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Boston Globe

Belmont World Film's 23rd International Film Series examines ‘Freedom on Film'

'Normally, we have to look at the films and say, 'What connects them all?' but as I was watching [this year's] films, it's freedom, just coming back,' Gitelman explained in an interview with the Globe. 'I know people are very concerned about freedom and freedom of speech.' Advertisement According to an email from Gitelman, 'the lineup 'explores the many dimensions of freedom — from personal liberation to political resistance — showcasing compelling stories from around the globe … shedding light on the struggles and triumphs of those who dare to break barriers.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The series invites audiences to engage with diverse perspectives on what it truly means to be free,' she said in an interview. A scene from director Georgi Unkovski's "DJ Ahmet," the opening film for Belmont World Film's 23rd International Film Series. Handout Coming-of-age drama 'DJ Ahmet' will kick off the festival on March 31 at Apple Cinemas in Cambridge. Set in a rural community in North Macedonia, writer-director Georgi M. Unkovski's film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sonoma International Film Festival and both 'It's a really sweet coming-of-age film, but also shows another side of culture that maybe we're not so familiar with. There are other ways of living in the world,' Gitelman said. The film follows 15-year-old electronic music lover Ahmet as he navigates familial and social expectations and first love. The story explores the theme of generational divides, Unkovski said in Following the screening, Boston University professor Dr. Irena Vodenska, who is from North Macedonia, will host a discussion about the film. Advertisement 'The Good Teacher,' a film exploring sexuality, homophobia, and violence, and 'Waves,' a story of censorship, will also screen at Apple Cinemas as part of the festival. Librarian Benoit Landon of Boston-based French cultural nonprofit the The remaining films will be presented at West Newton Cinema in Newton, with 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' and 'Manas' screening in April. On April 21, 'Reading Lolita in Tehran,' an adaptation of Iranian-American writer Azar Nafisi's 2003 memoir, details her experience hosting a secret literary club with seven female students in post-revolutionary Iran in the mid 1980s and early-'90s. In 'Manas,' 13-year-old Marcielle must grapple with the systemic exploitation and violence experienced by the women and girls in her small Brazilian village, and attempt to break the cycle for her young sister. Laura Ottoni of Grupo Mulher Brasileira (Brazilian Women's Group) and Belmont World Film board member and social worker Maria Carvalho will host a discussion of the film on April 28. Roya Sadat's "Sima's Song," which follows the long-time friendship of two women with opposing political views, will have its North American premiere during the film series in May. Handout May's programming opens with the North American premiere of 'Sima's Song.' In the film, set in 1970s Afghanistan, Suraya, a wealthy communist activist, and Sima, a conservative Muslim, navigate their friendship amid the civil unrest and war. Berklee College of Music history professor James Bradford will speak following the film on May 5. On May 12, writer Mathyas Lefebure will appear at the festival for the US premiere of 'Shepherds,' a film based on his memoir about his decision to trade an advertising career for life in the French Alps to become a sheep herder. Advertisement 'Four Mothers,' screening May 19, is a lighthearted Irish comedy about the unlikely friendship that forms between a novelist, his unwell mother, and her three elderly friends. As serious as the festival lineup can be, 'sometimes they're just purely funny,' Gitelman said. A scene from Irish comedy "Four Mothers," which screens on May 19 as part of the Belmont series. The film follows a novelist who goes on an existential journey to find himself with the help of his ailing mother and her three friends. Handout Pride and Refugee Awareness Month programming in June will include Romanian drama 'Three Kilometers to the End of the World' on June 2 and an award-winning French film, 'Souleymane's Story,' on June 9. The closing film, 'Under the Volcano,' originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024. It follows a vacationing Ukrainian family stuck in Tenerife, Spain after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Gitelman says the festival has made her 'so much more compassionate, and that her hope for these screenings is to 'create understanding.' The festival's aim is to help viewers 'be understanding and appreciative of another culture, like things that we have in common, things that we have [that are] different.' Single screening tickets start at $14 and can be purchased in advance or at the theater. Packages are also available. Additional information, screening times, and a full program can be found at . Haley Clough can be reached at