This year’s Reel Time Film Series will take viewers from the Dead Sea to the world’s largest cave in Vietnam, and to the Mexican American border. A program of the International Relations Commission and hosted at Hope College’s Knickerbocker Theatre, the free series is an opportunity for Holland residents to experience the world through the art of film.
The series kicks off with Dead Sea Guardians where historic enemies join forces on a heroic journey to save the Dead Sea from disappearing. The film follows three swimmers–Oded, an Israeli, Munqeth, a Jordanian, and Yusuf, a Palestinian–as they put together a group of international swimmers to attempt the first ever swim across the Dead Sea from Jordan to Israel in the hopes of gaining media exposure that will drive the region’s countries to act. The three men confront the cultural differences and political realities that complicate their friendships but know that their steps of trust are the only way to create change and save the Dead Sea, one swim at a time. Dead Sea Guardians will be shown on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 7pm at the Knickerbocker Theatre. A virtual Q&A with filmmaker Yoav Kleinman will follow the screening.
A Crack in the Mountain features the world’s largest cave, Hang Son Doong or “mountain river cave.” Located in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam, it has its own lake, jungle, and unique weather system. Plans to build a cable car into Son Doong divided the community between those arguing that it would destroy the cave’s delicate eco-system and others considering the economic benefits such a development would bring. The film investigates the challenges of modern-day exploration, environmental conservation & sustainability, and the perils of operating as an activist in a country where freedom of speech is severely curtailed. A Crack in the Mountain will be shown on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at 7pm at the Knickerbocker.
In Under the Same Moon (Spanish: La misma luna) is a Mexican American drama in Spanish and English. Single mother Rosario (Kate del Castillo) leaves her young son Carlitos (Adrian Alonso) in the care of his grandmother and illegally crosses the border into the U.S. Though she hopes to eventually make a better life for herself and her son, she toils in a dead-end job as a cleaning lady in Los Angeles. When Carlitos’ grandmother passes away some years later, the boy begins a difficult and dangerous journey to join her. This final film in the series will be shown on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024, at 7pm at the Knickerbocker.
For more information about these films and previous selections of the Reel Time Film Series, visit reeltime.cityofholland.com.
