Illuminates the sinister logic of a new world order —Village Voice

When in the 1960s the Nile perch was introduced to Tanzania’s Lake Victoria, it took over the ecosystem, spawning not only industries of fish processing and shipping, but also bars, prostitution and the gun running that feeds Africa’s civil wars. Darwin’s Nightmare documents an ugly reality of the global marketplace. (Hubert Sauper, 2005, 107 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

A heroically whimsical film —Los Angeles Times

Roger Ebert is one of the millions of fans who call Wallace and Gromit “the two most delightful characters in the history of animation.” In this their feature-length debut, our heroes and their varmint control company Anti-Pesto try to save England’s vegetables, but an experiment goes horribly awry. (Nick Park & Steve Box, 2005, 85 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB Students Free with Valid ID

Arguably the most important film about the ‘war on terrorism’ since September 11 —The Nation

Originally broadcast as a three-part series on the BBC, this utterly original film argues that American neoconservatives and radical Islamists are actually “united” in their fear-mongering and eagerness to politicize religion as a means to fight a common enemy—Western liberalism. (Adam Curtis, 2004, 150 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

Wong Kar-wai is the most celebrated art-house filmmaker of his generation —Salon.com

The rapturously elegant and sexy In the Mood for Love established Hong Kong’s Wong Kar-wai as a film genius. Picking up where In the Mood leaves off, 2046 is a seductive reverie of memory and regret, refracted through a serial womanizer’s experiences (Tony Leung), featuring some of Asia’s most talented actresses (Maggie Cheung, Gong Li and Ziyi Zhang). (2000, 97 min. / 2005, 129 min.)

For one film: General public $8 / UCSB students $6
For both films: General public $12 / UCSB students $10

Spellbinding reality cinema —Time

Director Errol Morris’ (The Thin Blue Line) film, winner of a Best Documentary Oscar, focuses on former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, often considered the architect of the Vietnam War. The Chicago Tribune calls the film a “priceless inside look at how wars are fought, why and how military decisions are made and who makes them.” (2003, 106 min.)

Co-presented with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in conjunction with Mr. McNamara’s February 23 visit to Campbell Hall

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

Few who see it will ever forget it —San Francisco Chronicle

Moving from the chaotic 1960s to the present, this passionate epic follows two brothers through some of the most tumultuous events of recent Italian history. The Best of Youth won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. (Marco Tullio Giordana, 2003, 383 min.)

Presented in association with the Italian Cultural Heritage Foundation of Santa Barbara

For one part: General public $8 / UCSB students $6
For both parts: General public $12 / UCSB students $10

Italian Buffet at The Faculty Club between screenings 6 pm, $18, reserve by February 22: 893-3096

A captivating film that truly elevates the spirit —Los Angeles Times

A treasure trove of archival footage and touching present-day reminiscences by stars from the troupe are at the heart of this dazzling ode to the revolutionary twentieth-century dance company. Founded by Serge Diaghilev, the influential Ballets Russes featured such choreographers as Balanchine and DeMille and sets and music by Picasso, Dali and Cocteau. The Wall Street Journal praises the film’s “absolutely breathtaking sweep and joyous energy.” (Dan Geller & Dayna Goldfine, 2005, 121 min.)

General public $8 / UCSB students $6

Celebrate the spirit of adventure with this perennial A&L audience favorite. Featuring the world’s best films and videos on mountain subjects, the Banff Festival Tour awes viewers with thrills and grandeur captured in exotic locations, often from Antarctica to Zaire. The show’s wide variety of film subjects—from extreme sports to mountain culture and the environment—will amaze audiences. An entirely different program screens each evening.

General public $12 / UCSB students & youth 18 & under $10

Look no further for proof of Simone’s genius —Seattle Weekly

The many musical moods—classical, jazz, blues, folk, pop and soul—of the legendary songstress Nina Simone, the High Priestess of Soul, are captured in this rarely seen documentary of a mesmerizing 1976 Paris concert that is both music performance and psychodramatic theater. (Rene Letzgus, 1998, 75 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

A powerful, poignant, provocative drama —Los Angeles Times

This riveting and controversial political thriller follows two young Palestinian friends from the West Bank who accept a suicide bombing mission in Tel Aviv. Shot on location, Paradise Now dares to explore how terrorists are created. The New York Times writes, “The film accomplishes the tricky feat of humanizing these one-man time bombs while in no way condoning their actions.” (Hany Abu-Assad, 2005, 90 min.)

General public $6 / UCSB students $5

Sunday, March 12 / 3 pm / Victoria Hall Theater, 33 W. Victoria St. / Free

A special screening of two films from the National Geographic Channel series that examines the humanitarian work of Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). “Into the Crisis Zone” follows human rights specialist Leslie Lefkow as she travels and visits an MSF clinic in war torn southern Sudan, and “Country Nurse” looks at the work of two MSF volunteers—Mary Jo Frawley in Sierra Leone and Dr. Rachel Hardwick in post-Taliban Afghanistan. A Doctors Without Borders representative will be at this event to introduce the films and take audience questions.

Presented in conjunction with the March 16 lecture by Doctors Without Borders’ executive director Nicolas de Torrenté.