For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

July 15, 2007 412-681-5449

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

August Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following descriptions are from Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ Film Exhibition Program for August 2007. The films are screened at the Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Avenue (Downtown), the Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Avenue (in North Oakland) and the Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Avenue (in Edgewood). For admission prices and current showtimes call 412-682-4111. All titles and dates are subject to change, due to film availability.

The Harris Theater – 809 Liberty Ave

Thru Aug. 2: The Trials of Darryl Hunt

“Powerful and unsettling.” –Variety.

In 1984, a black North Carolina teenager was convicted of life in prison for the murder of a young white woman. What transpired over the next 19 years is graphically illustrated in this investigative story of a community divided by a horrific crime. (Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg; USA; 2006; 113 min)

Opens Aug. 3: Black Sheep

“...a giddily subversive addition to the age-old cinema tradition of the

horror comedy.” – Hollywood Reporter

If you liked Shaun of the Dead, you’ll love this hilarious County Fair version of a gorefest. When we meet Henry Oldfield (who’s terrified of sheep) he’s returning to his family's farm to sell out to his brother Angus, unaware that something odd is going on there – namely a reckless genetic engineering program. The environmental activists release a mutant lamb onto the farm, and thousands of sheep turn into bloodthirsty predators. Along with a farmhand and a “green” girl, Henry must find the gonads to take back control of the farm, defeat an ovine invasion, and save New Zealand's greener pastures. (Jonathan King; New Zealand; 2007; 87 min)

Opens Aug. 10: Into Great Silence

Back by request! The Grande Chartreuse, deep in the French Alps, is one of the most ascetic monasteries in the world. German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. Sixteen years later they said yes. Without crew or artificial lighting he lived in the monks’ quarters filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one: it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, Into Great Silence dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. A rare, transformative theatrical experience for all. (Philip Gröning; Germany; 2006; 162 min)

Opens Aug. 17: Bamako

This compelling film from the New York Film Festival, was co-produced by Danny Glover, who makes a wonderful cameo appearance. It opens in a courtyard in Mali, where a remarkable tribunal has been convened: the people of Africa are putting on trial officials from the International Monetary Fund and other international institutions, charging them with promoting policies that have increased the continent’s deprivation. The extraordinary artistry of director Sissako (Waiting for Happiness) is at work here, as he alternates the images and rhythms of everyday village life (commerce goes on, a couple gets married) with a stark exposé of the causes of underdevelopment. Prosecutors offer devastating critiques of so-called aid and development deals. With subtitles. (Abderrahmane Sissako; Mali/France; 2006; 115 min)

Opens Aug. 24: This is England

It's the summer of 1983 in northern England. Punks, mods and skinheads are on the rise, but employment is not. Eleven-year-old Shaun has lost his father but seems to find a surrogate family in a band of friendly skinheads. When they're joined by the older, overtly racist Con, who's just out of prison, the tale takes a much darker turn. This is not a one-dimensional vilification of neo-Nazis with ugliness coursing through their veins. It’s a sensitive, whip-smart, and richly detailed portrait of a subculture from its heartbreakingly humble roots. Features a fantastic soundtrack. (Shane Meadows; UK; 2006; 102 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

Thru Aug 2: Jindabyne

In this contemplative mystery, Laura Linney plays an American living in Jindabyne, New South Wales with her Irish-born husband, Stewart (Gabriel Byrne), and their son. Stewart and his friends go on their annual fishing trip, but on the first day they find a dead body. Initially distraught, the men decide to stay the weekend. Their decision meets with disapproval and their lives start unraveling. (Ray Lawrence; Australia; 2006; 123 min)

Opens Aug. 3: Private Fears in Public Places

“A masterpiece by any measure…Suffused with the wisdom and experience of a great filmmaker who turn(ed) 85 on June 2.” –L.A. Times.

The new film from master French filmmaker Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad, Providence) is based on a play by Alan Ayckbourn. Set in wintertime Paris, it follows six grown-ups as they bump into and bounce off each other in a dizzying love roundelay. A work of both lightness and gravitas, this graceful and visually dazzling movie features superb performances from an all-star cast (Sabine Azéma, Lambert Wilson, André Dussollier). A 2006 New York Film Festival selection. With subtitles. (Alain Resnais; France/Italy; 2006; 120 min)

Opens Aug 10: Vitus

By the age of 12, Vitus (played by real-life piano prodigy Teo Gheorghiu) is a highly gifted musician whose parents have plans for him as a classical pianist. Vitus not only plays like a virtuoso, he possesses ultra-sonic hearing and a propensity for reading the encyclopedia. In other words, he is an extraordinary child with a brilliant future. But Vitus wants to be a normal boy and dreams of flying. This moving story, which features the great Bruno Ganz as his eccentric grandfather and best friend, was Switzerland's official 2006 entry for Best Foreign Film Oscar. Its director says, “Vitus is first and foremost a declaration of love to the inspiring and healing power of music.” This gem is not to be missed! With subtitles. (Fredi M. Murer; Switzerland; 2006; 120 min)

Opens Aug. 17: TBA

Opens Aug. 24: Lady Chatterley

“…Feels bracingly fresh, vital and modern.” – NY Times

Winner of Best Film and four other prizes at this year’s César Awards, this new adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s controversial novel is intelligent, gorgeous, and of course, sensual. It follows the affair of an upper-crust woman and a virile gamekeeper while reflecting upon class, sexuality and female empowerment. Stuck on a rural estate, Constance Chatterley grows bored with her listless marriage to a wheelchair-bound husband – until she discovers a scandalous new diversion. Far from the dull literal-mindedness of prior Lawrence adaptations, this version brings a remarkable feel for nature, both earthly and human, to the fore, highlighted by the resplendent natural landscape. The textures and authentic details of this period drama are to die for. With subtitles. (Pascale Ferran; France; 2007; 168 min)

Opens Aug. 31: Gypsy Caravan

“…great fun, tempered by loss, but rippling with gusto.” – Village Voice

We follow five Romani bands from four countries who unite for the Gypsy Caravan concert tour across North America. "Gypsy Caravan has been compared to Buena Vista Social Club, and although it leaves us with a similar heady, musicological euphoria, it imparts an even greater sense of shared humanity.” --LA Times. An audience favorite at film festivals worldwide, this gorgeous surround-sound celebration documents the luscious music of top international performers while interweaving real life tales of their home life. Shot by documentary icon, Albert Maysles this stirring, beautiful film takes us through the US, Europe, as well as Romania, Spain, Macedonia, and India. (Jasmine Dellal; 2007; 111 min)

Sunday Night Series: Wacky Comedies

As long as there have been sacred cows to be mocked and ridiculed, anarchic comedy has thrived on the big screen. Here are some knee-slappers from four different decades.

Aug. 5: Blazing Saddles

One of Mel Brooks' funniest and least politically-correct films, it’s an unsubtle spoof of all the cliches from that beloved genre: the American Western. It may be full of toilet humor and foul language, the characters may be racist and sexist, but you’ll never laugh harder. Stars Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman. (Mel Brooks; 1974; 120 min)

Aug. 12: Mon Oncle

Slapstick prevails when Jacques Tati’s eccentric character, Mr. Hulot, finds himself unwelcome in modern suburbia (50s), in the high tech, fully automated household of his sister’s family. To get him out of the house, they find him a job in a plastic hose factory, with predictably hilarious results. Tati directs and stars in this second entry of the Hulot series -- a delightful satire of mechanized living. (Jacques Tati; France; 1958; 110 min)

Aug. 19: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

Pee-wee's most prized possession -- his shiny new bicycle -- is stolen, and he sets off on a cross-country journey to recover it. The hilarious man-child tells his girlfriend, "There's things about me you don't know, Dottie. Things you wouldn't understand…I'm a rebel." Written by Paul Reubens and the late Phil Hartman. (Tim Burton; 1985; 90 min)

Aug. 26: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Spencer Tracy leads an all-star cast in this classic comedy about a dying man who reveals to a random group of travelers where his stolen loot is buried. A wild and wacky chase ensues across California as each in the hapless, hilarious group tries to get there first. (Stanley Kramer; 1963; 154 min)

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

Aug 10-12: B.I.K.E.

This film is a riveting look at a rowdy group of artist-punks who dumpster-dive as a political act and ride home-welded “tall bikes” (essentially two bicycle frames stacked on top of each other) and joust each other on night-shrouded streets of New York. It’s a fascinating look at the ways in which group identity is important for a fiercely independent group who’ve rejected the dominant culture. Over a two-year period, the film's co-director attempts to join the gang (called the Black Label Bike Club) as he follows them to parties, jousts, gatherings of the tribes in Amsterdam and Minneapolis, and the protests of the 2004 Republican National Convention. B.I.K.E. explores such themes as personal artistic vision, global responsibility, personal relationships, and group dynamics. The results are action-packed as well as hilarious and emotionally potent. (Anthony Howard and Jacob Septimus; USA; 2006; 89 min)

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