CinemaLit: The Emigrants (1971) – 191 minutes

We're live again at the Mechanics' Institute screening room. Join us at 6pm for a film followed by a lively discussion.

Proof of vaccination and masks are required onsite events.

CINEMALIT SEASON FINALE:

August 5 – The Emigrants (1971), 191 minutes, directed by Jan Troell, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann

The Emigrants follows an impoverished agricultural family as it leaves their rocky inhospitable farmland in Sweden and journeys to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, eventually settling in Minnesota. Based on a four-volume series of "documentary novels" by Vilhelm Moberg, The Emigrants and its 1972 sequel The New Land make one stunning epic of human survival and the Europeans' struggle for a better life in North America. Master director-screenwriter-editor Jan Troell combines fine detail with great emotional power, while coaxing honest and moving performances from legendary actors Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow.

CinemaLit July 2022 – Immigrant Stories

Immigrant stories make for rich cinema. Human relocation, generational conflict, assimilation, and culture shock carry inherent drama, and more than a little bit of comedy. CinemaLit is presenting four films in July that explore the immigrant experience. Our movie characters come from China, Pakistan, Ireland, Syria, and Senegal, but they share the complex pain and joy of leaving their natal homes to find a better, or at least different, life in a far away place. Join us for The Joy Luck Club (1993), My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Brooklyn (2015), and The Visitor (2007).

Programming in "Civil Rights, Artistic Diversity, Historical Reckoning: Exploring the Film, Literature, and Lives of Marginalized Communities" has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Mechanics' Institute, Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco, United States