International House Philadelphia: Program Guide Fall 2013 | Page 32

december

Traduire Tuesday, December 3 at 7pm CETRA LANGUAGE SOLUTIONS Traduire
dir. Nurith Aviv, France, 2011, digital, 70 min.

Northern Lights Wednesday, December 4 at 7pm Northern Lights – New 35mm print!
dir. John Hanson/Rob Nilsson, US, 1978, 35mm, 95 min.

Translation is the focus in the final part of Nurith Aviv’s documentary trilogy exploring language and linguistics. People from all backgrounds have been sharing and disseminating knowledge for ages. Without translations, such exchanges could not happen. In her latest film, Nurith Aviv focuses on these passionate bridge-builders; men and women who shun the limelight to spread the written word. Aviv was born in Israel and started working as a lead camera operator in 1969. Since 1989, she has devoted all her time to documentaries and in the last 10 years she has concentrated on written and spoken Hebrew, and it’s involvement beyond the reach of linguistics. The first part of this project, completed in 2004, was Misafa Lesafa: From Language to Language. –Jaques Mandelbaum, Guardian Weekly UK

Northern Lights dramatizes the story of the North Dakota farmers who founded the Nonpartisan League in the early 1900s. The League (one of the most successful, yet little known, Populist movements in US history) was organized by immigrant Scandinavian homesteaders. It was not aligned with Democrat or Republican parties, and existed on a platform of Socialist values in opposition to the monopolization and control exerted over their labor by bankers and suppliers. Framed as the reminiscences of the 94 year old (at the time of filming) real-life Nonpartisan League labor leader Henry Martinson, Northern Lights illustrates the forgotten history of the pioneer workers of the prairies - men and women who organized (in the American tradition) for their rights and fair practices. Directors Rob Nilsson and John Hanson, who share North Dakota heritage, filmed in the actual locations of the events, capturing the distinct beauty and harsh reality of the prairies. Northern Lights, in its production and release, was a landmark of American Independent Cinema. Made with professional and non-professional actors and produced by the collective Cine Manifest, Northern Lights was released completely grassroots in North Dakota and

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