A fresh look at banned Russian films
Love triangles and mother-son domestic dramas don't sound like red flags for censors, but in innovative Russian filmmaker Kira Muratova's hands, they were. ''Brief Encounters," her 1967 debut, and the follow-up, ''Long Farewells," provoked such strong reaction that both were banned in that country for their realism and most of the director's work was suppressed. The films were finally made widely available, and Muratova has become a key figure of late-20th-century Russian cinema.
Starting Wednesday, the Museum of Fine Arts presents the first traveling series of her work to be shown in the United States. The retrospective includes ''Passions," one of Muratova's most popular films in Russia and winner of the 1994 Nika (the country's equivalent of an Oscar) for best film. ''Passions" tells the story of circus performer Violetta, who becomes drawn to a jockey named Sasha.
Muratova's latest release, ''The Tuner," makes its Boston premiere Friday. Relationships are also the focus here as a poor piano tuner struggles to support the lavish tastes of the woman he loves. The series ends June 12 with ''Three Stories," a thriller in which murder links three short films. For more information, go to www.mfa.org.
TWO JOURNEYS: The MFA offers two other thought-provoking films this week: ''Travellers and Magicians" and ''Beyond the Sea." ''Travellers" is directed by Khyentse Norbu, whose first film, ''The Cup," mixes soccer fever and Buddhism. Spirituality also figures in ''Travellers," which is the first feature film shot in Bhutan. The story follows a young man named Dondup as he hitchhikes through the countryside. Along the way he's joined by an apple seller, an old man traveling with his beautiful daughter, and a monk who spins a strange tale. ''Travellers and Magicians" begins Thursday for a five-show engagement.
It's been 25 years since the Mariel boatlift, when about 125,000 Cubans fled their homeland for the United States. Director Lisandro Perez-Rey spent months gathering oral histories from Cuban-Americans for ''Beyond the Sea," his first feature-length documentary. In addition to interviewing people who lived through the experience, Perez-Rey's film also includes footage shot in Cuba. ''Beyond the Sea" begins its four-day engagement on Thursday.
FILMS WANTED: Boston was slow to follow the example of other cities in celebrating Latino film -- such as New York, Miami, Providence, and Los Angeles, just to name a few -- but though its Latino International Film Festival is young, it's already a welcome addition to the local film scene. Organizers are now accepting entries for the fourth annual festival, which will be held in late October-early November (dates to be announced). The early submission deadline is June 1, and the extended deadline is July 4. DVD and VHS formats will be accepted. Entry forms and information are available at www.bliff.org.
Organizers say the event showcases films produced by Latinos and films on issues of interest to Latinos in the United States and Latin America. In 2002, festival director Jose Barriga launched the event (then called the Cambridge Latino Film Festival) with about three dozen films. Last year's festival featured 80 films from 16 countries.
MAN OF MYSTERY: Noir and New Hampshire isn't a combination that normally springs to mind, but filmmaker Bill Millios may change that with his latest feature, ''Dangerous Crosswinds." The film was shot at more than a dozen locations throughout that state, as well as in Portland, Maine, and New York City. Reporter Harry Toland, a right-to-die advocate, loses his job at a newspaper and returns to his hometown on New Hampshire's Seacoast to figure out his next move. But Toland's life is complicated by a close friend's death that may not be what it seems.
Millios wrote and directed ''Dangerous Crosswinds," which was produced by his production company, Back Lot Films. Cast and crew will be at the premiere Thursday at 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, N.H. For more information, call 603-668-5588 or go to www.palacetheatre.org. ''Dangerous Crosswinds" is also scheduled to screen at the Brattle Theatre on July 11 and Newburyport's Firehouse Center for the Arts on July 18.
SHORT TAKE: A nerdy, superhero-obsessed teenager named Marty is given a sketch pad and No. 2 pencil by a stranger and told to draw what's on his mind. He pours out his dark thoughts, and his drawings become reality. That's the setup for Joseph Gatto's ''#2 Pencil," which was shot in Dorchester and Arlington and is being released by Gatto's Liquid Lunch Productions. The film premieres at the Paradise Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Rhonda Stewart can be reached at rstewart@globe.com. 
