For Immediate Release Contact: Carol OÕSullivan
October 15, 2008 412-681-5449
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces
2008 Three Rivers Film Festival
(Pittsburgh, PA) – The 2008 Three Rivers Film
Festival, presented by Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Dollar Bank runs November 7 -
22. Now in its 27th year, the festival is one of the most eagerly
awaited events in Pittsburgh, featuring independent American cinema, the
hottest new documentaries and several critically acclaimed international films.
There are visiting filmmakers, informal discussions, a symposium, live music,
parties and more. The venues are the Harris Theater,
the Melwood Screening Room, and the Regent Square Theater.
On Opening Night, November 7, three films will premiere at three
separate locations. At the Harris Theater is Louise
Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine, a documentary
about the legendary sculptor (whose work can be seen in PittsburghÕs Katz
Plaza). The filmÕs co-director, New York art critic Amei Wallach, will attend.
At the Regent Square Theater is Tamas: A Portrait, the inspiring story of Kiski prep schoolÕs legendary
teacher and coach, Tamas Szilagyi. Actor David
Conrad (who was one of his students) is the director. Conrad and Szilagyi are
scheduled attend. At the Melwood Screening Room is My Tale of Two Cities. Carl Kurlander will present his funny valentine to
Pittsburgh, a memoir about his leaving Hollywood to come home. It stars the City of Pittsburgh, and features many of its
best-loved ambassadors. Tickets are $25 and include any opening night
film, the Opening Night Party (at
477 Melwood Ave) with a DJ, food, drinks and dancing. All films begin at 7:30; the party starts at 9:00pm.
On November 12, actor,
screenwriter and director Jerzy Stuhr (The Big Animal) will be in Pittsburgh to present his film, Twists
of Fate, a gripping story of moral
choices spanning two generations. This is part
of the Polish Films sidebar, presented in cooperation with the Polish Cultural
Council of Pittsburgh. This event is $15 at the Melwood Screening Room.
On Sunday night, November 16,
BostonÕs Alloy Orchestra is back
in town with the restored 1928 melodrama, The Last Command. The
Alloy Orchestra has created a rousing score using an unusual combination of
found percussion and state-of-the-art electronic synthesizers. The three-man
band from Boston has made a career of writing and performing live music to
silent film. Tickets are $15 at the Regent Square Theater.
Closing Night is Saturday night, November 22. Pittsburgh
Reframed (at 250) is a program of
short films done by 20 local film and video artists based on a promotional
Bicentennial film commissioned in 1958. Each short includes some or all of the
original footage, reconfigured. Tickets for Closing Night at Regent Square,
with a reception with the artists next door at Concept Art Gallery, are $15.
The complete schedule is
online after October 15 at www.3RFF .
How to get tickets:
The Six-Pack Pass is $40 (six admissions plus a T-shirt). These are on
sale now at all Crazy Mocha locations; receive a free coffee with purchase.
These are also sold through Proarts, at all three theaters, and at the front
desk at Filmmakers during business hours.
A new Silver
Screenie Pass is on sale now. This is good for all
films and the four Special Events for $125 (or $195 for two). This pass also
gets you into the $75 VIP cocktail party on Opening Night at Concept Art
Gallery, and the Symposium. These passes are available through Proarts, at all
three theaters, and at the front desk at Filmmakers during business hours.
Special Events (Opening Night, Closing Night, The Last Command with Alloy Orchestra, Twists of Fate with Jerzy Stuhr) tickets go on sale October 23. They can be purchased through
Proarts, or at the front desk at Filmmakers (477 Melwood Ave) during business
hours.
For the first
time, Single Tickets
for any one film can be purchased in advance through Proarts (up until 4:00 on
weekdays; Saturday afternoon shows: cut-off Friday at 4:00; Sunday afternoon
shows: cut-off Saturday at 4:00.)
Proarts can be
contacted online at proartstickets.org
or by phone at 412-394-3353.
As always, single
tickets are sold at the theaters one half-hour before showtime.
Film descriptions (in alphabetical order):
Ballast
Winner of Best Director and Best
Cinematography at this yearÕs Sundance Film Fest, this compelling indie drama
by first time director Lance Hammer is infused with a bracing, gritty realism.
ItÕs the lyrical tale of an uneasy human triangle set in the Mississippi delta.
There's bad blood between Lawrence and Marlee, who used to be his twin
brother's girlfriend. Shot using only available light, the southern landscapes
are wide, flat, wet and strewn with debris. The inhabitants (all played by
non-professional actors) seem as if they might be swallowed up at any moment. Variety
called Hammer's personal film "an
extraordinary debut.Ó (Lance Hammer; USA; 2007; 96 min)
Ben X
Bullied by classmates and locked
in silence by Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, Ben finds solace through
online video games. As the relentless attacks push him over the edge and out of
control, his online dream girl, Scarlite, appears to him and helps him devise a
perfect plan to confront the bullies and make them pay for their torment.
Director Nic Balthazar's dazzling debut blends fantasy and harsh social
realism, based on a true story, to bring us an utterly original and important
film. Reminiscent of the same kind of alienation Donnie Darko captured, it won the audience award at MontrealÕs Film
Festival. With subltitles. (Nic Balthazar; Belgium; 2007; 90 min)
Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
This great American Western is
finally available in a new 35mm print. You can now revel in the legendary first
pairing of this stunning couple (the late, great Paul Newman with Robert
Redford) on the big screen! ItÕs the story – ever so loosely based on
historical fact – of two charming bank robbers who fall for the same
girl, and they flee to Bolivia when the law gets too close. The film won Oscars
for Best Screenplay (ÒWho are those guys?Ó), Best Song (ÒRaindrops Keep FallinÕ
on My HeadÓ), Best Score and Best Cinematography. (George Roy Hill; USA; 1969;
110 min)
Cherry Blossoms
One of GermanyÕs foremost filmmakers, award-winning Doris
Dšrrie, drew from Yasujiro Ozu's classic Tokyo
Story for this elegant ode to discovery.
It is a beautifully acted tale of life, love and renewal. We follow Trudi and
Rudi, a middle-aged couple who are like two cabbage rolls side by side. When
Trudi learns Rudi is ill, she wants him to see his family one last time. Their
plans to travel to Tokyo are unexpectedly disrupted when Trudi herself dies.
Left with her suitcase, Rudi pushes on to Tokyo, where he discovers a new
understanding of his wife and of himself. With subtitles. (Doris Dorrie;
Germany; 2007; 122 min)
Days and Clouds
Italian writer-director Silvio
Soldini (Bread and Tulips) returns with
another beautifully made gem. This absorbing drama brilliantly renders an
increasingly familiar nightmare: an upper middle-class family whose comfortable
lives suddenly disappear. After a lavish birthday party, Elsa (Margherita Buy)
discovers that her husband was out-maneuvered by his former partners, and
pushed out of the company he helped found. He hasn't worked in months. Soon,
the altered circumstances begin to bite, causing a schism in the marriage, and
further strain with their 20-year-old daughter. Margherita Buy, one of Italy's
greatest actresses, is simply magnificent as the lead in this honest and
ultimately optimistic film about love and commitment. With subtitles. (Silvio
Soldini; Italy; 2007; 116 min)
Deuce - Film Kitchen Special Edition
Lawrence "Deuce"
Skurcenski has been a fixture at Pittsburgh area high school and college
sporting events for more than 50 seasons. As statistician for the WPIAL and
PIAA, heÕs witnessed more than 9,000 basketball games and more than 3,000
football contests. This captivating documentary from Pittsburgh natives, Joe
and Mark Graziano, focuses on his life and his passion as a stat keeper.
Woodland Hills head coach George Novak, Steelers QB Charlie Batch, PIAA
Executive Director Brad Cashman, Pitt football coach Dave Wannstedt and
Steelers play-by-play announcer Bill Hillgrove are just a few of the many notable
sports personalities providing testimony about this local sports legend. The movie soundtrack features tracks
from noted Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa.
(Joseph & Mark Graziano; USA; 2008; 72 min) Meet ÒDeuceÓ at the 7:00
reception; film begins at 8:00. Q+A with the directors after the screening.
Ernie Gehr – visiting artist
We are pleased to bring
world-renowned experimental filmmaker to Pittsburgh. Gehr is one of the most
celebrated and internationally recognized experimental filmmakers working today.
A self-taught artist, Gehr (b. 1943) established himself as one the true
masters of film form. He rose to prominence in the 1970s, when his medium of
choice was 16mm film. His graceful style and subtle, poetic sensibility greatly
influenced the avant-garde cinema.
His artistic productivity continues to the present day as he has now
moved to digital video. Recent retrospectives at MoMA (called
"breathtakingly beautiful" by the New York Times), the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the MusŽe du
Cinema in Brussels, and the San Francisco Cinematheque have honored his lifeÕs
work. Gehr has a unique insight on how new technologies have affected both
emerging and established artists of the moving image. Tonight, November 13, he
will discuss this and present a program of his newest digital work. In addition
a program of his most influential work, including Serene Velocity will be shown on November 10 and 19.
Gehr has
received numerous awards for his work including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and
the Maya Deren Award from the American Film Institute. He's taught and lectured
at San Francisco Art Institute, the University of California at Berkeley, and
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While in Pittsburgh, Gehr will lecture at Pittsburgh
Technology Council, Carnegie-Mellon University, and he will be the keynote
speaker for the first annual Three Rivers Film Symposium on November 14
in the Melwood Screening Room.
ErŽndira
the Indomitable
This beautiful film recreates the
legend of ErŽndira, a young PurŽpecha woman who became an icon of bravery in
the 16th century during the destruction of indigenous Mexico by Spanish
conquistadors. Her struggle is like that of Joan of Arc, with fratricidal power
amidst apocalyptic chaos. But ErŽndira stood up against the social conventions
prohibiting women from active participation in warfare. Through her extreme
courage ErŽndira won the respect of the tribal leaders and became a symbol of
resistance and the preservation of her culture. Performed entirely in the original
PurŽpecha language, this film is a unique historical account that was nominated
for four Ariel awards (Mexican Oscars). With subtitles. (Juan Mora Catlett;
Mexico; 2007; 114 min)
The Exiles
Fifty years later, an important
piece of film history is finally getting its due.
The Exiles chronicles 12 hours in the life of American Indians trying
to survive off the reservation. Its director, Kent Mackenzie, had just
graduated from USC and this was his first film. His account of the dusk-to-dawn
hours in a community – the once-prosperous Bunker Hill – unfolds
without artifice, its acting unpolished. But Mackenzie (who died in 1980 after
making just one other feature) had an ear for the poetry of ritualized
interaction, and an eye for the hard light of the city. This semi-doc narrative
crackles with the kind of raw energy reminiscent of John CassavetesÕ works or
the New Wave films from the same period. After a grand premiere at the 1961
Venice Film Festival, The Exiles was
shelved. Now thanks to a superb UCLA restoration and the efforts of Milestone
Film (who partnered last year on Killer of Sheep), this 50-year-old film is one of the freshest movies out
there. (Kent Mackenzie; USA; 1958-61; 72 min)
Have
Rocket, Will Travel - new print!
In the late 50s, after three
decades of show business success, The Three Stooges contemplated retirement.
Then, in 1958, Columbia syndicated the entire Stooges film library to
television and the Stooges were rediscovered by baby boomers. Local TV legend
Paul Shannon of WTAEÕs popular childrenÕs show ÒAdventure TimeÓ was one of the
first hosts to present the Stooges to this new audience. They soon became one
of the most popular and highest-paid live acts in America, and went on to make
a series of full-length films aimed at the kiddie-matinee market. In Have
Rocket, Will Travel, their first feature,
janitors Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe accidentally launch themselves into space on
a collision course with the planet Venus, where they find a giant
flame-breathing tarantula, and a talking unicorn whom they befriend. (David
Lowell Rich; USA; 1959; 76 min)
Heavy
Light: Videos, Films and Live
Performances
Organized by
Takeshi Murata, this live event features new videos by Yoshi Sodeoka, Ben
Jones, Devin Flynn, Eric Wareheim, Tim Heidecker, Eric Fensler, Ara Peterson,
Dave Fischer, Melissa Brown, Siebren Versteeg, Billy Grant and Takeshi himself.
Also: selected local films to be announced, and the recently-restored
animations of Adam Beckett projected on 16mm film. Murata presents these short
works as well as a live performance by Nate Boyce, and live audio by Robert
Beatty, a master of electronic sonic manipulations, performing solo under the
name Three Legged Race. Murata's work has been exhibited at
the Hirshhorn Museum and MOMA. This will be the Pittsburgh premiere for
many of these visionary American independent works from the early 70s. Murata,
Boyce, and Beatty are scheduled to attend.
How About
You
Filmed in Ireland and based on a
Maeve Binchy short story, How About You
follows the tale of free-spirited Ellie, a young woman with a short fuse left
in charge of the residential home run by her older sister over the Christmas
Holidays. While most of the residents have left to spend time with their
families, four cantankerous residents remain. Naturally, the film boasts a
stellar cast of Oscar winners: Vanessa Redgrave as a retired screen beauty,
Imelda Staunton and Brenda Fricker as spinster sisters, and Joss Ackland as a
reformed alcoholic judge. This gentle comedy kicks in as the impatient Ellie
must deal with their outrageous demands, leading to plate-smashing
confrontations. (Anthony Byrne; UK; 2007; 90 min)
Infallible System
This is the light-hearted story of
80-year-old Maria, a retired French teacher who lives alone, and nobody knows
that she leads a secret life – even the admirer she gives private lessons
to. Once a month she visits the casino where she plays a roulette wheel. She
has perfected a system of winning thatÕs supposed to help her with an ambitious
plan: trying to recover some priceless jewelry from her past. All of her
machinations get the attention of a young professional gambler, who befriends
the lady to figure out her system. This is the debut feature film from director
Szylko, who worked as a journalist. She studied Film and Television in London.
With subtitles. (Izabela Szylko; Poland; 2008; 80 min)
Jazz On a SummerÕs Day
In 1958, celebrated photographer
Bert Stern pondered a friendÕs advice to take some pictures of the Newport Jazz
Festival. Instead, Stern decided to produce a full-fledged movie of the event.
It was his only film. Breaking many cinematic taboos, Stern (who would later
shoot photographs of Marilyn Monroe just before her death) recreated the look
of his still photography into motion with a display of rich human observation,
and some of the most remarkable scenes of live jazz on screen. Now, for itÕs 50th
anniversary, we are presenting this great doc in a new 35mm print. When it
premiered at the Venice Film Festival, rumors of an American New Wave swirled.
Although the emphasis is on the performances of such legendary artists as Louis
Armstrong, Anita OÕDay, Mahalia Jackson, Thelonious Monk, and Dinah Washington,
SternÕs camerawork is what Newsweek
called, Òdizzyingly beautiful.Ó
(Bert Stern; USA; 1960; 85 min)
The Passion
of Joan of Arc with The Bach Choir
With its stunning camerawork and
striking compositions, Carl Theodor Dreyer convinced the world that movies
could be art. This silent masterpiece details the last hours of the young
maiden who died for God and France. Similar to a passion play, it details her
trial, imprisonment and final execution. Unusual at the time was an emphasis on
the actors' facial features. Dreyer shot most of the film in close-up to tell
the story through their expressions. Critic Pauline Kael wrote that Renee
Falconetti's portrayal of Joan of Arc Òmay be the finest performance ever
recorded on film.Ó (Carl Theodor Dreyer; France; 1928; 82 min) Performing live
with the film, is The Bach Choir of
Pittsburgh with composer Richard Einhorn's
score for chorus, orchestra and soloists. Tickets are $25 and are only available through ProArts (412-394-3353 or www.proartstickets.org).
Pittsburgh
Reframed (at 250) – closing night event
Tonight's program of short films
by local film and video artists sprang from a promotional Bicentennial film,
simply called Pittsburgh, which was
commissioned in 1958. ItÕs believed there were several versions of Pittsburgh, in an attempt to please a large committee with
conflicting views. But the final version (28 minutes) pleased no one, and the
project was shelved. For 20 years the camera negatives, the out-takes and the
print rolls were in storage. In 1978 the 35mm print rolls and all of the camera
negatives were gifted to Pittsburgh Filmmakers, from Ted Hazlett and the
projectÕs primary funder, the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable
Foundation. Tonight the original footage, which was recently inspected, cleaned
and copied to HD video, will run on a loop in the lobby. Each short in Pittsburgh Reframed
(at 250) will include some or all of the
original footage, reconfigured. Local film and video artists participating
include: Mike Bonello, Tony Buba, Olivia Ciummo, Brian Cohen, Matthew R. Day,
Patrick Francart, Carolina Loyola Garcia, Anna Hawkins, Ben Hernstrom, Charlie
Humphrey, Thad Kellstadt, Brady Lewis, Michael Mallis, Jesse McLean, Gordon
Nelson, Drew Pavelchak, Bob Rutkowski, Elizabeth Seamans, Minette Seate, Chris
Smalley and Josh Tonies. Each short is two minutes and fifty seconds long. The
project is supported by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.
Kabei: Our Mother
This epic marks veteran director
Yoji Yamada's 80th feature film (The Hidden Blade, Love and Honor).
Here he authenticates Japan's wartime history by showing, in quietly chilling
detail, how the nation turned on its own citizens when they expressed dissident
ideas. The story opens in Tokyo in 1940 when the peaceful life of
the Nogami family suddenly changes when the father is arrested and accused of
being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to
maintain the household and bring up their two daughters. WWII breaks out and
casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her
cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an
emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace. With subtitles. (Yoji Yamada; Japan; 2008; 133 min)
Katyn
Legendary director Andrzej Wajda (Man
of Iron) has always been a controversial
filmmaker, and at 81, heÕs lost none of his fire. With this film –
nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar – he tells the tragic story of
how Soviet troops captured thousands of Polish officers and intellectuals,
imprisoned them, and then systematically executed them in 1940. Mass graves
were discovered by German troops in 1943 in the Katyn Forest. But the Soviets
denied responsibility for the massacres. It blamed the Germans and forced the
post-war Polish state to do the same. Wajda's father was one of the executed
officers, and calls it the ÒKatyn lie.Ó This fleet-footed epic centers on an
imprisoned Polish Army captain and the resourceful wife who waits for him.
While it examines large issues of war, politics and honor, Wajda always brings
the story back to its fundamental object, the captainÕs journal from the prison
camp. The Soviet Union did not release documents acknowledging the massacres
until 1990. With subtitles. (Andrzej
Wajda; Poland; 2008; 120 min)
The Korean
This stylish shootÕem up is an impressive first feature from
FilmmakerÕs alum (and Robert Morris grad) Thomas Dixon. With nods to Memento and Pulp Fiction, it is presented with a puzzle-like, non-linear
narrative. The premise follows a big city mob boss whoÕs been betrayed by four
criminal Òassociates.Ó With only hours until his immanent arrest, he calls in
his deadliest cleaner to seek revenge: the inscrutable Korean. All the clues
are there for your deciphering pleasure – money, guns, broads – not
to mention all the Pittsburgh actors and locations youÕll spot. (Thomas Dixon;
USA; 2008; 98 min) At the Melwood screenings only, this premiere will be preceded by local filmmaker Michael Maraden's short ÒOf Lost
Souls.Ó
The Last Command with Alloy Orchestra - LIVE!
This restored print of legendary
director Josef von SternbergÕs acclaimed melodrama was nominated for Best
Picture in 1928, and won its lead actor, Emil Jannings, a Best Actor Oscar. It
tells the story of a Hollywood extra (Jannings) called upon to play a general
in a movie about the Russian Revolution. But heÕs no ordinary extra. He is
Sergeus Alexander – former commanding general of the Russia army! And in
a cruel twist of fate, the director of the movie happens to be an old adversary
(William Powell), who delights in humiliating the general. Even the costume
department bullies him. When Alexander is directed to give a speech to a group
of actors playing soldiers, he loses his grip on reality. The Last Command is one powerful movie with brilliant acting
all-around, and is enhanced by AlloyÕs live music – a stirring
combination of found percussion and state of the art electronic synthesizers. (Josef
von Sternberg; 1928; USA; 85 min)
Louise
Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine
ÒUncommonly elegant and evocativeÓ - NY Times
If youÕve ever walked through Katz Plaza – in the
heart of PittsburghÕs Cultural District – youÕve seen the work of
sculptor Louise Bourgeois: those amazing, over-sized eyeballs. This film
portrait is a journey inside the life and imagination of Bourgeois. Co-directed
by Marion Cajori, who died in 2006, and art critic Amei Wallach, this creative
probe reveals much about the woman and the artist.
For six decades Bourgeois was at the forefront of her field, but always on her
own powerfully inventive and disquieting terms. In 1982, at the age of 71, she
became the first woman to be honored with a major retrospective at the Museum
of Modern Art. Starting back in 1993, Bourgeois invited the filmmakers into her
ritualistic process by which memories become embodied in her art. Their
intimate conversations reveal a quick wit as well as festering recollections of
her girlhood. Along with guided first-person tours of her sculptures, this is a
privileged look into the psyche of a fascinating artist. (Marion Cajori and
Amei Wallach; USA; 2008; 99 min) Amei Wallach is scheduled to appear.
Experimental filmmaker
Craig Baldwin is back in town to present his new film -- a radical hybrid of
spy, sci-fi, Western, and even horror genres. Mu musters the
creative audacity – make that recklessness – to take up within its
absurdly impossible Òcollage-narrativeÓ style, the profoundly serious issue of
the militarization of space. Based (mostly) on historical fact, the occult
rituals of three seminal figures in post-war California (JPL founder Jack
Parsons, L Ron Hubbard, and Marjorie Cameron), and with newly-shot live-action
footage, Baldwin inter-cuts both fiction and non-fiction archival material to
weave a dense, farcical tale of mind-control, subterranean intrigue, and
aerospace speculationÉall done in pulp serial form to boot. (Craig Baldwin; USA; 2008; 109 min) Will be preceded by Who
is Bozo Texino, former Portland and
current Braddock filmmaker Bill DanielÕs experimental documentary on modern day
hoboes and boxcar grafitti. Daniel has worked with Baldwin on many of his films
and was cinematographer on Mock Up. Baldwin and Daniel are
scheduled to appear.
MommaÕs Man
Azazel JacobsÕ film, The
Good Times Kid, was a sleeper hit from last
yearÕs film festival, and MommaÕs Man is poised to do the same. JacobsÕ heartfelt indie drama is superbly
crafted, funny, and utterly poignant. The story revolves around Mikey whoÕs
visiting his parents in New York and inexplicably finds himself unable to
return to his wife and infant in California. Entrenched in the adolescent
sanctuary of his parental home, he is forced to choose between his life then
and his life now. Filled with wry humor and authenticity, the film is a
profoundly touching, universal ode to that terrifying time when one must grow
up and embrace adulthood once and for all. Conceived initially as a love
letter to his unique childhood, Jacobs cast his own parents as Òthe parentsÓ
(his father Ken is a celebrated avant-garde filmmaker; his mother Flo is a
painter) elevating it beyond mere fiction and turning it into something much
deeper. (Azazel Jacobs; USA; 2008; 94 min)
My Father My Lord
Named best narrative feature at
last yearÕs Tribeca Film Festival, and called Òheartbreakingly tenderÓ by the
New York Times, My Father My Lord
observes the strict family life of Abraham, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, his wife,
and their young son. The inquisitive boy worships his father but rebels against
him in the small, seemingly harmless ways all children do. This sensitively
directed film depicts the staggering price a family can pay for an obsession
with ritualistic observance. Abraham is devoted to his family, but speaks with
the same absolute certainty that all fundamentalists – be they Jewish,
Muslim or Christian – voice their beliefs. As this powerful film suggests,
AbrahamÕs binding of Isaac can have subtle parallels in todayÕs world, often
with unanticipated consequences. With subtitles. (David Volach; Israel; 2007;
73 min)
My Tale of
Two Cities – Pittsburgh
Premiere!
This funny valentine to Pittsburgh
ponders that whole "coming home" dilemma for so many talented folks
who have followed their dreams elsewhere. It chronicles Carl Kurlander's
decision to leave his life behind as a screenwriter and producer in Hollywood (St.
Elmo's Fire, Saved By The Bell) and move back home to teach at Pitt. We follow Carl as he
searches for (with much self-deprecating humor) a more meaningful life –
even appearing on Oprah – only to
find Pittsburgh experiencing a mid-life crisis of its own. This heartfelt
documentary asks what a once-great industrial city still needs to do to
reinvent itself. It stars the City of Pittsburgh, and features many of its
best-loved ambassadors. (Carl Kurlander; USA; 2008; 85 min) Kurlander is
scheduled to attend.
(Note: On November 28, as part
of "Pittsburgh's Homecoming Weekend" Pittsburghers everywhere are
invited to a special red-carpet screening of this film at The Byham.)
One Day
YouÕll Understand
One of the most gifted directors
working today, Amos Gitai has turned his talents to the elusive subject of memory.
He has (brilliantly) cast the aging but still absolutely riveting Jeanne Moreau
in a quiet but intense performance as Madame Gornick, a woman who prowls around
her apartment listening to her television set. Her parents died in the Nazi
concentration camps, but she has told her children little about her past.
Meanwhile, her son Victor is trying to assemble pieces of their family legacy
through photographs, letters and memorabilia. It is a history of two conjoined
families – French on his father's side and Jewish on his mother's. Victor
really only knows the French side; the Jewish half is full of gaps. This is
perhaps the film Gita• was born to make, a masterpiece of Holocaust memory that
uses not one frame of footage from the disaster. With subtitles. (Amos Gitai; France; 2008; 89 min)
The Pool
Working in a country obviously not
his own, director/co-writer Chris Smith (American Movie) has nevertheless created a superbly incisive portrait. The
Pool is the story of Venkatesh, a boy who
works at a hotel on the west coast of India. He sees from his perch in a mango
tree, a luxuriant garden and pool hidden behind a wall. The shimmering pool, in
which no one seems to swim, is a window onto a world he can hardly imagine. He
ekes out a living cleaning hotel rooms and selling plastic bags on the street
with his 11-year-old sidekick, Jhangir. The film recognizes the ways poverty
can trap its victims into a kind of eternal childhood – making it more
comfortable to stay put than to move forward. It recalls the neorealist work of
Satyajit Ray, where the line between fiction and reality blurs. In English and
Hindi with subtitles. (Chris Smith; USA; 2008; 95 min)
Repo!
The Genetic Opera
Finally – the hilarious
horror-musical spoof Pittsburghers have been waiting for!
ItÕs the year 2056. An epidemic
of organ failures devastates the planet. But alas, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a
biotech company that offers organ transplantsÉfor a price. But for those who can't keep up with
their payments, collection is the responsibility of skilled assassins ordered to recover company
property (each organ has a barcode stamped on it) by any means necessary. With
20 amazing rock opera ballads ranging from blood-chillingly gothic to deliciously
deviant and tearjerking-ly sentimental,
in addition to sexy, messy, and divinely choreographed numbers, Repo! will leave viewers humming, singing, and slicing for
days. The all-star cast includes Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton,
Bill Moseley, Alexa Vega, with a cameo by Joan Jett. (Darren Lynn Bousman; USA;
2008; 98 min) Darren Lynn Bousman is scheduled to attend.
Shall We Kiss?
Only the French could craft a
thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy about cheating. Like Eric Rohmer meets
Woody Allen, this beautiful film blends French drama and American screwball
comedy. Wry, observant and touching, Shall We Kiss is a very contemporary story of a man and a woman who meet
by chance on the street and spend the evening talking, laughing and getting
along famously. At the end of the night, the woman declines the manÕs offer of
Òa kiss without consequences.Ó Like any great relationship movie, the plot also
involves the dependable best friends. With humor and honesty this film will
have you answering the question, ÒOui Oui!Ó With subtitles. (Emmanuel Mouret;
France; 2008; 102 min)
Short Films
Program
Space is devoted in the Film
Festival each year for a competitive selection of shorts – a program for
media artists to present work that allows them to creatively take risks, break
new ground or challenge the viewer. Within the categories of experimental,
narrative, animation, and documentary, there are 21 shorts divided into two
programs. Submissions come from regional artists, as well as national and international
artists. Prizes will be awarded (donated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Kodak).
Program A
Invoice, Adriane Little; The Dirt on You, Jeremy Braverman;
Streetcar Named Perspire, Joanna Priestley; El Abuelo, Dino Dinco;
In the A.M. of Dec. 26th , Paula Malcomson;
A PigÕs Ear, Grant Barbeito; Crushed, Michael Feldman;
Balaton Monks, Mark Edgington; Finding MattyÕs Voice, Jaclyn Spirer;
Natural Selection: The
Rise of the Proletariat, Michael
Mallis
Program B:
The Ville, Amy Bench; Case Histories in Psychotherapy, Tony Gault;
Peekers, Mark Steensland; The Great Melt, Ben Bigelow; Emotive, Vanessa Sas;
The Cave: an Adaptation of PlatoÕs Allegory in Clay, Michael Ramsey;
Communion, Markus Kirschner; Symphony, Erick Oh;
Today I Baled Some Hay to Feed the Sheep the Coyotes Eat, Will Zavala;
Thurston, Mark Wickline; Lake Affect, Jason Livingston
The Sky Turns
Winner of the top award at
numerous film festivals, this eloquent documentary is a sublime contemplation
of time, memory, and mortality. Director Mercedes Alvarez was three years old
when her parents left La Aldea, a village in the barren Northern Spanish Soria
region. She was the last child born there. Now, only 14 people remain. Soon
this village, like so many other rural communities, will be deserted and
without fanfare, will disappear. Though her film is intensely personal, Alvarez
yields the spotlight to the dwindling but tenacious villagers. The passing
years have made them natural historians and philosophers. A stunning film, it
dissolves the personal into the universal, the fleeting into the timeless. With
subtitles. (Mercedes Alvarez; Spain; 2005; 110 min)
Song Sung
Blue
Buzz from the festival circuit is
zeroing in on this sleeper. ItÕs the unforgettable story of a homegrown Milwaukee
couple: ÒLightningÓ (Neil Diamond impersonator Mike Sardina) and his wife
ÒThunderÓ (Claire, who does a great Patsy Cline too). Heartfelt and honest this
duo makes you want to quit your day job and run to the nearest karaoke bar.
Decked in sequins, Thunder and Lightning were a true phenomenon, rocking out in
front of 30,000 happy fans until an accident changed everything. We get access
behind the curtain with this inspiring couple, from their humble beginnings to
the threshold of their fame. The filmmakerÕs use of confessional video journals
results in some of the most heartbreaking moments you'll ever see in a
documentary. Song Sung Blue is often
hilarious, occasionally a tearjerker, but always riveting. YouÕll never forget
these authentic American dreamers. (Greg Kohs; USA; 2008; 87 min)
The Speed of Life
After playing the Venice, Munich,
Prague and Sarajevo Film Festivals, The Speed of Life is finally making it to
ours. Set in New York City, the film tells the story of a 13-year old boy who
escapes the streets by stealing video camera from tourists. Sammer wants to
travel to far away lands and explore the world, a world he sees primarily
through the stolen videotapes. As he looks at the footage, his imagination
unfurls and lifts him from his harsh life. An assortment of characters stand in
his way: an ailing foster mom, an older brother getting out of prison, a juvie
probation officer who doesn't like juveniles, an ex-con who steals puppies, and
an old man who thinks he can fly. Speed
is a beautiful, quirky movie incorporating actual found footage and other
people's home video footage. (Ed Radtke; USA; 2007; 84 min) Ed Radtke is
scheduled to attend.
Syndromes
and a Century
ÒFor those seeking a palette cleanser after a steady diet of
Hollywood product, it's as invigorating as a perfect sorbet." – Newsweek
Only a handful of directors utilize the unique language of
film to its fullest. One of those artists, Thai filmmaker Apichatpong
Weerasethakul, was recently featured in the Carnegie International, where his
video installation Unknown Forces drew
rave reviews. In Syndromes and a Century, he revisits the structure of his earlier feature films, Blissfully
Yours and Tropical Malady to create a languid, lyrical, organic, and contemplative
exposition on the malleability and impermanence of a person's sense of
place. The narrative thread is
loosely based on his parents
who were both doctors, and his memories about growing up in a hospital
environment. But it is presented through a series of
allusive, repeating images. These striking visuals – from smoke going up
the flue of a hospital exhaust system to a basement full of prosthetic limbs
– create an impressionistic meditation on the persistence and elusiveness
of human memory. With subtitles. (Apichatpong Weerasethakul; Thailand;
2006; 105 min) Doug Fogle, curator of the 2008 Carnegie International exhibit, Life
on Mars is scheduled to attend.
Tamas: A Portrait
In 1956, Tamas Szilagyi fled his
native Hungary after the Soviets invaded, landing in Pittsburgh. He eventually
became a beloved and respected history teacher and coach at the Kiski School in
Saltsburg, PA. HeÕs the subject of this documentary produced by well-known
actor David Conrad, a Kiski graduate (and Edgewood native). We feel a
sense of privilege getting to know this colorful character through his
wonderful stories, old photos, and the testimony of those he inspired. His
journey back to Hungary, returning for the first time in 50 years, is touching
and exhilarating. Szilagyi, it turns out, is as comfortable giving a
history lesson on the streets of Budapest as he is in a classroom, or around a
kitchen table. The film is beautifully edited with lots of fascinating archival
footage and great Hungarian music. (David Conrad; USA; 2008; 79 min) Conrad and
Szilagyi are scheduled to attend.
Three Monkeys
A magnificently intense, brooding
tale of family brought low by a twisted chain of deceits, it is distinguished
by director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's extraordinarily painterly imagery –
further evidence that heÕs one of the finest filmmakers working today. (Ceylan
won Best Director at Cannes this year.) ItÕs the story of a politician whoÕs
involved in a car accident and then asks his driver to take the rap and a short
jail sentence, in return for a tempting financial reward. It's just the first
of many lies; inevitably, the driver's wife and son are also affected, and soon
all four are trapped in a tangled web of fear, desire, doubt and guilt. ItÕs
almost Dostoyevskian in its astute psychological insight and its dark sense of
moral and dramatic irony. Furthermore CeylanÕs pioneering exploration of
digital camerawork have helped create an extraordinary film. With subtitles.
(Nuri Bilge Ceylan;
Turkey/France/Italy; 2008; 109 min)
The Trap
Serbia's entry for the 2007 Best
Foreign Language Film Oscar, The Trap is getting extensive notoriety with festival screenings. A
modern day film noir, it perfectly captures the woes of a society riddled with
fresh wounds. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of post-Milosevic Serbia, The
Trap is a claustrophobic thriller that
asks what a human life is worth. A father faces a tough moral dilemma in this
when his son requires an expensive, lifesaving operation. A mysterious stranger
offers a solution, but the question is how far the father is willing to go to
save his son. With subtitles. (Srdan Golubovic; Serbia; 2007; 115 min)
Tricks
This Polish film is the work of a born filmmaker. The story
revolves around six-year-old Stefek and his
17-year-old sister Elka during the long summer
holidays. She works evenings in a
bar while preparing for a job with a large international company. One day, at
the railway station, they see a man who Stefek believes is the father who
abandoned him at birth. Stefek and Elka have developed a life in which ÒtricksÓ
or games influence the course of events. Stefek embarks on a new sequence of
games of chance in which he hopes to win back his lost father, turning up at
the station every day to prolong their encounters. This is only the director 's
second feature, but it is a real charmer, conjuring up sunny days and a world
of provincial childhood that is both nostalgic and evocative. With subtitles.
(Andrzej Jakimowski; Poland; 2007; 96 min)
Twists of
Fate
Polish director Jerzy Stuhr will
present his gripping film of crimes and misdemeanors that spans two
generations. ItÕs the tale a former secret police officer under Polish
socialism who faces the consequences of his past actions. Meanwhile, an
unscrupulous student finds a briefcase, a coat, and a cell phone on a train.
When the phone begins to ring, it sets off a shocking series of events that
changes their lives forever. With subtitles. (Jerzy Stuhr; Poland; 2007; 112
min)
Actor,
screenwriter and director Jerzy Stuhr (The Big Animal) has won a host of Polish and
international film awards, including the 2005 Life Achievement Award at the
Venice Film Festival. Internationally heÕs best know for his role as the
slow-witted hairdresser in KieślowskiÕs White. In Poland youngsters know him as the
voice of Donkey in the Polish version of Shrek. In StuhrÕs long and distinguished career
heÕs worked alongside such legends as Krzysztof Kieślowski, Agnieszka
Holland, Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi.
Waltz with
Bashir
Straight from this yearÕs New York
Film Festival comes one of the boldest films in recent years. Waltz with
Bashir can only be described as an
animated documentary, an ingenious and provocative blending of animation
techniques with sharp-edged, often unsettling personal testimony. In it, the
filmmaker takes a journey toward discovering the truth about an Israeli Army
mission he participated in during the first Lebanon War of the early 80s.
Intrigued by the recurring nightmare of a friend whoÕs chased in his dream by
the ghosts of the dogs he shot during the war, director Ari Folman comes to
realize how much he suppressed his own memories. Interviewing friends who
served with him, FolmanÕs memories of the conflict gradually begin to emerge.
Through animation the film magically illustrates historical imagination –
that place in our minds where actual lived experiences combine with fears,
fantasies and justifications. (Ari Folman; Israel/Germany/France; 2008; 90 min)
A Warm Heart
Renowned director/screenwriter
Krzysztof Zanussi premiered this dark comedy in Poland just eight weeks ago. It
is a story about a wealthy businessman spoiled by his rich lifestyle, who finds
out that heÕs suffering from serious heart disease. Only a transplant can save
his life. While in the hospital – by sheer coincidence – he meets a
young man who Õs lost interest in living due to his unhappy love life, as well
as just losing his job. The young man is the perfect donor. All he needs is
help in leaving this world. A
mediator named ÒAngeloÓ suddenly arrives on the sceneÉa fallen angel. With
subtitles. (Krzysztof Zanussi; Poland; 2008; 95 min)
Wild Combination: A
Portrait of Arthur Russell
Premiering at the Berlin Film
Festival, this is the absorbing tale of cellist, singer-songwriter, avant-garde
composer, and disco-hit producer, Arthur Russell. As a teen, Russell –
already a trained cello player – left his home in Iowa and joined a
Buddhist commune in San Francisco. Somewhere between living in the commune and
two music conservatories, he met and worked with Allen Ginsberg and Philip
Glass. Russell created music that spanned both pop and the transcendent
possibilities of abstract art.
Now, more than 15 years since his untimely death from AIDS at the age of
40, his work is finally finding an audience. Director Matt Wolf incorporates
rare archival footage and commentary from Arthur's family, friends, and closest
collaborators to tell this poignant and important story. (Matt Wolf; USA; 2008;
70 min)
Wonderful Town
During the reconstruction of
tsunami-devastated Thailand, a mysterious architect from Bangkok arrives in the
near-ghost town. Searching for a place to live he meets a beautiful young hotel
manager. When their relationship takes a romantic turn, this small communityÕs
newly achieved equilibrium begins to crack once again. This quiet narrative of
suggestion and hushed emotions takes an unexpected twist. A lovely and
foreboding film, it recalls the aesthetic delicacy of the filmmakerÕs
contemporary Thai director, Apichatpong Weerasethakul. With subtitles. (Aditya
Assarat; Thailand; 2007; 92 min)
_________________________________
Added to the Film Festival
Line Up:
JCVD
Audiences laughed and cheered at
this yearÕs Toronto Film Festival for this hilarious reality/fiction drama
about action-star Jean-Claude Van Damme. He plays himself – an aging
actor whose career in Hollywood is all but washed up. Returning to Brussels, he
lands in the middle of a bank heist, where heÕs expected to actually save the
day. HeÕs faced ninjas, wild animals, and
space aliens, but in JCVD heÕs
confronted with the naked truth of his own career: dreadful roles, worldwide
ridicule, drug addiction, bad haircuts and a messy divorce. The wickedly crisp
script realistically captures the comedy inherent in the day-to-day life of a
superstar. Through it all Jean Claude Van Damme delivers – with
intelligent, sophisticated humor – his best work yet. In English and
French with subtitles. (Mabrouk El Mechri; Belgium; 2008; 96 min) Sat, Nov 15 – Regent Square Theater
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