Ammon News - AMMAN – The U.S. Embassy in Jordan, in cooperation with the Sundance Institute Film Forward program, invites the public to experience four riveting U.S. films starting April 14 through 17. The featured movies and dates are:

(Note: Film synopses are embedded with a synopsis and trailer to the movies)

Sunday April 14

Beasts of the Southern Wild - the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Winner Grand Jury Prize and Excellence in Cinematography Award Winner and nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture, lead actress (youngest Oscar nominee in history in this category). This film explores the life of a six-year-old girl who lives on the brink of orphanhood and must learn to survive and overcome catastrophes of epic proportions.

Monday, April 15

La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) – This film explores the unbreakable bond between a mother and a son. The story follows the extraordinary journey of Carlitos, a nine-year-old boy, who travels to America to find his mother as she struggles for a brighter future for the two of them.

Tuesday, April 16

Town of Runners This story follows the lives of three teenage runners from Bekoji, a rural town in Ethiopia, famous for producing long-distance runners. Over the last 20 years, runners from Bekoji have won ten Olympic gold medals.

Wednesday, April 17

Light in Her Eyes a poignant documentary filmed in pre-conflict Syria that follows the extraordinary life of a teacher who teaches girls in her community about faith and religion and encourages them to pursue their dreams.

The public is encouraged to stay after the screenings to discuss the movies with Film Forward crewmembers who were responsible to make these films a reality.
Members of the Film Forward Institute, including Light in Her Eyes director Laura Nix and La Misma Luna screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos, will also conduct a series of film and documentary workshops and hold private screenings at schools throughout Jordan.

Film Forward uses the power of cinema to inspire curiosity, foster dialogue, promote broader cultural understanding and enhance awareness of shared stories and values across generations, language, education and borders. It is an initiative of the U.S.-based Sundance Institute as well as the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in concert with U.S. Embassies and domestic presenting institutions.

All screenings are free of charge with Arabic subtitles. All of the films will start at 7:30 p.m. at Amman’s Rainbow Theater. Light in Her Eyes will also be featured in As-Salt at the Musa al-Saket Center on Monday, April 15 at 3:30 p.m.

For information on this program, please visit:
• Film Forward’s Press Release: http://goo.gl/AjUy0

For more information on Film Forward, please visit:
• Website: http://www.sundance.org/filmforward/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sundance
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FilmForward

For more information on this and other U.S. Embassy programs, please visit us:
• Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jordan.usembassy
• Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/usembassyjordan
• Website: http://jordan.usembassy.gov

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Beasts of the Southern Wild (Director: Benh Zeitlin): In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphan hood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural order is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of impressive proportions. http://youtu.be/_UB3vpfoU60


La Misma Luna (Under The Same Moon) (Director: Patricia Riggen) — Even across thousands of miles, the special bond between a mother and son can never be broken. It gives hope to Carlitos, a scrappy nine-year-old boy whose mother, Rosario, has gone to America to build a better life for both of them. While Rosario struggles for a brighter future, fate forces Carlitos’ hand and he embarks on an extraordinary journey to find her. http://youtu.be/OsbYhPpmBnU


Town of Runners (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — Town of Runners is a feature documentary about young people from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, whose runners have won 10 Olympic Gold medals in the last 20 years. The film tells the story of three teenagers who want to follow in their heroes’ footsteps, as they move from school track to national competition and from childhood to adulthood, trying to run their way to a different life. http://youtu.be/Dof6l7eHg4k


The Light in Her Eyes (Directors: Julia Meltzer and Laura Nix) — Houda al-Habash, a conservative woman preacher in Damascus, Syria, calls girls to the practice of Islam, teaching them that pursuing their ambitions is part of the Islam’s teachings. The film shot right before the uprising in Syria erupted, The Light in Her Eyes offers an extraordinary portrait of a leader who challenges the women of her community to live according to Islam, without giving up their dreams. http://youtu.be/UkvSOjgpC7A