NIACC will host the 2004 - 2005 International Film Series which began on Wednesday, November, 3 and Thursday, November 4. The series will bring six international films to NIACC, each of which will have two showings in Beem Center, Room 200, on the NIACC campus. The Wednesday showings will be at 7 p.m., the Thursday showings at 3 p.m. Admission to the films is open to the public and free.

• Wednesday, November 17 - Thursday, November 18, 2004 Behind the Sun, a film by Walter Salles staring JosŽ Dumont and Rodrigo Santoro Behind the Sun is a rapturous Western about a big, unwanted destiny visited upon a vulnerable, young hero. Behind the Sun concerns two families and their long-running land war, which has robbed many a young man of his hope, love and, ultimately, life. Sent by his aggrieved father to avenge the slaying of an older brother, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), in torment, carries out his bloody, ancestral obligation and then proposes a truce between the families. Director Walter Salles (Central Station) aims to make a magnificently crafted, lush, and exotic epic told in broad strokes for art house aficionados, and he succeeds almost to a self-conscious fault. Still, there is nothing like a stirring, archetypal tragedy about the endless repercussions of violence and the sacrifice of innocence to a dubious cause. Rated: PG-13. In Portuguese with English subtitles. 92 Minutes.
  
  
• Wednesday, January 26 - Thursday, January 27, 2005 Broken Wings, a film by Nir Bergman starring Orly Silbersatz Banai and Maya Maron. An uncommonly powerful film, Broken Wings captures a family in mid-disintegration: A midwife at an Israeli hospital struggles to hold her children together in the wake of their father's death. Maya, a gaunt, pale young woman, aspires to win a band contest; Ido, a boy bullied at school, tries to film himself jumping from heights; Yair, a teenage boy, wallows in the meaninglessness of existence as he hands out flyers, dressed in a mouse costume. This may sound tedious or excruciating, but it's given vivid life by an incredible cast and a humor that manages to be absurd and a little sad at the same time. The movie embraces its characters with a profound empathy; it's hard to imagine that anyone could watch Broken Wings and not be deeply moved by the end. Rated: R. In Hebrew with English subtitles. 84 Minutes.
  
  
• Wednesday, February 9 - Thursday, February 10, 2005 About a Boy, a film by Paul and Chris Weitz starring Hugh Grant. A box-office smash in England, About a Boy went on to charm the world as another fine adaptation of a popular Nick Hornby novel. This irresistible comedy was directed by Americans Chris and Paul Weitz (American Pie) with its British pedigree intact. Better yet, Hugh Grant is perfectly cast as Will, a self-absorbed trust-fund slacker who tries to improve his romantic odds by preying on desperate single mothers. His cynical strategy backfires when he recruits the misfit son (Nicholas Hoult) of a suicidal mother (Toni Collette) to pose as his own son, thus proving his parental prowess to his latest single-mom target (Rachel Weisz). The kid has a warming effect on this ultimate cad, and what could have been a sappy tearjerker turns into a subtle, frequently hilarious portrait of familial quirks and elevated self-esteem. From start to finish, it's a genuine treat. Rated: PG-13. In English. 102 Minutes.
  
  
• Wednesday, February 23 - Thursday, February 24, 2005 Whale Rider, a film by Niki Caro starring Keisha Castle-Hughes and Rawiri Paratene The New Zealand hit Whale Rider effectively combines Maori tribal tradition with a timely "girl power" theme. Despite the discouragement of her gruff and disapproving grandfather (Rawiri Paratene), who nearly disowns her because she is female and therefore traditionally disqualified from tribal leadership, 12-year-old Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is convinced that she is a tribal leader and sets about to prove it. Writer-director Niki Caro develops very real and turbulent family relationships, intimate and yet torn by a collision between stubborn tradition and changing attitudes. The mythic whale riderŅthe ultimate symbol of Maori connection to natureŅis also the harbinger of Pai's destiny, and the appealing Castle-Hughes gives a luminous, astonishingly powerful performance. A fresh take on a familiar tale, Whale Rider is definitely one from the heart. Rated: PG-13. In English and Maori with English subtitles. 101 Minutes
  
  
• Wednesday, March 9 - Thursday, March 10, 2005 Osama, a film by Siddig Barmak starring Marina Golbahari and Zubaida Sahar The first movie produced by Afghanistan filmmakers after the fall of the Taliban, Osama is a searing portrait of life under the oppressive fundamentalist regime. Because women are not allowed to work, a widow disguises her young daughter (Marina Golbahari) as a boy so they won't starve to death. Simply walking the streets is frightening enough, but when the disguised girl is rounded up with all the boys in the town for religious training, her peril becomes absolutely harrowing. Golbahari's faceŅbeautiful but taut with terrorŅis riveting. The movie captures both her plight and the miseries of daily life in spare, vivid images. At one point, her mother is nearly killed for exposing her feet while riding on the back of a bicycle. Rated: PG-13. In Pashtu with English subtitles. 83 minutes.

Bethany Condon
Staff Reporter

In every great college choir, there is always that one leader that everyone can look up to. At NIACC, that one leader is Melissa Lackore.

Lackore, a soprano from Garner, said she has loved music her entire life.

She was previously involved in high school choirs, ICDA as well as numerous Honor Choirs and traveled to Europe with the Iowa Music Ambassadors.

At NIACC, she is also taking part in concert choir, NIACC Singers, and singing at the Trinity Lutheran Church.

"She's dedicated to helping those who ask and will go out of her way to help anyone around her," said a fellow choir member.

What has motivated her to stay in music for so long?

"It has been my hobby forever. It gives me organized freedom and is my comfort zone," Lackore said.

Lackore said she was raised on music as well. "I grew up around music with my family. Singing is a gift from my Dad," she said.

One of her many memorable moments of singing was singing the song "Dance With My Father" at Quodlibet with a slideshow of her father going on in the background.

Hitting the right words at the right time and approaching a new language are some of the challenges Lackore said she encounters as a soprano.

"The soprano is the leader of the choir, so you have to know what you're doing," Lackore said. Lackore is majoring in elementary education, but for the time being, she enjoys being a leader for concert choir.

"She has been a demonstrated leader, she has grown tremendously as a singer as a freshman, and has good leadership as a sophomore," Jayson Ryner, her director, said.

Jeff Backlin
Entertainment Editor

The best thing about college, in my opinion, is the ability to craft your own schedule. Something I've always strived to do is find the perfect schedule with the perfect instructors. However, making your schedule perfect is easier said than done.

When I first entered NIACC, I asked a good friend of mine for a list of instructors he thought were helpful and not too boring; the list had one name on it.

I decided that the only way to find out the perfect schedule was to experience all the different teaching personalities myself.

This process was slow and not always pleasant, until one day when I found a website that changed my trial and error method.

The website ratemyprofessors.com is a ranking system for instructors, done by students and ranks instructors in three different areas: difficulty of class, helpfulness and clarity.

When you enter the website, scroll down to a box that indicates what state you attend school in. After selecting the state, scroll down the list of schools until you find NIACC and select. This will currently give you a list of about 30 NIACC instructors.

Anonymously, students rank instructors on a scale from one to five and then may add additional comments to why they ranked the instructor in the manner that they did.

Additionally, this website has numerous other colleges in its database; helpful for students transferring to colleges where they have no idea of the personality types of instructors. However, students need to realize that the ranking system is based on other students' opinions and may not necessarily display your unique tastes when it comes to teaching styles. If an instructor is ranked poorly and the description attributes the poor ranking to one single instance, students should ignore these rankings.

Instead, look for rankings that rank the instructor on an overall scale and not just on single situations.