War & Valor - a special curation of 7 war films
“War doesn’t determine who’s right, it determines who’s left.” – Bertrand Russell (British philosopher)
There are no victors in war, only courageous men, women and children who do their best to survive. A cursory glance at the last 100 years reveals a world that has seen more strife than peace. What does it matter whether a war is waged under the sacred name of religion, liberty or democracy; when the only people to see the end of the war are the dead and maimed?
This July, CinemaWorld presents “War & Valor” – a special curation of 7 films from all around the world that illuminate the devastating consequences of war and the brave people who preserve their humanity in the face of abject deprivation.
The premiering title, “My Little Sister”, adapted from the novel “The Joy of Our House” by renowned Bashkir Soviet novelist Mustai Karim, is a Russian WWII drama which turns away from political drama and military glory, choosing instead to focus on the domestic life of a poor family. The stars of the film are 7-year-old Yamil and Oksana, who in spite of their differences in language, culture and geography, form a special bond that tides them through the painful realities of the war.
In Norwegian animation “The Tower”, the Palestinian tragedy is poignantly illuminated through the eyes of impressionable 11-year-old Wardi who learns of a home she has never visited through the fragmented memories of her beloved great-grandfather, and dreams of returning one day to their ancestral house in Galilea.
In “Jirga”, a burdened soldier journeys through Afghanistan trekking the terrains of guilt, loss and anger, to seek absolution from the family of a civilian he had killed in the war, and it will be the 10-year-old son of the deceased who will decide his fate.
German film “The Spy” offers a harrowing and heartbreaking reimagination of WWII’s most enigmatic spy Vera Schalburg’s life as a double agent against a backdrop of the Nazi’s regime of terror.
“Leander’s Final Journey” takes place across modern Germany, Ukraine, and Russia, and illuminates the haunting legacy of love that was never allowed to bloom during wartime. For others, lovers meet with the very real knowledge that their time together is uncertain and fleeting. “My Beautiful Country” tells the haunting tale of familial and romantic love that blooms – ever so softly and discreetly – in the midst of an ocean of festering hatred.
When the atrocities of war strip a poetess away from everything, her opposition to the ruling tyranny throws her into the deep end of violence, terror and incarceration. With the help of a loving camp doctor and poetry, “Within The Whirlwind” shows that one can possess dignity in the face of suffering.
Catch all 7 movies on CinemaWorld Channel from 18 to 24 July, 9PM SIN daily.
July 18 | My Little Sister
July 19 | Leander’s Final Journey
July 20 | The Spy
July 21 | My Beautiful Country
July 22 | Within The Whirlwind
July 23 | Jirga
July 24 | The Tower
For more information, check out our schedule at www.cinemaworld.asia/schedule
You can also watch all anytime this July on CinemaWorld On-Demand*, available in selected territories.
