(Third Friday of each month)
The January film is Monsieur Lazhar:
After a Montreal elementary school teacher commits suicide one night after class, she is replaced by Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant seeking political refuge in Quebec. As Lazhar introduces traditional teaching methods to his new class, he begins to develop close relationships with two of his pupils: a boy traumatized by his discovery of the former teacher’s body, and a girl whose interpretation of the event provokes unforeseen revelations. Directed by veteran filmmaker Philippe Falardeau, Monsieur Lazhar is one of the most acclaimed Québécois films of the last decade.
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Winner of Best Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
*”… a surprisingly charming, but sad, story of the sort of special mentor we’re all lucky if we meet once in a lifetime.” – Kelly Jane Torrance, The Washington Examiner