9th Annual Film FOCUS Comes to Town
While "annual" might be something of a misnomer, the Toledo Library's Independent Film Festival, FOCUS, is definitely one of the city's best regular traditions. This fall, the festival is featuring four independent films that are must-sees for every cinema aficionado in the city.
Who doesn't love a good movie?
Unlike other film festivals where it's all movies all day, this one is built around the working movie lover's schedule. The library shows one film every Monday night at a quarter after six.
This year's festival has featured the following films:
Clandestine Childhood, a film directed by Benjamin Avila.
Clandestine Childhood is set in late 1970s Argentina and centers on the coming of age of the main character, Juan. In 1979, Juan and his family return to their Argentinean home after spending much of Juan's life in exile because of their political proclivities. With the family facing an imminent and permanent threat of capture and disaster, Juan still has to navigate the basics of day-to-day life as a 12-year-old kid.
Free Men, a film directed by Ismael Ferroukhi.
Free Men focuses on Younes, a young man who is unemployed and living in Paris during the German occupation. He agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque in exchange for not going to jail after being captured by police. While doing this, he meets and falls in love with a young Jewish singer and ultimately switches sides, becoming a legitimate and informed freedom fighter.
Koran By Heart, a documentary directed by Greg Barker.
Every year, during Ramadan, kids from 70 different Islamic countries come together in Cairo to compete against each other in a contest to determine who is the most accurate at reciting the Koran. Contestants aren't just judged by accuracy, though, they are also judged on their passion and the beauty they infuse into the words. The contestants are ten years old, and for many of them, the outcome of this contest will determine their future.
A Festival of Shorts - a festival that features four short films.
This year, Mowing through Misery, Inocente, Do No Harm, Saturday Girls, and It's My Turn will share the evening.
The Light in Her Eyes, a documentary.
The Light in Her Eyes focuses on a summer Qur'an school for girls to teaches them about Islam. The course was founded 30 years ago in Damascus by Houda al-Habash, who was shot right before the Syrian uprising took place. Still in session, the school is slowly but surely helping women claim their places within the walls of local Mosques.
Join your fellow local film buffs every Monday through October 21 to enjoy the most convenient film festival you'll ever attend.
Please note, however, that the films are not subject to ratings by the MPAA, so while children are allowed at these screenings, parents should use their own discretion about whether or not to bring the little ones.
Erin Steiner is from Portland, Oregon. She writes about cultural events (like this one), small business topics (like Reputation.com reviews), and a variety of other issues.