The Sunrise Theater presents its first SunFlix feature for the month of May, "Salmon Fishing in Yemen," a dramatic comedy about a fisheries expert who becomes involved with a zealous press secretary when he is recruited to bring fly-fishing to the Yemeni desert.

One critic summarized it as a "very clever tale of modern eco-issues intertwined with old-style political intrigues and New Age romance."

This film stars Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Amr Waked. It was directed by Lasse Halstrom and written by Simon Beafoy.

"Salmon Fishing in Yemen" will run on the usual SunFlix schedule from Thursday, May 10, through Monday, May 14, with shows weekdays at 7:30 p.m. and weekends at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. This film is rated PG-13 and runs for 1 hour and 39 minutes.

A visionary sheik (Amr Waked) believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not-so-fish-friendly desert.

Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative (Emily Blunt) to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert (McGregor), who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the prime minister's overzealous press secretary latches onto it as a "good will" story. Now this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.

Calvin Wilson, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, calls it "a quirky comedy about the ways in which big plans can lead to big problems, but also result in outcomes that no one could possibly have anticipated."

Owen Gleiberman, of Entertainment Weekly writes that the film "takes us back to the sort of achingly civilized love story in which the only thing that really stands in the way of two people falling for each other is their own decorum."

And Alynda Wheat of People magazine sums up the critical consensus best with this hopeful observation: "How refreshing it is to walk out of a film as happy as you went in."

The historical Sunrise Theater is located at 250 NW Broad St. in Southern Pines. Tickets for all shows are $7 for adults and are only available at the box office before each show.

Refreshments, including beer and wine, are available. For more information, contact the theater at (910) 692-3611 or visit www.sunrise theater.com.