North Shore Community College to hold international film series

North Shore Community College’s (NSCC) Council on International Education (CIE) is presenting a free international film series in April and May.NSCC invites the public to view and discuss the films, although college officials advise the film contents may not be suitable for children. All films will be shown at either the Lynn Campus, 300 Broad St., or the Danvers Campus, 1 Ferncroft Road. For more information, call 781-593-6722, x6225.Friday, April 11 – “Sarah’s Key” (France)Lynn, LE203, 6:30 p.m.”Sarah’s Key” follows a journalist’s present day investigation into the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup of Jews in German occupied Paris in 1942. It tells the story of a young girl’s experiences during and after these events, illustrating the participation of the French bureaucracy as well as French citizens hiding and protecting Sarah from the French authorities.Thursday, April 17 – “The Battle of Algiers” (Algeria)Danvers, DS119, 2 p.m.”The Battle of Algiers” documents the Algerian struggle for independence from the French in the 1950s. Shot on the streets of Algiers, it is a case study in modern warfare as it highlights how Algerian terrorist attacks were countered by brutal crackdowns by the French. The film is relevant today as the United States fights its own “war on terrorism.” In Arabic and French.Friday, April 25 – “Mao’s Last Dancer” (China)Lynn, LE203, 6:30 p.m.A delegation from Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy selects 11-year-old peasant villager Li Cunxin to study ballet in far off Beijing where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China’s greatest dancers. His efforts win him the opportunity to dance in America, opening his eyes to a new love and the possibility of a dramatic defection from China in this remarkable true story based on Cunxin’s autobiography.Friday, May 2 – “Slumdog Millionaire” (India)Lynn, LE203, 6:30 p.m.Accused of cheating and desperate to prove his innocence, an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai reflects back on his tumultuous life while competing to win 20 million rupees on India’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in this inspirational drama. Jamal’s account of his resourcefulness throughout his life history explains why he knows the answers and why his life may change from “slumdog” to millionaire.