From the website of the Daughters of St. Paul, www.pauline.org: The Daughters of St. Paul stationed in New Orleans are safe as well as all their employees. We are still trying to locate family members of some of our sisters, and ask for your prayers for their safety. We are grateful for the concern people have expressed, and unite in prayer for all those suffering from this devastation. God, our loving Father, you who know our weakness, hear our prayer.... Read more

These are difficult days for our brothers and sisters in the area hit and effected by Hurricane Katrina. I was thinking that those of us who are watching or listening or reading about the devastation and rescue efforts go about our daily lives – such as watching movies and writing about them – and wonder what we can do to help. There seems to be such a disconnect between some aspects of daily life in America and the utter loss that our brothers... Read more

MY FRIEND CHILDREN’S MAGAZINE The only monthly Catholic kids magazine in the U.S Sneak Preview OCTOBER 2005 issue: (Order copies from www.pauline.org) ·        October is our Media Awareness issue on movies. Guest editor: Sr. Hosea Marie Rupprect! o       We’ll take “A Peek into the Reel World of Documentaries” with Susan Vogel-Misicka. Be sure to check out the cool movie production photos from Winged Migration and March of the Penguins! o       We’ll be meeting Patrick Yodzis who’s “Making a Difference in... Read more

Here are some photos from the Locarno Film Festival 2005 from the last four days and then my train trip back to Zurich. Some photos are of members of the ecumenical jury, the Quay Brothers and Ruben, a jury member from Switzerland, giving our SIGNIS-INterfilm award to the directors of LA NEUVAINE and FRATRICIDE. My memory card had to be replaced and I was not able to do so until almost the end of the festival. Hence, few photos. The... Read more

Locarno Ecumenical Awards (from www.signis.net) At the Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland), the Ecumenical Jury gave its Prize – which includes 20.000.- CHFr given by the Catholic Church and the Reformed church in Switzerland to assist distribution of the film in Switzerland – to “LA NEUVAINE” (Canada) directed by Bernard Émond.   “While many explicitly religious films fall short because of too earnest proselytising or alienating aspects of piety, “LA NEUVAINE” succeeds in presenting simple faith with respect, acknowledging how difficult... Read more

Nine Lives – winner of the Festival’s Golden Leopard Award Directed and written by Rodrigo Garcia/ USA A mother cleans the floors of the Los Angeles County jail hoping for an early release and the warden is sympathetic. At all costs she wants to visit with her daughter, but the prison guards are mean and uncaring. A troubled young woman bearing a gun visits her younger sister with the intention of confronting their father for something he has done to... Read more

A Perfect Day Directed by Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige/ France, Lebannon, Germany It is present day Beirut. One morning, a young man and his mother go to a lawyer’s office to have his father declared legally dead so that they can move on with their lives. He has been missing for about fifteen years, since the civil war. The wife/mother wants her son to stay home with her and mourn the death of their loved one, but he wants to see... Read more

La Neuvaine (The Novena) Directed by Bernard Emond, Canada, 2005   A middle-aged woman doctor lost a son when he was a child. She was unable to save him. When a young woman comes into the emergency room with her child, it is obvious the woman has been beaten up. The doctor encourages her to leave her husband, and gives the woman a card with her phone number on it. The young mother calls later and the doctor takes her... Read more

MirrorMask, directed by Dave McKean, UK and USA, 2004(produced with Jim Henson Studios)   In Brighton, England, the daughter of parents who own a traveling circus, rebels about being part of it. When her mother gets sick and is hospitalized, her father must confront his growing financial difficulties and that the circus crew is about to leave him. The girl, about 16 years old, has a long dream initiated by guilt for not apologizing to her mother for her rudeness... Read more

Here are reviews of the films that were included in the international competition. All independent juries, in addition to the international jury, must see all the films in competition. I saw 22 films, 17 of them in competition. Two of the films are from the Human Rights track of the festival, something Locarno started two years ago. It is the only major festival to feature such a track. I apologize for the punctuation but this is an Italian/Swiss keyboard  ... Read more