Search results for

Nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary, Balseros chronicles the tale of Cubans who tried to escape to the United States on rafts in 1994. Filmed over the course of a decade, the movie uses Cuban TV footage to help tell the stories of seven balseros who made it to the United States -- and of their families in Cuba. David D'Arcy reports.

In the 1970s, John Gardner was at the center of American literature, shaping the debate on what a novel should be. Gardner also had several best sellers, including Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues and a book of literary criticism, On Moral Fiction. Barry Silesky has written John Gardner: The Life and Death of a Literary Outlaw the first full biography of the iconoclastic writer. Tom Vitale reports.

In Washington, D.C., a film depicting the struggles of Afghan women under Taliban rule has picked up some heavy endorsements -- from President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Golden Globe-winning Osama has become the can't-miss film among government workers in the nation's capital. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Alan Cheuse reviews Loving Che by Ana Menendez, a novel about paternity, citizenship, and identity told from the perspective of a young Cuban-American woman seeking to learn the truth behind her family history.

An ambitious 11-part requiem dedicated to the memory of Mr. Rogers has its premiere in Pittsburgh, where Fred Rogers lived for many years. The 21-year-old composer Luke Mayernik created the piece to honor Rogers, who died one year ago. NPR's Melissa Block talks with Mayernik.

For 24 hours this weekend, Washington's Hirshhorn Museum screened Scottish artist Douglas Gordon's work 24 Hour Psycho. The project slows Hitchcock's classic 1960 film down to a glacial pace, stretching what was originally a 109-minute movie into a day-long art event. The museum stayed open all night for the curious and the dedicated. NPR's Susan Stone visited the museum at several points during the movie.

Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ features two languages that haven't been used in common speech for centuries -- Latin and the even less familiar Aramaic. NPR's Renee Montagne talks to Joseph Amar, a professor of Semitic languages at the University of Notre Dame, about the ancient Middle Eastern language. Hear the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic.

The Trilogy, the latest project from French actor-director Lucas Belvaux, consists of three films with distinct plots populated by the same cast of characters. The project has already won France's top critics prize. Each film -- a crime drama, a romantic farce and a forlorn love story -- will open sequentially in U.S. theaters over the course of three weeks. Pat Dowell reports.

Kitchen Stories, a new film opening in New York and Los Angeles, is based on a 50-year Swedish study on efficiency in the kitchen. The dry subject matter is atypical for a comedy, but the film's serious spin on silly details is receiving rave reviews. Beth Accomando reports.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with members of the classical vocal group Trio Medieval, and they perform selections from their latest CD in NPR's Studio 4A. The group specializes in authentic Gregorian chants with a modern twist.