Readers: Please note that the schedule and location for Global Lens film screenings have changed: The Saturday screenings have been moved to Mondays at 6 p.m., and the new location for all screenings is the Ronj, the student-run coffeehouse at 32 Frye St.

The Global Lens series of films from around the world continues at Bates with Becloud by Mexican director Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, showing at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27, at the Ronj, Bates’ student-run coffeehouse, 32 Frye St.

Hosted by the Bates College Museum of Art, the series continues on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the fall. Admission is $5. Becloud is in Spanish with English subtitles (111 min.). For more information, please contact 207-786-6135 or this olinarts@bates.edu.

Set in 1960s Mexico, Bicecci’s film depicts a tangled neighborhood tale filled with an enthralling mix of history, memory and atonement, creating an unexpected parable of modern Mexico itself.

A trucker and his neighbors Felipe and Andres share a defining incident from their childhood, linking the destinies of their entire neighborhood to an infant found by the trucker and his companion in a dry lake bed years earlier.

Bicecci, a prolific producer of documentaries and short films, graduated cum laude from the Film Training Center in Mexico City and has received numerous grants and fellowships for filmmaking and screenwriting. Made in 2009, Becloud is his first feature film. His documentary Morada won the Golden Mikeldi at the Bilbao International Film Festival and is screened worldwide.

The Global Film Initiative produces the series in an effort to promote cross-cultural understanding through the medium of cinema by showing little-known, skillfully made independent films to American audiences. The initiative believes that “a powerful, authentic narrative can foster trust and respect between disparate cultures and mitigate the social and psychological impact of cultural prejudice.”

Here’s the remainder of the 2010 Global Lens schedule at Bates:

Gods (2008): Peruvian director Josue Mendez focuses on the soon-to-be wife of a wealthy industrialist who is eager to shed her working-class background for the opulence of her fiance’s elite lifestyle, but instead finds the ironic contrasts of fate and ambition (Oct. 1 and 4).

Masquerades (2008): This heartfelt comedy starring and directed and co-written by Lyes Salem centers around a gardener in a dusty Algerian village who dreams of improving his family’s fortune and marrying off his narcoleptic sister to a “real gentleman” — but she has other plans (Oct. 8 and 11).

Leo’s Room (2009): Director Enrique Buchichio’s film is a coming-of-age story set in the heart of Montevideo, Uruguay, about an affable but secretly troubled young man who is forced by a chance reunion with a classmate to consider the true meaning of his reclusive lifestyle (Oct. 15 and 18).

My Tehran For Sale (2009): Iranian director Granaz Moussavi depicts a terminally ill actress fighting for political asylum, and waiting to clear Australian immigration, as she recounts to an unsympathetic official her attempts to live, work and love in Tehran’s thriving yet turbulent arts subculture. (Oct. 29 and Nov. 1)

Ocean of an Old Man (2008): Set in the devastating aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Indian director Rajesh Shera’s feature debut portrays an elderly British schoolteacher coming to grips with his own loss as he searches for missing students on the remote Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar. (Nov. 5 and 8).

Ordinary People (2009): Serbian director Vladimir Perisic tells the story of a young soldier who, one quiet afternoon during an unspecified conflict in the Balkans, is forced to come to a painful reconciliation with his own actions after following orders to execute civilians (Nov. 12 and 15).

The Shaft (2008): Director Zhang Chi’s wise and poetic debut comprises three intertwined stories about a father, son and daughter fighting to hold onto hope and family as they face the harsh realities of life in a poor Chinese mining town. (Dec. 3 and 6).

Shirley Adams (2009): In this deeply affecting portrait of ordinary courage in present-day South Africa by director Oliver Hermanus, a single mother struggles to care for her paraplegic teenage son in a depressed district on the outskirts of Cape Town (Dec. 10 and 13).

The Global Lens film series at Bates College continues with Song from the Southern Seas, by Kazakhstani director Marat Sarulu, in 8 p.m. showings on Friday, Nov. 6, and Sunday, Nov. 8, in Room 105, Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St.

Hosted by the Bates College Museum of Art, the series continues throughout the fall. Admission is $5. Song from the Southern Seas (80 min.) is in Russian with English subtitles. For more information, please contact 207-786-6135 or this olinarts@bates.edu.

The annual series is produced by the Global Film Initiative to promote cross-cultural understanding by showing American audiences little-known, skillfully made independent films. The initiative believes that “a powerful, authentic narrative can foster trust and respect between disparate cultures and mitigate the social and psychological impact of cultural prejudice.”

Released in 2008, Song from the Southern Seas takes on issues of race and ethnicity in one of the most remote areas on Earth. Set in the Great Steppe of Central Asia, the film depicts two couples, one Russian and one Kazakh, living side-by-side in relative harmony, until the fair-skinned Russians’ baby appears to have much darker skin, leading to a story that is at times brilliantly witty or darkly somber.

Song from the Southern Seas is Sarulu’s third feature film. Born in the former Soviet Union in present-day Kyrgyzstan, he studied philology at Kyrgyz National University in Bishkek, graduating in 1980, and also studied at the Moscow Cinema Academy.

Learn more about the Global Lens series.

The Global Lens film series at Bates College continues with Those Three, by Iranian director Naghi Nemati, in 8 p.m. showings on Friday, Nov. 13, and Sunday, Nov. 15, in Room 105, Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St.

Hosted by the Bates College Museum of Art, the series continues on Fridays and Sundays throughout the fall. Admission is $5. Those Three (80 min.) is in Farsi and Turkish with English subtitles. For more information, please contact 207-786-6135 or this olinarts@bates.edu.

The annual series is produced by the Global Film Initiative to promote cross-cultural understanding by showing American audiences little-known, skillfully made independent films. The initiative believes that “a powerful, authentic narrative can foster trust and respect between disparate cultures and mitigate the social and psychological impact of cultural prejudice.”

Made in 2007, Those Three is about three conscripts in the Iranian Army who, just one day before completing their military training, desert their camp and attempt to survive in the unforgiving wilderness of northern Iran in the midst of winter.

Those Three is Nemati’s first feature film. Born in Ardebil, Iran, in 1977, he studied film directing at Soureh College of Isfahan, Iran. He began making short films in 1993. His first film, Like the Umbrella of the Kids was screened at numerous film festivals around the world and received several awards.

Learn more about Those Three and the entire Global Lens series.

The Global Lens 2008 film series, a touring program of narrative feature films from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, concludes at Bates College this week with 7 p.m. screenings of the Chinese drama Luxury Car on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and the Indonesian film Opera Jawa on Thursday, Dec. 4, both in Room 105, Olin Arts Center.

The arts center is located at 75 Russell St. The Bates College Museum of Art presents the series in cooperation with the college’s Multicultural Center. The public is welcome to all of the films at no charge. For more information, please call 207-786-6158.

The series is assembled and distributed by the Global Film Initiative, a U.S.–based nonprofit organization promoting independent filmmaking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 with the mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema, each year the initiative not only presents the film series but awards grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world. For more information, please visit the initiative’s Web site.

In the emotionally taut Luxury Car, Li Qi Ming (played by Wu You Cai) travels from his small village to the city of Wuban, determined to fulfill his wife’s last wish to see her son. But instead of finding his son, he discovers his daughter (Tian Yuan) working as a karaoke bar escort, forcing him to come to terms with their long-estranged relationship and the tenuous future of his family.

In his third feature film, director Wang Chao represents the painful reality of thousands of parents who have lost contact with their children through rural exodus and political upheaval in China.

Opera Jawa is the story of Setyo and Siti, who live a peaceful life as husband and wife, selling earthenware in their village. But when Setyo is called away on business, a flirtatious butcher, Ludiro, takes advantage of Siti’s loneliness to seduce her. Though tempted by song and dance, Siti initially refuses his advances — but then acquiesces in a moment of weakness, setting the stage for an epic battle between the two men.

Filming in lush forests and on pristine beaches of Java, the well-established director Garin Nugroho bases his deeply imagistic and dazzling visual narrative on the “The Abduction of Sita,” from the Hindu epic The Ramayana.

The Global Lens series, now in its fifth year, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in January and is traveling around the country to more than 40 locations. Read more about the films and view the series trailer and individual film trailers.

The Global Lens 2008 film series, a touring program of narrative feature films from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, continues in Bates College’s Olin Arts Center this week with 7 p.m. screenings of the 2006 Iranian drama The Fish Fall in Love on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in Room 104, and Kept and Dreamless (Argentina, 2005) on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Room 105.

The arts center is located at 75 Russell St. The Bates College Museum of Art presents the series in cooperation with the college’s Multicultural Center. The public is welcome to all of the films at no charge. For more information, please call 207-786-6158.

The series is assembled and distributed by the Global Film Initiative, a U.S.–based nonprofit organization promoting independent filmmaking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 with the mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema, each year the initiative not only presents the film series but awards grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world. For more information, please visit the initiative’s Web site.

The Fish Fall in Love (Mahiha Ashegh Mishavand) is the story of Atieh (Roya Nonahali), a woman with a singular passion for food and a small but popular restaurant, her pride and joy, on the sleepy Caspian coast. But when Aziz (Reza Kianian), a former lover, appears after a 20-year absence with the intention of closing the restaurant, Atieh prepares his favorite dishes, one after the other, in a desperate effort to convince him otherwise.

Loosely based on the Persian fable of Shahrazad and the Thousand Myths (A Thousand and One Nights), director Ali Raffi uses the language of food to paint a richly textured portrait of life and love on the southern coast of Iran.

Kept and Dreamless (Las Mantenidas Sin Sueños) is set in the economically troubled Argentina of the 1990s. The 9-year-old Eugenia (Lucía Snieg) and her mother, Florencia, live a seemingly colorful life surrounded by eclectic neighbors and an offbeat collection of family.

But for Eugenia, who must deal with her mother’s dysfunctional and drug-addled lifestyle, life is anything but pleasant in this darkly inspiring story of expectation, acceptance and nontraditional family, led by standout performances from young actress Snieg and from Vera Fogwill, who portrays Florencia and also wrote and co-directed the film with Martin Desalvo.

The Global Lens series, now in its fifth year, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in January and is traveling around the country to more than 40 locations. Read more about the films and view the series trailer and individual film trailers.

All of the Bates screenings begin at 7 p.m. Here’s the rest of the series:

The Kite (Lebanon, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 12, Olin 104.

Let the Wind Blow (India, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 19, Olin 104.

Luxury Car (China, 2006), Wednesday, Dec. 3, Olin 105.

Opera Jawa (Indonesia, 2006), Thursday, Dec. 4, Olin 105.

The Global Lens 2008 film series, a touring program of narrative feature films from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, continues in Bates College’s Olin Arts Center this week with a 7 p.m. screening of the 2003 Lebanese drama The Kite on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Room 104.

The arts center is located at 75 Russell St. The Bates College Museum of Art presents the series in cooperation with the college’s Multicultural Center. The public is welcome to all of the films at no charge. For more information, please call 207-786-6158.

The series is assembled and distributed by the Global Film Initiative, a U.S.–based nonprofit organization promoting independent filmmaking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 with the mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema, each year the initiative not only presents the film series but awards grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world. For more information, please visit the initiative’s Web site.

In director Randa Chahal Sabbag’s “fairytale for troubled times,” 16-year-old Lamia must cross a border checkpoint between Lebanon and Israel to marry a man she has never met. But on her wedding day, neither she nor her betrothed are eager to consummate a marriage to a stranger — a matter further complicated by Lamia’s surprising admission that she is in love with the Israeli soldier guarding the checkpoint. Sabbag’s enchanting drama about marriage and tradition is underscored by delicate symbolism and artful references to politics of Lebanon’s annexed territories.

The Global Lens series, now in its fifth year, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in January and is traveling around the country to more than 40 locations. Read more about the films and view the series trailer and individual film trailers.

All of the Bates screenings begin at 7 p.m. Here’s the rest of the series:

Let the Wind Blow (India, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 19, Olin 104.

Luxury Car (China, 2006), Wednesday, Dec. 3, Olin 105.

Opera Jawa (Indonesia, 2006), Thursday, Dec. 4, Olin 105.

The Global Lens 2008 film series, a touring program of narrative feature films from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, resumes at Bates College with the 2006 Filipino drama The Bet Collector at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, Room 104 of the Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St.

The Bates College Museum of Art presents the series in cooperation with the college’s Multicultural Center. The public is welcome to all of the films at no charge. For more information, please call 207-786-6158.

The series is assembled and distributed by the Global Film Initiative, a U.S.–based nonprofit organization promoting independent filmmaking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 with the mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema, each year the initiative not only presents the film series but awards grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world. For more information, please visit the initiative’s Web site.

In The Bet Collector, Amy, a family matriarch, makes ends meet by running a small convenience store out of her home. But in a struggling economy customers are scarce, and without the help of her husband or pregnant daughter, she is forced to supplement the family income by collecting bets for an illegal numbers game.

In this starkly realistic narrative, director Jeffrey Jeturian presents a captivating portrait of a once-proud woman, haunted by memories of a dead son and hounded by the police, and her fragile and lonely life as a kubrador (bet collector) on the streets of Manila.

The Global Lens series, now in its fifth year, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in January and is traveling around the country to more than 40 locations. Read more about the films and view the series trailer and individual film trailers.

All of the Bates screenings begin at 7 p.m. Here’s the rest of the series:

Bunny Chow (South Africa, 2006), Monday, Oct. 27, Olin 104.

The Custodian (Argentina, 2006), Thursday, Oct. 30, Olin 105.

The Fish Fall in Love (Iran, 2006), Wednesday, Nov. 5, Olin 104.

Kept & Dreamless (Argentina, 2005), Thursday, Nov. 6, Olin 105.

The Kite (Lebanon, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 12, Olin 104.

Let the Wind Blow (India, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 19, Olin 104.

Luxury Car (China, 2006), Wednesday, Dec. 3, Olin 105.

Opera Jawa (Indonesia, 2006), Thursday, Dec. 4, Olin 105.

The Global Lens 2008 film series, a touring program of 10 narrative feature films from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia, opens at Bates College tonight with the 2006 Croatian drama All for Free at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in Room 105 of the Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St.

The Bates College Museum of Art presents the series in cooperation with the college’s Multicultural Center. The public is welcome to all of the films at no charge. For more information, please call 207-786-6158.

The series is assembled and distributed by the Global Film Initiative, a U.S.–based nonprofit organization promoting independent filmmaking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 with the mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema, each year the initiative not only presents the film series but awards grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world. For more information, please visit the initiative’s Web site.

All for Free, directed by Antonio Nui?, is the story of Goran. After his friends are killed in a bizarre barroom argument, Goran devises an unusual plan to deal with the loss: he will sell his house, buy a mobile tavern and travel from town to town, giving away free drinks to everyone he meets.

But for everyone except Goran, the idea is strangely suspicious, and a bit absurd. Nui?’s darkly humorous tale of loss and reconciliation is a metaphor for Bosnia’s gradual rediscovery of its shared humanity, lost during the war.

The Global Lens series, now in its fifth year, premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in January and is traveling around the country to more than 40 locations. Read more about the films and view the series trailer and individual film trailers.

All of the Bates screenings begin at 7 p.m. Here’s the rest of the series:

The Bet Collector (Philippines, 2006), Thursday, Oct. 23, Olin 104.

Bunny Chow (South Africa, 2006), Monday, Oct. 27, Olin 104.

The Custodian (Argentina, 2006), Thursday, Oct. 30, Olin 105.

The Fish Fall in Love (Iran, 2006), Wednesday, Nov. 5, Olin 104.

Kept & Dreamless (Argentina, 2005), Thursday, Nov. 6, Olin 105.

The Kite (Lebanon, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 12, Olin 104.

Let the Wind Blow (India, 2004), Wednesday, Nov. 19, Olin 104.

Luxury Car (China, 2006), Wednesday, Dec. 3, Olin 105.

Opera Jawa (Indonesia, 2006), Thursday, Dec. 4, Olin 105.