A heart-pumping, jaw-dropping thrill
—Philadelphia Inquirer

Zhang Yimou’s smashing follow-up to the acclaimed Hero stars the exquisite Zhang Ziyi in a tale of star-crossed lovers set against a backdrop of political intrigue and amazing martial arts. (2004, 119 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

This savage and staggering film knows how to take our breath away —Los Angeles Times

Two troubled Turks in Hamburg, Germany arrange a marriage of convenience that changes both their lives. This uncompromising, emotion-packed love story won the 2004 European Film Award. (Fatih Akin, 2004, 118 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

What movies, at their best, are capable of
—Boston Globe

An Oscar winner for Best Documentary, this inspiring look at a group of extraordinary children in Calcutta’s red light district follows Zana Briski’s efforts to teach them photography and sell their work to pay for boarding schools. (Ross Kaufman & Zana Briski, 2004, 85 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

A double bill showcasing the best of contemporary dance. The award-winning Amelia presents Montreal’s dazzling La La La Human Steps in a performance of intricate partnering sequences, complexity and speed. Cost presents DV8 Physical Theatre in a provocative tale of street performers in a faded seaside English town who struggle to find work and romance. (Édouard Lock, 2003, 60 min. / Lloyd Newson, 2004, 34 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

Genuinely beautiful and haunting
—Chicago Tribune

Winner of the 2003 Grand Prix Award at Cannes, this Turkish film is a profound and often funny look at the distance between two lonely cousins in Istanbul who are more alike than they think. (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2003, 110 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

Brilliant, hilarious, absorbing, revelatory
—Chicago Reader

This enthralling, sprawling essay that includes clips from nearly 200 films that feature Los Angeles is an epic meditation on the role of Los Angeles in the movies and the impact of cinema on its capital city. (2003, 169 min.)

General public $8 / UCSB students $6

Builds tension like a quality thriller
—Mother Jones

This compelling documentary about Buenos Aires employees who take over their shut-down factory pits ordinary workers against the ruling elite and the powerful forces of global capitalism. (Avi Lewis & Naomi Klein, 2004, 87 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

A shockingly fresh portrait of love, hate and bigotry —Elle

William Shakespeare’s controversial play has been lovingly adapted for the screen, starring Al Pacino as a powerful Shylock. Also featuring Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes and Lynn Collins. (Michael Radford, 2004, 134 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

The kind of vision and assurance you don’t often get in a debut —BBC

A high-style, high-speed romantic thriller set in the labyrinthine netherworld of the Budapest subway system, this Hungarian black comedy was an award-winner at Cannes. (Nimrod Antal, 2004, 111 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

Visually accomplished, loads of fun
—San Francisco Chronicle

Director Khyentse Norbu, one of Himalayan Buddhism’s most revered lamas and director of The Cup, weaves parallel fable-like tales about two young men who seek to escape their mundane lives. (2004, 85 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5