Theatr Mwldan Film Society / Cymdeithas Ffilm Theatr Mwldan

Cert 12A

Eran Kolirin | Israel | France | USA | 2007 | 87’

The story of an Egyptian police marching band stranded in a small Israeli town, Eran Kolirin’s sweet little film has a few sharp points to make about Jewish-Arab relations, but most of the laughs spring from good old-fashioned miscommunication and embarrassment. Stranded and unable to contact their embassy, members of the band are forced to seek shelter with the bemused locals, and must endure a long night of confusion, social gaffes and unrequited lust.

Ffilm annwyl sy’n trafod y berthynas Iddew-Arab ynghyd â dogn helaeth o chwerthin ac ysgafnder.

SUBTITLES | IS-DEITLAU

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We also showed this on the 2nd.

Cert 15

Mohamed Al Daradji | 2005 | Iraq | 110’ DIGITAL | DIGIDOL

Scarred Baghdad 2003… In Iraq’s first post-Saddam feature, three individuals from a mental hospital are forced to wander the streets of Baghdad after the U.S. invasion destroyed their home. They are stuck between the madness they once were treated for and the madness that now surrounds them. We move between the past and the present of these individuals whose lives were changed forever under Saddam Hussein and are now entangled together by the chaos of the American ‘Shock and Awe’ campaign. Ffilm yn dangos sut le oedd yn Baghdad wedi cwymp Saddam, mae bywydau pobl wedi’u rhwygo, sut mae adeiladu eto.
SUBTITLES | IS-DEITLAU

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Awards

we also showed this on the 24th

Cert 15

Carlos Reygadas | Mexico | France | Netherlands | Germany | 2006 | 136’

A beautiful cinematic love poem, Silent Light is set on the outskirts of Chihuahua, Mexico in a Menonite community where a medieval German dialect is spoken and traditional values observed. The film centres on the plight of Johan, a husband and father who breaks the community rules by having an affair with another woman. Johans’ inner turmoil is played out against everyday habits and rituals - mealtimes, prayers, and tender moments which punctuate the day.

Cerdd serch sinematig prydferth yw Silent Light, wedi ei gosod ar gyrion Chihuahua, Mecsio mewn cymuned Menonite, lle siaredir tafodiaith Almaeneg canol oesol a lle glynir wrth y gwerthoedd traddodiadol. Mae’r ffilm yn troi o gwmpas bywyd Johan, gwr a thad sy’n torri rheolau’r gymuned trwy gael perthynas gyda gwraig arall. Caiff terfysg mewnol Johan ei bortreadu ochr yn ochr ag arferion beunyddiol – prydau bwyd, gweddïo, ac eiliadau tyner sy’n codi ar hyd yn ystod y dydd.
SUBTITLES | IS-DEITLAU

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Cert PG

Jasmine Dellal | USA | 2006 | 116’

A stunning display of the musical world of the Roma, juxtaposed to the real world they live in. This rich feature documentary celebrates the luscious music of top international Gypsy performers and interweaves stirring real life tales of their home life and social background. Shot by documentary icon Albert Maysles, the film takes place on location in Spain, Macedonia, Romania and India, as well as in Europe and in the USA during the Gypsy Caravan concert tour created by World Music Institute.

Byd lliwgar y Roma gyda cherddoriaeth a pherfformiad egniol a difyr, ffilm mewn arddull ddogfen gyda digon o flas bywyd domestig hefyd. Ffilm sydd ar daith gyda’r bobl symudol yma.

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We also showed this film on the third Feb

Cert15

John Carney | Ireland | 2006 | 85

From Ireland, here’s a low-budget charmer that stole away the Audience Award at Sundance in 2007. On the streets of Dublin a careworn busker (Glen Hansard) strikes up a friendship with a sparky young Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova). He’s nursing a broken heart and stalled ambitions; she’s getting by on cleaning jobs and chutzpah. As their relationship evolves, writer/director John Carney weaves Hansard’s gorgeous self-penned songs into the narrative, creating a seamless fusion of music and storytelling that’s anchored by marvellous performances and a gutsy grace.

O Iwerddon, dyma ffilm gyllideb isel swynol a enillodd Gwobr y Gynulleidfa yn Sundance 2007. Ar strydoedd Dulyn mae cerddor pen stryd blinderus (Glen Hansard) yn ffurfio cyfeillgarwch gyda mewnfudwraig ifanc a bywiog o’r Weriniaeth Tsiec (Marketa Irglova). Mae ganddo ef dorcalon ac uchelgeisiau tu hwnt iddo; mae hithau’n ymdopi ar swyddi glanhau a chutzpah. Wrth i’r berthynas datblygu, mae’r awdur/cyfarwyddwr John Carney yn gwau caneuon hyfryd i’r stori, wedi eu hysgrifennu gan Hansard ei hun, gan greu asiad llyfn o gerddoriaeth a chwedleua caiff ei goroni gan berfformiadau gwych a gosgeiddrwydd dewr.

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We also showed this film on the 27th

Cert 15

Gillo Pontecorvo | Algeria | Italy | 1966 | 121′

This classic film is a riveting reconstruction of the struggle for independence in mid-50s Algiers, its themes as headline-fresh as its content. It’s October 1957 and, cornered by French forces, National Liberation Front leader Ali La Pointe reflects on his rise to revolutionary status as the Algerian’s use of terrorist tactics is met with brutal counter-measures by the French. Though there’s no question whose side Pontecorvo is on, but the emphasis is one of balance rather than bias as the civilian cost is counted on both sides. Clasur o ffilm ag arddull ddogfennol iddi am y frwydr dros annibyniaeth yn Algiers. Cyfle i ail-fyw hanes hynod ddramatig.

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We also showed this film on the 21st

Cert 15

Stefan Ruzowitzky | Austria | Germany | 2007 | 98’

A devastatingly effective wartime thriller, based on real events. In 1936, the Nazis established the largest counterfeiting operation in history, intending to flood British and American economies with fake currency. Concentration camp inmates were enlisted to assist - among them master forger, gambler and playboy Salomon Sorowitsch (’Sally’), a charismatic rogue who is at first energised by his new task and by the superior status it gives him. But as the war grinds on, the moral frailty of Sally’s position becomes increasingly apparent and he must choose which side he’s on. Absolutely gripping, and crackling with class and intelligence, this is an instant classic.

Ffilm am gyfnod y Natsïaid yn seiliedig ar hanes go iawn. Mae’r cynllwyn mwyaf i greu arian ffug ar droed a hynny ynghanol cythrwfl a thyndra’r rhyfel, mae cyfraniad y cymeriadau gwahanol yn agoriad llygad.

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we also showed this film on the 11th of Jan

Cert 15

In True North, a British fishing trawler sets sail with debt problems and an illegal cargo of Chinese immigrants. At the helm is British writer/director Steve Hudson who presents this morality tale in an eloquently stark style. Among the Scottish crew, Peter Mullan lures with roguish antics but soon the storm clouds move in, darkening the tone as the unwitting Skipper goes in dogged pursuit of fish and the Chinese are left to languish. Within the close confines of the boat, tension builds and there are some compelling performances and daring exchanges which a Hollywood director wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. Hudson handles the drama with great sensitivity, and steers us towards a deeply moving conclusion, proving that trawling the murkiest depths of the human soul does yield rewards. Mewnfudwyr anghyfreithlon o Tsieina yw cargo cwch pysgota Prydeinig. Mae’r capten yn ceisio pysgota am bysgod ond mae pethau i’r criw yn howld y cwch yn mynd yn fwy a mwy anodd. Ffilm am ddyfnderoedd y natur ddynol. (96′)

Cast

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We also showed this film on the 6th of January

Cert 15

Irish director Niall Heery’s debut feature is a study of male friendship and broken dreams, set to a country music soundtrack. In a tiny logging community in rural Ireland, Doug is an unassuming fork-lift driver too shy to let anyone listen to his country music demo tape. But his life, and that of best mate Bill, changes when old friend Burley arrives after a year in prison. The result is an understated, elegiac, moving film about far-reaching dreams that run under the surface of invisible lives. Heery’s shots of the Irish logging town conjure a place at once beautiful and claustrophobic, and the ensemble cast does justice to a great screenplay that refuses cliché or sentimentality. But it’s Iain Glen’s brilliantly understated performance as the sensitive, troubled Doug that elevates Small Engine Repair way above the competition. By the end, his small journey of quiet redemption will mean everything to you. Mae Doug yn ddyn swil sy’n gyrru tryc fforch ac sydd â breuddwyd gudd o fod yn ganwr gwlad. Daw ei gyfaill, Burley allan o garchar a dyna gychwyn taith o ddarganfod i’r ddau. (102′)

Cast

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we also showed this film on 29/12/07

Cert 15

In this classy action thriller, Juliette Binoche stars as Irene, a French secret agent who helps to reunite missing American CIA man Eliot (Nick Nolte) with his long estranged children, while protecting him from a CIA assassin (John Turturro). Set in the days leading up to 9/11, director Santiago Amigorena’s movie has proven controversial for implying the CIA had foreknowledge of the attacks. This movie takes the Hollywood conspiracy theory thriller, and gives it a hard continental twist. Binoche excels as quirky Irene, a hard-nosed agent who also talks to her pet turtle, and as she moves through Paris and Venice, the tension builds to a compelling finale. Ffilm gyflym ei thempo am ysbïwraig Ffrengig sy’n ceisio uno ysbïwr o America gyda’i blant heb i neb gael niwed. Mae’n ffilm â steil iddi fydd yn cyflymu’r galon. (115′)

Cast

Awards

We also showed this film on the 7th of December