For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

January 22, 2009 412-681-5449

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

February Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following are descriptions of Pittsburgh Filmmakers Film Exhibition program for February 2009. 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 Feb. 5: Ballast

This compelling drama by first time director Lance Hammer is racking up awards. Set in the Mississippi delta, it’s the tale of an uneasy human triangle. There's bad blood between Lawrence and Marlee, who used to be his twin brother's girlfriend. Shot using only available light, the southern landscapes are wide, flat, wet and strewn with debris. Variety called this film “an extraordinary debut.” (Lance Hammer; USA; 2007; 96 min)

Feb. 6 – 12: Easy Rider – new print!

Forty years ago – while the Vietnam War was raging – this movie turned Hollywood on its ear, ushering in a new era of independent filmmaking. We follow two dope-smoking motorcycle riders who take off cross-country. They meet up with a drunken lawyer: Jack Nicholson, in the role that made him a star. A cultural phenomenon, it became synonymous with the alienated youth of America. Features a fabulous 60s rock score. (Dennis Hopper; USA; 1969; 94 min)

Feb. 13 – 19: Lola Montes

“A magnificent restoration!

Evokes the evanescence of beauty, fame and glamour!” – NY Times

Proclaimed “the greatest film ever made” by legendary film critic Andrew Sarris in 1963, Lola Montes was initially a flop. Now stunningly restored, this sumptuous epic is wowing critics all over again. It has a lot to say to our scandal and celebrity-obsessed culture. French sex symbol Martine Carol plays the title character, a famous 19th-century courtesan reduced to circus attraction. (Peter Ustinov as ringmaster) In flashbacks, she recalls her notorious love affairs. Max Ophüls’ final film was his only in color and cinemascope, and was the most expensive French movie at the time. See this beauty on the big screen! With subtitles. (Max Ophüls; France; 1955; 115 min)

Feb. 20-26: Stranded: I’ve Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains

In 1972 a plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay, went down in a snow-covered valley in the Andes. The dramatic tale of the survivors' struggle to stay alive, already told in a bestselling book and feature film, finds new depth and resonance in this documentary. Director Gonzalo Arijón, a childhood friend of some of the survivors (now in their 50s) takes them back to the crash site. One by one, they disclose details of their harrowing experience, including the moment they realized their only hope was to eat human flesh. Recovered photos and film footage add a sense of immediacy. Stranded is a hauntingly powerful film and a profound parable of the human condition. (Gonzalo Arijón; France; 2007; 126 min)

Opens Feb. 27: The Black Balloon

For those of you who can’t get enough of the fabulous Toni Collette, she soars again in this drama from her native Australia. The Black Balloon is a story about fitting in, discovering love, and accepting your family. It’s not easy being Thomas. He’s turning 16, moving into a new house and new school. When his pregnant mother (Collette) has to take it easy, he’s put in charge of his autistic older brother Charlie. What he didn’t bargain for was the shit-smearing, shopping mall tantrums, and riding on the “special” school bus. Fortunately, he finds a sweet new girlfriend. Nominated for 11 Australian Film Institute awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress. (Elissa Down; Australia; 2008; 97 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

Thru Feb. 4: I’ve Loved You So Long

Critics are calling it Kristen Scott Thomas’ finest performance yet. It tells the profoundly moving story of two sisters rediscovering their connection after years apart. Weary-looking Juliette reunites with younger sister Lea who, though married with two adopted children, warmly accepts her older sister into their home. Lea tells her daughter that Auntie Juliette has been away in England, but it’s revealed that she has been in prison, jailed for committing an inexplicable crime. In French and English. (Phillipe Claudel; France; 2008; 115 min)

Feb. 5: Happy Flight - FREE

The “miracle on the Hudson” is not the only happy landing story. This one centers on an accident-prone journey from Tokyo to Honolulu. Cosponsored by Nippon Airways. (Shinobu Yaguchi; Japan; 2008; 103 min)

Feb. 6 – 12: Asur & Asmar

From the director of Kirikou and the Sorceress comes this animated fable set in the Middle Ages. An original fairytale inspired by folklore, Azur and Asmar are two boys raised as brothers. Blonde, blue-eyed, white-skinned Azur and black-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned Asmar are lovingly cared for by Asmar's gentle mother, who tells them magical stories of her faraway homeland. One day the boys are separated and banished, but meet again as men. While recommended for youngsters (age 6 and up) the gorgeous storybook artwork of this film – the antithesis of Pixar style – has been delighting adults worldwide since its premiere at Cannes three years ago. It's finally released for US distribution, in English. (Michel Ocelot; France; 2006-2008; 98 min

Feb. 13 – 19: Oscar Nominated Shorts

Both the live-action and animation nominees will be featured in the program. See them before the awards are announced at this year's 81st annual Oscars.

Opens Feb. 20: Wendy and Lucy

Michelle Williams "delivers a sensationally nuanced performance" – Village Voice

From the writer-director team of Old Joy comes another Pacific Northwestern wonder, this time showcasing the amazing talent of Ms. Williams. She plays Wendy, a flat broke, yet resilient, young woman who decides to move to Alaska with her beloved dog Lucy (played by the director's own dog) for a lucrative job in a fish cannery. She gets as far as Oregon before her sad wreck of a car breaks down. This fine story is understated, not sentimental. Each scene in Wendy and Lucy moves like a heartbeat, carefully building to an extraordinarily powerful conclusion. (Kelly Reichert; USA; 2008; 80 min)

Sunday Night Series: Two Classic Romances

February brings two unconventional romances that grabbed the hearts of movie audiences.

Take someone you love.

Feb. 8: West Side Story

“When you’re a jet, you’re a jet all the way.” This is the timeless story of Romeo and Juliet re- imagined in the streets of 1950s New York, all set to the never-out-of-date music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. With Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn. (Robert Wise; USA; 1961; 151 min)

Feb. 15: Marty

Because of Ernest Borgnine's longevity, Marty currently stands as the oldest film featuring a still-living Oscar-winning actor. He stars as a warm-hearted New York butcher, not averse to marriage, but disheartened by his lack of prospects. So he reluctantly resigns himself to bachelorhood. When Marty meets a lonely plain jane at a dance, they stumble into romance despite their insecurities. This sleeper hit won additional Oscars for Paddy Chayefsky’s screenplay, best director and best picture. (Delbert Mann; USA; 1955; 91 min)

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

Feb. 10: Film Kitchen

This monthly series highlights local independent film and video work. It is presented on the 2^nd Tuesday of every month. Co-sponsored by City Paper, WYEP-FM, Chipolte Mexican Grill, DH Creative, and Rock Light.

Feb. 12: Social Movement Documentaries

Finally Got The News reveals the activities of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers inside and outside the auto factories of Detroit. "[The film] shows ordinary people becoming very angry with the system. Ideological in the best sense: it is a film about ideas, and presents a serious strategy for mass working class action.”– Cineaste. (Stewart Bird, Rene Lichtman and Peter Gessner; USA; 1970; 55 min)

Mayday documents a Black Panther Party's rally in San Francisco on May 1, 1969. Speakers Kathleen Cleaver, Bobby Seale and Attorney Charles Garry present the rally's demands for the release of Huey Newton and all political prisoners. The film includes footage of the police raid on Panther headquarters in San Francisco. (Newsreel Collective; USA; 1969; 14 min)

Presented in conjunction Carnegie Mellon University's exhibition, Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now, on view January 23 - March 8 at the Regina Miller Gallery.

Feb. 19: Sleeper

This sci-fi spoof from writer/ star/director Woody Allen (from his heyday), also stars Diane Keaton. (Woody Allen; USA; 1973; 88 min) Cosponsored by PittArts. 7:00 pm.

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