I want to tell you about two excellent films that might otherwise get lost in your study of the GCFF official program: Buta and Inuk. They are two of my favourites and I eagerly recommend them to you.
Buta is a family film from Azerbaijan. The main character is Buta, a lonely seven-year-old Azerbaijani boy who lives in a mountain village with his grandmother. He is befriended by an old man who once loved (and lost) his grandmother. A travelling salesman comes to town and falls in love at first sight with a village girl. Three lives intersect is this fable of love and life set against the vivid scenery of Azerbaijan.
“Inuk” is the Inuit word for “man”, and this coming of age tale shows the universal quest for identity encapsulated in the rites of passage of a troubled teenage boy transplanted from his dysfunctional family in Greenland’s capital to a remote children’s home on a tiny Arctic island. Despite himself, Inuk comes to understand the values of his traditional society as they are threatened by encroaching industry and consumerism during a journey across the sea-ice with Ikuma, a formerly renowned hunter who now has his own demons to conquer as his eyesight fades.
Both films have won many international awards and, to be honest, if you don’t see them at the GCFF it’s unlikely you’ll come across them ever again. They also provide something different for you to watch with your teens and tweens, a cultural experience through an enjoyable film that goes beyond the standard Hollywood plot rehashes to show them parts of the world and different cultures they may never have the chance to experience for themselves.
’Til next week, and see you at the GCFF April 19-29 Film Fans! www.gcfilmfestival.com
