For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

March 18, 2008 412-681-5449

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

April Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following are descriptions of Pittsburgh Filmmakers Film Exhibition program for April 2008. The films are screened at 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

March 28 - April 3: Teeth

From first-time director Mitchell Lichtenstein (and son of pop artist Roy) comes this campy take on the castration myth. It’s a blend of teen comedy, splatter film and social satire. (Mitchell Lichtenstein; USA; 2007; 88 min)

Opens April 4: Starting Out in the Evening

Many critics said Frank Langella gave the performance of a lifetime in this film, but without a big distribution deal it fell through the cracks anyway. Flanked by Lili Taylor and Lauren Ambrose, Langella is the central piece in a dramatic story that is character driven. Based on the novel by Brian Morton, it begins with an aging writer named Schiller who feels as obsolete as the typewriter he is pounding away at. When a pretty grad student shows up planning to write her thesis on his work, they begin a curious, even flirtatious friendship. Meanwhile, Schiller’s daughter makes it clear her father is not easy to deal with. As the fading writer, Langella commands the screen with a quiet, yet stunning presence. (Andrew Wagner; 2007; USA; 111 min)

Opens April 18: CJ7

It’s a kids’ movie, but grown-ups will love it too. Writer-director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) tells the story of a high-spirited boy (played by 9-year-old actress Xu Jiao) struggling at a private school where he’s been sent by his hardworking father in the hope of escaping poverty. There he must endure school bullies and overbearing teachers. But one day his father brings him a space-alien puppy -- a cross between ET and Pokemon -- whose special powers just may help ward off the bullies. CJ7 has a heart, a mind and a gentleness of spirit that parents will welcome, while the frequent flights of fancy ensure that no child will be left behind. With subtitles. (Stephen Chow; Hong Kong; 2008; 86 min)

Opens April 25: Blindsight

Filmed primarily in and around the cascading Tibetan Himalayas, this astonishing film follows six blind Tibetan teenagers as they attempt to scale the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri peak on the north side of Mount Everest. Led by Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind man to have climbed Everest itself, and accompanied by their fearless teacher the teenagers brave ravines, altitude sickness and inclement weather with amazing fortitude. Since many Tibetans believe the blind are possessed by demons, the children are shunned by their parents, scorned by their villages, and rejected by society. This inspiring group of teenagers may have you rethinking your routine complaints. (Lucy Walker; UK/Tibet; 2006; 104 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

Thru April 9: Paranoid Park

Director Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Good Will Hunting, Elephant) has created some of the most memorable films about youth ever committed to film. Now comes his long awaited Paranoid Park. It’s the story of an unsolved murder in Portland that sends detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral odyssey where he must not only deal with the pain and disconnect of adolescence but the consequences of his own actions. Based on the novel by Blake Nelson, this film has captivated audiences and critics alike, and was a standout at Cannes, New York and Toronto Film festivals. (Gus Van Sant; USA; 2007; 84 min)

Special event - April 10:

Opens April 11: The Band’s Visit

“A global charmer!” – Entertainment Weekly

Winner of 35 international film awards, this warm-hearted story of cross-cultural rapprochement was also an audience favorite from the 2007 Three Rivers Film Fest. The story begins when an Egyptian band is invited to the opening of an Israeli cultural center. The immaculately pressed Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band arrives at the airport only to find their hosts are nowhere in sight, so they decide to take a bus. Hopelessly lost, they encounter not only tensions and friendships with the townspeople who take them in for the night, but valuable lessons as well. Through the connections they forge, the band and the villagers find their cultural assumptions shaken. This sly comedy is infused with a wistful nostalgia, when shared simple pleasures had the potential to bring people together. With subtitles. (Eran Kolirin; Israel; 2007; 89min)

Sunday Night Series: Calling all Coenheads

Even with their recent (and second) Best Picture Oscar, the Coen Brothers will most likely remain fiercely independent filmmakers, determined to hold on to their idiosyncratic vision. The siblings have worked together as a creative team since childhood – even earning the nickname, “the two-headed director.” From their film-school geek days to the present, their genre-bending movies all share a distinct style and sensibility. Here are four samples.

April 6: Fargo

In the Coens’ first Oscar winner, financially strapped Minneapolis car dealer (William H. Macy) hires bumbling gangsters to kidnap his wife for ransom money, and of course, nothing goes as planned. But it's pregnant state trooper Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) who steals the show as one of the most memorable movie heroines ever created. You betcha! (1996; 98 min)

April 13: Barton Fink

Dripping with period details, John Torturro plays a blocked writer contemptuous of having to work for Hollywood in this Kafka-esque story set in 1941 – the year of both The Maltese Falcon and Citizen Kane. With moguls, mistresses, and murderers, it’s an underrated Coen classic. (1991; 116 min)

April 20: Blood Simple

The Coen’s debut feature is a playful reworking of film noir set in modern Texas. The brothers locked in a core fan base with this film’s quirky characters, plot twists, red herrings, dark sense of humor, roving camerawork, ironic pop score, and real moments of suspense. Stars the future Mrs. Joel Coen, Frances McDormand. (1984; 99 min)

April 27: The Big Lebowski

This cult favorite starring Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman, is a buddy picture with nods to Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. The shaggy dog tale about mistaken identity is full of hilarious sidetracks including bowling, dope-smoking, and run-ins with mobsters. (1997; 113 min)

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

April 1 & 2: Alice Neel

Portrait painter Alice Neel (1900-1984) was a self-described collector of souls. Her subjects were legendary – among them Andy Warhol, Bella Abzug, Allen Ginsberg and Annie Sprinkle. She sacrificed almost everything for her art, delving so far into the psyches of her sitters she would almost lose herself. Yet Neel was also a dedicated mother, raising two sons in the bohemian world she inhabited. Filmmaker Andrew Neel, Alice Neel’s grandson, explores her life and legacy using intimate one-on-one interviews with surviving family and archival video. (Andrew Neel; USA; 2006; 81 min)

April 3: Uncounted

This explosive new documentary explains how election fraud in the 2004 election has led to even greater fraud in 2006 – and now threatens the outcome of the 2008 election. This controversial feature-length film by Emmy award-winning director David Earnhardt examines in factual, logical, and yet startling terms how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity across the US. Noted computer programmers, statisticians, journalists, and experienced election officials provide the proof. (David Earnhardt; USA; 2007; 80 min)) Presented by Vote Allegheny. Tickets: $10.

April 4: La Antena

Acclaimed Argentinean writer-director Esteban Sapir creates a future world devoid of human voices where television is the controlling force. Set in a wintry metropolis in the year X, the merciless Mr. TV rules. He has monopolized both word and image, as he works on a sinister, hypnotic machine to control all humanity forever. He kidnaps the only person who still has her voice – a beautiful singer. Shot in black and white in silent-film style, this stunning film shows the influence of Spain's Bunuel, Germany's Lang, Russia's Vertov, and France's Melies. La Antena is nevertheless a very modern, and original film. (Esteban Sapir; Argentina; 2007; 90 min) Co-presented by the Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University.

April 5: Cartune Xprez 2008 Sprng Cruisr Tour

Cartune Xprez is a smart, talented, visually dangerous gang. Described by founder Peter Burr as "a curatorial project for animated videos and multimedia performances" that have "birthed a couple epic tours, many scattered screenings, and one DVD publication." This year’s touring program is a multimedia blowout featuring animated videos, and a multidimentional performance by Hooliganship – which the audience views in 3D. Don’t miss the chance to see some amazing videos by these maverick artists, who’ve been featured at the Whitney, and at the Warhol museum. (80 min program)

April 8: Film Kitchen

This showcase of regional film and video art is presented on the second Tuesday of every month. Highlights this month include whimsical short films by Matthew R. Day and skater videos by Andrew Nelson. Co-sponsored by City Paper, WYEP-FM, Pittsburgh Brewing, and DH Creative. Reception at 7:00; films at 8:00.

April 18 – 20: A Boy and His Dog – new print!

"Offbeat delight…alive with invention…a funny nightmare!" - LA Times

This sci-fi cult classic is finally available in a new print. It’s the year 2024. A young man and his telepathic dog struggle to survive in a post-atomic wilderness. World War Four has ravaged Earth, and its survivors eke out a meager existence foraging for food and fighting gangs of cut-throats. A beautiful young woman lures Vic into a bizarre underground city, where he is to be used against his will to impregnate dozens of young ladies. Critically acclaimed, and an inspiration for the Mad Max movies, A Boy and His Dog is truly a wild, kinky cinematic adventure – and a cautionary tale for the ages! Stars Don Johnson and Jason Robards. (L.Q. Jones; USA; 1975; 91 min)

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