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mk2: A Tribute

The Jerusalem Film Festival, which just ended, paid tribute to mk2, the production and distribution company celebrating its 50th anniversary, with a selection of their new slate of films. The Cinematheque will continue this tribute with ten classic titles produced by the company.

mk2 was established by filmmaker Marin Karmitz. Karmitz, a member of a Romanian Jewish family who immigrated to France after WWII, studied cinema at IDHEC and directed several films documenting the political and cultural unrest of the late 1960s to early 1970s. His distribution company specialized in quality cinema and, over the years, acquired and made available films by some of the most prominent voices in cinema, including the films of Charlie Chaplin, François Truffaut, Agnes Varda, Marcel Pagnol, etc. In addition to their impressive catalog, mk2 owns cinema chains in France and Spain.

In this month's program, we will focus on the films produced by mk2, and express the company's power to support and bring together known and new directors. The company produced Claire Denis' first film, "Chocolat," and most of Claude Chabrol's films since the mid-1980s. At the same time, mk2 gave directors from around the world their breakthrough by supporting their works: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abbas Kiarostami, Hong Sang-soo, Michael Haneke, Xavier Dolan, Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon to name a few.

Marin Karmitz was a true friend of Lia Van Leer and the Jerusalem Cinematheque, and his son Nathanaël, who now leads the company, maintains these good ties. This month's program is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and appreciate mk2's love of cinema.

Blow for Blow

Dir.: Marin Karmitz
| 95 minutes

Blow for Blow completes Marin Karmitz's political trilogy exploring the profound social changes France experienced since the 19th century to a society embedded within global capitalism. The film revolves around the gradual outbreak of workers' opposition.

Story of Women

Dir.: Claude Chabrol
| 110 minutes

WWII - Marie decides to help a neighbor dispose of an unwanted pregnancy. During wars, many women are involved in illicit affairs, and Marie's services are needed more and more... But the Vichy regime would't forgive to the "killer of unborn babies".

Gabbeh

Dir.: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
| 75 minutes

Gabbeh is a colorful carpet produced in southwestern Iran. A woman washes one of the carpets and discovers in it the image of a beautiful girl called Gabbeh. The sad Gabbeh has been forbidden to see her beloved until her uncle returns from the big city. 

The Wind Will Carry Us

Dir.: Abbas Kiarostami
| 118 minutes

A man arrives in a village in Iranian Kurdistan, but by the time it's time to leave the place, he will get to know the residents and their daily lives. Kiarostami presents a film in which he reflects on how best to live. 

Three Colors: Blue

Dir.: Krzysztof Kieslowski
| 93 minutes

Blue ("Liberty"), the first chapter in the Three Colors trilogy, centers on a woman who has lost her composer husband and young daughter in a car crash and her attempts to begin a new life free of her past acquaintances and commitments. 

Chocolat

Dir.: Claire Denis
| 105 minutes

Claire Denis's first feature film centers on the isolated homestead of a French family in colonial Cameroon. The utopic life of the family is disturbed when an airplane sets down nearby and its stranded passengers become the guests of the family.

Code Unknown

Dir.: Michael Haneke
| 118 minutes

Paris. A busy street corner. A balled-up piece of paper thrown to the outstretched hand of a beggar connects the lives of several characters who have seemingly nothing in common. In Code Unknown Michael Haneke evokes a modern world full of intolerance and alienation, leaving a message and emotional effect that remain well after the screening.

Woman Is the Future of Man

Dir.: Hong Sang-soo
| 87 minutes

Two friends reunite after years of separation and decide to find a shared old flame. Without noticing, the encounter pries into old scars. With a sophisticated script, virtuoso camera work and music that functions as the voice of an ironic narrator, this is an intelligent work, where each scene exceeds the one preceding it.

Tom at the Farm

Dir.: Xavier Dolan
| 102 minutes

After the death of his partner, Tom arrives at the family farm of his late friend and is shocked to discover that nobody knew about his sexual orientation. As time passes, Tom feels that a dark secret looms over this family of farmers. Dolan presents an impressive and very moving piece.

Rumba

Dir.: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy
| 77 minutes

Fiona and Dom's life's passion is Latin ballroom dance competitions. Their lives drastically change after a car accident. Now, the two need to find their way back to the dancefloor and each other. This is a comedy with minimal dialogue, but full of movement and physical humor.