For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

March 25, 2010 412-681-5449

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

April 2010 Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following are descriptions of Pittsburgh Filmmakers Film Exhibition program for April 2010. 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.

Thru April 8: Fish Tank

(Andrea Arnold; UK; 2009; 124 min)

April 9 – 15: A Town Called Panic

“In a world lousy with computer animation and 3-D whizz-bangery – j'accuse, James Cameron! – it's nice to know there's still fun to be had with nothing more than plastic figures and a little imagination.” – Toronto Star

The first stop-motion animated feature selected to screen at Cannes, A Town Called Panic follows the zany, hilarious and often surreal adventures of three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a paper mache town. Audience Award Winner at Fantastic Fest 2009. With subtitles. (Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar; Belgium; 2009; 75 min)

April 16 – 22: Vertigo

One of Hitchcock’s most discussed films, it also features one of Jimmy Stewart’s finest performances. He plays San Francisco detective Scott Ferguson, who’s hired by a friend to trail his beautiful wife (Kim Novak). But after Scottie rescues her, he starts to fall in love with her. Some of the fifties styles are laughable, but the city never looked better, and this psychological mystery remains powerful. (Alfred Hitchcock; USA; 1958; 128 min) Chosen by downtown residents, this film is part of an ongoing series of classics presented with Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. We thank them for their support and for supporting downtown’s neighborhood theater.

April 24 – 29: North Face – back by request!

This hit from the Three Rivers Film Festival, and based on true events of 1936, is a gripping adventure about the quest to be the first to scale the near-vertical Eiger North Face -- the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. Two German pals, Andi and Toni, decide to take the challenge with only woolen socks and gloves, hemp ropes, and pitons they’ve forged themselves. Two grizzled Austrian climbers are close behind. The feat gets the attention of a young woman eager to be a journalist, as well as the Nazis – hoping for a heroic show of athleticism prior to hosting the Olympics. Suspense entwined in a social and political context. With subtitles. (Philipp Stoelzl; Austria; 2008; 121 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

Opens April 2: A Prophet

Grand Jury Prize winner at this year’s Cannes Film Fest, writer/director Jacques Audiard continues his specialty in the crime genre with his fifth feature film. This huge success at the French box office was also nominated for an Oscar (Best Foreign Language Film) this year. A film of uncompromising power and intelligence, it tells the story of a young man who must learn to navigate the uncompromising reality of the French penal system. When Malik, a young French Arab, finds himself in prison with no allies and estranged from the Muslim community, he goes out of his way to be useful to the dominant Corsican gang and its kingpin. Obedience means survival, and Malik (brilliantly played by newcomer Tahar Rahim) is a quick study. More than a prison drama, this magnificent film is also a psychological study of a disinherited, rootless young man. With subtitles. (Jacques Audiard; France; 2009; 150 min)

Opens April 16: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Based on the best-selling novel, this movie is already the highest-grossing Swedish film in history. The story begins Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her beloved uncle is convinced it...4 four decades ago when Harriet Vanger disappears from a family gathering. Her body was never found, but her beloved uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own clan. He hires a middle-aged journalist and a young – tattooed and pierced – computer hacker (played by the intense Noomi Rapace) to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to others, a dark family history begins to unravel. Author Stieg Larsson died suddenly in 2004, leaving behind three novels known as the "millennium trilogy,” which have become global sensations. This is the first screen adaptation. With subtitles. (Niels Arden Oplev; Sweden; 2010; 154 min)

Sunday Night Series: Clocks Ticking: Before The Hurt Locker

Some of the most memorable films in history are ones where characters battle time; some of the smartest directors understand just how this ratchets up the tension. Here are four great nail-biters of the cinema.

April 4: Strangers on a Train

One of Hitchcock’s best thrillers is an intense battle-of-wits between a tennis pro and a psychopathic admirer, who proposes a scheme of traded murders. He controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic time; the plot, co-scripted by Raymond Chandler, is so tightly wound you'll be white-knuckled. (Alfred Hitchcock; UK: 1951; 101 min)

April 11:Wages of Fear

In a squalid South American oil town, four desperate men sign on for a suicide mission to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over a treacherous mountain route. Each bump and jolt tests their courage, their friendship, and their nerves. The result is one of the greatest movies thrillers ever made. With subltitles; in digital. (Henri-Georges Clouzet; Freance; 1953; 147 min)

April 18: The Day of the Jackal

“One hell of an exciting movie” – Roger Ebert

Based on the popular suspense novel, an ultra-professional British assassin (Edward Fox) is hired by disgruntled French generals to kill Charles de Gaulle, while a dedicated gendarme follows his every move. An intricate cat-and-mouse thriller. (Fred Zinnemann; UK; 1973; 143 min)

April 25: Run Lola Run

This heart-pounding film is about love, death, and timing. Lola has an important deadline to meet – involving her boyfriend, gangsters and lots of money. As the seconds tick down, the tiniest choices become life altering, a fine line between fate and fortune. With subtitles. (Tom Tykwer; Germany; 1999; 81 min)

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

April 9 -11: The Bicycle Thief – new 35mm print!

One of the most universally praised movies ever made – and out of circulation for years – celebrates its 60^th anniversary with a new print. It tells the story of an unemployed man and his young son in poverty stricken, post-war Italy. Now’s your chance to revisit this neo-realist masterpiece. With subtitles. (Vittorio DeSica; Italy; 1949; 93 min)

April 13: Film Kitchen

The monthly series highlights regional, independent film and video work. This month features shorts by Chris Smalley, Andy Kellerman, and David Stokes. Reception at 7:00; films at 8:00.

April 17: Benefit Screening for Chile

You can help victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami that shook the nation of Chile in February. This benefit show will feature a selection of Chilean films from the 2010 Festival of Shorts Films from Santiago: FeSanCor. Chilean food and drinks will be available. Produced in collaboration with Pittsburgh Filmmakers, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Plan Z Media and the Chilean Community of Pittsburgh. Thanks to FeSanCor. 8:00 pm; donation $10. For more details: (http://www.festivalcortometraje.cl/)

April 24: Student Thesis Screening

This free screening showcases advanced work by Pittsburgh Filmmakers students.

7:00pm, followed by a reception.

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