The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland concludes its winter film series with the beautiful Italian film “Trifole,” screening March 2-7 and the Iranian film, “The President’s Cake,” March 16-21, both at 7 p.m.
“Trifole” is a bittersweet portrait of a vanishing rural way of life. The film follows Dalia, a young woman who travels to Piedmont to care for her aging grandfather, Igor, a master truffle forager. Accompanied by his loyal dog Birba, Dalia joins him in the search for a prize-winning truffle that could help save his home. Set in Italy’s Alba White Truffle region, the story explores family, tradition, sustainability and a young woman’s journey to finding her own path. The film — presented in Italian and English with English subtitles — has a running time of 100 minutes.
“A feast for the senses,” says Forbes, while The Hollywood Reporter praises the film, saying it is “A story about a family rediscovering its roots.”
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The film series concludes with “The President’s Cake,” screening March 16-21 at 7 p.m.
“The President’s Cake” is a moving coming-of-age drama set in Iraq during the 1990s under Saddam Hussein’s regime. The film follows nine-year-old Lamia as she struggles to gather scarce ingredients to bake a mandatory cake for the president’s birthday or face punishment at school. Living in poverty with her grandmother in the Mesopotamian Marshes, Lamia embarks on a risky journey into the city with her friend Saeed in search of flour, eggs and sugar. “The President’s Cake” — presented in Arabic with English subtitles — has a run time of 105 minutes.
“ A stirring drama laced with humor,” writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Tomris Laffly of Variety praised the film as “Hasan Hadi’s warm and heart-tugging tale, an odyssey that mostly plays like a genial fairy tale, with superbly balanced humor and drama,” while Isaac Feldberg of RogerEbert.com called it “one of this year’s most exciting discoveries.”
Tickets are $9 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and free for Hope students. Tickets can be purchased at the Hope Events and Conference ticket office located downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 616-395-7890. Tickets are also available online at hope.edu/tickets.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St. between College and Columbia Avenues. To inquire about accessibility or accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.