For Immediate Release	Contact: Carol O'Sullivan
Jan 18, 2005	412-681-5449 x205
Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces February Programming (PITTSBURGH, PA) -- The following are descriptions of Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ Film Exhibition program for February 2005. These 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. Regent Square Theater - 1035 South Braddock Ave. Through Feb. 9: Moolaadé From legendary Senegalese director, 81-year-old Ousmane Sembene, this compelling film is the winner of the "Un Certain Regard" award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was the Opening Night film at his year’s Three Rivers Film Festival. The action is set in a small African village where four young girls come to a local woman, asking for protection from ritual "purification," or female circumcision. The woman is known for refusing to let her daughter be mutilated. She grants them protection, or "moolaade," over the protests of her husband, but with the support of his first and third wives. Eventually there is a standoff between the women and the village men. At a time when ritual mutilation is under attack in Africa, when Islamic leaders have tried to explain it is not required by religious law but is a local custom, Moolaadé is a strong, true and important film. (Directed by Ousmane Sembene; Senegal; 2004; 124min) Opens Feb. 11: Bad Education "A rapturous masterwork" ­ Peter Travers, Rolling Stone The highly anticipated new film by Pedro Almodóvar (All About My Mother, Talk to Her) is a departure from his farces and melodramas. Here, using more of a film noir style, his autobiographical story begins in a strict boarding school with the abuse endured by the boys living there. The complex narrative skillfully dramatizes how childhood events shape one’s adult life. Jumping to the '80s, a young gay film director Enrique (Fele Martínez) is visited by his old school friend Ignacio (Gael García Bernal). Ignacio gives Enrique a short story to read which recounts the experiences of the two men, who suffered through Catholic school together in the '60s, but were later separated. The story goes on to invent a fictional reunion in the '70s, in which one boy is imagined as a suburban family man, the other a drug-addicted transvestite. Enrique decides that this story -- part memory, part fantasy -- will form the basis of his new film. The crisp, color-saturated cinematography is as sumptuous as we have come to expect from Almodóvar’s work, as well as outstanding performances. Ultimately, Bad Education is another profound lesson in desire and duplicity by one of contemporary cinema’s masters. (Spain; 2004; 109min) Feb. 13 @ 1:30: In Person: John Loomis Lecture and screening of Variaciones (see description under Special Cuban Event, below) NOTE: No Sunday Night Series in February. The Harris Theater - 809 Liberty Ave. Here’s Your Chance: Movies You May Have Missed Series Playing throughout the month, these are films that Pittsburgh audiences may have missed. Many of these films played here on limited screens and generated great word-of-mouth. Others did not make it to Pittsburgh at all, but played to great acclaim in other cities. So, here’s your chance! As a bonus, the series will include weekday screenings at 5:30 for $5. Mon 1/31 - Thu 2/3: Being Julia Annette Bening is outstanding (and recent Golden Globe winner) in this spry little comedy about The Theatre, set in 1930s London. She plays reigning diva Julia Lambert , whose success and fame have suddenly grown wearisome. Her husband/director/manager (Jeremy Irons) tries anything to keep her happy, including introducing her to a handsome young fan. Delightful tale of romance and revenge. (Directed by Itzvan Szabo; USA/UK; 2004; 105min) Fri 2/4 - Thu 2/6: Hearts and Minds — NEW PRINT! In light of the current, much-debated foreign war, the re-release of Hearts and Minds is particularly timely. In his courageous, landmark film, Peter Davis unflinchingly confronted the US involvement in Vietnam. Once shelved by its distributor for fear of controversy this shocking film went on to win1974’s Oscar for Best Documentary. "There might be five documentaries no American should be able to finish public school without seeing, and Hearts and Minds belongs on the docket." ­ Village Voice. (Directed by Peter Davis; USA; 1973; 112 min) Mon 2/7 - Thu 2/10: Donnie Darko: Director’s Cut "The best film I’ve seen so far this millennium." - Barry Paris, Pittsburgh Post Gazette See this amazing film on the big screen. It’s a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America. Donnie (Jake Gyllenhal) is one extraordinary, though disenchanted, teenager. (Directed by Richard Kelly; USA; 2004; 133min) Fri 2/11 - Sun 2/13: What The BLEEP Do We Know? It combines quantum physics, multi-dimensional visual effects, fiction and fantasy, into one very original new age film. Marlee Matlin stars as a woman caught in a fantastic Alice in Wonderland experience when her daily, uninspired life literally begins to unravel, revealing the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what we consider to be our normal, waking reality. Highly recommended by many, including Michael Keaton, who insist your life will never be the same. See what the buzz is all about! (Directed by Betsy Chasse; USA; 2004; 108min) Mon 2/14 - Thu 2/17: Before Sunset Topping several Best Picture lists for 2004, Before Sunset is the sequel to Before Sunrise. It’s the story of an American writer (Ethan Hawke) and a French woman (Julie Delpy) working for an environmental agency who met nine years earlier on the train from Budapest to Vienna. They meet again when he arrives in Paris for a reading of his new book. As they have only a few hours before his plane leaves, they stroll through Paris together and re-connect. (Directed by Richard Linklater: France/USA; 2004; 80 min) Fri 2/18 - Sun 2/20: Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train This compelling film never made it to Pittsburgh this year, despite great reviews. It documents the life and times of the historian, activist and author of the best-selling book, A People’s History of the United States. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with Marian Wright Edelman, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden and Alice Walker, it captures the essence of this activist and thinker who has been a catalyst for progressive change for more than 60 years. As Noam Chomsky said of him, "it is no exaggeration to say he has changed the consciousness of a generation." (Directed by Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller; 2004; USA; 78 min) Mon 2/21 - Thu 2/24: Hero Described by critics as one of the most beautiful films ever made, Hero was by far the highest-grossing foreign film in 2004. Acclaimed director Zhang Yimou (The Road Home) went on to make The House of Flying Daggers. Stars Jet Li and the stunning Zhang Ziyi. In Mandarin with subtitles. (Directed by Zhang Yimou: China; 2004; 96min) Fri 2/25 - Sun 2/27: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls We had this film booked in October, shortly after Russ Meyer passed away, but the print was lost in transit. Finally, for all those disappointed fans, we’ve re-scheduled it. "A psychedelic wow that serves up the free love, plunging necklines, androgynous boys, and lusty lezzies of the era with a narcotized abandon." - Village Voice. Screenplay by Roger Ebert. (Directed by Russ Meyer; USA; 1970; 109 min) Melwood Screening Room - 477 Melwood Ave. Feb 4: Student Screening: the AIU show Each year Filmmakers sponsors apprenticeships in photography, film and video production, web design, and animation for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (A.I.U.). This program brings high school students together from 42 school districts to pursue professional instruction at the college level. This year’s film, video, and animation apprentices will screen their projects in the Melwood Screening Room on Friday, February 4. (Photography apprentices will exhibit their work in the 2nd floor Student Gallery through February 28.) Opening reception will be held at 6:00pm; screening is at 7:00pm. Admission is free. Feb 8: Film Kitchen Presented on the second Tuesday of every month, Film Kitchen showcases local film and video art. Work by Fereshteh Toosi, and music videos by long-running Pittsburgh punk-rock band ATS. Reception at 7:00; screening at 8:00pm. Co-sponsored by Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Pittsburgh City Paper, WYEP, Pittsburgh Brewing, Pittsburgh Deli Co. Feb 19: Black Maria Film & Video Festival Named after Thomas Edison’s tar-covered movie studio (circa 1890), the Black Maria Film and Video Festival, now in its 23rd year, is the most prestigious and competitive festival for experimental media in the US. Black Maria’s founder, John Columbus, will attend the screening. Special Event: Cuban Film Showcase, part 2 Presented in collaboration with the Mattress Factory’s Cuban exhibitions project, and Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies. All films in Spanish with subtitles. Schedule: Thur., Feb. 10, 7:30 @ Regent Square Theater Strawberry & Chocolate (1994; 108 min; directors: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío) Fri., Feb. 11, 7:30 pm @ Melwood Screening Room Life Is To Whistle (1998; 106 min; director: Fernando Perez) Sat., Feb. 12, 1:30 pm @ Regent Square Theater Strawberry & Chocolate Sat., Feb. 12, 7:30 pm @ Melwood Screening Room Life Is To Whistle Sun., Feb. 13, 1:30 pm @ Regent Square Theater In Person: John Loomis Lecture; screening of Variaciones; reception. Mon., Feb. 14, 7:30 pm @ Melwood Screening Room Memories of Underdevelopment (1968; 97 min; director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea) Tues., Feb. 15, 7:30 pm @ Melwood Screening Room Death Of A Bureaucrat (1966; 85 min; director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea) Wed., Feb. 16, 7:30 pm @ Melwood Screening Room Memories of Underdevelopment Thurs, Feb. 17, 7:30 pm @ Melwood Screening Room Death Of A Bureaucrat. Cuban Film Descriptions: Life is to Whistle An exuberant valentine to Cuba and a sly critique of its shortcomings, Life is to Whistle captures the contradictory cross-currents of contemporary Cuba with imagination and insight. The story hopscotches among three characters: Marina, a lusty ballerina who beds every man in sight until a coveted lead role tempts her into a vow of chastity; Elpidio, a modern-day buccaneer who steals the wallets and hearts of visiting tourists; and Julia, a timid social worker who faints at the very mention of sex. The unexpectedly touching comedy is underscored by the pulsating music of Benny More and Bola de Nieve. Strawberry and Chocolate While this may not be the first movie to examine the often-contradictory concepts of art and propaganda, the balanced perspective presented here impregnates the issue with freshness. Diego, a cultivated homosexual and skeptical young man, falls in love with a young heterosexual communist full of prejudices and doctrinary ideas. Fresa y chocolate is the story of a great friendship - a great love between two men - which overcomes incomprehension and intolerance. One might not normally expect an open perspective on social and cultural issues in a film backed by a restrictive government, but it received official sanctioning and financing as well. Memories of Underdevelopment This was the first Cuban film ever to be released in the US, and it is a remarkable reminder that artistic subtlety, political commitment, and superior entertainment need not be incompatible. The story focuses on Sergio, a wealthy Cuban intellectual who’s too idealistic (or lazy) to go to Miami ­ even after his wife and friends have left ­ but too decadent to fit into the new Cuban society. "A fascinating achievement... hugely effective and moving." - Vincent Canby, New York Times. Winner of the International Federation of Film Critics Award Death of a Bureaucrat This film is for anyone who has ever had to deal with financial aid in college, social security administration, the DMV, or even a nasty bank teller. This hilarious tale, intended as a satire of communism but equally workable as a dig at big business, is about a worker who gets mangled to death in a machine that mass-produced busts of the Communist party leader. Unfortunately, the man is buried along with a crucial piece of paperwork, thus kick-starting an endless quest by his nephew to try to remedy the situation while being thwarted at every turn by myopic men in suits and forms to fill out. Laden with high-pedigree references, from Harold Lloyd to Franz Kafka and Luis Buñuel, how this scathing critique got past the Cuban government remains a mystery. In Person: John Loomis Lecture and screening of Variaciones Author of Revolution of Forms: Cuba’s Forgotten Art Schools, John Loomis examines the convergence and collision of architecture, ideology, and culture in 1960s Cuba through the architectural design for the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte. His lecture will focus on the history, politics and conflict surrounding Cuban architecture. He has spoken on this topic at Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, Graham Foundation, Getty Research Institute, and other venues. In addition to the slides accompanying the lecture, a rare archival video of Variaciones (1961) by Humberto Solas will be shown ­ the only copy of this short poetic essay on the construction of the art schools. Reception to follow at Concept Art Gallery.