Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival

As recent events have made painfully obvious, the peoples of the world still can’t get along. It would be nice to think that this, the biggest local film event of the year, might help bridge the gap in some way. With more than 120 films from 50 countries screening at theaters all over town, there are far too many worthy movies to properly enumerate here, but you’ve got everything from quirky Australian comedies to Swedish psycho-thrillers to documentaries on the Chinese working class. Visiting filmmakers include Robert Duvall, whose Assassination Tango has opening-night honors at the State Theater April 4. The most timely entry is surely Marooned in Iraq, a fascinating and music-rich drama about the Kurdish plight from the director of A Time For Drunken Horses. But our secret pleasure during the last few fests has been to go see at least one film completely at random, no matter where it’s from or what it’s about. It’s never failed to open our eyes to something new and interesting. It’s a big world out there; this is your chance to go somewhere you’ve never even thought of before. Multiple venues and showtimes; (612) 627-4430, http://www.ufilm.org/fest/2003