Joyeux Noel & Weapons of the Spirit

Thursday, December 16, 2010. 7pm. Joyeux Noel. Location: Meeting Room, 15th Street Meeting House, 15 Rutherford Place.

Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee for Best Foreign Film, Joyeux Noel tells the story of a spontaneous Christmas Eve truce declared by Scottish, French and German troops in the trenches of World War I [loosely based on a number of truces that really broke out on Christmas Eve during World War I]. Enemies leave their weapons behind for one night as they band together in brotherhood and forget about the brutalities of war. Diane Kruger (Troy), Daniel Bruhl (Good Bye Lenin!) and Benno Furmann (The Princess and the Warrior) head a first rate international cast in a powerful, must-see film [from the DVD case]. PG-13. Nominated for an Academy Award. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.

Friday, December 17, 2010. 7pm. Weapons of the Spirit. Location: Room 1, 15th Street Meeting House, 15 Rutherford Place, Manhattan.

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon was a tiny Protestant farming village in the mountains of south-central France. Defying the Nazis and the French government that was collaborating with the Nazis, the villagers of the area of Le Chambon provided a safe haven throughout the war for whoever knocked on their door. During the course of the war, the villagers collectively rescued 5,000 Jews, mostly children. NR. 2 wins. [http://www.chambon.org/weapons_en.htm].

These films are part of the Courage vs. Violence Film and Discussion Series