CONTACT: Beth L. Lorow
Assistant Director of Public Relations
Office: (717) 691-6027
E-mail: blorow@messiah.edu

GRANTHAM, Pa. (Jan. 20, 2006) — The Messiah College Lost Films Society, the on-campus film society sponsored jointly by the college’s department of communication and the Student Activities Board, will present ten films this spring in its Contemporary Film Series. Films are shown Friday and Saturday evenings at the times indicated below in Parmer Cinema, Messiah College’s state-of-the-art screening facility, located on the ground floor of Boyer Hall on the college’s Grantham campus. Admission to each film is $1; tickets may be purchased at the door. For more information, including directions to Parmer Cinema, visit www.messiah.edu/lostfilms or contact the college’s ticket office at (717) 691-6036.

“Lost Films” Contemporary Series:

“Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005) Feb. 10 and 11, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box, this animated movie is about Wallace, clumsy but creative, who invents a humane pest-control outfit called "Anti-Pesto" to protect the gardens in the neighborhood. Wallace and his trusty dog, Gromit, must hunt down the veggie invader who begins feasting on the town’s vegetables. Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes provide voices for three of the characters.

“Pride and Prejudice” (2005) Feb. 17 and 18, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Starring Keira Knightley, the film is based on Jane Austen's beloved novel about the five single Bennet sisters. A proper English family is turned upside down when the wealthy Mr. Bingley and his best friend, Mr. Darcy, arrive. Stubborn Elizabeth Bennett crosses paths with the impossibly snobbish Mr. Darcy and discovers that the only man she can't stand may be the only man she will ever love.

“The Fisher King” (1992) Feb. 21 and 23, at 9 p.m. only. Shown as part of the college’s annual Spring Humanities Symposium, the film is about an outrageously outspoken morning radio announcer, Jack (Jeff Bridges), who falls from power and hits rock bottom on the streets of New York after his advice causes a deranged listener to go on a shooting spree. Befriended by homeless Parry (Robin Williams), Jack learns the secret of the Fisher King, reclaims his life, and finds love.

“Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (2005) Feb. 24 and 25, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Directed by Andrew Adamson, and based on the timeless novel by C.S. Lewis, four London children stumble into a magic wardrobe which leads to a mystical land called Narnia. The children soon join forces with the lion Aslan to fight the evil White Witch, Jadis.

“Walk the Line” (2005) March 3 and 4, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Based on the life and career of the tough, guitar-slinger Johnny Cash, this film depicts his evolution from a self-destructive pop star into the iconic “Man in Black” – facing down his demons, fighting for the love that would raise him up and learning how to walk the razor-thin line between destruction and redemption.

“Good Night and Good Luck” (2005) March 24 and 25, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Taking place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950s America, this film is a chronicle of the real-life conflict between television news man Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee.

“Paradise Now” (2005) March 31 and April 1, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Written by Hany Abu-Assad, this film is about two young, average Palestinian men, best friends since childhood. They have been chosen by a Palestinian organization to carry out a strike in Tel Aviv. Each had expressed a wish that if either is to die a martyr, the other would want to die alongside his best friend. However, the plan goes wrong when the two are separated.

“Syriana” (2005) April 7 and 8, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. From Academy Award winner writer and director Stephen Gaghan, and starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, comes a political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. The film’s multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power.

“King Kong” (2005) April 21 and 22, at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Directed by Peter Jackson, the film begins with Carl Denham, a flamboyant, foolhardy documentary filmmaker, who sails off to remote Skull Island to film his latest epic with leading lady, Ann Darrow. Native warriors kidnap Ann to use as a sacrifice to “Kong.” But instead of devouring Ann, Kong saves her. Kong is eventually taken back to New York where a series of events occur as he searches high and low for Ann.

“Capote” (2005) April 28 and 29, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Set in 1959, the film reveals the journey of Truman Capote, the author of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” who convinces “the New Yorker” magazine to give him an assignment to discover the impact that four murders have had on a tiny town in Holcomb, Kan. His friend, Harper Lee, who will later achieve fame of her own as author of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” accompanies him.

About Messiah College
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,900 undergraduate students in 50 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.

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ARTICLE DATE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2006
ARTICLE NUMBER: MC-005-06