Issue 153

Wales One World Film Festival

26th February 2007

The festival kicks off on Monday March 12 with the highly acclaimed Iranian movie Its Winter. This tale of sexual opportunism and emotional betrayal was described by The Guardian as "a deeply considered and wonderfully composed film" and is indicative of the excellent selection of top quality movies being screened at Taliesin during the WOW festival's two month run from March through April.

Music lovers are well served with Habana Blues and Refugee All Stars. Both films portray musicians struggling to survive in hostile environments and feature red hot soundtracks covering reggae, hip hop blues and contemporary R&B.

The realities of life for the dispossessed and poor around the globe are highlighted in several WOW features. Bamako, set in Mali, dramatises a mock trial set in a rural domestic courtyard in sub-Saharan Africa. Several characters, from government ministers to subsistence farmers, gather in the shade of the courtyard to voice their anger and give witness against the imposition of stringent economic policies by the World Bank and the IMF.

China Blue highlights the harsh reality behind China's tiger economy; shot in secret at several locations the film shows the Dickensian working conditions in which textile worker Jasmine and her friends make jeans for the western fashion industry, whilst struggling to retain their dignity and humour.

The Railroad All Stars follows the fortunes of a female football team from the tough La Linea district of Guatemala City. Las Estrellas are also sex workers by profession and their team spirit and camaraderie make them more than a match for their various opponents including the local police and rivals from the city's strip clubs.

Indian culture is strongly reflected in the Bollywood tradition and WOW has several offering's from the subcontinent with the chance to catch Sholay, Rang De Basanti and Water as well as the Satyajit Ray's breakthrough feature Pather Panchali (1955).

Log on to the WOW website at http://www.wowfilmfestival.org, or ring Taliesin box office on 01792 60 20 60 for details of tickets and student discount offers.

Paul Seacome