MovieTime at The Tivoli Presents “TSOTSI”

Frederick, MD --- MovieTime at the Tivoli will be presenting the 2006 Academy Award winning film “Tsotsi” on Friday, January 12, 2007 at 8:00 PM. Winning in the category of “Best Foreign Language Film”, this powerful drama from South Africa tells the story of an amoral teenager who develops an unexpected paternal side. Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) is the street name used by a young Johannesburg delinquent who has taken to a life of crime in order to support himself. Tsotsi comes from a blighted upbringing -- his mother died slowly from AIDS-related illnesses, and his father was torturously abusive -- and he has developed a talent for violence borne of necessity as well as taking strange pleasure in hurting other people. One evening, Tsotsi shoots a woman while stealing her car, and only later discovers that her infant son is in the back seat. Uncertain of what to do with the baby, Tsotsi takes the boy home and tries to care for it -- going so far as to force Miriam (Terry Pheto), a single mother living nearby, to nurse the baby. With time, Tsotsi learns the basics of child care, and the presence of the baby awakens a sense of humanity in him that life on the street had stripped away. Tsotsi was adapted from a novel by the award-winning South African writer Athol Fugard. What makes "Tsotsi" ultimately as heartbreaking as it is, is Chweneyagae's subtle characterization. He imbues the character with a dreaminess that encourages you to dream with him, drawing you in to the overlooked tragedy of his life. By refusing to trump it all up with unnecessary bombast, distractingly famous faces, lung-collapsing histrionics and excessive post-nasal drip (as witnessed in last week's carjacked baby movie), Hood lets the story unfold at a steady, unhurried pace, cutting only when necessary, and allowing the actors, and the audience, to absorb the impact of each moment.

To purchase tickets, call the Weinberg Center for the Arts at 301-228-2828, 301-228-2838 TTY or stop by the Box Office Tuesday thru Friday 10:00am to 4:00pm and Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm. Tickets are available online at www.weinbergcenter.org.

The Weinberg Center for the Arts, a municipal facility of the City of Frederick, is located at 20 West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, Maryland. The historic theatre opened in 1926 as the Tivoli, and it was donated to the City of Frederick in 1978. Today as one of the region’s premier presenting facilities, the 1,100 seat Weinberg Center offers professional LIVE! Series, including dance, music, theatre, family performances and films, weekday performances for students, and classic movies. Performance space and professional services are available to a variety of community arts groups, civic and business organizations, and other arts promoters.

Programming at the Weinberg Center for the Arts is made possible with support from the City of Frederick, Frederick County Government, Maryland State Arts Council, Frederick Arts Council, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, The Frederick News-Post, State Farm Insurance, The Tivoli Society, other corporate and individual donors.. For more information about upcoming events at the Weinberg Center, please call the Box Office at 301-228-2828 or visit www.weinbergcenter.org.