For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

May 18, 2007 412-681-5449

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

June Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following descriptions are from Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ Film Exhibition Program for June 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 June 7: U – Carmen e Khayelitsha

This dazzling version of Bizet’s opera challenges every notion you might have about the classic, breaking free of the work’s stage origins to create a unique cinematic experience. It relocates the tale’s doomed love affair to Khayelitsha, a shantytown in South Africa; it sets the action in a cigarette factory; and it translates the libretto into Xhosa, a regional language distinguished by pops and clicks. This vibrant update, which took the top award at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, is a celebration of South African art at its best. With subtitles. (Mark Dornford-May; 2005; South Africa; 126 min)

June 8 – June 14: The Mystery of Picasso – special Arts Festival admission price!

Like a matador confronting a bull, the artist approaches his easel, his eyes blazing. As he wields his brush, we see through the canvas as the artwork unfolds, erupts before our eyes. Pablo Picasso, the most influential artist of the twentieth century, is making a painting, and Henri-Georges Clouzot, the famous director (The Wages of Fear, Diabolique), is making a movie. In 1955, Clouzot joined forces with his friend Picasso to make a film that could capture the moment and the mystery of creativity. The filmmaker placed his camera behind a semi-transparent surface on which the artist drew with special inks that bled through. We have a perfect reverse image of Picasso's brushstrokes and the motion picture screen itself becomes the artist's canvas. Unavailable for more than a decade, The Mystery of Picasso is exhilarating, mesmerizing, enchanting and unforgettable. It is simply one of the greatest documentaries on art ever made. In 1984 the French government declared the film a national treasure. (Henri-Georges Clouzot; France; 1956; 75 min)

Opens June 15: Ten Canoes

Back by request from the Three Rivers Film Festival, this groundbreaking film won a special Jury prize at Cannes and six Australian Oscars. Set a thousand years ago, well before the arrival of the Europeans, we’re told in flashback a mythical story (in the indigenous Aboriginal language) about consequences. This lush, exotic film was inspired by a photograph – an image of native men in their bark canoes on the Arafura swamp. And from that one image this fascinating tale of customs, rituals, lust, jealously, and loyalty evolved. These ancient characters are unforgettable and absolutely loveable – proving that some stories speak to all people, in any time. With subtitles. (Peter Djigirr and Rolf de Heer; Australia; 2006; 90 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

thru June 7: Offside

What does a girl have to do to cheer for her soccer team? Plenty, if she lives in a culture that bans women from such “profane” male activities. The daring young Iranian women in this delightful new comedy from Jafar Panahi (Crimson Gold) demonstrate a resourcefulness and rebelliousness never before seen in Iranian dramas. It’s a celebration of fandom and feminism, even when their ruses and disguises prove useless. The gaggle of female fans in a stadium holding pen just out of view of the game, guarded by equally young, bewildered soldiers (who would rather be watching the game themselves) tweak the absurdity of the situation. Winner of a Silver Bear at the 2006 Berlin Film Fest. With subtitles. (Jafar Panahi; Iran; 2006; 99 min)

Opens June 8: Into Great Silence

Nestled deep in the French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. 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)

June 15 – 21: Mafioso – new print!

"Mafioso may have been made in another era, but it stands as a classy, even radical rebuke to the film school posers who keep recycling the same tired

gangster tropes.” --Washington Post

One of the funniest, darkest, and most authentic movies about the mob ever made, Mafioso started it all. This rediscovered masterwork tells the story of a foreman at a Fiat factory who visits family in Sicily. Big meals and relaxed conversations in the sun are the order of the day -- until the local Mafia boss calls. This gem manages both a humorous and a tough look at the world of organized crime. A sensation when it was screened at this year’s New York Film Festival, it takes viewers from Milan to Sicily to New York on a journey that's breathtaking -- not just geographically, but cinematically. Stars Alberto Sordi, a popular star of several Fellini films. With subtitles. (Alberto Lattuada; Italy; 1962; 102 min)

Opens June 22: Killer of Sheep

“One of those marvels of original moviemaking that keeps hope of artistic independence alive.” – Entertainment Weekly

Way ahead of its time and just as stunning today, this restored masterpiece examines the Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid 1970s through the eyes of a dreamer who’s growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. A landmark of independent African American cinema, it has been unavailable for nearly two decades. It’s an unsentimental work of astonishing poignancy that manages to be simultaneously naturalistic and poetic, witty and heartbreaking. Filmmaker Charles Burnett was a recent UCLA graduate when he shot this remarkable film (on a shoestring budget) showing how social conditions effect lives. Sometimes called an American Bicycle Thief, it is hauntingly bleak, yet filled with transcendent joy. Killer of Sheep was declared a National Treasure by the Library of Congress in 1990. (Charles Burnett; USA; 1977; 90 min)

Sunday Night Series: Film Scores: Ennio Morricone

This legendary composer, and 2006 Lifetime Achievement Oscar winner, has written distinctive scores for over 400 films – not just the spaghetti westerns he’s known for. Here’s a taste of his most impressive work.

June 3: Once Upon a Time in the West

No other western has such a cult following, partly due to Morricone’s indelible score. Legend has it, the score was written before shooting began and director Sergio Leone choreographed the actors’ movements to it. This epic tale about the coming of the railroad follows a mysterious stranger (with a harmonica) who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a young widow. Stars Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda. (Sergio Leone; USA/Italy; 1968; 165 min)

June 10: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion – new print!

When a Rome police inspector commits a crime, he deliberately leaves clues to find out just how big his reputation is as a “citizen above suspicion.” Part black comedy, part critique of police methods and authoritarian control, this daring film was unavailable for many years; not on DVD. One of Morricone’s most innovative scores. With subtitles. (Elio Petri; Itlay; 1970; 112 min)

June 17: The Battle of Algiers

Still astonishingly relevant, this is perhaps the most powerful film about a revolution in modern history. Shot documentary style in the streets of Algiers with untrained actors, this nail-biting thriller re-creates the guerilla uprising against the occupying French in the 50s. Morricone’s relentlessly pulsating score was truly groundbreaking. Grand Prize winner, Venice Film Festival. With subtitles. (Gilo Pontecorvo; Italy; 1966; 125 min)

June 24: Danger! Diabolik

This mod candy-colored thriller -- based on an Italian comic strip from the 60s -- is a romp! Master criminal Diabolik outwits the police and government agents assigned to catch him every time. With a wink and a nod to James Bond, our handsome anti-hero steals a 20-ton radioactive gold bar. The outlandish visual style is made perfect by the accompaniment of Morricone’s psychedelic pop tunes. Great fun. (Mario Bava; UK/Italy; 1967; 105 min)

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

June 8 – 10: The Italian

It’s a tall order to ask a six-year-old to take on responsibility for his own life.

The questions facing Vanya are tough: does he want to live a comfortable life as an adopted child of a loving family in Italy? For an abandoned Russian child it doesn’t sound like a bad option. Yet he longs to know his own mother, and vows to search for her. But before he can begin, he must learn to read the file that holds the information he needs to find her. It is then, as his quest begins, that Vanya plunges headlong into the mysterious and dangerous new world he has chosen. With a stunning performance by young Kolya Spiridonov, this rewarding emotional roller-coaster -- part Dickens, part Tolstoy -- is a real gem. With subtitles. (Andrei Kravchuk; Russia; 2005; 99 min)

June 12: Film Kitchen

Presented on the second Tuesday of every month, Film Kitchen showcases regional film and video art. Reception begins at 7:00; films begin at 8:00. Co-sponsored by Pittsburgh City Paper, WYEP-FM, Pittsburgh Brewing. For more info: www.filmkitchen.org

June 23: Student Films Across America (2007)

As part of a national tour, student filmmakers from around the world are given a rare opportunity to screen their films to thousands, in 50 cities across America. The festival organizers (riding a tour bus named “Vivian”) start on June 7 in Madison, Wisconsin and end in Los Angeles on August 7 for an awards ceremony, where $35,000 in prizes will be awarded. For more info, to order tickets, or to see the list of dates and cities visit: www.studentfilmsacrossamerica.com. (7:00pm; admission: $10; program: 95 min)

June 29 – July 1: The Lives of Others

Even after a five-week run, we keep getting requests to bring back this Oscar-winning film. It’s a political thriller, set before the fall of the Berlin wall. We follow the investigation, by means of surveillance, of the lives of a successful playwright and his girlfriend, a popular actress – even though they pose no threat to the state. With an unusually smart and engaging script, and the noir-inflected camerawork, the film creates a brooding atmosphere of fear, doubt and suspicion, in a suspenseful story with political and moral relevance. Very touching film with great performances. With subtitles. (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; Germany; 2006; 137 min)

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