For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

December 20, 2007 412-681-5449

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

January Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following descriptions are from Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ Film Exhibition Program for January 2008. 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

Jan. 1 – 3: The Great Dictator – new print!

“Perhaps the most significant film ever produced.” – New York Times

Not available for many years, this Chaplin classic is now being shown in a new, restored print. A political satire of the Third Reich, it was the first “talkie” from the silent film giant who wrote, directed and acted in it. His brilliant stand against tyranny is as touching as it is funny. Chaplin plays twin roles: a Jewish barber in the ghetto, and Adenoid Hynkel – a Hitler-like ruler of Tomania. Jackie Oakie’s take on Mussolini is hilarious; Chaplin’s ballet with a huge illuminated globe is unforgettable. Bring the family! (Charlie Chaplin; USA; 1940; 126 min)

Seven Favorites You May Have Missed

Jan. 4 – 6: Away From Her

“[Actress] Sarah Polley's sad, wise and simply dazzling directorial effort beams with warmth.” – Houston Chronicle

People can’t stop raving about Julie Christie’s performance in this cinematic poem on love and loss. Based on an Alice Munro story, the touching film explores the effects Alzheimer’s has on a couple married 50 years. (Sarah Polley; Canada; 2007; 110 min)

Jan. 7 – 10: Helvetica

Everybody has their favorite font, to the point of assigning them human characteristics. How did a typeface drawn by a little-known Swiss designer in 1957 become the most popular way to communicate our words fifty years later? This wonderful little film –a sleeper hit from last year – invites us into the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication. Share some popcorn with us as we boo and hiss at the villain “Arial,” should he dare make an appearance. (Gerry Hustwit; USA; 2006; 81 min)

Jan 11 – 13: Control

Post-punk band Joy Division ceased to exist in 1980, after the suicide of their lead singer Ian Curtis at age 23, but their music continues to influence and inspire. This dramatic portrait of Curtis, played by up-and-coming actor, Sam Riley is a stunning journey through his personal and professional troubles, but it’s also infused with wit and compassion. Reminiscent of British films from the 60s, it co-stars the fabulous Samantha Morton. A must see for music and film buffs alike. (Anton Corbijn; UK; 2007; 121 min)

Jan 14 - 17: King Corn

Entertaining and intelligent, this is a story of gold -- that delicious crop that keeps expanding our nation’s waistlines. Two East coast college friends look closer at corn. With the help of genetically modified seeds and powerful herbicides they grow a bumper crop of America's most-subsidized grain on one small acre in Iowa. But when they try to follow their corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat, and how we farm. (Aaron Woolf; USA; 2007; 88 min)

Jan 18 – 20: Into the Wild

Based on Jon Krakauer's bestseller, this gorgeous and contemplative film landed on many top ten lists. It tells the story of a fresh-faced college graduate (Emile Hirsh) with a promising future, who chooses instead to give his life savings to charity, burn all his identification, and hitchhike to Alaska. Was he a heroic adventurer, a naïve idealist, or a just a lost soul? Sean Penn paints a heartbreaking portrait of this young man's short but fascinating life. (Sean Penn; USA; 2007; 140 min) “3 and ½ stars” – Pgh Post-Gazette

Jan 21 - 24: Lust, Caution

From the director of Brokeback Mountain and Sense and Sensibility comes this espionage thriller about fate, assassinations, love (and yes, lust). Set in 1940s, it flashes back to Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. Just nominated for a Golden Globe, Rolling Stone raved, “Ang Lee is a true master, and his potently erotic and suspenseful Lust, Caution casts a spell you won't want to break.” With subtitles. (Ang Lee; Taiwan; 2007; 150 min) “3 and ½ stars” – Pgh Post-Gazette

Jan 25 – 31: For the Bible Tells Me So

“Thought-provoking portrait of a quiet challenge rising within

America's churches.” – Chicago Tribune

This riveting documentary gets at the historical distortions of the Good Book as well as the ease with which holy writings have been used in America to propagate hate. A festival hit, it features such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg, and House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt. (Daniel Karsake; USA; 2007; 98 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

Thru Jan 3: Eraserhead

Pulled out of circulation for years, it’s now being shown in a new print for its 30^th anniversary. (David Lynch; USA; 1976; 90min)

Jan 4 – 10: Romance & Cigarettes

“…breaks out of Hollywood jail with audacious originality, startling sexuality, heartfelt emotions, and an anarchic liberty.” – Roger Ebert

How’s this for a dream cast: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Elaine Stritch, Mary-Louise Parker, Eddie Izzard, Amy Sedaris and Mandy Moore! Acclaimed actor John Turturro takes the director’s role here, in this musical/drama/comedy. He creates a bizarre world teetering on the brink of collapse, just like the characters who inhabit this down and dirty love story. Nick Murder (Gandolfini), a Queens construction worker lusts after a striking redhead. When his wife finds out she (naturally) goes on the warpath. One of the most unsettling and exhilarating films you’ll see all year. (John Turturro; USA; 2005; 105 min)

Jan 11 – 17: Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains

“…absorbing…portrait of a man who has redefined the idea of post-presidential retirement.” – Washington Post

Director Jonathan Demme's career trajectory has twisted down some unexpected paths since winning an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. Here, Demme and crew follow Carter over a three-month period while on tour for his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Faced with reporters asking him questions about a book they don't seem to have read, endless signings to attend, and countless plane trips, the former president shows incredible patience and boundless energy at 83. The footage includes lectures and debates, many of which offer a dual perspective on Carter's life. Demme and his team shot on compact digital cameras, giving a close-up look at Carter that would have been unthinkable in less technologically advanced times. The director and his subject clearly share a taste for unusual career choices. (Jonathan Demme; USA; 2007; 127 min)

Jan 18 – 24: Kings

This Irish film, a universal story about the loss of identity, is spoken in the original Celtic language, or “Irish.” That’s notable because it’s the first film ever to be submitted by Ireland for consideration as Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Starring Colm Meaney, it tells of a group of young men who left their homes in the West of Ireland in the 70s, filled with dreams of a better life. They take a boat to London vowing to return. Thirty years later one makes it home - in a coffin. The men reunite for his wake where they realize their muscle is spent, their hopes dashed, and it’s been replaced with a sense of alienation. Rich in humanity, Kings is a story of a lost generation with a resonance that’s not just for the Irish in today's world. With subtitles. (Tom Collins; Ireland/UK; 2007; 95 min)

Jan 25 – 31: El Violin

This gripping drama from the Three Rivers Film Festival tells the story of Mexican peasants who make a humble living as traveling musicians. Responding to the tyrannical regime in their region, they also become part of guerrilla movement. The elderly Plutarco is a sweet, old man with a gift for the violin. In exchange for playing music, Plutarco is allowed to go into his cornfields, where he secretly removes cached ammunition, smuggling it bit by bit in his violin case. El Violin champions unlikely heroes and the curative nature of art. With subtitles. (Francisco Vargas Quevedo; Mexico; 2006; 99 min)

Sunday Night Series:

Hitchcock: S for Suspense

These Hitchcock classics, coincidentally, all begin with the letter S.

Jan. 6: Saboteur

One of Hitchcock’s favorite themes – the wrongly accused – is played out here, when a munitions worker becomes a fugitive after being accused of sabotage. This brilliant and briskly-paced story follows his efforts to elude police while he tries to find the real culprit. The film, with Hitch’s trademark mix of wit and suspense, is famous for its grand finale at the top of the Statue of Liberty, and also for its screen debut of the wonderful character actor Norman Lloyd – who, incidentally is still alive at 93. (1942; 108 min)

Jan. 13: Shadow of a Doubt

Hitchcock probes the underside of a Norman Rockwell-style town, as well as a family secret, in this nail-biter. Teenager Charlie (Teresa Wright) adores her uncle (Joseph Cotton) after whom she’s named, and is delighted when he comes to visit. But she soon begins to think dear uncle Charlie may not be what he seems. Thornton Wilder’s screenplay perversely counters Our Town, written just five years earlier. (1943; 108 min)

Jan. 20: Spellbound

Hitchcock takes on Sigmund Freud in this psychological thriller. Ingrid Bergman stars as a psychiatrist helping to unlock hidden clues in the mind of an amnesiac played by Gregory Peck. Among the highlights is the famous dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali, complete with huge eyeballs and pointy scissors. Spellbound is one of Hitchcock's most atmospheric films, exploring the power of pure visual association. The haunting score, which features a theremin, won an Oscar. (1945; 111 min)

Jan. 27: Strangers on a Train

Based on the first novel by Patricia Highsmith, this ripping-good thriller is an intense battle-of-wits between a tennis pro and a psychopathic admirer, who proposes a "criss-cross" scheme of traded murders. With an emphasis on narrative and visual strategy, Hitchcock controls the escalating tension with a master's flair for cinematic design, and the plot (co-scripted by Raymond Chandler) is so tightly constructed you'll be white-knuckled. Remains one of Hitchcock's crowning achievements. (1951; 101 min)

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

Jan. 8: Film Kitchen

This is a monthly series of local, independent film and video work. Featured this month are video/performance highlights from Buzz Miller’s work with local theatre companies, including Squonk Opera, Quantum Theatre, and Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre. Also, featured are excerpts from Jim Mueller’s work with Attack Theatre. Co-sponsored with City Paper, WYEP-FM, Pittsburgh Brewing, Digital Video Development and DH Creative. Reception at 7:00; films at 8:00. Tickets $4.

Jan. 17: Monthly Film Discussion Series: Independent Visions

Apocalypse Now Redux

More in line with Francis Ford Coppola’s original vision, this is the director’s cut of his 1979 masterpiece. The powerful story, based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, centers on a US Army intelligence officer (Martin Sheen) sent on a danger-filled mission to Cambodia to terminate the command of a highly-decorated officer (Marlon Brando) the army believes has gone mad. Coppola's direction is impeccable, capturing both the intimate detail, overarching spectacle and layered depth of meaning, often all in one shot – all without a single digital special effect. (Francis Ford Coppola; USA; 1979/2001; 202 min) Reception and discussion is supported by Pitt Arts.

Jan 19: Deliciously Disposable Earth Series

Artist/Activist Carolina Loyola Garcia has curated a 3-part series of films on world mining. The first is called Tambogrande: Mangos, Murder and Mining, a new film by Ernesto Cabellos and Stephanie Boyd. The feature-length documentary follows a small village in the Andes struggling to get health care and justice after a mercury spill by the world’s largest gold corporation. Discussion will follow.

Jan. 25 – 27: Diva – new print!

“A brash, snazzy thriller…conspicuously clever and shamelessly glam.” –Village Voice.

Celebrating its 25th-anniversary with a new print, Diva remains a dazzler. When a wistful young mailman bootlegs a tape of his favorite singer (a never-recorded opera superstar) he soon finds himself being chased all over – and under – Paris by both cops and thugs. Jean-Jacques Beineix’s debut film, an international art-house sensation in its day, single-handedly launched the cinéma du look, an explosion of colorful, stylish, punk-inspired 80s French films. With subtitles. (Jean-Jacques Beineix; France; 1983; 123 min)

###