Series/Festivals

Week of February 16, 2005

Feb 16, 2005 at 4:00 am
I Have Found It (Kandukondain Kandukondain) (unrated) Rajiv Menon. Obligatory, lavish musical interludes punctuate and interpret two sisters' romantic complications and one family's fortunes in this Bollywood adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Numerous, overlapping subplots involve a dying granddad, an investment failure, an aspiring film director's challenging project -- even a lovestruck suitor wounded in military conflict by a landmine. Above all, the multifaceted story showcases the sensuous colors and multiple costume changes of first-rate production numbers. The discreet interaction channels sexual energy, and the dazzling cinematography captures gorgeous landscapes, including pyramids, a vast desert, magnificent homes and a picturesque lake. Aishwarya Rai, former Miss World and a recent U.S. media celebrity, lends her charismatic screen presence as conflicted emotions reign in the stylized and captivating I Have Found It. In Tamil with English subtitles. Screens at 7 p.m. Friday, February 18, through Sunday, February 20, in the Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University, 470 East Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves. Call 314-968-7487 for more information. (Diane Carson)

Margaret Mead Program II (unrated) Showcasing innovative, nonfiction works from around the world, the Margaret Mead Festival continues with A Panther in Africa and "a/k/a Mrs. George Gilbert." Director Aaron Matthews ' A Panther in Africa focuses on Pete O'Neal, who has spent the past 32 years in Tanzania to avoid the consequences of a U.S. weapons charge. Video of O'Neal's Black Panther days brings his earlier years to vivid life. Through candid commentary, O'Neal acknowledges that, while growing up in Kansas City, "the streets got me"; his pre-1965 ambition was to be a pimp. Today, at 63, he directs the United African Alliance and works tirelessly to improve his community and counter racism. Coco Fusco's experimental "a/k/a Mrs. George Gilbert" uses newspaper headlines, photos and video footage to reconsider the 1970 hunt for philosopher and activist Angela Davis from the point of view of an imaginary, obsessed FBI agent. Both screen at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 16, in the Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University, 470 East Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves. Call 314-968-7487 for more information. (Diane Carson)