and grows, he is drawn to the people of his hometown, makes friends and finds love.
April 7 brings the French film “Amour” (2012). Georges and Anne have known a lifetime of love within their intimate marriage. Though their bond has stood the test of time, it’s about to meet its greatest challenge when Anne suffers a stroke. Director Michael Haneke brings tour-de-force performances to the screen in a film that celebrates the beautiful, the compassionate and the courageous. Amour was the 2012 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film.
The festival concludes May 5 with the Israeli film “Fill the Void” (Hebrew, 2012). Shira’s dreams are about to come true as she is set to marry a promising young man. Then her older sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child. The pain that overwhelms the family postpones Shira’s wedding. A match is proposed between Yochay, the late Esther’s husband, and a widow from Belgium, meaning Yochay may leave the country with his infant child. Desperate to keep her grandchild in the country, the girls’ mother proposes a match between Yochay and Shira. Shira has to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty.
The Edna Newby International Film Festival is sponsored by the Friends of the Metuchen Public Library. For more information, contact John McBride at 732-632-8526.