nwFilmCenter

Netherlands

Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 12 PM Sun, Feb 11, 2007 at 12 PM	Winky's Horse DIRECTOR: Mischa Kamp NETHERLANDS Young Winky Wong has emigrated from China with her parents and lives in Holland where the family runs a restaurant. The language difference creates a barrier to her making friends but things improve when she finds Sara, an old pony kept at a local stable. The pony means everything to Winky and she is heartbroken when Sara becomes ill and the owners are forced to make a tough decision concerning her future. Knowing that her parents could never afford to buy her a pony of her own, when Winky learns about Santa Claus in school she becomes obsessed with the hope that he might bring her a horse all her own. An enchanting Christmas story and a moving exploration of the immigrant experience from a child's point of view, Winky's Horse provides joyous viewing for filmgoers of all ages. ( 96 min ) First feature. ^ Top
Sat, Feb 17, 2007 at 12 PM Sun, Feb 18, 2007 at 12:45 PM	Bonkers DIRECTOR: Martin Koolhoven NETHERLANDS "An elephant in trouble does exactly what's good for him," narrates nine–year–old Bonnie. "That's called instinct." Played by the sparkling and spunky Jesse Rinsma, Bonnie is the beloved daughter and granddaughter of a family whose love of elephants is only one of their eccentricities. Bonnie's grandmother takes care of the little family that includes Bonnie and her "bonkers" mother Lis, whose wild mood swings take her from hibernation (as Bonnie interprets it) to stampeding interludes. When her grandmother dies in an accident, Bonnie encounters a host of difficulties: possible government intervention, her mother's selfish new boyfriend, a world she doesn't fit into and her own demons. Relying on instinct, on what she's learned from her grandmother and, of course, on her knowledge of elephants, Bonnie faces down these challenges with an ingenuity and wisdom beyond her tender years.—Mill Valley Film Festival. ( 83 min ) Filmography: South (04), Schnitzel Paradise (05). ^ Top
Sat, Feb 17, 2007 at 3:45 PM Sun, Feb 18, 2007 at 6:15 PM Sun, Feb 18, 2007 at 8:30 PM Thu, Feb 22, 2007 at 8:45 PM	Dreaming by the Numbers DIRECTOR: Anna Bucchetti NETHERLANDS Every morning, the citizens of Naples, Italy arrive at the gambling offices, the "ricevitore," to place their bets. Holding a superstitious belief (which seems to pose no threat to this traditional Catholic community) that numbers have the power to influence the future, they confess their hopes and dreams to the women working behind the glass partitions and bet on their lives. The dream merchants behind the glass, Maria and Angela, listen intently as they thumb through the Grimas, an ancient book which applies corresponding numbers to every imaginable idea. Following the stories of the ricevitore's regulars, which include a mafia–tied matriarch attempting to recover from the death of her grandson, a transsexual bingo host who hopes to improve her luck and an agitated customer desperate to decipher the meaning of his nightmare about a limping cockroach, Dreaming by the Numbers explores how playing the numbers borne out of one's imaginings has a powerful influence on the day–to–day reality of this Italian community. ( 75 min ) Filmography: An Italian Story (02). ^ Top