For Immediate Release

Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

412-681-5449

June 25, 2010

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces

July 2010 Programming

(Pittsburgh, PA) – The following are descriptions of Pittsburgh Filmmakers Film Exhibition program for July 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 Jul 8: No One Knows About Persian Cats

This powerful tribute to the courage of Iran's underground musicians follows a scrappy young couple in contemporary Tehran trying to form a band – blues, pop, heavy metal, folk, hip-hop – you name it, sung in both Farsi and English. Forbidden by the authorities to play in Iran, they dream of performing in Europe. With subtitles. (Bahman Ghobadi; Iran; 2010; 101 min)

Opens July 9: The Square – with visiting director

The Square is the first feature film from Australian Nash Edgerton and his brother Joel, who co-wrote it, and co-stars in it. It’s a taut, noir-ish thriller that follows the story of an unhappily married construction worker. Ray’s put to the test when Carla, a pretty hairdresser, presents him a bag of cash, the proceeds of her gangster-husband’s latest crime. But of course, what looks like a clear path takes one dark twist after another in this escalating spiral of blackmail, kickbacks, cover-ups, arson and murder. (Nash Edgerton; Australia; 2010; 105 min) Preceded by Edgerton’s nine-minute short, “Spider.”

Nash Edgerton knows his craft from both sides of the camera. He’s worked as stuntman, actor, editor, director, producer and writer. He has directed several award-winning short films (shown at Berlin, Telluride, Sydney, Sundance Film Festivals, and more), music videos and commercials. He has over 100 film and television credits on productions including The Matrix Trilogy, Star Wars II and III, and The Thin Red Line. Edgerton is currently on assignment in Pittsburgh; he is scheduled to attend the July 9 & 10 screenings, with a Q+A.

July 23 – 25: Sweetgrass

“unexpectedly intoxicating” – LA Times

An unsentimental elegy to the American West, Sweetgrass is a riveting portrait of a dying way of life. It follows the last of the modern-day cowboys as they lead their flocks of some 3,000 sheep up into Montana’s breathtaking, dangerous mountains for summer pasture. This astonishingly beautiful yet unsparing film reveals a world in which nature and culture, animals and humans, vulnerability and violence, are all intimately connected. (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Ilisa Barbash; USA; 2009; 105 min)

July 26 – 29: 8 ½

Federico Fellini's indisputable masterpiece is a magnificently textured work, a triumph of art and imagination which intermingles reality and fantasy, to push the cinema to its utmost potential. It has been studied and acclaimed throughout the world. In his not quite ninth film, Fellini deals with the very process of creation, that includes despair, joy, self-doubt and triumph. Guido, a successful film director (brilliantly played by Marcello Mastroianni) is committed to an ambitious new production, and finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. With subtitles. (Federico Fellini; Italy; 1963; 138 min)

Opens July 30: Lourdes

“a standout at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, it builds in deliberate steps, befitting the thriller it secretly is.” – Time Out New York

In this superb drama, Christine has been confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. In order to escape her isolation, she makes a journey to Lourdes in Southern France, a popular destination for Catholic pilgrimage. She wakes up one morning seemingly cured, her devotion miraculously rewarded. The transcendent moment is flush with possibilities, including romance with a handsome volunteer. But there are questions about whether the healing is permanent and why others, equally needy, were not recipients of such a divine gift.  With subtitles. (Jessica Hausner; Austria; 2010; 96 min)

Regent Square Theater – 1035 South Braddock Ave.

Thru Jul 8: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival where it made its world debut. Banksy is a graffiti...AAAAAAA film by legendary British graffiti artist Banksy, Exit tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shopkeeper turned documentary filmmaker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner – with spectacular results. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. The film contains exclusive footage of many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists. Narrated by Rhys Ifans. (Banksy; UK/USA; 2010; 87 min)

Opens July 9: Micmacs

First it was a mine explosion in the middle of a desert. Years later, it was a stray bullet that lodged in his brain. The first made him an orphan, the second holds him on the brink of instant death. This is the premise of the latest delightfully screwy film – lacquered with the trademark style we’ve come to expect – from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, City of Lost Children) in a loopy league of heroes story. With nowhere else to go, our unlucky hero, named Brazil, joins a motley crew of mischief-makers, each equipped with a peculiar talent. One day he recognizes the logos of the weapons manufacturers that caused his misfortune, and a series of hilarious high jinx ensues in the name of revenge. Full tilt fun! With subtitles. (Jean-Pierre Jeunet; France; 2010; 105 min)

Opens July 23: Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky

In 1913 Coco Chanel attended the revolutionary performance of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, which caused a near riot. Years later, after she became rich, respected and successful, Coco met Igor again – now a penniless refugee living in exile in Paris after the Russian Revolution. The attraction between them was immediate and electric. Thus begins the scandalous, passionate love affair between these creative giants, two of the century's most iconic figure. Recalling the lush style of Stanley Kubrick, the cinematography is astonishingly beautiful, as is the music. With subtitles. (Jan Kounen; France; 2010; 115 min)

Sunday Night Series: Summer Vacation

Movies offer a vacation from reality, measured in minutes. Some people enjoy visiting utopian worlds, while others prefer a darker, dystopian landscape – either way the big screen puts you there. And you don’t need a suitcase. The staff of PF/PCA voted for worlds they like to visit again and again. The series continues throughout the summer.

July 11: Network

Media madness reigns supreme in this scathing satire about the uses and abuses of network television. After a struggling network turns its news division over to the entertainment division, a fired anchorman (played by Oscar winner Peter Finch) goes on the air with a wonderfully daffy rant, insisting everyone go to their windows and yell, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore." (Sidney Lumet; USA; 1976; 121 min) Introduced by Joy Sato, director of Special Events at PCA.

July 18: Black Narcissus

A darkly grand film that won Oscars for its set design and cinematography, this British post-war drama is one of the great visual achievements of the cinema. Set in the snowcapped Himalayas, the spirit battles the flesh when a group of nuns struggles to establish a convent there. Isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger; UK; 1947; 101 min) Introduced by Will Zavala, associate professor of film/video at PF.

July 25: Kiss Me Deadly

This hard-boiled detective story (based on Mickey Spillane's pulp novel) is a nihilistic noir that veers off into 50s paranoia. Thugs beat Mike Hammer senseless and viciously murder the gorgeous dame he's with, so the private investigator retaliates the only way he knows how: hit first and ask questions later. Hammer uncovers a box whose mysterious glowing contents may solve the murder, but what else will they trigger? (Robert Aldrich; USA; 1955; 106 min) Introduced by Brady Lewis, director of Education at PF.

Melwood Screening Room – 477 Melwood Ave.

July 13: Film Kitchen

Held of the second Tuesday of each month, the series highlights regional, independent film and video work. This month features short films by Tony Balko and Jim Mueller. Reception at 7:00; films at 8:00. Co-sponsored by DH Creative and Spak Brothers Pizza. CReative an

July 23 – 25: Birdemic: Shock and Terror

The cult movie grapevine has been buzzing about Birdemic. What would Hitchcock’s The Birds look like if it had been made by a mid-level Silicon Valley software salesman? The salesman in question wrote, directed and produced this four-years-in-the-making effort about a couple besieged by homicidal birds in a small North California town. That’s right, four years – pretty much the same amount of time James Cameron took to make Avatar. Some say it’s the most anticipated movie of the year – others say it’s a candidate for worst movie ever made. Either way you’ll have a blast. (James Nguyen; USA; 2009; 90 min) Digital projection.

July 30 - Aug. 3: Metropolis

Film buffs: The wait is over. The once-and-for-all complete version of Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece was discovered in Argentina two summers ago. Long believed lost forever in its original form, Metropolis has been shown in several edited versions, each with a slight variation in storyline. Finally, we get to see Lang’s intact artistic vision – where a futuristic society is deeply divided by class, and science runs amok. With inter-titles. (Fritz Lang; Germany; 1927; 145 min) Digital projection.

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