Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Movie Night!

It's summer! Why not beat the heat and take a break from studying with a MOVIE NIGHT. Get some popcorn, stop by your campus Library, and check out a movie selection from our growing collection of foreign films.

Here is just a sample of a few new arrivals:

La Fate Ignoranti: After her husband's death in an accident, a wife discovers he was leading a double-life. Her search for his mistress leads to unexpected places. (Italian with English subtitles).

Black Orpheus. 1960 Palme D'Or winner retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in the bossa nova beat of the Rio Carnival. (Portugese with English subtitles).

Blackboards. Follows a group of teachers (literally carrying large blackboards) & their adventures as they cross through Iran's Kurdistan region. (Kurdish with English subtitles)









L'Enfant. Follows a day in the life of petty Belgian thief Bruno & what happens when he sells his newborn baby. (French with English subtitles).

Ten Canoes. A parable of forbidden love set in Australia's Arafura Wetlands. (English & Aboriginal with English subtitles).

Sunday Bloody Sunday: A British classic from 1971, telling the story of an unlikely love-triangle and finding comfort in an uncomfortable world. (In English)






Quatre Cent Coups. Francois Truffault's semi-autobiographical film portraying the dingy Parisian world of a neglected youth. (French with English subtitles).

The Son's Room. Touching story of a family facing an unthinkable tragedy. (Italian with English subtitles).

Downfall. The last days of the Third Reich as experienced in shattered Berlin and from the claustrophic confines of Hitler's bunker. (German with English subtitles).






Battleship Potempkin. A dramatized account of a Russian naval mutiny against Tsarist officers, often acclaimed as one of the most influential films of all time. (Silent).

Billy Liar. Classic British film, veering between gritty realism and flamboyant fantasy, telling the story of an undertaker's assistant with an active imagination. (In English).

The Flying Camel. Billed as a "Fantastic Tale of Impossible Oddities", this madcap comedy follows a Jewish professor, an Arab garbage collector and a nun in a delightful celebration of differences. (Hebrew and English with English subtitles).






Kolya. When a get-rish-quick scheme backfires, a playboy acquires a 5-year old charge named Kolya & hilarity ensues. (Czech with English subtitles).

Ikiru. Sometimes regarded as Kurosawa's masterpiece, Ikiru tells the story of an aging bureaucrat confronting his own death & finding meaning in his final days. (Japanese with English subtitles).

Jean de Florette et Manon des Sources. Timeless tale of greed, survival, obsession and fate set in the countryside of Provence. (French with English subtitles).

Kal Ho Na Ho. Largest grossing Bollywood film when it was released world-wide, tells the story of a conflicted young woman, the men she meets and falls in love with, and a tragic conclusion. (Hindi with English subtitles).






Ju Dou. A woman married to the brutal and infertile owner of a dye mill in rural China conceives a boy with her husband's nephew but is forced to raise her son as her husband's heir without revealing his parentage in this circular tragedy. (Chinese with English subtitles).



These and more great choices are shelved in the Feature Film section near the stairs.



Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Library Acquires Winning Student Photo

The Alexandria Campus Library has purchased the photograph that won the Faculty Award in this year’s juried student photography exhibit, which was on display in the Tyler Gallery in April and May.


Raul Valda, a second semester NOVA student, took the photo that will appear on the postcard advertising next year’s show. Raul, a native of La Paz, Bolivia, plans to complete his second year at NOVA and then transfer to George Mason University or the Corcoran School of Art.

His untitled photograph was taken at an exhibit of modern Japanese culture at the Kennedy Center. The polka-dot background was the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and Raul said he waited for the right person to walk past for his prize-winning photograph.

The photograph is exhibited in the Dan Cornell Lounge on the library balcony, and joins other student artwork on display throughout the Library.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Summer Book & Yard Sale

On Wednesday 4 June the Library held its first Summer book sale and first ever yard sale. Donations of books & household items were sold to benefit the Library's collections & services.

[above, Twynell Kimble is a super saleswoman]
Although summer term is traditionally slower than Fall or Spring, business was brisk at the "Y" on the first floor of the Bisdorf Building. After 5 hours of trade, the Library made over $350. Thanks to all Library staff who volunteered time to set up, run, and clean up the sale. And thanks to all students (as well as faculty and staff!) who supported the Library.
Book sale patrons bring a great sense of occasion & fun the sales.

All items were priced at the unbelievable bargain of just $1.00. Proceeds from the Book Sales support such Library services as Late Night Study Break during extended final-exam hours, refreshments & prizes for Library events as well as support for the Library collections.