Lakewood Sister Cities Program 877-208-8703 Info@LSCP.org

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My American Family Italy 2005

[A twist on our ususal exchange experience - a family coming to the US for the first time!]

Early in the 20th century, most of the males of the Merenda family emigrated to the United States from Paterno Calabro, their small village in Southern Italy. Over the years, the family's ties to the homeland dwindled. But in 2002, 70-year-old Gaetano Merenda and his wife decide to fly from Italy to Kansas for a family reunion. They will be accompanied by their son, Antonio, a documentary filmmaker living in Sweden. But before they leave for America's Great Midwest, Gaetano and Antonio make a video-diary of daily life in Paterno Calabro and then the journey abroad. When they arrive, they try to fill in the blanks in their knowledge of family history, especially the story of the supposed black sheep of the family, Francesco "Pirune" Merenda, one of the first of the village men to emigrate. Directed by documentary filmmaker Jerzy Sladkowski--himself based in Sweden--My American Family integrates cartoon extracts into an Old West style to tell this story of a once-divided clan.

Saturday, November 19
5:00 pm: Dinner at Dino's Italian, 10040 W Colfax Ave, at Kipling
7:15 pm: Movie at Starz FilmCenter, 9th & Auraria (Tivoli)

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PuzzleParis France 2005

[In preparation for our 2006 trip to Portsmouth England, and Paris!]

A puzzle is an enigma game: mysterious but interlaced segments fit together into a whole that suddenly becomes clear--the construction of a big picture. PuzzleParis paints a big picture of one of the loveliest cities in the world from a series of close-ups, and unsuspected dimensions await discovery. How can these hidden dimensions be revealed? Whether using microscopes or telescopes, music or theater, smells or tastes, the film shines its cameras on the likes of the Notre Dame cathedral and Luxembourg Gardens, which never have been seen like this. Using no special effects, the elevator of the Eiffel Tower becomes a gigantic insect, and the clouds over the Concorde Bridge move like flying saucers. The entire world and our lives can be interpreted as a puzzle, and even the tiniest details are full of inner secrets, maintains director Nataliya Lyakh. The mesmerizing images in PuzzleParis capture perfectly the colors, characters, tastes and textures of the City of Lights.

Sunday, November 20
11:00 am: Brunch at Le Central, 112 E 8th Ave, at Lincoln
12:45 pm: Movie at Starz FilmCenter, 9th & Auraria (Tivoli)

Only 25 18 tickets left!

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Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story Great Britain 2005

Blasting away at literary tradition and literary technique, the 18th Century's Laurence Sterne's rollicking novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, has taken the breath away of everyone from James Joyce to one's randy Aunty Betty. With A Cock & Bull Story, Director Michael Winterbottom lets down all the hair from all the powdered wigs. Steve Coogan (a Winterbottom favorite; 24 Hour Party People, 2002) plays both Tristram, the novel's hero, and himself playing Tristram in the shoot of a film. And the whole cock and bull of it results from Coogan trying to juggle Tristram's antics with the rollercoaster of his own life: a girlfriend who travels 400 miles with their new baby to see him; an agent who-as agents do-is trying to put the nix on a scandal; a fetching assistant director; and sycophants from out of the woodwork. The self-mocking, self-aggrandizing narration of the novel is played grandly by Coogan, as he mixes it up with fellow actors Rob Brydon (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, 1998) and The X Files' Gillian Anderson.

Friday, November 11
7:00 pm: Dinner at Pint's Pub, 221 West 13th Ave., at Bannock
9:45 pm: Movie at Starz FilmCenter, 9th & Auraria (Tivoli)

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Off Road to Athens USA 2005   This Will Sell Out!

Fueled by the high-energy, high-stress world of professional mountain biking, but also focusing on the personal struggles and sacrifices of a group of cyclists who have dedicated years of their lives to the sport, Off Road to Athens is a tribute to the passion to succeed. In 2004, the U.S. mountain bike team was allotted three spots for the Olympic Games to be held in Athens. This fast-paced film documents the tumultuous path taken by the eight athletes (four men and four women) vying for those coveted slots, which would ultimately be designated to two men and one woman. From the jungles of Ecuador to the Highlands of Scotland, from the streets of Europe to the wilds of Canada and many places in between, we share the trials and tribulations of flat tires, lost luggage, frayed nerves, grueling terrain and the occasional wayward dog, all culminating in a dramatic finish that no one could have predicted. Off Road to Athens is a film that is guaranteed to get everyone's juices flowing, and not just those dedicated weekend warriors who dutifully pull out their mountain bikes and head for the hills. Even if you know nothing about the sport of mountain bike racing before entering the theater, you will find yourself cheering on these eight riders as they reach for glory.

Saturday, November 12
1:00 pm: Lunch at Handle Bar and Grill, 305 S. Downing, at Alameda
3:30 pm: Movie at Starz FilmCenter, 9th & Auraria (Tivoli)