“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” a film that is not a comprehensive view of Leonard Cohen’s career, but effectively conveys his artistry through an admiring retrospective on one of his most iconic works, opens at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Aug. 5.
Continuing is “A Chirara.”
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” is a definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah. This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The songwriter and his times, the song’s dramatic journey from record label reject to chart-topping hit and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom Hallelujah has become a personal touchtone.
Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2015, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews.
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” is rated PG-13 and is showing through Aug. 18.
In “A Chiara,” Carpignano continues his exploration of the intricacies of life in contemporary Calabria with a compelling character study of a teenager, Chiara.
In this furiously paced drama, Chiara investigates her father’s disappearance one day after her oldest sister’s birthday. As she gets closer to the difficult truth about her mysteriously missing father — and the crime syndicates that control her region — Chiara is forced to decide what kind of future she wants for herself.
“A Chiara,” winner of the Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight Award, is rated R for language and drug content. The film plays at the Ross through Aug. 11.
Learn more about the films, including show times and ticket availability.
