One Feet Off the Ground

Written and directed by Chen Daming, it is a warmly observed ensemble film that casts a quizzical eye on provincial life in contemporary China. The members of a small local opera troupe are forced to cope in the real world when they become laid-off as the company goes bankrupt. They try other means to make a living, and dream of re-establishing the opera company. Then a con artist turns up with funds for a new ensemble. In Chinese with English subtitles. 50 yuan. 7:30pm, Mar 23-24. Cherry Lane Movies.

Women at the Wheel

A documentary about three women cab-drivers, who, for more than ten years, drive a minimum of ten hours a day, every single day of the year through the city Xi'an. Director Fang Yu's debut work follows the three women cruising through the streets and visits their home after work and learn about their lives, sorrows, joys and aspirations. In Chinese with English subtitles. 30 yuan. 7pm, March 31. Hart Center of Arts, 798 art district, Jiuxianqiao Lu. 6435-3570.

Dr. No

James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a colleague; the trail leads him to the ill-reputed island of a criminal genius Dr. No. It is the first of the James Bond series of action-packed spy thrillers, and it played a key role in establishing the Bond character as a recognizable icon in popular American contemporary culture. Directed by Terence Young and starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress. At D22 Club, Lanqiying, Wudaokou. 6265-3177.

You Must Be the Wolf

A sensitive contemporary drama, by young director Vittorio Moroni, about a 15-year-old girl and her relationship with her taxi driver father after she losses her mother. In Italian with English subtitles. Free. 7pm. Mar 29. Italian embassy's cultural office, 2 Dong'erjie, Sanlitun. 6532-2187.

Ridicule

Set in the court of Louis XVI in 1780s France, the film is a sharp, satirical depiction of the frivolous excesses of court life. To get royal backing on a needed drainage project, a poor French lord must learn to play the delicate games of wit at court at Versailles. The French costume drama from director Patrice Leconte opened the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In French with English subtitles. 20 yuan. 7:30pm, Mar 30. 5pm, Mar 31. French Cultural Center, 18 Gongtixilu. 6553-2627.

Saimir

Opening with bouncy music that gradually leads to grainy, depressive photography, Francesco Munzi's drama aims to peel away the surface of society to expose those rarely seen or heard. A father and his 15-year-old son, Albanian immigrants whose business is sneaking illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe into their tentative homeland. The relationship between father and son is accompanied by some great soundtracks pieces which help process the story. In Italian with English subtitles. Free. 7pm, April 5. Italian embassy's cultural office.

The Blood of Yingzhou District

The short documentary examining China's AIDS orphans by Chinese American director Ruby Yang, won an Oscar for best short subject documentary this year. The Hong Kong-born filmmaker Yang and award-winning producer Thomas Lennon followed orphans in the rural villages of Yingzhou, Anhui Province for one year. One of them, Gao Jun, was abandoned by his family and refuses to utter a word. Neighbors prevent their children from playing with him, and his own extended family rejects him. Free. 7:30pm, April 4. Xihao Caf, west gate of Yuyuantan Park. 8865-3988.

(China Daily 03/28/2007 page7)