tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25203740132789820952024-03-05T19:35:36.872-08:00film-415Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-57568364938921675672021-04-09T11:03:00.007-07:002021-04-09T12:22:21.773-07:00SFFILM64 2021 Preview<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Qy1mnOtFxyibHH1jjo_y0NE_BgeDe0LaPY7Fo9YUF5VonBL7dIcp_bUD7vkEpfoL2yk7H6HjMky526VwJXJstRWBvDAvEi3tZIi89Gh1PmZXH6I6BLxKRqyTWJxYPmQPf5N23e5Ev24/s2048/logo+with+clown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Qy1mnOtFxyibHH1jjo_y0NE_BgeDe0LaPY7Fo9YUF5VonBL7dIcp_bUD7vkEpfoL2yk7H6HjMky526VwJXJstRWBvDAvEi3tZIi89Gh1PmZXH6I6BLxKRqyTWJxYPmQPf5N23e5Ev24/s320/logo+with+clown.jpeg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a year since SFFILM's 63rd edition was
Covid-cancelled, a hapless victim of its position on the festival calendar
year. Unlike Sundance, Berlin and Palm Springs, the fest was unable to squeak
through before the world shut down. Unlike festivals soon to follow, SFFILM
couldn't just instantly transition to the streaming and drive-in model that
soon became our pandemic norm. We learned what a stellar event they had planned
after SFFILM, rightfully proud, posted the entire line-up on its website. The
whole thing was made doubly sad as SFFILM63 was to be the last assembled by treasured
and respected Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, that was then and this is now. <a href="https://sffilm.org/" target="_blank">SFFILM's 64th iteration</a>
will most assuredly take place from April 9 to 18, with a promising roster of
live events and online screenings. The festival is roughly half its normal size,
at least in terms of feature films (43), with an impressive 57 percent of all
films being directed by women filmmakers and an identical percentage by BIPOC. With
few exceptions, SFFILM64 will be available to stream from anywhere in the USA
and at any time during its 10-day run. I've previewed 13 selections, and will
touch on others I hope to catch during the festival proper.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudByiqGRVqrpvs2YWvW3meD1qTs9h_wElBs7CihhS4j5h0Rh_-gdBDsCow8JfAk9Hzec-Bi72ngYzZnuOd05_OUBZTHLKf4Frme5RaW15RSfqSTWIrO3jsPPiOOjViopLKRIkNisUK_k/s400/naked+singularity.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudByiqGRVqrpvs2YWvW3meD1qTs9h_wElBs7CihhS4j5h0Rh_-gdBDsCow8JfAk9Hzec-Bi72ngYzZnuOd05_OUBZTHLKf4Frme5RaW15RSfqSTWIrO3jsPPiOOjViopLKRIkNisUK_k/s320/naked+singularity.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Where else to begin but with <a href="https://sffilm.org/2021-sections-spotlights/big-nights/" target="_blank">Big Nights</a>? This year's Opening Night boasts the world premiere of
Chase Palmer's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/opening-night-naked-singularity/" target="_blank">Naked Singularity</a>, a
heist thriller starring John Boyega (<i>Star
Wars</i>, <i>Small Axe</i>). The Closing
Night attraction will be Marilyn Agrelo's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/closing-night-street-gang-how-we-got-to-sesame-street/" target="_blank">StreetGang: How We Got to Sesame Street</a>, an origin-story documentary about public
television's long-running, esteemed children's show. For Centerpiece Film the
fest has selected Bo McGuire's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/centerpiece-special-drag-performance-socks-on-fire/" target="_blank">Socks on Fire</a>, an autobiographical docu-drama about an inheritance battle between
the Southern director's homophobic aunt and cross-dressing uncle. The film won
the Best Documentary prize at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. <i>Naked Singularity</i> and <i>Street Gang</i> will have live showings at
Fort Mason drive-in and be available for all to stream. <i>Socks on Fire</i> can only be streamed by festival passholders and its
drive-in option will be supersized with a live drag show. A late addition to <i>Big Nights</i> is a drive-in only appearance
by Bay Area Grammy-winning musician <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/fantastic-negrito-live-score-lost-landscapes-of-oakland/" target="_blank">Fantastic Negrito</a>, who'll perform a live
score to the collage film <i>Lost Landscapes
of Oakland</i>.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuqT1APA5ItBo2_OdBvUA0blJmgXnsEEJN4Jt5mzncc2z0ZtRJShTgUEVqt59vh1KkeTlb5LszAgPtpztfdzPiiugvf1RAkYxvoHlkUXNUFiaoQLzD9B1k_zyTlxrUov90CZl7RWLrHQ/s710/Strawberry+Mansion.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="521" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuqT1APA5ItBo2_OdBvUA0blJmgXnsEEJN4Jt5mzncc2z0ZtRJShTgUEVqt59vh1KkeTlb5LszAgPtpztfdzPiiugvf1RAkYxvoHlkUXNUFiaoQLzD9B1k_zyTlxrUov90CZl7RWLrHQ/s320/Strawberry+Mansion.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney's retro-dystopian fantasy
<a href="https://sffilm.org/event/strawberry-mansion-streaming/" target="_blank">Strawberry Mansion</a> emerged the clear
favorite of the films I previewed. Audley, a longtime fixture of sub-indie U.S.
cinema, directs himself in the role of a humorless tax auditor who monetizes
individual elements of people's dreams (as in, if you dream about a buffalo,
you'll get taxed 50 cents.) His ordered world is capsized upon entering the
secluded home of aging eccentric Arabella, whose nightscape he traverses by watching
her dreams on VHS while wearing some kind of electric welding helmet. What
follows is an astonishingly inventive psycho-adventure fraught with danger, romance
and plain weirdness. The directors also wrote the screenplay, wherein they've
miraculously juggled Maddin, Lynch, Sendak, Gondry, Gilliam and Pee Wee's
Playhouse, not to mention their own waggish sensibility, all without resorting
to pastiche. </span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jbO6tConPvOP_cjgN4uhRAzGCBqAWPKRsILMtv4k9MiZy3oFlHuZ-_iLuw4M3lH85Y4ggeoTGKo_iCjAmyTPwvUSAMS0J7NFBO5lyhe7Aar0iy1QLuMNSIjIjWKBo0VBa0f-PfKelq0/s376/Cryptozoo_poster+sm.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jbO6tConPvOP_cjgN4uhRAzGCBqAWPKRsILMtv4k9MiZy3oFlHuZ-_iLuw4M3lH85Y4ggeoTGKo_iCjAmyTPwvUSAMS0J7NFBO5lyhe7Aar0iy1QLuMNSIjIjWKBo0VBa0f-PfKelq0/s320/Cryptozoo_poster+sm.jpeg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I also taken by two upcoming releases from distributor
Magnolia Pictures. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/dash-shaw-persistence-of-vision-award-cryptozo/" target="_blank">Cryptozoo</a> is the
latest boundary-pushing animated escapade from director Dash Shaw, who expands on
the promise shown in his 2016 debut, the underseen <i>My Entire High School, Sinking Into the Sea</i>. Employing an eye-popping mix
of crude and sophisticated animation styles, Shaw and animation director Jane
Samborski weave a wild tale about the world's endangered <i>cryptids</i> (think unicorn, Kracken, Gorgon, et al.) and one woman's
efforts to protect them from nefarious U.S. military schemes. Voicework is
provided by an eclectic mix of actors ranging from Michael Cera to <i>Twin Peaks</i>' Grace Zabriski. Dash Shaw will
be the recipient of the festival's 2021 Persistence of Vision Award, given each
year to a director whose "main body of work falls outside the realm of
traditional narrative filmmaking." He'll also participate in a live <i>Cryptozoo</i> "Making Of" talk on
Friday, April 16.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7wp_GDXW16h_NzllDG-nbEH-c3b4qsV40nDmD0-Xb04b05PZRhMoUzj_1-JiD22XHc71n7xdx0nhkPV9oChY4HfgvEY8IESrOVJ1CZJ59vEPYaoBkjV8ZoeCKNfpBKyWy0OloSE9lIQ/s554/Censor.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="462" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7wp_GDXW16h_NzllDG-nbEH-c3b4qsV40nDmD0-Xb04b05PZRhMoUzj_1-JiD22XHc71n7xdx0nhkPV9oChY4HfgvEY8IESrOVJ1CZJ59vEPYaoBkjV8ZoeCKNfpBKyWy0OloSE9lIQ/s320/Censor.jpeg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Magnolia is also distributing the superb UK genre flick <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/censor-streaming/" target="_blank">Censor</a>. Director Prano Bailey-Bond's
debut feature is set in a Thatcher-era England where gruesome exploitation
movies are being blamed for real-life crimes. That becomes a problem for mousy censor
board member Enid, who's recently approved a movie where a man eats his wife's
face. Her subsequent dive into the depths of a shady director's filmography
reveals a possible connection between an actress and Enid's long lost sister,
who disappeared as a child while under Enid's care. The resulting denouement
will have viewers either howling in delight or disgust. I was among the former.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Although intensely unnerving at times, <i>Censor</i> also has just the right amount of sardonic shadings to take some
of the edge off. I was reminded somewhat of fellow UK director Peter
Strickland's work (<i>Berberian Sound System</i>,
<i>In Fabric</i>). Appropriately, <i>Censor</i> and <i>Cryptozoo</i> will have drive-in screenings in addition to online
presentations.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRI84aFgUlBEY9bbnkE8ltJtFFWZrZJ4o-ufg2M-pkFOQVLK6KsMb1mxE8YcJgYCFggahCB96QCUyK4zUv0yDlA3ghh6vrzHMJZ3P-wbT1SPtVbR_s4A4aF9Gp3U6rTGBxSGshI_PmD8/s566/this+is+my+desire.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRI84aFgUlBEY9bbnkE8ltJtFFWZrZJ4o-ufg2M-pkFOQVLK6KsMb1mxE8YcJgYCFggahCB96QCUyK4zUv0yDlA3ghh6vrzHMJZ3P-wbT1SPtVbR_s4A4aF9Gp3U6rTGBxSGshI_PmD8/s320/this+is+my+desire.jpeg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Three favorites from the <a href="https://sffilm.org/2021-sections-spotlights/narratives-international/" target="_blank">Narratives:International </a>section depict lives of not-so-quiet desperation as
experienced from disparate points on the planet. In her follow-up to 2012's
Oscar-nominated <i>Wadjda</i>, Saudi
filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/the-perfect-candidate/" target="_blank">The PerfectCandidate</a> concerns a female doctor's frustrations with getting a paved road
to her clinic. She finds herself running for municipal council almost by
accident, which the film uses to unveil the small and large humiliations
experienced by Saudi women. Nigerian directors Arie and Chuko Esiri's masterful
<a href="https://sffilm.org/event/this-is-my-desire/" target="_blank">This is My Desire</a> uses a bifurcated
structure to render the lives of two Lagos residents dreaming of emigration: a solemn
middle-aged printing plant engineer fed up with crumbling infrastructure and
his needy family, and a bright female bartender whose life is weighted down by
mercantile relationships with men. <i>This
is My Desire</i> represents intimate, social issue filmmaking at its best, and
stands in sharp contrast to the Nigeria portrayed in noisy Nollywood
melodramas. Colombian director Nicolás Rincón Gille employs an episodic
approach in <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/2021-valley-of-souls/" target="_blank">Valley of Souls</a>, tracing
the aquatic odyssey of a fisherman as he searches a river for two sons murdered
by paramilitaries. Elegiac, heartbreaking and enhanced by gorgeous widescreen
cinematography, <i>Valley of Soul</i>'s languorous
137 minutes are never less than captivating. Side note: it helps to know that
Colombian cyclist Egon Bernal won the Tour de France in July, 2019.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gi6LNsasbj0TGnQp2EOIPxlsyiu3EjgLH7i-K8BcJUrWKwbtAN08BRnT_Lzy8YXX_CY3hohkC5o-KZdQN374vRikZ28ZMNoG3h8wT6F01hW9TDogYhGBkB-Xklr7tz3w2xpRbg_zexk/s608/Son+of+Monarchs.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gi6LNsasbj0TGnQp2EOIPxlsyiu3EjgLH7i-K8BcJUrWKwbtAN08BRnT_Lzy8YXX_CY3hohkC5o-KZdQN374vRikZ28ZMNoG3h8wT6F01hW9TDogYhGBkB-Xklr7tz3w2xpRbg_zexk/s320/Son+of+Monarchs.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Fans of Latin American cinema should be pleased by SFFILM64's
<a href="https://sffilm.org/2021-sections-spotlights/cine-mexicano/" target="_blank">Cine Mexicano</a> spotlight. From among
its six offerings I previewed Alexis Gambis's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/son-of-monarchs/" target="_blank">Son of Monarchs</a>, winner of Sundance's Alfred P. Sloan Prize for
depiction of science or technology in a narrative feature. The film's main
character Mendel (Tenoch Huerta, <i>Gueros</i>,
<i>Sin Nombre</i>) is a Mexican biologist
whose youth was spent amongst the monarch butterflies in Michoacán's forests. <i>Son of Monarchs</i> alternates between
scenes of childhood and Mendel's adulthood in NYC, where he works mapping out
butterfly DNA structure while navigating personal existential crises. Not least
of the movie's appeal is the refreshing experience of watching a Mexican
immigration narrative that doesn't concern the undocumented. <i>Son of Monarchs</i> features a nice
supporting role for Gabino Rodríguez, the smoky-eyed, pointy-jawed actor who's
the most recognizable face in Mexican independent cinema. Rodríguez also turns
up in SFFILM64's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/fauna/" target="_blank">Fauna</a>, the actor's
tenth collaboration with Mexican indie filmmaker Nicolás Pereda. <i>Fauna</i> nears the top of my list of films
to catch during the festival, along with <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/dance-of-the-41/" target="_blank">Dance of the 41</a>, a historical LGBT period piece about an early 20th century scandal
in Mexican high society. I also hope to see <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/spokeswoman/" target="_blank">The Spokeswoman</a>, a documentary about the first indigenous woman to run for
Mexico's presidency.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmZ12tXwJnKSOd2MffmG0hpq0s3BY4O7-va2VGfo_P25bPGu1-Y6kvVbeDCV1IZKuRBIZpS1fFwezB5UMGFdQscyFeRCME5O-XcS_eUEsYmg4wLV08Ho1lM0faGwesauLnNDCn4Kp5j4/s1429/home+lg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmZ12tXwJnKSOd2MffmG0hpq0s3BY4O7-va2VGfo_P25bPGu1-Y6kvVbeDCV1IZKuRBIZpS1fFwezB5UMGFdQscyFeRCME5O-XcS_eUEsYmg4wLV08Ho1lM0faGwesauLnNDCn4Kp5j4/s320/home+lg.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I previewed two additional works from the <a href="https://sffilm.org/2021-sections-spotlights/narratives-us/" target="_blank">Narratives: US </a>section. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/home/" target="_blank">Home</a> is a tough and touching redemption
story about an ex-con returning home after a 17-year prison stint for murder. For
the most part, the movie effectively conveys a certain type of American
underclass without resorting to reductive white-trash miserablism (although
some of the sets are art-directed to distraction). Jake McLaughlin delivers an
edgy, sympathetic lead performance. He's joined by Kathy Bates as his ornery cancer-afflicted
mother, as well as Lil Red Howry (the best friend in <i>Get Out</i>) as Bates' wise homecare giver. <i>Home</i> isn't the type of film I'd ordinarily seek out, but I was
fascinated that it's both written and directed by German actress Franka Potente
(<i>Run Lola Run</i>, a pair of <i>Bourne</i> movies). I'd love to know what
drew her to this project, apart from its providing a juicy supporting role for
her husband, actor Derek Richardson, as the protagonist's junkie best friend.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi55oBzIpsvTiGt_QURfcJh5hWFMcYqNbPUuv6XV0aYov746RJSimiGWX-LuZRottYBPVwx0v41pCeQJfQAfbG-hln8RWM076fE80thqgGWtPiM4QPHvN2UDbt9l812N07v1dkLHkxzCY/s713/supercool.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi55oBzIpsvTiGt_QURfcJh5hWFMcYqNbPUuv6XV0aYov746RJSimiGWX-LuZRottYBPVwx0v41pCeQJfQAfbG-hln8RWM076fE80thqgGWtPiM4QPHvN2UDbt9l812N07v1dkLHkxzCY/s320/supercool.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://sffilm.org/event/supercool-streaming/" target="_blank">Supercool</a> is
another kind of American movie I wouldn't ordinarily watch, but I was curious
why SFFILM might program a "teens gone wild comedy." The first thing
that struck me was the Finnish subtitles on the festival-provided screener. It
turns out that filmmaker Teppo Airaksinen's main body of work lies in Finnish
TV (180-plus episodes worth), so how he came to this project is no doubt a
story worth hearing. At age 67, I'm clearly not the intended audience for a
film like this. I'll therefore reserve judgment except to say it seemed very well
made, left me exhausted, didn't make me laugh, had an almost creepy surfeit of
queer content and an incongruous retro soundtrack (Huey Lewis & the
News!?). Oh, and Damon Wayans Jr. is in it. <i>Supercool</i>
is having its world premiere at SFFILM64.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxzPqYUasfg2HBcgAAJd66QOe0ZbMKSzMkrNcLfQGVJE5tIR45L0KuQR042ynV0t7eET52gBjMifqx7Hch11EwBsLE2PyVO7ye03ehW5FvXhXrA6RsRoHGsGxNNijtulsAw5TlX1t8NM/s1000/homeroom.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="676" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxzPqYUasfg2HBcgAAJd66QOe0ZbMKSzMkrNcLfQGVJE5tIR45L0KuQR042ynV0t7eET52gBjMifqx7Hch11EwBsLE2PyVO7ye03ehW5FvXhXrA6RsRoHGsGxNNijtulsAw5TlX1t8NM/s320/homeroom.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Documentaries traditionally make up a large chunk of SFFILM's
line-up and this year is no exception. The one I'm most anticipating is Peter
Nicks' <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/homeroom/" target="_blank">Homeroom</a>, which hones in on
the triumphs and travails of Oakland High School's 2020 graduating class. The
film marks the final installment of Nicks' "Oakland Trilogy," which
began with 2012's sublime <i>The Waiting
Room</i> about Oakland's Highland Hospital, and continued with his 2017 study
of the city's police department, <i>The
Force</i>. SFFILM is also honoring Nicks with the festival's George Gund III
Craft of Cinema Award, given for "distinguished service to cinema as an
art form." Another much-awaited Bay Area-related doc is Mariem Pérez
Riera's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/rita-moreno-just-a-girl-who-decided-to-go-for-it/" rel="nofollow">Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It</a>, which honors the soon-to-be 90-year-old Berkeley
resident and EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner. The film drew raves at
Sundance and following its spring festival rounds, will open theatrically in June.
It's worth noting this is one of the few SFFILM64 selections with a limited
viewing window (April 9 to 12), and one of only two that are geo-blocked for
California residents only (the other being <i>Street
Gang</i>).</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilutUPORR___idR-4vjMZLgrlUweTfnuGglrsJPe4Qa5weETFvuz5S3drDMfQiqOzaKPNuXfAc832xbR_hoVJ2ig0I59oie43bojhFDVsralmQCVpw9Q1FjJFE4HdrYc4rgHw-X-KKwSY/s730/We+Are+As+Gods.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="545" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilutUPORR___idR-4vjMZLgrlUweTfnuGglrsJPe4Qa5weETFvuz5S3drDMfQiqOzaKPNuXfAc832xbR_hoVJ2ig0I59oie43bojhFDVsralmQCVpw9Q1FjJFE4HdrYc4rgHw-X-KKwSY/s320/We+Are+As+Gods.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />A majority of the festival's 18 documentaries are
biographical or autobiographical in nature, including four I previewed. In keeping
with a Bay Area groove, there's David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/2021-we-are-as-gods/" target="_blank">We Are As Gods</a>, which surveys the visionary
life of Stewart Brand. Tagged as the "Intellectual Johnny Appleseed of the
Counter Culture" and then later the "Da Vinci of Cyber Culture,"
Brand is most recognized as creator of "The Whole Earth Catalog." The
documentary switches between a chronological retelling of his exploits and accomplishments,
and a critical examination of his current interest in
"de-extinction." Brand is a leading proponent of this highly
controversial science, which seeks to genetically reintroduce extinct species
such as the American chestnut tree, the North American passenger pigeon and
more ominously, the woolly mammoth. We spend a lot of time with Brand at
Siberia's Pleistocene Park, where an entire ecosystem is being prepped for the
mammoth's return. One curious omission from <i>We
Are As Gods</i> is Brand's creation of <i>The
WELL</i>, regarded as the world's first significant virtual community. Brian
Eno composed the film's fitting music score.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidr4WfqKfWDbXDY-bqjVObHbHDSKgvzK7yUwNtk5rB57W1kMFxXuMgmy0Mu1FyZx2_Y19Fv9al4e3WLcKTuLDqUw3HMI2ka-L21W85u6FAERdYeljvdJPi5wP4YS952xMeBlxQY0LSgU/s890/poly+styrene.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="627" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidr4WfqKfWDbXDY-bqjVObHbHDSKgvzK7yUwNtk5rB57W1kMFxXuMgmy0Mu1FyZx2_Y19Fv9al4e3WLcKTuLDqUw3HMI2ka-L21W85u6FAERdYeljvdJPi5wP4YS952xMeBlxQY0LSgU/s320/poly+styrene.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Two women directors have made docs focused on their problematic
mothers. Co-directed by Paul Sng, Celeste Bell's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/poly-styrene-i-am-a-cliche/" target="_blank">Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché</a> honors one of punk music's pioneers.
With her anti-fashion sense and mouthful of braces, the "half-caste"
Styrene (née Marion Elliott) blasted on the scene with her band X-Ray Spex at
age 19, an anomaly in a music genre dominated by white males. Musicians
Thurston Moore, Kathleen Hanna and Neneh Cherry are among the talking heads who
discuss her influence. She'd dissolve the band three years later at their height of
popularity, which was followed by a decades long struggle with mental health
issues. Director Bell was born in 1981 and spent much of her childhood living on
a Hare Krishna commune, until social services stepped in and she was put in her
grandmother's care. Bell narrates her mother's story and often appears on
camera, visiting places of significance in Styrene's life. This is sometimes
effective (bringing her Mom's ashes to be scattered in an Indian river) and
sometimes not (Bell aimlessly wandering around a nocturnal Times Square).</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZMzQMF8tm_VERprnK3yOqnaYwj-rqCSV_njOvbWixjQuXnTpBzx4f1rEfyPpUhXMweKzhr7swcb_DzJMvpJD0v1y9c6HePXgCQeK41Vx8eom_gvgtAGJyXZyzqI_m-FXMBbT3fHhnoQ/s700/zumiriki.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZMzQMF8tm_VERprnK3yOqnaYwj-rqCSV_njOvbWixjQuXnTpBzx4f1rEfyPpUhXMweKzhr7swcb_DzJMvpJD0v1y9c6HePXgCQeK41Vx8eom_gvgtAGJyXZyzqI_m-FXMBbT3fHhnoQ/s320/zumiriki.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />In contrast, Iranian director Firouzeh Khosrovani narrates
but never appears (except in photos) in a documentary about her mother. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/radiograph-of-a-family/" target="_blank">Radiograph of a Family</a> employs generic
archival footage, family photos and movies, love letters, and imagined dialogue
to uniquely depict the grossly mismatched marriage between her secular doctor father,
and a mother who'd transform from docile bride to a machinegun-wielding
religious fanatic during Iran's revolution. It's an eerie and melancholy tale.
The final doc I previewed was Oskar Alegria's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/2021-zumiriki/" target="_blank">Zumiriki</a>. The title means "island in the middle of a
river" in Basque, and anyone who saw Alegria's <i>The Search for Emak Bakia</i> at the festival in 2013 knows to expect
something singularly enigmatic. The river in question is the Arga in
northeastern Spain, along whose banks stood Alegria's family home. <i>Zumiriki</i> consists entirely of Alegria
building a camouflaged cabin perched on the Arga's banks, and then once built, spending
months submerged in the lore and natural surroundings of his childhood stomping
grounds. It's charmingly indulgent and a delightful way to spend two hours.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfIUDU06YOd1Nht9bdDVR-u9mVkKnUSXA1YKu7fD48LAL68TRpQyhfsONXOshkuMZubyWNvJA3TDqK8R9nN64sz5gvSDrmtIUG4EjJpwPNbBleBNX0UiRmHJJqljRm5HoB55hFhxUxPE/s419/vanessa+kirby.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="236" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfIUDU06YOd1Nht9bdDVR-u9mVkKnUSXA1YKu7fD48LAL68TRpQyhfsONXOshkuMZubyWNvJA3TDqK8R9nN64sz5gvSDrmtIUG4EjJpwPNbBleBNX0UiRmHJJqljRm5HoB55hFhxUxPE/s320/vanessa+kirby.jpeg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Now to wrap up with a few odds and ends. On Saturday, April
17 SFFILM will host a virtual tribute to white-hot actress <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/tribute-to-vanessa-kirby/" target="_blank">Vanessa Kirby</a>, wherein she'll be presented with the festival's
Impact Award. Kirby has been seen nearly everywhere in recent years, from <i>The Crown</i> to three <i>Mission Impossible</i> movies to 2019's $730M blockbuster <i>Fast and Furious Present Hobbs and Shaw</i>,
and now of course her gritty, Oscar-nominated performance in <i>Pieces of a Woman</i>. </span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the first time ever, the festival presents a separate section
of <a href="https://sffilm.org/2021-sections-spotlights/mid-length-films/" target="_blank">Mid-Length Films</a>. Defined as
ranging between 30 to 50 minutes in length, each of the five programs will
present one such film paired with one or two shorts. I'm particularly intrigued
by <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/mid-length-tales-of-the-accidental-city-al-sit/" target="_blank">Tales of the Accidental City</a>,
which finds a group of Nairobi residents gathered over Zoom for a court-ordered
anger management class. Speaking of shorts, SFFILM64 of course has an <a href="https://sffilm.org/2021-sections-spotlights/short-films/" target="_blank">entire section</a> devoted to them, 56 to be
exact, spread out over seven programs.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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</span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBc8MmVXCh0liTZVdibZwVe_xFizhL1vHXNqu7BLJowwV8RHqrlh9LN8lhDnHLaWu_Vfi5DQJw_5vbcsUs3l4mtX5pwyY5kqUSQl5mh3kIm9xO_h9VglEgIvoypLWqNR7FQwPUAZhu3s4/s857/poppy+field.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBc8MmVXCh0liTZVdibZwVe_xFizhL1vHXNqu7BLJowwV8RHqrlh9LN8lhDnHLaWu_Vfi5DQJw_5vbcsUs3l4mtX5pwyY5kqUSQl5mh3kIm9xO_h9VglEgIvoypLWqNR7FQwPUAZhu3s4/s320/poppy+field.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Finally, in addition to aforementioned <i>Socks on Fire</i> and <i>Dance of
the 41</i>, there are a half dozen more films of LGBTQ interest scattered
throughout the program. I'm most intent on catching Romania's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/poppy-field/" target="_blank">Poppy Field</a>, whose protagonist is a
closeted policeman called to quell unrest at a Bucharest cinema showing a film
with queer content. I'd also love to see the sneak preview of <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/sneak-peek-language-lessons/" target="_blank">Language Lessons</a>, but unfortunately (for
me) it's only showing at the drive-in. The film recently earned raves at Berlin
and SXSW and is about a friendship that develops over Zoom between an Oakland
gay widower (Mark Duplass) and the Costa Rican woman (Natalie Morales, who also
directs) from whom he takes Spanish lessons. I've also heard excellent things
about <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/tove/" target="_blank">Tove</a>, a biopic about bisexual
Finnish children's book author Tove Jansson. The documentary <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/seyran-ates-sex-revolution-and-islam/" target="_blank">Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam</a> profiles
a reformist Muslim lawyer who, among other things, is a champion for LGBTQ
Muslim youth. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/ma-belle-my-beauty/" target="_blank">Ma Belle, My Beauty</a> and
<a href="https://sffilm.org/event/nudo-mixteco/" target="_blank">Nudo Mixteco</a> round out SFFILM64's
queer offerings.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_mB0nvex9dSjkK6eV1dHe1zXrcPebWO1V0TcamedajNxzlu14SMC-8U6wSi_cBDau0lG6dNLyWY5hWwbLPJYT4r1m2RVx2cSq6PjTiu3z2Fse9We7i5cJ8VI3BpdK0ds_RYTtUVW4Fo/s1200/SFFILM-drivein_Tommy_Lau_2020+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_mB0nvex9dSjkK6eV1dHe1zXrcPebWO1V0TcamedajNxzlu14SMC-8U6wSi_cBDau0lG6dNLyWY5hWwbLPJYT4r1m2RVx2cSq6PjTiu3z2Fse9We7i5cJ8VI3BpdK0ds_RYTtUVW4Fo/w400-h225/SFFILM-drivein_Tommy_Lau_2020+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></font></style></p>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-52712157994785266792020-09-15T16:54:00.000-07:002020-09-15T17:38:02.471-07:00FRAMELINE44 2020 Preview<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival" target="_blank">Frameline</a> announced the postponement of its 44th edition on March 31. When the June event got rescheduled for autumn, I think most of us believed movie-going normalcy could return in six months. (As a June placeholder, the festival hosted a successful, four-day online "Pride Showcase.") Well, here we are a half-year later and things aren't at all normal, with Bay Area indoor movie theaters still shuttered due to COVID-19 concerns.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year's Frameline, which runs from September 17 to 27, therefore remains a strictly online streaming affair. The lone exception will be the Opening Night world premiere of <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/shitchampagne" target="_blank">Shit & Champagne</a>, SF drag legend D'Arcy Drollinger's sendup of 1970's sexploitation flix, which screens at Concord's West Wind Solano Drive-In. All but three of Frameline's 43 programs will be available to watch anytime during its 11-day run. Ticketholders are encouraged, however, to tune in at specific screening times to enjoy Q&As and panel discussions. I've had the chance to preview 13 Frameline44 selections, mostly culled from the fest's foreign film offerings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of all the movies in Frameline44's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x7546?section=463" target="_blank">World Cinema</a> section, <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/two-of-us" target="_blank">Two of Us</a> arrives with the biggest buzz. Premiering to acclaim at last year's Toronto Film Festival, Filippo Meneghetti's riveting directorial debut concerns two older lesbians, Mado and Nina, who reside in the same apartment building but live across the hall from each other. Comfortable in a decades-long clandestine relationship, their dream is for the diminutive Mado to sell her apartment so they can move to Rome. That plan is thwarted when Mado suffers a stroke, reducing Nina to little more than a meddling neighbor in the eyes of Mado's adult children. Legendary German actress Barbara Sukowa (Fassbinder's <i>Berlin Alexanderplatz</i> and <i>Lola</i>) gives a fierce performance as Nina, who'll take extreme protective measures once Mado's kids get wise to their mother's true nature. The festival's 'Hold Review' policy for <i>Two of Us</i> restricts me from saying more about this exceptional film. Be advised <i>Two of Us</i> only has a three-day screening window (September 25 to 27).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A second World Cinema offering I unequivocally recommend is <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/rurangi" target="_blank">Rūrangi</a>, Max Currie's breezy, big-hearted New Zealand social dramedy. Originally broadcast as a web TV series, its five episodes have been strung into a cohesive 96-minute feature. After a decade of Auckland urban living, trans-male activist Caz Davis reluctantly returns to the rural hometown he left behind as a young woman. The physical change is such that he's initially unrecognizable to all those he was close to. Quick-witted Anahera, his Maori former BFF who now runs the town's thrift store, is first to discover and embrace the transition. Caz gets a chillier reception from his father, a budding eco-activist and farmer still bitter over Caz not showing up for his mother's funeral. The most poignant reunion occurs with Jem, his bumbling (and straight) ex-lover who's still in love with Caz, even though his ex now presents as male. With its affecting performances, intelligent script and gorgeous photography, <i>Rūrangi</i> was the most delightfully surprising of the films I previewed. Fortunately, the ending leaves open the possibility for a sequel.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In terms of sheer cinematic audacity, nothing in the World Cinema section tops <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/dry-wind" target="_blank">Dry Wind</a>, Daniel Nolasco's sly-humored, homoerotic fever-dream set in central Brazil's arid Goiás region. Middle-aged Sandro is an unassuming gay bear and fertilizer factory manager who lives in a perpetual state of being hot and bothered. And who can blame him when his environs – whether at the factory, public pool locker room, police station or nearby eucalyptus forest – are just one big Tom-of-Finland fantasyland of both real and imagined, neon-hued hardcore sexual encounters. Jealousy rears its head with the arrival of Maicon, a blond cycle-riding Adonis who begins tricking with Sandro's co-worker-cum-fuck-buddy Ricardo. (A scene where Maicon abruptly joins Sandro on a terrifying carnival ride, and insists on holding his hand, is an inspired moment of guard-dropping tenderness). <i>Dry Wind</i> is the movie I'll most regret not seeing on the Castro Theater's giant screen with an energized audience. Be advised that Frameline's "sexually explicit material" caveat is fully warranted here.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Berlin Film Festival's Teddy Award is arguably queer cinema's highest accolade, and each year Frameline dependably programs the winner. This year's recipient was <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/no-hard-feelings" target="_blank">No Hard Feelings</a>, first-time director Faraz Shariat's somewhat flighty refugee drama that deepens in gravitas as it moves forward. We initially meet Parvis – an assimilated dyed-blond German-Iranian club kid – as he reports to a Hanover refugee center to perform community service. It's there he befriends resident siblings, the handsome Amon and his ebullient sister Banafshe. In contrast to Parvis, who's openly queer and has an accepting family, Amon is deeply closeted due to the homophobia of his refugee center peers. Just as Parvis and Amon enter into a furtive love affair, Banafshe runs out of options to keep herself from being deported back to Iran. It's the latter development that causes Parvis to mature and see beyond his own wants and needs. <i>No Hard Feelings</i> suffers a bit from awkward construction and quizzical plot ellipsis, but not enough to detract from its humanist message.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are quick takes on four additional World Cinema offerings, representing a diverse range of countries and cinematic styles. Veteran Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek (<i>Steam: The Turkish Bath</i>, <i>Facing Windows</i>) delivers another of his highly-accomplished dramedies about upper class gays in <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-goddess-of-fortune" target="_blank">The Goddess of Fortune</a>, wherein a pair of married (to each other) middle-aged hunks haltingly salvage their deteriorating relationship when forced to care for a dying friend's children. A far bleaker portrait of middle-aged gay life emerges in Peter Mackie Burns' <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/rialto" target="_blank">Rialto</a>. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor gives a memorably desperate performance as Colm, a married yet emotionally isolated Irish alcoholic who can only find succor in the company of a blackmailing teenage hustler. The opportunity to watch <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> heartthrob Henry Golding make out with guys is but one good reason to see Hong Khaou's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/monsoon" target="_blank">Monsoon</a>, a low-key meditation on identity and memory in which a young Asian-Brit returns to a Viet Nam he scarcely recognizes from childhood. Making its world premiere at Frameline44 is Nicol Ruiz Benavides' <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/forgotten-roads" target="_blank">Forgotten Roads</a>, which is set in a Chilean backwater town. When recently widowed Claudina moves in with her daughter and grandson, a long-awaited opportunity for happiness appears in the form of a free-spirited neighbor woman. Among the film's delights is a subplot about UFOs, a notion no less fantastical than the tiny town having its own gay nightclub.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to the 12-film World Cinema side-bar, Frameline44 expands it international scope with a <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x7546?section=772" target="_blank">Spotlight on Taiwan</a>. Chen Ming-lang's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-teacher" target="_blank">The Teacher</a> is an earnest, but overcooked relationship drama about two gay men. Moody high school civics teacher Kevin experiences homophobia at work and lives with his supportive, beautician mother. He falls in love and moves in with Gao, a slightly older, HIV-positive factory owner who's still married to a wife that wants children. High anxiety over a single condom-less sex act renders the film an antiquated AIDS drama the likes of which we haven't seen in ages. While it's admirable to have a movie that doesn’t downplay the still salient issue of HIV transmission, perhaps the filmmaker should have set the film 25 years ago and gone for a full-bore melodrama.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Teacher</i> is partially set against the backdrop of Taiwan's effort to become the first Asian country granting full marriage equality. That years-long struggle, which finally triumphed on May 17, 2019, is effectively documented in Sophie Yen's documentary <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/taiwan-equals-love" target="_blank">Taiwan Equals Love</a>. Yen recounts how events unfolded in the public arena – pro-equality street demonstrations vs. conservative counter-attacks, disappointing legislative setbacks vs. progressive court decisions. This narrative is woven around the intimate stories of three couples whose lives would be positively impacted by marriage equality. Lesbians Jovi and Mindy want their relationship legitimized for the sake of Jovi's young daughter. For gay seniors Hsiang and Tien-Ming, who've been together 30-plus years, marriage becomes important as one of them experiences the onset of Parkinson's. Finally, the story of young lovers and business partners Gu and Shin-Chi reveals a limitation in the new law – Shin-Chi is from Macau and transnational gay marriages unfortunately remain illegal. The fight continues.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only other selection I previewed from Frameline44's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x7546?section=139" target="_blank">Documentary</a> section was Laurie Lynd's fascinating <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/killing-patient-zero" target="_blank">Killing Patient Zero</a>, which decimates the theory that Air Canada flight attendant Gáeton Dugas was, as the New York Post so ineloquently put it, "The Man Who Gave Us AIDS." Topping the film's revelations is how Dugas acquired the "Zero" misnomer is the first place: a study identifying him as Patient "O" (as in the letter O, meaning Out of California) was misread as Patient "0" (as in zero, or "the first.") The fact is, out of the initial 248 AIDS cases identified in the US, Dugas was only linked to 48. The official making that disclosure also reveals how tremendously helpful Dugas was to the CDC. He willingly shared all the info in his personal "black book" and traveled to Atlanta to give blood for CDC studies. (Regrettably, Dugas continued having sex during this period, believing the sexual transmission theory of AIDS had yet to be proven. He died in 1984). The doc's most cynical reveal, however, was the decision by author Randy Shilts and his publicist to leak the 11 Dugas-related pages of "And the Band Played On" to the New York Post. They knew the conservative paper would use it to foment outrage towards this "monster," and thereby send book sales skyrocketing. In addition to interviews with medical authorities and government officials, director Lynd sagely employs B. Ruby Rich and Fran Lebowitz to place the early AIDS crisis within a sociological context. Equally welcome are the loving testimonials by Gáeton Dugas' friends, lovers and fellow Air Canada flight attendants as to what a gregarious and life-affirming person he was. My only (minor) quibble about <i>Killing Patient Zero</i>, is that it provides no information or speculation about what the origins of AIDS in North America might have actually been.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, I also had a look at two American narrative films. Anna Kerrigan's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/cowboys" target="_blank">Cowboys</a> pops up in both Frameline44's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x7546?section=141" target="_blank">US Feature</a> and <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x7546?section=708" target="_blank">Famous Faces</a> sidebars, the 'faces' herein being those of Steve Zahn and Jillian Bell (<i>Brittany Runs a Marathon</i>). Both actors give committed performances as the parents of an 11-year-old Montana girl who inherently knows she's meant to be a boy. Zahn has the showier of the two parts, playing a supportive parent with manic tendencies who in effect, kidnaps his 'son' and heads toward the Canadian border on horseback towards an uncertain future, with the law in hot pursuit. I was impressed with the film's seamless flashback structure, as well as its choice to set a trans-narrative within a Red State milieu. Apart from a few heavy-handed missteps, <i>Cowboys</i> is the best film I've seen on this subject since French director Céline Sciamma's <i>Tomboy</i> in 2011. I wasn't quite as taken by Ali LeRoi's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-obituary-of-tunde-johnson" target="_blank">The Obituary of Tunde Johnson</a>, which is one of four Frameline44 <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x7546?section=468" target="_blank">Centerpiece</a> films. The titular character is a queer Black SoCal highschooler of well-to-do Nigerian parentage, who repeatedly awakens from dreams/daydreams in which he's murdered by white police. What's interesting is the writer and director's decision to place the anxiety-laden Tunde in an extremely haut-bougie world almost exclusively populated with white people. What's not interesting is the overwrought, sudsy teen drama that plays out once Tunde enters into an affair with his female bestie's dimwitted jock boyfriend.
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-58569113721956802902019-10-02T10:27:00.001-07:002019-10-02T11:39:15.434-07:00MVFF42 2019<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The biggest cinema celebration in the Bay Area turns 42 this year, with a spectacular line-up of movies I'm salivating to see. Running from October 3 to 13, <a href="https://www.mvff.com/" target="_blank">Mill Valley Film Festival</a> expands its traditional North Bay horizons by adding Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive as a venue. That's dynamite news for those of us dependent on public transit. Auto-less cinephiles now have a second MVFF option (in addition to the Rafael Film Center) that's easy to reach with a loaded Clipper Card. This is my 13th year blogging about MVFF and as always, I present a subjective take on what excites me among the 116 feature films on offer. Since no one can see <i>everything</i> at a festival, I've indicated upcoming theatrical and VOD release dates where known.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MVFF built its reputation as the first prominent autumn festival to launch "awards buzz" movies direct from the late-summer triumvirate of Venice, Telluride and Toronto. That tradition continues with the festival's 2019 "Big Night" selections. Kicking things off will be Destin Daniel Cretton's <a href="https://www.mvff.com/opening/" target="_blank">Just Mercy</a>, the true story of a lawyer (Michael B. Jordon) attempting to free a wrongly convicted African American death row inmate (Jamie Foxx). Actors Rob Morgan, Karan Kendrick and Foxx are expected to attend opening night festivities. A second option for that evening is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=638969~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The King</a>, the latest from <i>Animal Kingdom</i> director David Michôd. Timothée Chalamet has drawn rave notices for his Henry V portrayal, and is supported by Joel Edgerton (who co-wrote the screenplay) as Falstaff. <i>The King</i> will have a limited theatrical release on October 11, before hitting Netflix on November 1.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fest attendees have dual choices on closing night as well. James Mangold's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623834~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Ford vs. Ferrari</a> stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale in a true tale of Ford Motor Company and its hell-bent determination to beat Ferrari at Le Mans speedway in 1966. In the neo-Noir <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623874~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Motherless Brooklyn</a>, director-actor Edward Norton stars as a Tourette syndrome-afflicted detective in the 1950's. The film has been compared to <i>Chinatown</i>, exchanging that movie's L.A. water wars for the racist agenda of real-life New York city planner Robert Moses. Mangold and Norton are expected to attend their respective screenings. For this year's Centerpiece presentation, filmmaker Trey Edward Shults (<i>Krisha</i>, <i>It Comes at Night</i>) will present <a href="https://www.mvff.com/centerpiece/" target="_blank">Waves</a>, an African-American familial drama that has garnered unanimously ecstatic reviews.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While festivals like Cannes have recently eschewed Netflix product, MVFF exhibits no such reticence. Receiving an elevated presentation at this year's fest will be Noah Baumbach's <a href="https://www.mvff.com/marriage-story/" target="_blank">Marriage Story</a>, an anguished tale of marital dissolution starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Some critics are calling the film a career-high for Baumbach, who will receive a MVFF Award on behalf of the movie's ensemble cast. The director shares the stage with supporting actors Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty and Laura Dern, the latter of whom hosts a <a href="https://www.mvff.com/laura-dern-mtg/" target="_blank">master class</a> earlier in the day. <i>Marriage Story</i> gets a limited theatrical release on November 6 before surfacing on Netflix exactly one month later. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623917~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Two Popes</a> and <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623827~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Dolemite is My Name</a> are also Netflix titles. <i>Popes</i> is essentially a two-hander speculating on the machinations behind Pope Benedict's (Anthony Hopkins) resignation and Pope Francis' (Jonathan Pryce) ascension. The movie's Oscar-nominated director, Fernando Meirelles (<i>City of God</i>) is an expected festival guest. <i>The Two Popes</i> hits theaters on November 27 before popping up on Netflix December 20. <i>Dolemite is My Name</i> delivers the outlandish tale of how flailing African American comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) invented his Dolemite character and came to make the eponymous 1975 Blaxploitation cult classic. It was written by the team that scribed Hollywood biopics <i>Ed Wood</i>, <i>The People vs. Larry Flynt</i>, <i>Man on the Moon</i> and <i>Big Eyes</i>, and is directed by Craig Brewer (<i>Hustle & Flow</i>, <i>Black Snake Moan</i>). <i>Dolemite is My Name</i> rolls into theaters and onto Netflix October 4 and 25 respectively.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two high-profile biopics were among the crop of summer festival premieres. <a href="https://www.mvff.com/kristen-stewart/" target="_blank">Seberg</a> stars Kristen Stewart as American actress Jean Seberg (<i>Breathless</i>, <i>Paint Your Wagon</i>) and focuses on the F.B.I.'s "concern" over her Black Panther support. Stewart will accompany the film at an in-person MVFF Spotlight tribute on October 7. <i>Seberg</i> is being distributed by Amazon, but no release date is imminent. The near-mythical saga of American slave liberator Harriet Tubman is the subject of <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623843~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Harriet</a>, which has gathered critical praise for Cynthia Erivo's lead performance but less enthusiasm for its conventional storytelling. Director Kasi Lemmons will attend the festival and the film's release date is November 1. Although not a biopic per se, <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=638968~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Aeronauts</a> recounts the mostly-true story of a record-breaking 1862 hot air balloon journey, reuniting <i>The Theory of Everything</i> cast members Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne. Look for that one on December 6, with VOD availability on Amazon shortly thereafter.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the most anticipated premieres at Venice and Toronto was <a href="https://www.mvff.com/truth/" target="_blank">The Truth</a>, director Hirokazu Kore-eda's follow-up to last year's Palme d'Or-winning <i>Shoplifters</i>. Working for the first time outside Japan, his film stars Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche as opposing sides of a tempestuous mother-daughter relationship. MVFF screens the film twice – at a "special U.S. premiere" on October 11 and a "regular screening" the following day – with a curious $45/$16 ticket price differential. MVFF also affords an early look at two surefire Toronto crowd-pleasers before they hit local multiplexes. Critics had a rapturous response to <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623856~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Knives Out</a>, an old-fashioned who-dunnit in the vein of <i>Murder on the Orient Express</i>, with an all-star cast headed by Toni Collette. Opinions were more divided on <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623851~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Jojo Rabbit</a>, which won the festival's audience award. The WWII dramedy concerns a young German boy whose imaginary friend is none other than Hitler (played by the film's director, Taika Waititi). I'm a big fan of Waititi (<i>Hunt for the Wilderpeople</i>, <i>What We Do in the Shadows</i>), but comparisons to Holocaust-era "comedies" like <i>Life is Beautiful</i> give me pause. <i>Jojo Rabbit</i> and <i>Knives Out</i> arrive in theaters October 18 and November 27 respectively.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Several dozen documentaries premiere at Telluride, Venice and Toronto each year. Five that caught my attention are featured at MVFF42. British director Michael Apted receives a festival tribute accompanied by a screening of <a href="https://www.mvff.com/michael-apted/" target="_blank">63 Up</a>. This marks the ninth installment of his "Up" series, wherein the same group of UK citizens were filmed at seven year intervals since 1964. It's slated for a December 13 Bay Area release and will return for February's Mostly British fest. Two docs tackle the infamous lives of Roy Cohn and Imelda Marcos. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623923~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Where's My Roy Cohn?</a> delves into the career of a self-hating gay lawyer and right-hand man to assholes Joe McCarthy and Donald Trump. It's directed by Matt Tyrnauer (<i>Studio 54</i>, <i>Citizen Jane</i>) and opens at Landmark's Clay Theatre on October 18. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623855~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Kingmaker</a> profiles the Philippines ex-first lady and is the perfect subject for director Laura Greenfield. Her previous films <i>The Queen of Versailles</i> and <i>Generation Wealth</i> examined the nauseating excesses of the one percent. Another pair of docs take on Middle Eastern concerns. Feras Fayyad's resoundingly praised <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623817~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Cave</a> looks at life in a war-torn subterranean Syrian hospital that's mostly run by women. "Studious" has been used to describe Taghi Amirani's nine-years-in-the-making <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623823~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Coup 53</a>, a deep dive into the 1953 US/UK-orchestrated coup against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister. It no doubt benefits greatly from the skills of acclaimed Bay Area film editor Walter Murch. The directors of these five docs, save for <i>Roy Cohn</i>'s Matt Tyrnauer, are expected to attend the festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'd like to highlight two Venice premieres from Chile making their way to MVFF42. While both debuted to mixed reviews, the talent involved, combined with the unlikelihood of their ever getting another Bay Area big screen showcase, make them personal must-sees. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623829~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Ema</a> is the latest from Pablo Larraín, whose three previous films – <i>Jackie</i>, <i>Neruda</i> and <i>The Club</i> – all played Mill Valley. Set in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso, <i>Ema</i> has been tagged as a borderline-experimental, psycho-sexual melodrama. Gael García Bernal stars as a choreographer whose marriage to his lead dancer <i>really</i> goes off the rails. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623889~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Prince</a> marks the feature debut of filmmaker Sebastián Muñoz. This homo-erotic, Cocteau-flavored fantasy is set in a Chilean prison circa 1970. It won Venice's Queer Lion prize and stars the incomparable Alfredo Castro (<i>Tony Manero</i>, <i>From Afar</i>), whose presence is sufficient reason to see any film. Both movies are U.S. premieres.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now for a gander at what MVFF programmed from 2019's pre-summer festivals. By the time Mill Valley rolls around, the important Sundance films have already come and gone from the Bay Area. There are three notable exceptions this year. Alfre Woodard will receive a MVFF42 tribute, accompanied by a screening of <a href="https://www.mvff.com/alfre-woodard/" target="_blank">Clemency</a>. The beloved actress plays a maximum-security prison warden in charge of executions. The film won Sundance's Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. dramatic competition for director Chinonye Chukwu, who will also attend Woodard's tribute. <i>Clemency</i> will be released around Christmastime. Another Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner – this one for "vision and craft" – is Alma Har'el's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623847~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Honey Boy</a>. Written by Shia Labeouf, the film is a meta-cinema-as-therapy narrative about the actor's hardscrabble childhood and abusive relationship with his father. Labeouf portrays his own dad, with Lucas Hedges inhabiting the adult Labeouf. Amazon releases this one in theaters on November 8. The third Sundance title is Scott Z. Burns' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623893~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Report</a>. Adam Driver plays Daniel Jones, the Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) staffer who uncovered shocking secrets about the C.I.A.'s post-9/11 torture program. Both director Burns and Daniel Jones are expected in person. <i>The Report</i> will have a limited release November 15, followed by Amazon Prime availability two weeks later.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Berlin is the next important festival to follow Sundance. MVFF has programmed a half dozen Berlinale titles I'm hot to see, including some top prize winners. This year's Golden Bear was awarded to <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623908~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Synonyms</a> by Israeli director Nadav Lapid (<i>The Policeman</i>, <i>The Kindergarten Teacher</i>). In his frantic new socio-dramedy, an ex-soldier moves to Paris in a desperate attempt to expunge his Israeli identity. Berlin's Silver Bear (aka the Grand Jury Prize) went to <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623814~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">By the Grace of God</a>, François Ozon's heartbreaking and methodical recounting of how three real-life adult Frenchmen sought justice against the Lyon priest who molested them as children. I had a chance to preview this one on screener and it's outstanding, especially the lead performances by Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet and Swann Arlaud. It's a very different type of film for Ozon and he succeeds magnificently. <i>By the Grace of God</i> and <i>Synonyms</i> arrive in Bay Area cinemas on November 1 and 8 respectively.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hans Petter Moland's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623879~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Out Stealing Horses</a> nabbed a Berlin prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, awarded to cinematographer Rasmus Videbæk. Moland is best known for 2014's Norwegian revenge thriller <i>In Order of Disappearance</i>. (He also directed that film's 2019 Liam Neeson-starring remake, <i>Cold Pursuit</i>.) Moland is expected to attend <i>Horse</i>'s North American premiere at MVFF42, along with star Stellan Skarsgård. Another Berlin selection making its N.A. premiere at Mill Valley is Mongolian filmmaker Quan'an Wang's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623878~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Öndög (Egg)</a>. Wang made a splash on the international arthouse circuit in 2006 with <i>Tuya's Marriage</i>, a Golden Bear winner from that year's Berlinale.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The most anticipated Berlin selection at Mill Valley could be <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623919~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Varda by Agnès</a>. It's the final film from venerated filmmaker Agnès Varda, the French New Wave icon and 2018 Honorary Oscar recipient who passed in March at age 90. You should try and catch this at Mill Valley – Janus Films is distributing the film domestically, but there doesn’t appear to be a theatrical release plan. The final Berlin film I'm excited about is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623868~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Marighella</a>, a sprawling biopic about the writer-politician-revolutionary who was murdered by Brazil's military dictatorship in 1969. Carlos Marighella is played by musician Seu Jorge, best known to movie audiences as the Portuguese interpreter of David Bowie songs in Wes Anderson's <i>The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou</i>. Marighella marks the directorial debut of popular Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (<i>Elite Squad</i>, <i>Narcos</i>) and it's anticipated he'll attend the movie's MVFF screenings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Five months after this year's Cannes Film Festival, only Tarantino's <i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i> and Jim Jarmusch's <i>The Dead Don't Die</i> have surfaced in the Bay Area. MVFF42 had a plentitude of Cannes films from various competitions and sidebars to choose from and their 17 selections don't disappoint. The festival brings us a whopping 11 titles from the main competition alone, including Bong Joon-ho's Palme d'Or-winning <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623885~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Parasite</a>. Described by Variety's Jessica Kiang as a "tick fat with the blood of class rage," the latest from genre filmmaker Bong (<i>The Host</i>, <i>Memories of Murder</i>) reps the first Korean win for art cinema's highest accolade. <i>Parasite</i> arrives in Bay Area theaters October 18.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although MVFF either could not, or chose not, to procure Cannes' Grand Prix winner <i>Atlantics</i> (available on Netflix November 29), they did secure the two films which tied for the Prix du Jury (or 3rd place). <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623808~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Bacurau</a> is the latest from Kleber Mendonça Filho (<i>Neighboring Sounds</i>, <i>Aquarius</i>), who has emerged as Brazil's most important new cinematic voice. His new work (co-directed by Juliano Dornelles) is described as a dystopian genre exercise in which rural villagers find themselves the target of American game hunters (lead by the inimitable Udo Kier!). Prix du Jury co-winner <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623857~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Les Misérables</a> is <i>not</i> yet another adaptation of Hugo's novel, but a contemporary "street thriller" pitting Parisian cops against the city's suburban underclass. France has chosen Malian-born director Ladj Ly's feature debut as its 2020 Oscar submission, which Ly adapted from his same-titled 2017 short. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both Cannes acting awards are on display at MVFF42. Antonio Banderas took Best Actor for Pedro Almodóvar's meta-autobiographical <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623881~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Pain and Glory</a>. Here the star of many early Almodóvar joints (<i>Law of Desire</i>, <i>Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!</i>) portrays a creatively blocked filmmaker visiting his past via Fellini-esque vignettes. It's worth noting <i>Pain and Glory</i> opens in Bay Area theaters while the festival is still in session. Cannes' Best Actress prize was awarded to Emily Beecham for her role in <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623861~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Little Joe</a>, the English-language debut of Austrian director Jessica Hausner (<i>Amour Fou</i>, <i>Lourdes</i>). Beecham plays a scientific plant breeder in a film Variety's Owen Gleiberman calls "an <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> for the age of antidepressants." <i>Little Joe</i> won't show up in local theaters until late 2019. Two additional competition prizes were handed to Céline Sciamma's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623888~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Portrait of a Lady on Fire</a>. The director won Best Screenplay for her story about an 18th century countess' daughter (the beguiling Adéle Haenel) who falls for the female artist hired to paint her portrait. The film, which comes to U.S. theaters in early December, also won Cannes' Queer Palm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">From among the non-prize winners, I'm most looking forward to Ira Sach's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623836~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Frankie</a>. Isabelle Huppert heads an all-star cast in this dramedy about a dying movie star vacationing with family in Portugal. Despite some mixed reviews, the combo of Huppert and Sachs (<i>Love is Strange</i>, <i>Little Men</i>) renders this unmissable. Sachs will be on hand for the October 6 screening and the film opens in the Bay Area November 1. I also find myself, somewhat surprisingly, looking forward to Terrence Malick's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623846~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">A Hidden Life</a>, starring August Diehl (<i>The Young Karl Marx</i>) as a WWII German conscientious objector. Ever since 2011's Palme d'Or-winning <i>The Tree of Life</i>, I've found Malick's copious output either disappointing or insufferable. But I'm optimistic about <i>A Hidden Life</i> and look forward to its mid-December release.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Romanian auteur Corneliu Porumboiu (<i>12:08 East of Bucharest</i>, <i>Police, Adjective</i>) is another director whose early works thrilled me, but whose recent films literally put me to sleep. His latest is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623924~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Whistlers</a>, a cops-vs-mafia comedic Noir that sounds nutty enough – a secret whistling language from the Canary Islands is a major plot component – that I can't help but be intrigued. The movie isn't slated for U.S. release until February 2020. Then there's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623913~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Traitor</a>, a welcome new film from veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio (<i>Fists in the Pocket</i>, <i>Vincere</i>). <i>The Traitor</i> explores the real-life story of Tommaso Buscetta, the highest-ranking Mafia don to ever cooperate with authorities. November 27 is its targeted U.S. release date. <i>The Whistlers</i> and <i>The Traitor</i> are both 2020 Oscar submissions from their respective countries.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only film from Cannes made available for press preview was Ken Loach's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623901~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Sorry We Missed You</a>. This new movie from the populist UK filmmaker – and two-time Palme d'Or winner – rightfully racked up euphoric reviews, but inexplicably left the festival prize-less. Here the director aims squarely at the horrors of the so-called 'gig economy', as we watch a formally middle-class family implode when the father becomes a 'self-employed' parcel deliveryman. Despite moments of fleeting optimism, the movie is often unbearably stressful to watch. Rack that up as a testament to Loach's imperative as a chronicler of working class struggles. If you miss <i>Sorry to Miss You</i> at Mill Valley, it reappears at February's Mostly British festival before an early March 2020 U.S. release.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shifting gears to Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar, MVFF42 features three lauded works from the line-up. I'm really excited about seeing Karim Aïnouz's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623849~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão</a>, which claimed the sidebar's top prize. I've admired the Brazilian filmmaker since his 2002 feature debut, <i>Madame Satã</i>. Described as a "tropical melodrama," <i>Invisible Life</i> unravels the fatalistic tale of two beloved Rio sisters who become separated by familial strictures. The Un Certain Regard prize for best director was handed to Russian filmmaker Kantemir Balagov for <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623809~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Beanpole</a>. Balagov stirred controversy at Cannes two years ago, when his Un Certain Regard entry <i>Closeness</i> triggered walkouts (for including footage deemed an anti-Semitic snuff film). <i>Beanpole</i>, which depicts the struggles of two female hospital workers in post-siege Leningrad, was much better received and even secured U.S. distribution through Kino Lorber. (<i>Closeness</i>, meanwhile, was recently made available on streaming platform MUBI). <i>Invisible Life</i> and <i>Beanpole</i> have both been submitted for 2020 Oscar consideration. The third Un Certain Regard title gracing MVFF42 is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623907~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Swallows of Kabul</a>, a tragic animated love story set during Taliban-era Afghanistan.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The biggest buzz emerging from Cannes' Directors' Fortnight sidebar was <a href="https://www.mvff.com/robert-pattinson/" target="_blank">The Lighthouse</a>, a hallucinatory Gothic yarn about a 19th century lighthouse keeper's (Wilem Dafoe) contentious relationship with his new assistant (Robert Pattinson). Director Robert Eggers (<i>The Witch</i>) shot the film in B&W, employing a 1:19:1 aspect ratio. MVFF screens the film just once, with Pattinson in person. Tickets, were they still available (they're not), would set you back a wallet-busting $95. I'll wait for the film's general release on October 18. Another Directors' Fortnight selection featuring monochrome cinematography and boxy aspect ratio is Melina León's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623900~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">Song Without a Name</a>. In 1988 Peru, an indigenous woman enlists a gay journalist to investigate the disappearance of babies stolen from bogus birth clinics. A third title lifted from the DF sidebar is Levan Akin's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623800~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">And Then We Danced</a>. Herein an aspiring male dancer with the National Georgian Ballet develops a same-sex attraction with a competitive new arrival. Oddly enough, the movie will be Sweden's 2020 Oscar submission. (Director Akin is Swedish and the film is a Swedish-Georgian-French co-production). Fortunately, both <i>Song Without a Name</i> and <i>And Then We Danced</i> commanded sufficient critical praise to acquire U.S. distribution, so chances are MVFF won't be our lone opportunity to experience them. The directors of both films are expected at the festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There's great stuff to catch at MVFF42 besides importations from other festivals. I'm especially thrilled to have a ticket for Martin Scorsese's hotly anticipated <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=623850~3ffb1e6a-c24d-489c-af55-d3c0accde4e1&epguid=a0a5438f-6778-4127-bb8f-8f292c417d1b&" target="_blank">The Irishman</a>, which arrives in theaters November 1 before its Netflix debut on November 27. I'll also be in the house for the fest's tribute to ubiquitous character actor and former San Quentin inmate Danny Trejo (Machete), featuring the U.S. premiere of the bio-doc <a href="https://www.mvff.com/inmate-no1/" target="_blank">Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo</a>. Other notable in-person appearances include a spotlight on director <a href="https://www.mvff.com/olivia-wilde/" target="_blank">Olivia Wilde</a> (Booksmart) and a tribute to actress <a href="https://www.mvff.com/barbara-rush/" target="_blank">Barbara Rush</a>. The 92-year-old Rush held down one of the most eclectic careers in film and television history. Credits range from 1953's <i>It Came from Outer Space</i> (for which she won a Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer – Female") to 60's primetime soap <i>Peyton Place</i> to 1980 disco extravaganza <i>Can't Stop the Music</i>. Screenings of recent film restorations will also be accompanied by impressive in-person talent. Director Philip Kaufman and actress Lena Olin will be on hand for 1988's <a href="https://www.mvff.com/unbearable-lightness/" target="_blank">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a>, ditto filmmaker Nancy Kelly and actress Rosalind Chao with 1990's <a href="https://www.mvff.com/thousand-pieces-of-gold/" target="_blank">Thousand Pieces of Gold</a>. Last but not least, rapper <a href="https://www.mvff.com/snoop/" target="_blank">Snoop Dogg</a> will DJ at the Sweetwater Music Hall on October 11, with proceeds benefitting the restoration of Mill Valley's Sequoia Theatre.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-78250345809929760582019-06-20T12:59:00.001-07:002019-06-20T13:51:04.006-07:00Frameline43 2019 – Preview<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The 43rd edition of SF Bay Area's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/" target="_blank">Frameline</a> festival, self-described as "the world's longest-running and largest showcase of queer cinema," runs from June 20 to 30 this year. From among the 174 films from 38 countries in the line-up, I've prescreened 16 that reflect a personal passion for foreign language films and documentaries.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As is often the case, Frameline's line-up of Ibero-Latin American cinema is where a lot of the fest's best movies can be found. My top pick from the region is Santiago Loza's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/brief-story-from-the-green-planet" target="_blank">Brief Story from the Green Planet</a>, a weird yet endearing Argentine road movie that won the Teddy Award – arguably queer cinema's highest accolade – at this year's Berlin Film Festival. Bathed in a sheen of sensual other-worldliness, <i>Brief Story</i>'s story is centered on middle-aged drag performer Tania. After her grandmother dies and she's bequeathed a barely alive space alien, Tania is tasked with returning the creature to the exact location where her granny found it. Hitting the road with two childhood friends, the trio traverse towns, fields and forests to reach their destination, encountering good and bad humanity – and some hilarious 50's-style space robots – along the way. The ending is especially glorious. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another Argentine film worth a good look is Mateo Bendesky's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/family-members" target="_blank">Family Members</a>, an offbeat character study of alienated siblings. Neurotic New-Ager Gilda and her prickly teen brother Lucas travel to a remote seaside town to dispose of their mother's remains (the "remains" consist of a lone prosthetic hand). When a bus strike impedes their return to Buenos Aires, their testy relationship is given time to thaw. Lucas also cautiously considers the attentions of Guido, an older townie and fitness enthusiast. I was particularly touched by a scene in which Lucas and Guido visit an internet café and finally manage an intimate conversation – but only as spoken through video game avatars. <i>Family Members</i> also impresses with its strong visual sense, wry humor and handsome widescreen cinematography.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mexico is represented by three films at Frameline43 and Bani Khoshnoudi's melancholic <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/fireflies" target="_blank">Fireflies</a> was my favorite. Arash Marandi (<i>A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Under the Shadow</i>) stars as Ramin, a gay Iranian refugee stranded in the port city of Veracruz. When he's not working at menial jobs like pineapple-picking (where co-workers call him Aladdin and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalim%C3%A1n" target="_blank">Kalimán</a>), Ramin hangs out at the harbor trying to arrange transport to Greece or Turkey. He has contentious Skype sessions with his ex-boyfriend in Tehran and develops a guarded friendship with Guillermo, a volatile co-worker and former Honduran gang member (effectively played by Luis Alberti, the guide who taught Sergei Eisenstein about gay sex in Peter Greenaway's <i>Eisenstein in Guanajuato</i>). The film's emotional center, however, lies in Ramin's relationship with Leti, the live-in receptionist at his hotel who has her own set of problems. Exchanging English classes for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danz%C3%B3n" target="_blank">Danzón</a> lessons, they become friends and bond over their shared Middle-Eastern ancestry – Leti's Lebanese great-grandfather married a Mexican woman and subsequently opened their Veracruz hotel. Ultimately, <i>Fireflies</i> is an empathetic statement about living in a state of abeyance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">From Mexico, I'd also recommend Marcelino Islas Hernández's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/history-lessons" target="_blank">History Lessons</a> and Hari Sama's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/this-is-not-berlin" target="_blank">This is Not Berlin</a>. The former presents us with an ultra-unlikely friendship between Véronica, a sad-sack 30-year teaching veteran dying of cancer, and Eva, a bratty, sultry student (complete with Bettie Page bangs) who latches onto Véronica and drags the older woman way out of her comfort zone. At times the film strains a bit too hard for edginess, such as when Eva suckers her teacher into paying for an abortion, or when married Véronica has sex with her student's sketchy friend Tupo (Mexican indie stalwart Gambino Rodriguez). A road trip taken by the mismatched women concludes with a memorably tender, lesbian-lite denouement. Compared with <i>History Lessons</i>' relative low-key demeanor, <i>This is Not Berlin</i> explodes with chaotic energy. Set in Mexico City roughly a decade after last year's <i>Roma</i>, but in the same upper middle-class milieu, Hari Sama's film is a sprawling valentine to the capital city's mid-80's art-punk underground scene as experienced by two high-school buddies getting their first tastes of freedom and debauchery.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante grabbed international attention four years ago with his award-winning feature debut <i>Ixcanul</i>. He's followed that up with <a href="https://www.frameline.org/frameline43-presale/temblores-(tremors)" target="_blank">Temblores (Tremors)</a>, presented by Frameline as its 2019 World Cinema Centerpiece. As a filmmaker, Bustamante has made an impressive transition from <i>Ixcanul</i>'s universe – one steeped in rural folklore – to the terrain of privileged urbanites inhabited by <i>Temblores</i>. After his deeply religious family discovers he's gay, the consequences become dire for married business consultant Pablo. He's fired for violating his company's "flawless moral code" and barred from contacting his young children. The pain is somewhat assuaged by boyfriend Francisco, a level-headed and gregarious massage therapist who tries working behind the scenes – often in cahoots with the indigenous domestic workers of Pablo's family – to maintain a line of communication. Guilt and the pull of family obligation get the better of Pablo, and he subjects himself to brutal, evangelical-run gay conversion 'therapy.' Unfortunately, Pablo's harsh trajectory as experienced in this affecting quasi-melodrama, risks being perceived as archaic from the bubble of 2019 San Francisco. Those seeking an even bleaker portrait of Latin American LGBTQ life will be sated by Alexandre Moratto's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/socrates" target="_blank">Socrates</a>, an earnest but fairly artless litany of awful things that befall a poor 15-year-old São Paulo teen following his mother's death. The film is notable for the Independent Spirit Award best actor nomination afforded lead Christian Malheiros for his committed screen debut (he lost to Ethan Hawke in <i>First Reformed</i>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although technically an Argentine film, I situate Lucio Castro's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/frameline43-presale/end-of-the-century" target="_blank">End of the Century</a> within Spanish cinema's realm, given its Barcelona setting and national identity of a main character. In this laconic two-hander we're first introduced to Ocho, a handsome marketing executive and aspiring poet who's recently ended a 20-year relationship. After checking into an Air B&B he heads to the beach and spies Javi, a kid's TV show director who's married to a German man. The 13-minutes between the movie's opening frames and the pair's inevitable hook-up are entirely free of dialogue, which is the first indication Lucio Castro is in possession of strong directorial chops. Naturalistic post-coital dialogue reminiscent of Andrew Haigh's <i>Weekend</i> leads to Ocho and Javi's realization they were briefly an item 20 years ago. In an eye's blink we're off on an extended flashback, before doubling back to the present for the film's enigmatic third act. <i>End of the Century</i> is an intricate and affable riff on life's "what-if" moments.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The other Spanish film I previewed was Arantaxa Echevarría's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/carmen-and-lola" target="_blank">Carmen & Lola</a>, which is set within Madrid's tight-knit Roma community. Teenage graffiti artist Lola wants to be a teacher, a lofty aspiration in a culture where hairdressing is the only respectable 'profession' afforded women. She's also attracted to her own sex, signaled in a hilarious scene of her stumbling upon lesbian porn in an internet café. Lola's big IRL crush is her cousin's gorgeous fiancée Carmen. Their see-sawing affections occupy the movie's bulk until the relationship is discovered by Lola's family, at which point shit inevitably meets fan. I'd recommend <i>Carmen & Lola</i> for its fascinating, eyeball-deep immersion into Spain's Roma culture, and the searing chemistry between lead actresses Zaira Romero and Rosy Rodríguez.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of all the works previewed for this year's festival, I was most impressed by Ali Jaberansari's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/tehran-city-of-love" target="_blank">Tehran: City of Love</a>. The un-ironic title for this exquisitely crafted, deadpan social satire would be "Tehran: Triptych of Thwarted Desire." When we first meet Hessam, a man-bun sporting, ex-bodybuilding champ turned trainer, he's posing for beefcake pix in hopes of landing a film role with "France's most famous actor," Louis Garrel. Hessam's story arc follows his excruciatingly awkward and unrequited crush on a younger bodybuilder put in his charge. The film's other two (straight) protagonists are equally unlucky in love. Manipulative Mina works as a skincare clinic receptionist who arranges fake 'dates' with her workplace's hunkiest male clients. Meanwhile Vahid, a depressed funeral vocalist whose fiancé recently split, struggles to transform himself into an ebullient wedding singer. With a surfeit of delicious visual jokes and captivating supporting characters, director Jaberansari masterfully weaves these three stories into a pathos-filled, near perfect movie.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's almost unheard of for Frameline to program just one French film, but there you have it. Luckily <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/schools-out" target="_blank">School's Out</a>, Sébastien Marnier's delectably disturbing thriller with metaphysical overtones, is a clear standout. Hunky Laurent Lafitte (Isabelle Huppert's rapist neighbor in Verhoven's <i>Elle</i>) stars as Pierre Hoffman, a new teacher whose immediate predecessor attempted suicide by jumping out a classroom window. The kids who witnessed it, a <i>Children of the Damned</i> pack of arrogant and secretive "intellectually advanced" 9th graders, immediately challenge Pierre's authority and begin stalking him. That's OK because he's stalking them, too, observing their hyper-aggressive gameplay at a local quarry where a mysterious DVD cache is buried. As humans and animals act increasingly skittish and the town's nuclear plant looms on screen, can apocalypse be far behind? It's all a bit overstuffed and not everything adds up, but otherwise this is tremendously skillful entertainment. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_Zombie_(band)" target="_blank">Zombie Zombie's</a> score is worth singling out, particularly two unnerving, dirge-like arrangements of Patti Smith's "Pissing in a River" and "Free Money" which we see performed by the school's choir. I also dug how Pierre's homosexuality, apart from helping to brand him as an outsider, is coolly sublimated (and limited to an attraction towards the school's athletic math teacher, played by French rapper Gringe). Lastly, French film fans will welcome the sight of Emmanuelle Bercot, Pascal Greggory and Grégory Montel (Netflix's Call My Agent!) in the supporting cast of teachers and administrators.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two remaining narrative features I previewed hail from Romania and Indonesia. Marius Olteanu's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/monsters" target="_blank">Monsters</a> is a puzzle-like domestic drama divided into three acts, the first of which accompanies an irritated woman on an all-night taxi ride around Bucharest. The second watches as a man endures an amusing-for-us, hellish-for-him Grindr date, and the Act Three reveals the woman and man as two halves of a crumbling marriage. <i>Monsters</i>' strict formalism – encompassing shifting aspect ratios, extended tracking shots and long talky scenes played out in real time – may be an acquired taste. <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/monsters-review-1184608" target="_blank">Stephen Dalton's Hollywood Reporter review</a> tags the film's target audience as "masochistic misery junkies who attend film festivals and art house theaters." You all know who you are. 'Acquired taste' is an equally apt heads-up for Garin Nugroho's opaque <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/memories-of-my-body" target="_blank">Memories of My Body</a>. I'm a huge fan of the filmmaker's eye-popping <i>Opera Jawa</i> from 2006. With its cultural density and enormous plot ellipses, however, I floundered my way through <i>Memories</i>, even with the aid of a press kit. Ostensibly it's 'about' the boy-to-man journey of Juno and his transformation within the world of traditional Javanese <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_Indonesia#Lengger_lanang" target="_blank">lengger</a> dancing. On the plus side, the movie is visually arresting and rarely dull.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There were two documentaries I'd fervently hoped to find in this year's festival. Frameline programmed both, and both are superb. Robert Anderson Clift and Hilary Demmon's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/making-montgomery-clift" target="_blank">Making Montgomery Clift</a> eschews a traditional bio-doc route in favor of something more specific. Namely, it sets to proving the acclaimed actor was not an unstable, self-hating homosexual tortured by his sexuality, but was in fact very full of life and in complete control of his craft. The film's co-director happens to be Clift's youngest nephew, and the biggest weapon in his arsenal is a fount of recordings made by his father, Monty's brother Brooks Clift. Among the controversies into which the film takes a deep dive is Clift's Oscar-nominated performance in <i>Judgement at Nuremberg</i>, which popular belief holds was simply Monty having a real-life, on-screen mental breakdown. Using recorded conversations and Clift's actual annotated shooting script, they irrefutably demonstrate that every spoken word and nuance was intentional. Equally compelling is the film's scrutiny of homophobic director John Huston's lawsuit against Clift over the biopic <i>Freud</i>, which irreparably damaged the actor's career.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Making Montgomery Clift</i> contains enough general interest material regarding the actor's life and career to please casual fans and acolytes alike. I'm not sure the same can be said for Jeffrey McHale's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/you-dont-nomi" target="_blank">You Don't Nomi</a>, which takes Paul Verhoven's $40 million "masterpiece of shit" <i>Showgirls</i> and risks analyzing it to death. But if you're like me, and <i>Showgirls</i> is your absolute favorite movie of the 1990's, you'll eat up the detailed dissertations on topics like the inherent puns contained within the name Nomi (the first name of Elizabeth Berkley's main character) or whether the film qualifies as camp (as one observer puts it, is camp even possible in the age of <i>Sharknado</i>?). I also devoured the doc's queer reading of <i>Showgirls</i> and its resonance with gay men, as well as a fabulous discourse on the infamous Spago scene (written like "brain-dead Harold Pinter.") Archival interviews with key participants like Verhoven, Berkley, Gina Gershon and Kyle MacLachlan, are augmented by fresh exchanges with Adam Nayman (author of pro-Showgirls bible, "It Doesn't Suck") and our own Peaches Christ, whose legendary Midnight Mass screenings (complete with horrifying "free" lap dances with every large popcorn) almost single-handedly gave birth to the film's oversized Bay Area cult status. If I had one quibble, it might be <i>You Don't Nomi</i>'s overuse of clips from other Verhoven works. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frameline43 closes on Sunday, June 30 with David Charles Rodrigues' <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/gay-chorus-deep-south" target="_blank">Gay Chorus Deep South</a>, which documents SF Gay Men's Chorus recent concert tour of the American South. It's a topic I have zero personal interest in, but ecstatic reviews from the Tribeca Film Festival premiere convinced me to have a look. I'm confident you'll be as touched as I was. In a move that practically defines bravery bordering on foolhardiness, SF's gay chorus chose to tour (along with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir) five southern states with the country's most discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws – namely AL, MS, TN, NC and SC. What emerges from the resulting documentary is a balanced portrait of red-state America that isn't blind to the region's major shortcomings. The film's soul lies with the chorus' ex-Southerners, who'll be anxiously returning to a place that symbolizes hate and rejection. Some will use the tour to reunite with estranged family members. We also spend time with current LGBTQ Southerners, whose resilience has resulted in the creation of strong local communities. Rodriguez's film benefits greatly from the presence of Tim Seelig, the chorus' formidably articulate artistic director who was banished from a Texas mega-church's employ for being gay in 1986, resulting in the loss of home, family and friends.</span></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-85592646211207760992019-04-02T11:24:00.002-07:002019-04-02T21:56:29.772-07:00SFFILM Festival 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="https://sffilm.org/" target="_blank">SFFILM Festival</a>, better known until just recently as the San Francisco International, celebrates its 62nd edition next week. What's different about this fest is that for the first time since 1976, I won't be in attendance due to a recent relocation out of state. That minor detail, however, won't stop me from talking about what excites me in this year's line-up, nor from sharing brief commentary on a handful of films I was able to preview.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 2019 festival takes off on Wednesday, April 10 with the world premiere of Netflix's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/opening-night-film-party-armistead-maupins-tales-of-the-city/" target="_blank">Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City</a>, featuring on-stage appearances by beloved series' star Laura Linney and writer/creator Maupin. Closing out the fest on April 21 will be <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/closing-night-film-official-secrets/" target="_blank">Official Secrets</a>, starring Keira Knightley as UK whistleblower Katherine Gun. Expected guests for the evening include the film's Oscar-winning director Gavin Hood (2005's <i>Tsotsi</i>) as well as Ms. Gun, the movie's subject. Rounding out 2019's trio of Big Nights will be the Centerpiece Film presentation of Sundance hit <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/centerpiece-film-the-farewell/" target="_blank">The Farewell</a>, featuring <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> breakout star Awkwafina.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As always, SFFILM Festival offers up an enticing array of Awards & Tributes. Most noteworthy to me is the April 12 shindig for <a href="https://sffilm.org/john-c-reilly-an-actors-actor/" target="_blank">John C. Reilly</a> – not just because he's an outstanding actor but because his tribute includes a Castro Theatre screening of Jacques Audiard's revisionist western <i>The Sisters Brothers</i>, perhaps the most criminally underseen film of 2018. <a href="https://sffilm.org/raising-the-game-of-everyone-around-her-laura-linney/" target="_blank">Laura Linney</a>, in addition to appearing on opening night, will hang around SF for another day to partake in her own April 11 tribute, featuring her Oscar-nominated performance in Tamara Jenkins' 2007 familial dramedy <i>The Savages</i>. Across town that same evening, iconoclastic French director <a href="https://sffilm.org/5369-2/" target="_blank">Claire Denis</a> will finally, after several thwarted attempts, receive an SFFILM Fest tribute. That program includes a sneak peek at <i>High Life</i>, her English-language sci-fi thriller starring Robert Pattinson and Juliet Binoche, which opens the following day at the Embarcadero Center Cinema.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other acting tributes include <a href="https://sffilm.org/the-dazzling-distinction-of-laura-dern/" target="_blank">Laura Dern</a> on April 14, accompanied by her latest, <i>Trial By Fire</i>, as well as esteemed child actor and longtime festival supporter <a href="https://sffilm.org/claude-jarman-jr-boy-of-movies-man-of-cinema/" target="_blank">Claude Jarman, Jr.</a> on April 20. The now 88-year-old Jarman will receive the fest's George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award, followed by a showing of Clarence Brown's 1949 adaptation of William Faulkner's <i>Intruder in the Dust</i>… in 35mm! Celluloid lovers also won't want to miss the Mel Novikoff Award presentation to BBC series <a href="https://sffilm.org/bbc-arena-a-model-of-great-television-programming/" target="_blank">Arena</a>, wherein James Marsh's mesmerizing experimental docu-drama <i>Wisconsin Death Trip</i> from 1999 will also be projected in 35mm. Rounding out the awards roster is pioneering African American documentarian <a href="https://sffilm.org/madeline-anderson-african-american-trailblazer/" target="_blank">Madeline Anderson</a>. She'll receive the festival's 2019 Persistence of Vision Award, accompanied by two of her early doc shorts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amongst this year's Live & Onstage presentations, I'd give top priority to hearing <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/boots-riley-state-of-cinema-address/" target="_blank">Boots Riley</a> deliver the State of Cinema Address. The lefty rapper and musician recently took indie film by storm with his directorial debut <i>Sorry to Bother You</i>, which scored the Centerpiece slot at last year's festival. Other L&O offerings include all-women L.A. band <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/warpaint-live-score-films-by-maya-deren/" target="_blank">Warpaint's</a> live accompaniment to works by iconic experimental filmmaker Maya Deren (including 1944's seminal <i>Meshes of the Afternoon</i>) and a screening of Andrew Slater's new documentary <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/echo-in-the-canyon/" target="_blank">Echo in the Canyon</a>, about the early years (1965-67) of the Laurel Canyon music scene. Musician Jakob Dylan, who conducts the doc's on-screen interviews, will perform selections from the era live at the Castro Theatre following the screening. Fest-goers can also spend <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/an-evening-with-kahlil-joseph/" target="_blank">An Evening with Kahlil Joseph</a>, who's perhaps best known for co-directing Beyoncé's <i>Lemonade</i> project.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the past decade, documentaries have come to occupy an increasingly larger slice of this festival's pie, with non-fiction works now comprising 47 percent of its total feature film count. That's a daunting number, but I'll try and touch on a representative sampling. The fest's Masters section is a good place to start, with new works by two acknowledged geniuses of the art form. Werner Herzog's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/meeting-gorbachev/" target="_blank">Meeting Gorbachev</a> will play the fest prior to its opening at Landmark's Opera Plaza Cinema on May 10. I had the chance to preview Stanley Nelson's magnificent <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/miles-davis-birth-of-the-cool/" target="_blank">Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool</a>, which fits comfortably within a distinguished filmography that includes <i>The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution</i> and <i>Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple</i>. As a Francophile I was especially intrigued with the section covering Davis' time in Paris – a searing romance with chanteuse Juliette Greco (interviewed on-screen) followed by the creation of his improvisatory score for Louis Malle's 1958 film <i>Elevator to the Gallows</i>. That collaborative project launched a whole new direction in Davis' music. Outside the Masters sidebar there are even more biographical documentaries, most with self-explanatory titles: <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/ask-dr-ruth/" target="_blank">Ask Dr. Ruth</a> (opening at the Opera Plaza May 3), <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/halston/" target="_blank">Halston</a>, <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/raise-hell-the-life-times-of-molly-ivins/" target="_blank">RAISE HELL: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins</a>, <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/toni-morrison-the-pieces-i-am/" target="_blank">Tony Morrison: The Pieces I Am</a> and <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/show-me-the-picture-the-story-of-jim-marshall/" target="_blank">Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall</a> (the latter a portrait of San Francisco's notorious rock music photographer).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year's festival is the first to take place in the era of legal recreational cannabis, and SFFILM is not letting 4/20/19 pass unnoticed. First there's the previously mentioned 60's rock-doc <i>Echo in the Canyon</i> at the Castro – a venue where until the mid-80s patrons could smoke weed in the right-hand section unfettered. This festival's real 4/20 pot party, however, is likely to go down at Oakland's Grand Lake, where musician, filmmaker and former <i>Yo! MTV Raps</i> host Fab 5 Freddy will be on hand to present his new doc about the history of reefer in America, <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/grass-is-greener/" target="_blank">Grass is Greener</a>. A third stoner doc option that Sunday is <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/hail-satan/" target="_blank">Hail Satan?</a>, director Penny Lane's comic look at The Satanic Temple.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A total of 13 prizes were awarded to documentaries at this year's Sundance Film Festival and amazingly, SFFILM has programmed films representing ten of them. Topping the list with three prizes is <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/honeyland/" target="_blank">Honeyland</a>, a female Macedonian "bee whisperer" portrait which won a World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, a Special Jury Award for Impact for Change, and a Special Jury Award for Cinematography. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize was given to <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/one-child-nation/" target="_blank">One Child Nation</a>, which analyzes the consequences of China's infamous 35-year social experiment. The doc receiving the most publicity at Sundance was <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/knock-down-the-house/" target="_blank">Knock Down the House</a>, which won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award. Rachel Lears' film, which pops up on Netflix May 1, follows four female 2018 political candidates – most famously Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – as they strive to topple entrenched incumbents. I'm very intrigued by Special Jury Award for Cinematography winner <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/midnight-family/" target="_blank">Midnight Family</a>, which trails a family who run a frantic private ambulance service in Mexico City. At the SFFILM opening press conference it was revealed that travel visas for the Ochoa family to attend the festival were (of course) blocked by the assholes who decide such matters. The remaining Sundance prizewinners one can see are <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/always-in-season/" target="_blank">Always in Season</a> (Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency), <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/jawline/" target="_blank">Jawline</a> (Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker), <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/midnight-traveler/" target="_blank">Midnight Traveler</a> (Special Jury Award for No Borders) and <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/american-factory/" target="_blank">American Factory</a> (Directing Award: U.S. Documentary). The latter film curiously landed in SFFILM's Masters section, of all places. I'm not at all familiar with its co-directors Steven Bognar and Julie Reichart, and an imdb search also yielded nothing from them I recognized.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amidst the surfeit of documentaries I've yet to mention, here are several of personal interest. Based on Victor Kossakovsky's <i>¡Vivan las Antipodas!</i> (SFFILM Festival 2012), I'd definitely check out his latest work <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/aquarela/" target="_blank">Aquarela</a>, which sounds like an incredible sensory experience. Echoing that film's aquatic theme is <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/walking-on-water/" target="_blank">Walking on Water</a>, a reportage on environmental artist Christo's latest project <i>The Floating Piers</i>. Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei is expected to attend the festival for screenings of <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/ai-weiwei-yours-truly/" target="_blank">Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly</a>, a closer look at the prisoner letter-writing campaign that was part of his Alcatraz exhibition. The international refugee crisis is the subject of two more SFFILM docs. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/unsettled-seeking-refuge-in-america/" target="_blank">Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America</a> concerns LGBTQ refugees, and <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/central-airport-thf/" target="_blank">Central Airport THF</a> takes a poetic look at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof Airport, which became a refugee camp in 2015. The latter is directed by renowned Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz (<i>Madame Satã</i>), whose last narrative feature <i>Futuro Beach</i> was co-set in Brazil and Germany. <i>Central Airport THF</i> garnered rave reviews when it premiered at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival, and was recently available to watch on Euro streaming platform MUBI. Speaking of Brazil, the fragile political situation in Aïnouz' homeland is the subject of Petra Costa's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/the-edge-of-democracy/" target="_blank">The Edge of Democracy</a>. Finally, <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/kabul-city-in-the-wind/" target="_blank">Kabul, City in the Wind</a> and <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/what-we-left-unfinished/" target="_blank">What We Left Unfinished</a> uncover aspects of life in Afghanistan, with the second examining the country's film history via a trove of long-hidden works.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moving on to the festival's narrative features, we'll begin with a look at the slim roster of French language films. I can easily recommend the two I previewed. Nathan Ambrosioni's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/paper-flags/" target="_blank">Paper Flags</a> features another unforgettable performance by Guillaume Gouix, here playing a short-fused, newly released convict out to establish a normal life with the help of his wary younger sister. Gouix first came to my attention in the sublime French zombie TV series, <i>The Returned</i>, and more recently in distinguished supporting parts in <i>Gaspard at the Wedding</i> and Lucas Belvaux's <i>This is Our Land</i>. Hopefully, <i>Paper Flags</i> generates more lead roles for him in the future. I also quite enjoyed Olivier Masset-Depasse's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/mothers-instinct/" target="_blank">Mothers' Instinct</a>, a moody 1950's Belgian thriller with strong overtones of Hitchcock and Sirk. Addressing themes of jealousy and guilt through a female-centric lens, the film stars Veerie Baetens who many will remember from 2012's <i>The Broken Circle Breakdown</i>. For those who salivate over such things, <i>Mother's Instinct</i> also features to-die-for period art direction and costume design. As a Louis Garrel obsessive, it kills me to miss <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/a-faithful-man/" target="_blank">A Faithful Man</a>, the impossibly handsome and charismatic actor's second feature as director. In a plot that sounds redolent of works by his father, Philippe Garrel, Louis plays a guy caught between the romantic attentions of two women, one older and one younger. Garrel co-wrote the film with legendary script maestro Jean-Claude Carrière, for which they won the screenwriting prize at last year's San Sebastian Film Festival. The fourth French language movie at SFFILM 2019 is David Oelhoffen's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/close-enemies/" target="_blank">Close Enemies</a>, which I'd recommend sight unseen for no other reason than it stars Matthias Schoenaerts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's a strong line-up of Latin American narrative features this year, including new works from three SFFILM alumni. Uruguayan director Federico Veiroj (<i>A Useful Life</i>, <i>The Apostate</i>) returns with <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/belmonte/" target="_blank">Belmonte</a>, an enigmatic character study of a still-handsome, middle-aged painter of garish male nudes. Javi Belmonte's peevishly sad-sack demeanor is of no help when dealing with personal crises. These include, but are not limited to, a pregnant ex-wife, an elderly father who may be going gay, and bored rich housewives who buy his paintings just to fuck him. This discomfiting sketch of an artist stuck in limbo is the perfect length at 75 minutes, and its sumptuous color palette has remained lodged in my memory. I was also taken with Benjamín Naishtat's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/rojo/" target="_blank">Rojo</a>, admiring it even more than his 2014 breakthrough debut <i>History of Fear</i>. In this deeply unsettling, formalist allegory set in the pre-days of Argentina's 1976 military coup, a small-town lawyer (screen-commanding Darío Grandinetti) gets involved in a real estate scam at the same time he's being pursued by a relentless police inspector (the great Alfredo Castro) over his involvement in a suicide/disappearance. The third filmmaker returning to the fest this year is Argentine director Ana Katz (<i>Musical Chairs</i>, <i>A Stray Girlfriend</i>) with her new film, <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/florianopolis-dream/" target="_blank">Florianópolis Dream</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two other Latin American features with strong critical buzz were unfortunately not available for preview. Lila Avilés' <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/the-chambermaid/" target="_blank">The Chambermaid</a> won the Morelia Film Festival's top prize, as well as kudos from far-flung fests like Marrakech, Minsk and Palm Springs. Avilés debut feature is situated entirely within a Mexico City luxury hotel, wherein the titular maid imagines the lives of hotel guests based on their possessions and odd requests. Alejandro Landes' <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/monos/" target="_blank">Monos</a> won a World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award following its Sundance world premiere and is currently being featured in NYC's prestigious New Directors/New Films series. Set in the mountainous jungles of northern Colombia, the film has intriguingly been touted as a combo of <i>Lord of the Flies</i> and <i>Apocalypse Now</i>. It also boasts a music score by Mica Levi (<i>Under the Skin</i>, <i>Jackie</i>). A Colombian film I did have the opportunity to preview is <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/lapu/" target="_blank">Lapü</a>, from the festival's Vanguard section. This entrancing docu-fiction hybrid languidly depicts the Wayuü indigenous tribal custom of digging up and then reburying the dead. <i>Lapü</i> should be of special interest to admirers of Ciro Guerra's recent film, <i>Birds of Passage</i>, which enacts the same Wayuü ritual.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The most notable Asian narrative feature at SFFILM Fest is undoubtedly Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/asako-i-ii/" target="_blank">Asako I & II</a>. The Japanese director took the festival world by storm a few years back with <i>Happy Hour</i>, a 317-minute paean to adult female friendship. That film's fervid reception resulted in a 2018 Cannes competition slot for his latest. Clocking in at a tidy two-hours, <i>Asako</i> relates one young woman's years-long obsession with two identical-looking men; a shy teen outcast who becomes a top fashion model, and a down-to-earth sake company marketing manager. Despite skillful direction, engaging script and fine performances, I found it much less profound than <i>Happy Hour</i>, and truth be told, a bit tedious in the final stretch. I was far more impressed with Qiu Sheng's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/suburban-birds/" target="_blank">Suburban Birds</a>, a fascinating New Directors entry from China which alternates between two metaphysically linked narrative tracks. In the first, a team of structural engineers investigates why some buildings in the city of Wenjing are starting to tilt. The other lovingly conveys the quotidian (mis)adventures of a small group of pre-teen classmates. How these two threads relate (or not?!) should inspire spirited Q&As with director Qiu Sheng, who is expected to attend the festival. Bonus points are given for the film's use of Sonic Youth's "Little Trouble Girl" in a key scene.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other Asian options at the festival include two films imminently scheduled to arrive in Bay Area cinemas. Singaporean director Eric Khoo's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/ramen-shop/" target="_blank">Ramen Shop</a> hits the Opera Plaza on April 26. More often than not I find Khoo's films queasily sentimental and will probably give this one a pass. Opening at the Embarcadero Center Cinema on May 17 is Ritesh Batra's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/photograph/" target="_blank">Photograph</a>, which reunites the Indian director of 2013's wildly popular <i>The Lunchbox</i> with that film's star, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Rounding out the fest's Asian selections are <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/first-night-nerves/" target="_blank">First Night Nerves</a>, the latest from Hong Kong arthouse master Stanley Kwan (<i>Rouge</i>, <i>Lan Yu</i>), and Dark Wave sidebar entry <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/project-gutenberg/" target="_blank">Project Gutenberg</a>. The latter is a Chinese action thriller with a superstar cast (Aaron Kwok, Chow Yun Fat) helmed by the writer of 2002's <i>Internal Affairs</i> (Felix Chong). It should prove extremely fun to watch on the Castro Theatre's enormous screen.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From elsewhere in the line-up I previewed two more worthwhile entries, both of which premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/in-my-room/" target="_blank">In My Room</a> is German director Ulrich Köhler's first film since his woozily mysterious, African-set <i>Sleeping Sickness</i>, which SFFILM screened in 2012. Following a half-hour set-up whereby we're introduced to Armin, a borderline schlubby TV news cameraman, we see him awaken to an existential apocalypse in which people have disappeared but everything else in the world is basically unchanged. The film remains extremely compelling as he begins life anew on an abandoned farmstead. Interest wanes, however, when the arrival of a female co-survivor slowly transforms the narrative into a more traditional relationship drama. In <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/the-harvesters/" target="_blank">The Harvesters</a>, Etienne Kallos' absorbing study of strained masculinity in a religious Afrikaner farm community, a teenage boy's world shifts dramatically when his family adopts a troubled urban teen whose past includes gay street hustling. I was wowed by the film's widescreen photography of stark South African landscapes, as well as by the empathetic performances of its two adolescent lead actors.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Out of the remaining bounty of narrative features, I'll close with three I'd be damn certain not to miss were I able to attend the festival in person. <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/loro/" target="_blank">Loro</a> promises another fevered, collaborative take on Italian politics from director Paolo Sorrentino (<i>Il Divo</i>, <i>The Great Beauty</i>) and actor Toni Servillo. Their target this go-round is villainous, vainglorious media tycoon and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Originally shown in Italy as two separate, two-hour movies, this 150-minute "international" version has its detractors. Given the talent involved, however, it remains a personal must-see. I'm certain <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/the-nightingale/" target="_blank">The Nightingale</a> will also be a must-see for anyone who had the shit scared out of them watching 2014's <i>The Babadook</i>. Jennifer Kent's follow-up film is a female revenge opus set in 19th Tasmania. Lastly, I wouldn't dream of missing the festival's 50th anniversary, 4K restoration screening of John Schlesinger's <a href="https://sffilm.org/event/midnight-cowboy-50th-anniversary-screening/" target="_blank">Midnight Cowboy</a>, featuring an appearance by photographer Michael Childers, the director's life partner and assistant on this ground-breaking, Best Picture Oscar winner. Anyone who attended the Castro Theatre's weekend-long Schlesinger tribute in 2006, or has heard him talk on last year's Criterion Collection release of the film, knows that Childers has some wild tales to tell.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-48673801995626562182018-10-04T17:49:00.004-07:002018-10-05T08:19:13.877-07:00MVFF41 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For most of its life, the <a href="https://www.mvff.com/" target="_blank">Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF)</a> was best recognized for showcasing domestic Awards Season contenders, documentaries, shorts and world cinema "discoveries." Now with its 41st edition (October 4 – 14), the fest continues along a trajectory that began a half dozen years ago, with greater emphasis on prize winners and buzzed-about titles from the world's major festivals. When it comes to turning Bay Area audiences on to new works by significant international narrative filmmakers, MVFF is currently where it's at.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I recently moved from the Bay Area and won't experience 2018's event in person, I couldn't help but share my excitement with the line-up. What follows is a subjective festival-by-festival stroll through MVFF41's terrific roster, with thoughts on a few titles I was able to preview.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time autumn rolls around, most Sundance films have already played the Bay Area, with the lion's share debuting locally at the SFFILM Festival. Each year, however, there is one Sundance film that is so critically acclaimed, its release is postponed for maximum Awards Season exposure. Last year that film was <i>Call Me By Your Name</i>. This year it's actor Paul Dano's directorial debut, <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398839~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Wild Life</a>, a familial drama set in 1960's Montana starring Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film receives a Spotlight presentation at MVFF41, with Dano and Mulligan in attendance, and will open in local Landmark Theatres on October 26. Another Sundance holdout getting the Mill Valley Spotlight treatment is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398792~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">The Kindergarten Teacher</a>, accompanied by its star Maggie Gyllenhaal. The movie is a remake of Nadav Lapid's acclaimed 2014 Israeli drama about a teacher's obsession with a boy who composes alarmingly sophisticated poetry. Director Sara Colangelo won a Sundance Directing Award for her reinterpretation. <i>The Kindergarten Teacher</i> is scheduled to open at Bay Area Landmark Theatres on October 12, the very day it also becomes available to stream on Netflix.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1090742677"></span><span id="goog_1090742678"></span><span id="goog_1090742680"></span><span id="goog_1090742686"></span><span id="goog_1090742687"></span>Premiering in Sundance's World Cinema dramatic competition this year was Babis Makridis' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398808~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Pity</a>, which I had the chance to preview. This bone-dry, absurdist film fits squarely within the Greek Weird Wave movement, unsurprising given its script was co-written by frequent Yorgos "<i>Dogtooth</i>" Lanthimos co-conspirator Efthymis Filippou. Yannis Drakopoulos (<i>Chevalier</i>) plays a middle-aged Greek lawyer who festishistically wallows in the pity afforded him by merit of having a comatose wife. When she miraculously recovers, we witness the extremes to which the lawyer goes in order to keep his pity party going, such as setting off a tear gas canister to forcibly kick-start a crying jag. Although rigidly formalist – with minimal camera movement or non-ambient music, deadpan dialogue delivery, lethargic pacing and intertitles expressing the protagonist's inner thoughts – there are several moments of gut-busting hilarity. This is a movie that requires much patience, for which the viewer is ultimately rewarded.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Berlin</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While MVFF chose <i>not</i> to program <i>Touch Me Not</i>, the divisive recipient of this year's Golden Bear, it nabbed a number of other Berlin prizewinners. The festival's Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (aka 2nd place) went to <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398799~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Mug</a>, director Malgorzata Szumowska's fable-esque satire of life in rural Poland. Her film concerns the prejudices faced by a young man who undergoes a facial transplant, following a work-related accident constructing a hillside, Rio-sized Jesus statue. The best screenplay prize at Berlin was awarded to <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398800~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Museo</a>, Alonso Ruizpalacios' impressive follow-up to 2014's <i>Gueros</i>, which I had the good fortune to preview. Based on true events, this rollicking and enormously entertaining heist/road movie combo stars Gael García Bernal as one-half of a duo who rob Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology on Christmas Eve in 1985. The film's manic second half follows its anti-heroes as they face the impossibility of fencing hot antiquities. Director Ruizpalacios is expected to attend the festival, and his film will open at San Francisco's Roxie Theatre on November 2.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A second Ibero-American film that won a Berlin prize is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398816~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">The Silence of Others</a>, which was executive produced by brothers Augustín and Pedro Almodóvar. This documentary about the victims of General Franco's 40-year fascist dictatorship in Spain garnered the audience award in the festival's Panorama sidebar. Its co-director Robert Bahar will attend the film's MVFF screenings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three additional Berlin premieres I had the opportunity to preview were all women-directed films centered on rebellious female characters. I would ordinarily have zero interest in a movie about the early life of the Swedish writer who created Pippi Longstocking, but a <a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/festivals/becoming-astrid-review-berlinale-2018-1202705389/" target="_blank">rave review in Variety</a> convinced me otherwise. Pernille Fischer Christensen's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398757~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Becoming Astrid</a> is indeed notches above your standard biopic – a low-key, heartfelt, gorgeously filmed wide-screen portrait tracing writer Astrid Lindgren's journey from restive farm girl with journalistic aspirations to a single mother tempered by hard knocks on the cusp of literary fame. In <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398834~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">When the Trees Fall</a>, Marysia Nikitiuk's alternately gritty and fanciful story of amour fou, the life of a rural Ukrainian beauty spills into tumult over her passion for a handsome, smalltime thug. I was particularly struck by the film's contrasts – sensual agrarian landscapes vs. ugly Soviet-era apartment blocks, semi-explicit sex and violence vs. flights of magical realist fantasy. The latter element plays into what could be the most memorable end of a film I've experienced this year. Director Nikitiuk is expected to accompany both MVFF showings of <i>When the Trees Fall</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Laura Bispuri's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398772~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Daughter of Mine</a> was probably my favorite of all the MVFF films I previewed, a surprise considering my tepid feelings for her previous work, <i>Sworn Virgin</i>. In this emotionally complex, empathetic story of motherhood and forgiveness, a young Sardinian girl gradually learns that her real mother is not the benevolent woman who raised her, but the mercurial town slut whom is she is beginning to physically resemble. Bispuri employs handheld camera and succinct editing to convey the urgency of the two mothers' power struggle, and is aided by a trio of unforgettable performances (including <i>Sworn Virgin</i> star Alba Rohrwacher). The great cult actor Udo Kier is largely wasted in a nondescript supporting role.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was also greatly taken with <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398827~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Transit</a>, from eminent German filmmaker Christian Petzold. His latest is a knotty, formalist melodrama set in Marseilles during the early advance of German troops through WWII France. Actor Franz Rogowski plays a concentration camp survivor awaiting the transit visas that will allow him safe passage to Mexico. The fact that he has assumed the identity of a dead writer whose estranged wife drifts in and out of the story adds layer upon layer to the film's intrigue. Petzold's extremely bold conceit with <i>Transit</i> is that no effort was made to give the film a period look. The art direction and costumes are all contemporary, with modern day cars traversing Marseille's graffiti-lined streets (cell phones and other technology, however, remain unseen). There's even a spoken reference to a "film in which zombies besiege a shopping mall." The director's clear and quite brilliant intent in all this is to show us how close we are to repeating history.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One could arguably have a sublime MVFF41 experience just by catching the 14 titles culled from this year's Cannes Film Festival, including seven that screened in the main competition. Starting at the top, there's Hirokazu Koreeda's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398815~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Shoplifters</a>, which won the fest's 2018 Palme d'Or. The supremely humanist director's latest centers on a family living on the economic fringes of modern day Japan. Cannes' third-place Prix du Jury was awarded to Nadine Labaki's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398766~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Capernaum</a>, a Lebanon-set contemporary fable about a young boy who files a lawsuit against his parents. One of the most anticipated films of the year is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398770~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Cold War</a>, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski's follow-up to his 2013 Oscar winner, <i>Ida</i>. The filmmaker won Cannes' Best Director prize for this elliptical, trans-European B&W saga of star-crossed love between a singer and a jazz musician, loosely based on Pawlikowski's parents. <i>Cold War</i> will screen just once at the festival, accompanied by an on-stage conversation with the director and presentation of this year's MVFF Award.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If there was a scandal in the distribution of main competition prizes at Cannes this year, it was that Lee Chang-dong's unanimously rave-reviewed <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398763~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Burning</a> left empty handed. In a redress of sorts, the festival's FIPRESCI jury awarded Lee's first film since 2010's <i>Poetry</i> its top prize. <i>Burning</i> is scheduled to open at local Landmark Theatres on November 16. The remaining Cannes' competition titles scheduled for MVFF include <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398754~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Ash is Purest White</a>, the latest from "Sixth Generation" Chinese auteur Jia Zhengke, <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398735~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">3 Faces</a>, the fourth clandestine film to be directed by Iranian master Jafar Panahi since his 2010 arrest and subsequent ban from movie-making, and <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398844~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Yomeddine</a>, a road movie and first feature from Egyptian director A.B. Shawsky in which a leper and an orphan search for their respective families. <i>Yomeddine</i> will also screen locally at this month's <a href="https://arabfilminstitute.org/festival/" target="_blank">Arab Film Festival</a>. Although it didn't play in competition, this is as good a place as any to mention Cannes' 2018 opening night film, Asghar Farhadi's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398776~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Everybody Knows</a>. The Iranian director's follow-up to 2016's Oscar-winning <i>The Salesman</i> is a Spain-set kidnapping drama starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ricardo Darin. Although it received extremely mixed reviews, it's admirable of MVFF to afford local audiences the opportunity to judge for themselves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to the seven competition titles, MVFF has programmed some of the most talked about films from Cannes' various sidebars. Opening up the Directors' Fortnight line-up this year was Ciro Guerra's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398760~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Birds of Passage</a>. The Columbian director's follow-up to his phenomenal 2015 Oscar-nominated <i>Embrace of the Serpent</i> is a familial drug-war drama set amongst that country's indigenous Wayúu tribe. Also hailing from Directors' Fortnight is Benedikt Erlingsson's rave-reviewed <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398840~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Woman at War</a>, an Icelandic social drama about an environmental activist which is also tinged with comedy and music. Anyone who saw Erlingsson's singular 2013 film <i>Of Horses and Men</i> will know to expect the unexpected.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MVFF also presents four films from Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar, including two prize winners. The section's top award was given to Ali Abbasi's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398761~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Border</a>. A Nordic Noir with supernatural elements, <i>Border</i>'s main character is a facially disfigured Danish customs agent possessed of the ability to (literally) sniff out transgressors. Un Certain Regard's screenplay award was given to <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398819~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Sofia</a>, whose writer/director Meryem Benm'Berek will attend MVFF. Her film details the plight of a young Moroccan woman who clandestinely gives birth, and is then given 24 hours to name a father or face prison time. Luis Ortega's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398750~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">El Angel</a> is a fictionalized portrait of Argentina's infamous baby-faced serial killer "Carlitos" Puch, who committed over 40 thefts and 11 homicides before his 1972 capture at age 20. (Still in custody today, he is the longest serving prisoner in that country's history). <i>El Angel</i> arrives in Bay Area Landmark Theatres on November 16.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rounding out MVFF's wide variety of movies from Un Certain Regard is Wanuri Kahiu's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398810~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Rafiki</a>, the lone Cannes selection I was able to preview. In this rare example of African LGBT-themed cinema, a middle-class Kenyan tomboy with aspirations of becoming a nurse becomes involved with a sensual town beauty. The catch is that both their fathers are running for the same political office. While <i>Rafiki</i> (which means "friend" in Swahili) isn't particularly compelling in terms of cinematic achievement, it is nonetheless chock full of cultural interest, with solid performances and a gallery of interesting secondary characters. It's also mostly in English, which is might be a good selling point for those who are subtitle-averse.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm lumping the triumvirate of Venice, Toronto and Telluride into one category because most of the movies up for Awards Seasons consideration hail from one or more of these late summer festivals. Exhibiting awards contenders, more often than not accompanied by their respective actors and directors, has been MVFF's longtime forte. That tradition continues into the fest's 41st edition, starting with the opening night presentation of <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=399424~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Green Book</a>. The title refers to "The Negro Motorist Green Book," a guide for African American travelers wishing to avoid racial discrimination along America's highways and bi-ways, which was in print from 1936 to 1966. The film <i>Green Book</i> recounts a 1962 concert tour taken by composer/pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), accompanied by his racist, Italian-American chauffeur and bodyguard Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen carrying 30 extra pounds). This <i>Driving Miss Daisy</i> in reverse was directed by Peter Farrelly (yes, one-half of the Farrelly Brothers who gave us <i>Dumb and Dumber</i>, <i>There's Something About Mary</i>, etc.) Fresh from its Audience Award win at Toronto, MVFF's opening night will feature director Farrelly and star Mahershala Ali in person. Speaking of Ali, the festival's closing night film will be <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=399425~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">If Beale Street Could Talk</a>, the latest from <i>Moonlight</i> director Barry Jenkins. The filmmaker's follow-up to his 2016 Best Picture Oscar winner is an adaptation of James Baldwin's 1974 novel. Jenkins will attend the screening, accompanied by its star, actress Kiki Layne.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of the most prominent films of this Awards Season, as these things sometimes happen, both contain "boy" in their two-word titles. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398756~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Beautiful Boy</a> is an adaptation of David and Nic Sheff's best-selling father/son memoirs detailing their family's years-long struggle with addiction, relapse and recovery. The film is directed by Felix Van Groeningun (Oscar-nominated <i>The Broken Circle Breakdown</i>) and stars Timothée Chalamet, Steve Carell and Amy Ryan. The filmmaker and all three actors will be on hand for the screening. The other "boy" film is <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398762~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Boy Erased</a>, in which a gay teen (<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>'s Lucas Hedges) is forced into a gay conversion therapy program by his Baptist preacher father (Russell Crowe) and mother (Nicole Kidman). <i>Boy Erased</i> reps actor/filmmaker Joel Edgerton's directorial follow-up to 2016's <i>Loving</i> (he also plays the conversion program's head therapist) and the movie's intriguing supporting cast includes French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan and Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea. The film is part of a MVFF Spotlight on Joel Edgerton, with the actor/director in attendance. <i>Beautiful Boy</i> and <i>Boy Erased</i> are scheduled to arrive at Bay Area Landmark Theatres on October 19 and November 2 respectively.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One much-anticipated film that played all three festivals is Alfonso Cuaron's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398811~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Roma</a>, which went on to win the top prize (Golden Lion) at Venice. Cuaron's first film since 2015's <i>Gravity</i> is a semi-autobiographical B&W meditation on the director's early 1970's Mexico City childhood, with particular focus bestowed upon the family maid, Cleo. Mexico has chosen <i>Roma</i> as its 2018 Oscar submission, and it's not inconceivable the film could end up being nominated in both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film categories. Cuaron will be at MVFF to introduce the film personally, where it screens as the festival's Centerpiece.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other MVFF selections by high-profile auteurs I can't wait to see include Paul Greengrass' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398734~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">22 July</a> (an English-language recreation of Norway's bloody 2011 domestic terrorist attack, which opens in local Landmark Theatres and Netflix streaming on October 10), Yorgos Lanthimos' first period piece <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=399422~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">The Favourite</a> (which won a Best Actress prize at Venice for lead Olivia Colman), Olivier Assayas' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398801~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Non-Fiction</a> (working once again with Juliet Binoche), Mike Leigh's historical epic <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398807~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Peterloo</a>, and <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398837~ddf8938c-55cf-4613-9c4b-6bac081c46cd&epguid=d5fcca9f-7082-480c-bc72-7f383f1e6950&" target="_blank">Widows</a>, Steve McQueen's long awaited follow-up to 12 Years a Slave (starring Viola Davis as a crime widow making good on her deceased husband's heist plans).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-89439265408451670712018-06-13T08:32:00.004-07:002018-06-13T11:58:19.813-07:00Frameline42 2018 – World Cinema<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recognized as the oldest and largest LGBTQ film event in the world, the Bay Area's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/" target="_blank">Frameline festival</a> will celebrate its 42nd edition from June 14 to 24. I've attended the fest since its early beginnings and in my experience, the foreign language narrative features are consistently the most interesting and accomplished works on view. To that end, I'll be spotlighting 10 movies largely culled from Frameline42's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide-x3078?section=463" target="_blank">World Cinema</a> sidebar, eight of which I've had the opportunity to preview.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The two World Cinema selections not available to preview also happen to be the ones with the most cachet, at least in terms of recognizable stars and festival prizes. Topping the list of films I anticipate catching during the festival proper is Anne Fontaine's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/reinventing-marvin" target="_blank">Reinventing Marvin</a>, winner of the Queer Lion at last year's Venice Film Festival. Told through a series of flashbacks, it's the story of a bullied queer boy in the French provinces who leaves his brutish family to study theater in Paris. There he falls under the sway of a sugar daddy who introduces him to Oscar-nominated actress Isabelle Huppert (playing herself!), who in turn helps Marvin produce a cathartic one-man performance piece. The young adult Marvin is played by rising British-French actor Finnegan Oldfield, who has given memorable supporting performances in movies screened locally by SFFILM in recent years (<i>Nocturama</i>, <i>Les Cowboys</i>, <i>Heal the Living</i>). In addition to <i>grande dame</i> Huppert, <i>Reinventing Marvin</i> boasts a cast of familiar French actors that includes Charles Berling, Grégory Gadebois and Vincent Macaigne. Quite shockingly, the movie does not have a U.S. distributor. (It seems the kind of thing Strand Releasing would have snapped up in a heartbeat). Therefore, Frameline's lone screening at the Castro Theatre on June 22, which is also the film's U.S. premiere, could wind up being the only opportunity we'll ever have to view it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other film I'm tremendously excited about seeing during the fest is <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-heiresses" target="_blank">The Heiresses</a>. This feature film debut by Paraguayan writer-director Marcelo Martinessi won three of the top prizes at this year's Berlin Film Festival, including the FIPRESCI critics' prize and the prestigious Alfred Bauer Prize, the latter awarded to a film that "opens new perspectives on cinematic art." Berlin's best actress award went to Ana Brun, making her screen acting debut in the role of Chela, a middle-aged lesbian of evaporating privilege who has begun selling off her family's fineries. After her lover of 30 years goes to prison for fraud, Chela falls into the role of de facto chauffeur for all her remaining rich friends. Martinessi's character study cum social critique garnered unanimous rave reviews. <i>The Heiresses</i> did acquire a minor U.S. distributor (Distrib Films) but I'd say chances of it showing up in cinemas outside L.A./N.Y. are pretty iffy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Berlin Film Festival's Teddy Award is considered the world's most esteemed prize for LGBTQ cinema. The 2018 Teddy for best narrative feature went to Brazilian directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/hard-paint" target="_blank">Hard Paint</a>, a Frameline42 Showcase presentation that's the first of eight films I was able to screen in advance. Set in the coastal city of Porto Alegre, the film concerns itself with the fate of Pedro, a dour young man who's awaiting trial on assault charges for blinding someone who bullied him. His supportive older sister is about to move cross country, and he's barely supporting himself by staging webcam sex shows wherein his body is smeared with florescent paints. Things begin to look up when he romantically and professionally aligns himself with Leo, a dancer who shares his penchant for Day-Glo. When Leo moves to Berlin, however, Pedro's life continues its downward trajectory. While I admired Hard Paint as a moody, empathetic character study, I ultimately found it rambling, anemic and overlong. The soundtrack of Brazilian EDM is extremely good and put to effective use. Directors Matzembacher and Reolon are expected to attend the film's screening at the Castro on June 19.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was considerably more taken with two other Latin American selections from Frameline42's World Cinema sidebar. Steeped in the Quechuan culture of Peru's high Andes mountains, Alvaro Delgado Aparicio's heartbreaking <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/retablo" target="_blank">Retablo</a> confronts acute homophobia in an indigenous culture. Teenager Segundo is apprenticed to his father Noé, a <i>maestro</i> artisan who constructs retablos, elaborately painted wooden boxes with doors that reveal potato-dough figurines representing members of a family or clan. All that changes when he catches the father he adores and respects in a furtive act of gay sexual activity, which is ultimately the catalyst for larger scale tragedy. Aparacio makes a remarkable debut as feature filmmaker, as does actor Junior Behar in his first on-screen appearance in the role of Segundo. Acclaimed Peruvian actress Magaly Solier (<i>Madeinusa</i>, Oscar-nominated <i>The Milk of Sorrow</i>) adds another impressive take on Latin American indigenous womanhood to her filmography, inhabiting the part of the family's desperate matriarch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another unmissable debut feature from Latin America is Martín Deus' tempered, low-key Argentine familial drama <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/my-best-friend" target="_blank">My Best Friend</a>. A coming-of-age/coming-out tale of sorts, the film centers on Lorenzo, a sensitive and emotionally mature teen living a comfortable life with his supportive family in rural Patagonia. The family's tranquility becomes upended with the arrival of Caito, a rough-edged, somewhat older son of a Buenos Aires family friend who arrives under murky circumstances for an extended stay. Caito wastes no time testing the imposed rules of his new living situation, inspiring Lorenzo to take it upon himself to set Caito, with whom he is both smitten and annoyed, on the right path. I particularly admired <i>My Best Friend</i> for its gallery of complex, fully-fleshed characters and the uniformly excellent actors called upon to portray them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The five remaining foreign LGBTQ movies I previewed all hail from Europe, with two German language selections distinguishing themselves as standouts. Katharina Mückstein's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/lanimale" target="_blank">L'Animale</a> introduces us to five lonely, quietly desperate Austrians whose lives are on the cusp of change, discovery and possible crisis. At the center is Mati, a conflicted high school senior motocross enthusiast who hangs out with the guys and has an expressed distaste for anything girlish. When she's not discouraging the romantic advances of her male best friend, Mati is off exploring her sexuality with an older shopgirl. She also works as a veterinary assistant to her mother, a woman who just recently discovered that her husband is acting on his same-sex desires. <i>L'Animale</i>'s title is taken from a 1985 song by Italian composer/performer Franco Battiato. In the film's most affecting sequence, all five main characters, in separate settings, take turns singing the song whose Italian-translated chorus reads, "The animal which is inside of me won't let me live in happiness again." Director Mückstein is expected to attend the film's lone Frameline42 screening on June 17.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Marcel Gisler's thoughtful and compelling Swiss sports movie <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/mario" target="_blank">Mario</a>, we're shown in considerable detail what can happen when two soccer players with professional aspirations fall in love. Closeted and serious-minded Mario is on a determined career path when Leon, a handsome and gregarious star player from Germany, is transferred to his team and the two are assigned an apartment together. A burgeoning romantic relationship develops and despite their best attempts at discretion, a vindictive teammate unleashes homophobic harassments that draw the attention of the team's owners, the players' agents and Mario's family. Mario reacts by retreating deeper into the closet, enlisting the reluctant help of his female best friend in providing a straight cover. Leon doesn't have the wherewithal for such bullshit. How the lovers sadly fail to reconcile ambition with desire consumes the final chapters of this emotionally honest look at same-sex love in the world of contemporary sports. Aaron Altaras, the actor who plays Leon, is expected to appear at the festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The theme of clandestine attraction also comes into play with two other European Frameline42 flicks. Mikko Makela's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/a-moment-in-the-reeds" target="_blank">A Moment in the Reeds</a> is a romantic two-hander about a Finnish grad student who returns from Paris to help his taciturn father renovate the family summer cottage. When he's left to spend several days alone with the handsome Syrian war refugee who's been hired to help out, a passionate affair blossoms in the idyllic lakeside setting. What the film lacks in dramatic momentum, it makes up for with intimately engaging conversations (all in English, for those who are subtitle averse) and the hottest sex scenes of all the films I previewed. The specter of war also permeates the background of Blerta Zeqiri's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-marriage" target="_blank">The Marriage</a>. Set 10 years after the Kosovo conflict of 1998-99, it's the would-be story of two male lovers reuniting, were it not for the fact that one of them is about to be married to a woman. This messy tale of buried secrets and resentments often feels scattershot and over-plotted, but it's well worth watching for the strength of its performances and immersion into local culture. One particularly lovely moment finds the two ex-lovers, one now a musician in Paris and the other a local bar owner, singing "They Can't Take That Away From Me," with spot-on imitations of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. It is anticipated that the directors of both <i>A Moment in the Reeds</i> and <i>The Marriage</i> will attend the festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, we have Ellen Smit's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/just-friends" target="_blank">Just Friends</a>, a broad, slightly tacky romantic dramedy from the Netherlands whose central romance is between two aimless young men. Yad, a failing Dutch-Syrian med student has returned home and resumed his old job of teaching windsurfing. Much to his conservative family's consternation, he's taken a second job as homecare aide for the elderly, with one of his dottier clients setting him up with her grandson. Joris is a skinhead gym-bunny who flies drones and lives with his crass, plastic-surgery addicted mother while still mourning his father's recent death. Will Yad and Joris overcome their familys' objections to the relationship and find true love? I'm going to be a spoiler and reveal that of all the Frameline42 films I previewed, <i>Just Friends</i> is the only one that concludes with anything remotely representing a happy ending. And that should count for a lot in these god-awful times we're trapped in. It's also worth noting that while <i>Just Friends</i> is almost the antithesis of an "art" film, it had the strongest visual style of all the Frameline42 selections I looked at.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-33244251679586285682018-04-04T08:35:00.003-07:002018-04-05T08:58:08.907-07:0061st SFFILM Fest 2018 –Spotlight on Space, Dark Wave, French Cinema<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Spotlight on Space</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Every year the festival gathers a few films with a common theme and places them under a "Spotlight" umbrella. This year's designated leitmotif is "Into the Great Beyond" and I was able to preview two of the three films. Klim Shipenko's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/salyut-7" target="_blank">Salyut-7</a> is a thoroughly satisfying outer space thriller that won Best Picture at last year's Golden Eagle Awards (Russia's Oscar equivalent). Based on actual events, the Salyut-7 episode is sometimes referred to as Russia's Apollo 13. In 1985, two U.S.S.R. cosmonauts were sent to rescue a damaged, unmanned space station before it was captured by Americans. Shipenko's retelling of their close call with oblivion is nerve-wracking, humanist, frequently comic and of course, just a little nationalistic. It also boasts special effects that rival Alfonso Cuaron's <i>Gravity</i>. My only complaint is the ending seems a bit unsettled for those not familiar with the actual events. <i>Salyut-7</i> is already available to stream on Amazon Prime, but you'll want to see it on the biggest screen possible. Which I'm sure is why SFFILM chose the Castro Theatre for its single festival screening on April 8. Sometimes it's great fun to experience another country's big-budget blockbuster. This is such an occasion.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Austrian director Johann Lurf's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/%E2%98%85-(star)" target="_blank">⭑ (star symbol)</a> screens in the festival's experimental <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=359" target="_blank">Vanguard section</a>. It is essentially a 99-minute representational compilation film in which movie scenes of star-spangled nighttime skies are viewed in succession, with their original music scores, aspect ratio and unsubtitled dialogue left intact. Clips from 550 films are experienced in chronological order, beginning with 1905's <i>Rêve de la lune</i> running all the way up to 2017's <i>Girls Trip</i>. A few are easily recognizable – <i>Night of the Hunter</i>, <i>2001</i>, various stars of Bethlehem, <i>Star Wars</i> and <i>Star Trek</i>. But the hundreds of others? I had no clue I'd just watched the likes of <i>Wayne's World</i>, <i>Antichrist</i>, <i>Stromboli</i>, <i>The Big Lebowski</i>, <i>Plan 9 from Outer Space</i>, <i>Howard the Duck</i> and <i>I Walked With a Zombie</i>. Numerous Japanese clips (Takeshi Kitano's <i>Hana-bi</i>) get screen time, as well as experimental works from Man Ray and Maya Deren. The credits end with a year-by-year listing of all 550 films, which would be more beneficial to viewers if presented at the beginning. All the more reason to watch the film again, I suppose. One caveat – given the subject matter, you might be imagining ⭑ as a relaxing and dreamy viewing experience. It isn't. Many clips run just a second or two, and the constantly shifting aspect ratios and audio render it more akin to watching a schizoid astronomer channel-surf.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dark Wave</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not much of a genre film fan, but that hasn’t stopped me from being very excited about the films in this year's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=358" target="_blank">Dark Wave section</a>. All four, incidentally, hail from outside the U.S. Robin Aubert's French-Canadian zombie flick <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/ravenous" target="_blank">Ravenous</a> is already streaming on Netflix, but I've resisted having a look in favor of screaming bloody murder with a live festival audience. The movie scores big bonus points for starring Monia Chokri, the actress who played Xavier Dolan's droll competitor for the attentions of a blond Adonis in 2010's highly underrated <i>Heartbeats</i>. France's Dark Wave entry is <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/revenge" target="_blank">Revenge</a>, a female-directed (Coralie Fargeat) rape revenge thriller that's promising to crank the gruesome sub-genres' tropes up to 11, while remaining distinctive and smart. Fargeat's film garnered near-unanimous raves on the festival circuit, with the Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney proclaiming it a "pop art carnage opera" that is "nothing if not relentless." SFFILM Fest's own description boasts that "one could paint a mansion with the amount of blood that gushes" from <i>Revenge</i>. Color me eager to be nauseated.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other two Dark Wave entries are from the UK and both have secured considerable critical praise. Michael Pearce's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/beast" target="_blank">Beast</a> is a piece of intense arthouse horror that premiered at Toronto. Set on the remote isle of Jersey, Beast concerns a young woman whose struggle against her controlling family intensifies after meeting a sexy stranger – one who may or may not be a serial killer. The film's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyQLM5S__QU" target="_blank">trailer</a> is downright unnerving. Jean-Stepháne Sauvaire's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/a-prayer-before-dawn" target="_blank">A Prayer Before Dawn</a> is a UK/France co-production that premiered as a Cannes midnight screening. Based on true events, the film stars Joe Cole as Billy Moore, a fighter and heroin addict who's arrested and thrown in Thai prison. While there he trains in the art of Muay Thai boxing, eventually becoming a champion who's permitted to earn his release. (The film was shot in an actual Thai prison). Boxing movies are decidedly not my thing, but I'm giving this one a shot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>French Cinema</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bay Area exhibition of French-language films suffered a real blow when SFFILM discontinued its French Cinema Now series two years ago. Couple that with fewer French films than ever achieving local theatrical release (even ones with U.S. distribution), and we're left with general interest festivals like SFFILM and Mill Valley to pick up the slack. The good news is that this year's SFFILM Festival has programmed three films that were a significant part of the conversation surrounding French cinema in 2017. The not so good news is that a dozen or two other noteworthy works will remain elusive to us, at least for the time being.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I strongly recommend catching Laurent Cantet's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-workshop" target="_blank">The Workshop</a> at the festival. It was one of the best things I saw at this year's Palm Springs International Film Fest and it appears distributor Strand Releasing might no longer be planning a local release. <i>The Workshop</i> premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar and was immediately hailed as the director's best work since 2008's Palme d'or winner <i>The Class</i>. Writer/director Robin Campillo (last year's French Oscar submission <i>BPM</i>) is back on board as co-screenwriter, a position he's assumed on all Cantet's best films. Actress Marina Foïs (never better) plays a renowned author conducting a student summer writing workshop in a depressed coastal town near Marseilles. The goal is to collectively write a locally-set murder mystery. Things take a dark turn when a taciturn student (a brilliant debut by Matthieu Lucci) who's swayed by right-wing Nationalist politics becomes a threat to both his multi-culti classmates and especially the author herself. Not to be missed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other two films I referenced were Cannes premieres, as well as the first movies I made sure to work into my festival schedule. Following the disappointment of 2014's turgid <i>The Search</i>, Oscar-winning filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (<i>The Artist</i>) came back last year with <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/godard-mon-amour" target="_blank">Godard, Mon Amour</a>, a combination spoof and homage to the revolutionary French New Wave director circa 1968. In this crucial year for politics around the globe, Godard was newly married and in love (with actress Anne Wiazemsky, the girl in Bresson's <i>Au hazard Balthazar</i>, who co-wrote the screenplay and is played by Stacy Martin). He was also breaking new ground as a political filmmaker. The impossibly handsome Louis Garrel has been appropriately uglied-up and nerdified to play the lead, and judging from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK8dG88BHR4" target="_blank">trailer</a>, he's hilariously spot-on in his inhabitation of M. Jean-Luc. <i>Godard, Mon Amour</i> opens at local Landmark Theatres on April 27. But you'll certainly want to catch the film at its two festival screenings with director Michel Hazanavicius in person. The filmmaker last appeared at a SFFILM event when he attended 2009's French Cinema Now with <i>OSS 117: Lost in Rio</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The third film isn't even really French. It's included here because its star is France's most acclaimed screen performer and Cannes is the film's setting. Hong Sang-soo's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/claire%E2%80%99s-camera" target="_blank">Claire's Camera</a> was just one of three new features released by Asia's most prolific arthouse filmmaker last year. Isabelle Huppert returns for a second Hong collaboration, building on the artistic success of 2012's <i>In Another Country</i>. This time Huppert plays a teacher attending Cannes because a friend has a film screening there. While wandering the streets she strikes up a friendship with a South Korean film sales assistant who's just been fired from her job (frequent Hong star and real-life main squeeze, Kim Min-hee.) Claire believes her Polaroid camera has a mystical power to change lives, a dabble in magic realism that may be a first for the director. Running a brisk 68 minutes, <i>Claire's Camera</i> was appreciated by critics for its melancholic slightness. The title is a hat's tip to Eric Rohmer (<i>Claire's Knee</i>), the revered French director whose conversation-laden explorations of male/female dynamics Hong's films are frequently compared.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following the glorious one-two punch of Hong's sublime <i>Hill of Freedom</i> (2014) and <i>Right Now, Wrong Then</i> (2015), I was left completely cold by his next two films, <i>Yourself and Yours</i> (2016) and <i>On the Beach at Night Alone</i> (2017). I fully expect <i>Claire's Camera</i> will bring me back into the fold. As for Huppert, <i>Claire's Camera</i> is only one of nine works released since her Oscar-nominated performance in <i>Elle</i>. In the Bay Area we've only been privy to two of them, Michael Haneke's <i>Happy End</i> and the made-for-TV movie <i>False Confessions</i>. At the very least I'm hoping we eventually see Serge Bozon's <i>Madame Hyde</i>, for which Huppert won Best Actress at last summer's Locarno Film Festival. SFFILM Festival has been a past champion of Bozon's work (<i>La France, Tip Top</i>), making <i>Madame Hyde</i> one of the more eye-raising omissions from this year's festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As someone who obsessively follows contemporary French cinema, I was surprised to draw a near-complete blank when it came to the rest of this year's SFFILM Fest French line-up. I knew that Janus Films had done a <a href="http://variety.com/2018/film/news/janus-films-to-release-olivier-assayass-4k-restored-cold-water-in-the-u-s-exclusive-1202692161/" target="_blank">new 4K restoration</a> of Olivier Assayas's fifth feature, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/cold-water" target="_blank">Cold Water</a> (1994), so that was nice to see. If you can't make the fest's one-time screening (like me) I'm sure Janus partner Criterion Collection will be releasing it soon enough. I was also clueless that actor Vincent Cassel had made a Gauguin biopic (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/gauguin-voyage-to-tahiti" target="_blank">Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti</a>). I'll basically see anything this actor appears in, especially when it has a South Seas setting and is screening in our fabulous Dolby Theatre. It turns out the film was put into French cinemas last fall without the benefit of any festival exposure. The few reviews out there praise Cassel's performance, but come down hard its on toying with biographical facts. <i>Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti</i> is slated for a local Landmark Theatres release on July 27.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Animation fans will no doubt be excited to see <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-big-bad-fox-and-other-tales" target="_blank">The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales</a>, a new cartoon feature from Oscar-nominated director Benjamin Renner (<i>Ernest & Celestine</i>). Based on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCQTWC_aeQQ" target="_blank">trailer</a> alone, Marine Francen's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-sower" target="_blank">The Sower</a> comes off as a pastoral bodice-ripper, but her New Director's Prize from the San Sebastian Film Festival is a hopeful indicator of it being better than that. Out of all these unknown French entities, I'm most looking forward to <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/my-life-with-james-dean" target="_blank">My Life with James Dean</a>, Dominque Choisy's slapstick valentine to the passion of cinema. Johnny Rasse stars as a gay experimental filmmaker who has a number of amusing encounters as he exhibits his latest film along France's Northern coast. SFFILM Festival will host the movie's North American premiere, with director Choisy expected to attend.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cross-published on <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2018/04/sffilm-festival-2018michael-hawleys.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a>.</span><br />
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<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-42771666502693113162018-04-01T21:04:00.004-07:002018-04-04T07:55:52.343-07:0061st SFFILM Fest 2018 – U.S. Cinema<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As someone whose passion for cinema lies primarily with foreign language movies, it has been slightly discomforting to watch U.S. indies and documentaries carve out an increasingly larger slice of the total <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/" target="_blank">SFFILM Festival</a> pie. To witness, all three of this year's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=266" target="_blank">Big Nights</a> are U.S. indies that premiered at Sundance, and 38 of festival's 99 feature films hail from that same festival. When one looks closely at the U.S. films selected, however, it becomes impossible to grouse when there are more terrific-sounding films than a person could possibly watch over the course of a two-week festival. Here's a subjective survey of the U.S. narrative and documentary features I'm intrigued by at this year's SFFILM Fest.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Narrative Features</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only U.S. narrative feature I had the opportunity to preview is a film I can't imagine <i>not</i> being on my 2018 top ten list. Chloé Zhao's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-rider" target="_blank">The Rider</a> premiered at Cannes last year, winning the top prize in the Director's Fortnight sidebar. It's about as close to a documentary as a narrative film can get, with non-professional actors playing slightly fictionalized versions of themselves. <i>The Rider</i>'s aching heart is the character Brady (Brady Jandreau), a young Lakota rodeo rider and horse trainer who has sustained a massive head injury. The film transports us alongside Brady's personal journey as he struggles to find another way to live while remaining true to himself. It's a transcendent tale of wounded masculinity, guided by Zhao's sure-handed direction and Jandreau's revelatory, intuitive lead performance. <i>The Rider</i> opens in theaters on April 20, but believe me, you won't want to miss SFFILM Festival's April 7 screening with director Zhao and Brady Jandreau in person.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes a festival's most tantalizing options are scheduled in tandem. For me, 2018's toughest film choice occurs on Friday, April 6 when Paul Schrader's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/first-reformed" target="_blank">First Reformed</a> is slotted up against John Cameron Mitchell's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/how-to-talk-to-girls-at-parties" target="_blank">How to Talk to Girls at Parties</a>, both with their respective directors in attendance. Touted as a "grindhouse art film," Schrader's <i>First Reformed</i> achieved ecstatic reviews when it toured last autumn's fest circuit (Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York), with many calling it his best work since 2002's <i>Autofocus</i>. The film stars 2017 SFFILM Fest tributee Ethan Hawke as a dying, guilt-ridden New England church minister who suddenly finds comfort in the idea of becoming a suicide bomber. Distributor A24 will release <i>First Reformed</i> in cinemas next month.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In contrast, Mitchell's film (technically a USA/UK co-production) premiered to some seriously scathing reviews when it played out-of-competition at Cannes nearly a year ago. The film has its defenders, however (and the trailer does look pretty fabulous, particularly Sandy Powell's costume designs.) What's kind of shocking is that despite Mitchell's reputation (<i>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</i>, <i>Shortbus</i>) and the presence of Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the cast, no film festival north of the Rio Grande has wanted to touch it. (San Francisco will be its "North American" premiere and it appears distributor A24 has no immediate plans for theatrical release). Based on an award-winning 2006 sci-fi short story by Neil Gaiman (who will also attend the screening), <i>How to Talk to Girls at Parties</i> stars Tony Award winner Alex Sharp as a 70's London punk who goes to a party and hooks up with a lady space alien. In the end, my evening's film selection could be determined by venue, with Mitchell's movie getting a boost by virtue of its screening at the Castro.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For many years, new LGBT cinema was pretty much the provenance of San Francisco's Frameline festival. More recently, SFFILM Fest has upped its LGBT roster, possibly because there's so much more product available. (Frameline has also begun programming many of the same films that appear at SFFILM, realizing the two festival's audiences don't necessarily cross over). The <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&interest=214" target="_blank">LGBT section</a> at this year's fest contains a record nine films, with all but two being of U.S. origin. The one I'm most looking forward to is Jeremiah Zagar's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/we-the-animals" target="_blank">We the Animals</a>, a familial drama about three mixed-race brothers whose laconic existence in upstate New York is tempered by their parents' volatile relationship. The focus is on the youngest of the three who's realizing he's somehow "different" from his siblings, which has led some critics to proclaim <i>We the Animals</i> as "this year's Moonlight." A major reason I'm excited to see this film is the casting of Raúl Castillo as the father. The Mexican-American actor first caught my attention in Aaron Katz' idiosyncratic indie mystery <i>Cold Weather</i>, several years before he achieved minor fame playing the character Richie in HBO's <i>Looking</i>. I'm also intrigued by the casting of Sheila Vand as the mother (she was the Iranian vampire girl in <i>A Girl Walks Home at Night Alone</i>), as well as this being the narrative feature debut for documentary filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar. <i>In a Dream</i>, the director's excellent 2008 doc about his father, Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar, won the audience award at SF DocFest and was shortlisted for the Oscar.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another critically acclaimed LGBT film focused on POC is Jordana Spiro's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/night-comes-on" target="_blank">Night Comes On</a>, which stars Dominique Fishback. This is the actress's first lead role since her breakout as prostitute Darlene in the HBO series <i>The Deuce</i>. Here she plays an 18-year-old lesbian recently released from juvie who must resist falling back into the criminal life. Two other promising LGBT youth-focused features in the fest line-up are <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-miseducation-of-cameron-post" target="_blank">The Miseducation of Cameron Post</a> and <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/alex-strangelove" target="_blank">Alex Strangelove</a>. The former stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a teen sent to a Christian "gay conversion" camp after being caught making out with the prom queen. <i>Miseducation</i> director Desiree Akhavan was awarded the Grand Jury Prize (dramatic competition) at this year's Sundance. <i>Alex Strangelove</i> is a Netflix-bound coming-of-age comedy directed by Craig Johnson (<i>The Skelton Twins</i>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three formidable entities of American indie filmmaking have new films in this year's festival. Ten years after Debra Granik's <i>Winter's Bone</i> scored four Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay, the writer/director has finally made a follow-up feature. <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/leave-no-trace" target="_blank">Leave No Trace</a> stars Ben Foster and Dale Dickey as a father and daughter forced to move on after their idyllic years of living off the grid in an Oregon state park come to an end. Zellner brothers David and Nathan made a big splash in 2014 with <i>Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter</i>. Now they're back with a post-modern Western, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/damsel" target="_blank">Damsel</a>, starring Robert Pattinson (following-up on his astounding performance in last year's Safdie Brothers film, <i>Good Time</i>) and Mia Wasikowska. The film is a late addition to the SFFILM Festival line-up and the Zellners are expected to attend its only screening on April 14. Lastly, director Andrew Bujalski (<i>Funny Ha Ha, Computer Chess</i>) creates further distance from his mumblecore roots with <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/support-the-girls" target="_blank">Support the Girls</a>, a comedy starring Regina Hall as the stressed-out manager of a Hooters-like sports bar.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If indie movies about cranky geezers going on road trips is your thing, SFFILM Fest has a pair of options. In Shana Feste's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/boundaries" target="_blank">Boundaries</a>, Vera Farmiga is a put-upon single mom who's forced to transport her thorny father (Christopher Plummer) after he's kicked out of yet another nursing home for pot dealing. Bobby Canavale, Christopher Lloyd and Peter Fonda co-star. The curmudgeon in Mark Raso's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/kodachrome" target="_blank">Kodachrome</a> is played by Ed Harris, a renowned photographer who must get to Kansas before the very last developer of Kodachrome film closes its door. Naturally, he can't drive himself, so his estranged son (Jason Sudeikis) and nurse (Elizabeth Olsen) get dragged along for the ride. <i>Kodachrome</i> premiered at Toronto last September and hits Netflix on April 20 without getting a theatrical release. Director Raso, writer Jonathan Tropper and actor Jason Sudeikis are expected to attend the film's single screening on April 7.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Documentary Features</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Docs make up roughly 40 percent of all feature films in this year's festival. Contained within the U.S. selection are a dozen which examine some aspect of "the arts." The one I'm most excited to see is <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/matangi-maya-mia" target="_blank">Mantangi/Maya/M.I.A</a>., Steve Loveridge's profile of UK/Sri Lankan hip hop star M.I.A. Amongst non-fans she's best known for the infamous "bird" flipped on live TV during Madonna's 2012 Super Bowl show (for which the NFL is still trying to sue for $16.6 million). Casual fans know her for "Paper Planes," the ubiquitous 2008 hit single with beats punctuated by gun shots and a cash register's ka-ching. Loveridge is a personal friend of the performer and his documentary is said to be full of warts-and-all footage shot over the course of 20-plus years. The film won the Special Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance and was announced as the prestigious opening night film for this year's New Directors/New Films series in NYC. A second SFFILM bio-doc about a bad-ass woman musician is Kevin Kerslake's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/bad-reputation" target="_blank">Bad Reputation</a>, which takes on the storied career of iconic punk rocker Joan Jett. It was recently confirmed that Jett herself will attend the festival's lone screening of <i>Bad Reputation</i> at the Castro Theatre on April 14.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of the most beloved American media figures of all time are also subjects of SFFILM Fest documentaries. <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/robin-williams-come-inside-my-mind" target="_blank">Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind</a> is the latest from director Marina Zenowich (<i>Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired</i>). She uses obscure performance clips and never-before-seen outtakes to tell the story of the brilliant Bay Area actor and comedian. The film will have one screening only, at the Castro Theatre on April 7. Both festival screenings of Morgan Neville's Sundance hit <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/wont-you-be-my-neighbor" target="_blank">Won't You Be My Neighbor</a>, his portrait of TV's Mr. Rogers, are already at RUSH. The Oscar-winning filmmaker (<i>Twenty Feet from Stardom</i>) is expected to be in attendance. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The cinematic arts are represented at the festival by two non-fiction features. Amy Scott's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/hal" target="_blank">Hal</a> is a profile of revered director Hal Ashby, the Oscar-winning film editor (<i>In the Heat of the Night</i>) best known for directing a string of socially conscious 1970's masterpieces that include <i>Harold and Maude, Shampoo, Being There, Coming Home</i> and <i>The Last Detail</i>. Scott's film boasts interviews with such Ashby alumni as Jeff Bridges, Jane Fonda, Lee Grant and Jon Voight. Then in <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/half-the-picture" target="_blank">Half the Picture</a>, director Amy Adrion takes on Hollywood's dismal record of advocating for women filmmakers, featuring interviews with Ava DuVernay (<i>Selma</i>), Penelope Spheeris (<i>Wayne's World</i>), Kimberly Peirce (<i>Boys Don’t Cry</i>) and others. Following the April 9 screening, the fest presents a conversation between director Adrion and Esther Pearl, Executive Director of Camp Reel Stories – A Media Camp for Girls.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Documentaries about photographers have been a popular subject for filmmakers and audiences alike in the past decade, with shutterbugs Robert Frank, Bill Cunningham, Vivian Meier, Annie Leibovitz, Sebastião Salgado and others receiving motion picture tributes. Now we can add Garry Winogrand and James Balog to the list. <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/garry-winogrand-all-things-are-photographable" target="_blank">Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable</a> examines the life and career of the controversial "snapshot aesthetic" street photographer who took over one million photos before his untimely 1984 death at age 56. Winogrand left behind thousands of rolls of undeveloped film, 8mm home movies and audio recordings, all of which director Sasha Waters Freyer employs to tell his story. Following the film's SFMOMA screening on April 14, Freyer will be joined in conversation by author Geoff Dyer, whose new book on the photographer was released last month. The second doc about a famed photographer is Matthew Testa's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-human-element" target="_blank">The Human Element</a>, which profiles James Balog. The environmental photographer is best known for visually documenting the devastating effects of man-made climate change, particularly the rapid disappearance of the world's glaciers (his work was featured in the 2012 film <i>Chasing Ice</i>.) Balog and director Testa are expected to attend the festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It has been 15 years since Nathaniel Kahn received an Oscar nomination for <i>My Architect</i>, the filmmaker's bittersweet ode to his famous architect father, Louis Kahn. Following several made-for-TV science documentaries, Kahn finally returns with a new feature this year, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-price-of-everything" target="_blank">The Price of Everything</a>. Using a Sotheby's modern art auction as backdrop, Kahn examines the commodification of art and reflects on how artists lose control of their own creations in today's white-hot art market. Among the artists profiled in the film are Jeff Koons, Gerhard Richter and Larry Poons. I'd be shocked if <i>The Price of Everything</i> doesn't mention last year's $110.5 million sale of a 1982 Basquiat work, which set a record for an American artist at auction. The graffiti artist turned painter happens to be the subject of another SFFILM Festival documentary, Sara Driver's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/boom-for-real-the-late-teenage-years-of-jean-michel-basquiat" target="_blank">Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amongst the score of non-arts related U.S. docs showing at the festival, I had the chance to preview and strongly recommend Bing Liu's Sundance Special Jury Prize winner, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/minding-the-gap" target="_blank">Minding the Gap</a>. This empathetic and intimate look at young manhood in the economically depressed city of Rockford, IL is entirely composed of footage shot by the Asian-American director over the course of a decade. Liu's focus is on himself and two close friends, one Caucasian and one African American, who all share a passion for skateboarding as well as dark relationships with past father figures. Their collective self-awareness and articulate fervency is impressive considering the challenges of their environment. The festival's Hold Review policy limits me from saying more, but I guarantee this is a doc you won't want to miss. Liu is expected to attend the film's screenings on April 13 and 14.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three documentaries I highly anticipate watching during the festival proper are <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/bisbee-%E2%80%9817" target="_blank">Bisbee '17</a>, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/three-identical-strangers" target="_blank">Three Identical Strangers</a> and <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/hale-county-this-morning-this-evening" target="_blank">Hale County This Morning, This Evening</a>. <i>Bisbee '17</i> is the latest from Robert Greene (<i>Actress, Kate Plays Christine</i>) who once again employs his meta-docu-fiction storytelling techniques to reflect on a century-old Arizona strike in which 1,200 miners, most of them Mexican immigrants, were marched into the desert at gunpoint and left to die. Tim Wardle's <i>Three Identical Strangers</i> recounts the incredibly strange tale of male triplets who were separated at birth and then reunited at age 19 in 1980, briefly becoming media celebrities who hung out at Studio 54 and appeared in the film <i>Desperately Seeking Susan</i>. Lastly, RaMell Ross' <i>Hale County This Morning, This Evening</i> has been described as a lyric tone poem in documentary guise, which lovingly captures African American life in rural Alabama. Like the bulk of non-fiction films in the festival, all three of these acclaimed works had their world premiere at Sundance, with <i>Three Identical Strangers</i> winning a Special Jury Prize for Storytelling and <i>Hale County This Morning, This Evening</i> bringing home a Special Jury Prize for Creative Vision.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The above-mentioned movies represent just an iceberg's tip of the 39 documentary features appearing in SFFILM Festival 2018, so let's glance at a few others of potential interest. <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/mercury-13" target="_blank">Mercury 13</a> will have its world premiere here prior to hitting Netflix on April 20. David Singleton and Heather Walsh's film recalls the dashed dreams of a group of would-be women astronauts in the early 60's. (I can imagine the pitch meeting: "It's a white women's <i>Hidden Figures</i>!") Fans of Laura Greenfield's <i>Queen of Versailles</i> will no doubt want to catch her latest glimpse at the lives of the hideously rich, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/generation-wealth" target="_blank">Generation Wealth</a>. Although <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/rbg" target="_blank">RBG</a>, Julie Cohen and Betsy West's bio-doc on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on May 4, I imagine it would be great fun seeing it at the Castro Theatre with the directors present on April 14 (this screening is now at RUSH). Two docs with an eye toward the future profile a budding young chef (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/chef-flynn" target="_blank">Chef Flynn</a>) and aspiring scientists (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/inventing-tomorrow" target="_blank">Inventing Tomorrow</a>). Last but not least, I really hope not to miss the festival's late-addition screening of <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/this-ones-for-the-ladies" target="_blank">This One's for the Ladies</a>, Gene Graham's look at an African American male strip joint in Newark, NJ. (that doubles as a kids' karate school by day).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cross-published on <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2018/04/sffilm-festival-2018michael-hawley.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a>.</span></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-38924284801514527802018-03-27T22:20:00.003-07:002018-03-29T12:05:46.726-07:0061st SFFILM Festival 2018 – Big Nights, Awards & Tributes, Live & Onstage, Special Events<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nearly two weeks have passed since the press conference wherein SFFILM revealed the exciting line-up for its <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/" target="_blank">61st festival</a>. In my <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2018/03/61st-sffilm-festival-2018-early.html" target="_blank">first post</a> for this year's event I talked out the programs that had been pre-announced. That was a simple task given that only three things were revealed in advance: a Tribute to <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/tribute-to-charlize-theron-tully" target="_blank">Charlize Theron</a>, a Centerpiece screening of Boots Riley's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/sorry-to-bother-you" target="_blank">Sorry to Bother You</a>, and the films competing for the <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=356" target="_blank">Golden Gate Awards</a>. In this entry, I'll take a look at the considerable roster of programs and events taking place outside the main line-up of films. But first here's an update on the 2018 SFFILM Festival's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/how-to/festival-venues" target="_blank">participating venues</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two years have passed since the festival left the Sundance (now AMC) Kabuki Cinemas, which had been home base for nearly three decades (with assistance from Landmark's nearby Clay Theatre and Japantown's New People Cinema). In 2016, the fest relocated its headquarters to the then-new Alamo Drafthouse's New Mission Theatre, with the Mission district's Roxie and Victoria Theatres serving as supplemental venues. Last year saw a significantly reduced use of the Alamo, as well as the addition of four downtown venues: the spectacular Dolby Cinema on Market Street, the newly renovated Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA, plus both the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts' Theater and Screening Room. Two constants amidst all this change have been the Berkeley Art Museum's Pacific Film Archive and of course, San Francisco's jewel, the Castro Theatre.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what's new for 2018? Well, the Alamo Drafthouse is completely out of the picture, along with the YBCA Theatre. Use of the Dolby Cinema remains roughly the same. There's hardly a better place in SF to watch a movie, but the Dolby can be problematic for all-day festival-goers with its strict no-food-or-beverage policy (that includes water bottles; expect bags and backpacks to be searched). Other venue holdovers from recent years include the Roxie, Victoria and PFA. Over in the East Bay, the festival will make good use of Oakland's Grand Lake Theatre for the first time, with programming scheduled for two nights. The only new San Francisco venue added for 2018 is the Creativity Theater at the <a href="https://creativity.org/" target="_blank">Children's Creativity Museum</a>, which supplants the YBCA Theater as a third venue operating in the festival hub near Mission and 4th Streets. The 183-seat theater with stadium seating looks pretty nifty <a href="https://creativity.org/host-an-event/the-theater/" target="_blank">in this picture</a>, and I expect to be spending lots of time there. Finally, the happiest venue news for SFFILM Festival 2018 is that once again the Castro will host the fest for 12 consecutive days – from opening night on April 4 to closing night on April 15. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=266" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Big Nights</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For its opening night slot on April 4, SFFILM Festival has selected Silas Howard's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/opening-night-a-kid-like-jake" target="_blank">A Kid Like Jake</a>, adapted by Daniel Pearle from his own off-Broadway play. In this very much of-the-moment dramedy, Claire Danes and Jim Parsons play Brooklyn parents of a possibly trans young son, who are encouraged by the boy's preschool teacher (Octavia Spencer) to play up his trans identity as a "diversity" ticket into a competitive private school. <i>A Kid Like Jake</i> premiered at Sundance in January and I believe this will be its first public showing since then. Director Howard, who is trans himself (and has directed episodes of the award-winning Amazon series <i>Transparent</i>) will be on hand at the Castro Theatre. This year's opening night party happens at the SF Design Center Galleria.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a second year running, SFFILM Fest has scheduled its closing night festivities two days before the festival actually ends. I couldn't be more thrilled with the selection of Gus Van Sant's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/dont-worry-he-wont-get-far-on-foot" target="_blank">Don't Worry He Won't Get Far On Foot</a>, which plays the Castro Theatre on Sunday, April 15. The movie premiered to positive reviews at Sundance, providing a crucial boost to Van Sant's career following 2015's universally derided <i>Sea of Trees</i>. <i>DWHWGFOF</i> is a partial adaptation of quadriplegic, Portland cartoonist John Callahan's same-titled memoir, focusing on his years in recovery for alcoholism. While Joaquin Phoenix has drawn unanimous praise for his portrayal of Callahan (a role Robin Williams originally hoped to play), the strongest plaudits have been for Jonah Hill, allegedly unrecognizable as a gay, trust-fund kid who becomes Callahan's AA sponsor. The rest of the tantalizing cast includes Jack Black, Rooney Mara, alt-rocking women Beth Ditto, Carrie Brownstein and Kim Gordon, and last but not least, Udo Kier. Gus Vant Sant, as well as the film's composer Danny Elfman, are expected to attend. SFFILM Festival's 2018 closing night party will follow at Public Works.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=267" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Awards & Tributes</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SFFILM Festival's 2018 <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/george-gund-iii-craft-of-cinema-award-rob-epstein-and-jeffrey-friedman-end-game" target="_blank">George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award</a> could hardly go to anyone more deserving than Oscar-winning Bay Area filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (<i>The Times of Harvey Milk, Celluloid Closet, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt</i>). The award's presentation, which up until last year had always taken place at the private Film Society Awards Night Gala, will occur at the Castro Theatre on April 15. The event includes a screening of <i>End Game</i>, Epstein and Friedman's new 40-minute Netflix documentary short about hospice care.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/mel-novikoff-award-annette-insdorf-to-be-or-not-to-be" target="_blank">Mel Novikoff Award</a> is given each year to "an individual or institution whose work has enhanced the film-going public's appreciation of world cinema." For 2018 SFFILM has selected none other than internationally renowned professor, author, film scholar and all-around cinephilic ambassador Annette Insdorf. I first became aware of Insdorf years ago when she co-hosted (along with Roger Ebert) IFC's live red carpet coverage of Cannes' opening and closing ceremonies, and was impressed by her articulate and genial on-screen demeanor. She'll receive her Novikoff Award at SFMOMA on Saturday, April 14, in a program that will include a screening of Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy <i>To Be or Not to Be</i>, starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Experimental filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky is the recipient of this year's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/pov-award-nathaniel-dorsky" target="_blank">Persistence of Vision Award</a>, which honors a filmmaker "whose main body of work falls outside of the realm of narrative feature filmmaking." I confess to being a near-philistine when it comes to experimental cinema. I recognize, however, by the revered tones with which my more esoterically inclined cineaste friends speak of Dorsky, that this award comes richly deserved. The director's works are described as "silent short films in which light, nature and everyday surrounds are carefully captured and combined to prismatic, alchemical effect." In an unusual move for the festival, this year's POV program will be presented twice – at SFMOMA on April 6 and at BAMPFA on April 15. Both programs will include screenings of four recent Dorksy works, as well as an on-stage conversation (BAMPFA's will be hosted by Steve Anker, dean of CalArts' School of Film/Video). Presentation of the POV Award itself will only take place at the SFMOMA program.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to actress Charlize Theron, the other film personality receiving a SFFILM Tribute this year is director <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/a-tribute-to-wayne-wang-smoke" target="_blank">Wayne Wang</a>. The moviemaker's radically eclectic filmography ranges from early, Bay Area-based indies focused on the Asian American experience (<i>Chan is Missing, Dim Sum, The Joy Luck Club</i>) to crowd-pleasing Hollywood rom-coms (<i>Maid in Manhattan</i> with Jennifer Lopez, <i>Last Holiday</i> with Queen Latifah) to edgier experimental works (<i>Center of the World, Life is Cheap…But Toilet Paper is Expensive</i>). Accompanying the tribute at the Dolby Cinema on April 7 will be a screening of 1995's <i>Smoke</i> with Harvey Keitel – arguably Wang's most popular and critically acclaimed work – in a new restoration overseen by the director. Personal fun fact: I had a tiny, non-speaking part in Wang's <i>Dim Sum</i>, which ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=270" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Live & Onstage</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">High atop my list of must-sees for this year's festival is Guy Maddin's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/state-of-cinema-guy-maddin" target="_blank">State of Cinema address</a> at the Victoria Theatre on April 8. From his 1989 feature debut <i>Tales from the Gimli Hospital</i> to 2015's <i>The Forbidden Room</i>, I can't think of another filmmaker who has had more works exhibited at our festival than Maddin. The iconoclast Canadian director also received the fest's Persistence of Vision of Award in 2006. Regrettably, Maddin had to cancel two in-person gigs at last year's 60th anniversary event – the tribute to Canyon Cinema, for which he had selected the films, and the closing night presentation of his Vertigo mash-up, <i>The Green Fog</i> – making his appearance at this year's SFFILM Festival doubly sweet. Maddin has selected "Cinema as Dream State" as the subject for 2018's State of Cinema address, and I can't think of anyone more qualified to ruminate on that particular topic. Be prepared for 60 minutes of thought provoking hilarity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of iconoclasts, the Bay Area lost one of its most beloved last year with the passing of Stephen Parr, so it's entirely fitting the festival offer up <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/a-celebration-of-oddball-films" target="_blank">A Celebration of Oddball Films</a> at its 2018 edition. Oddball was Parr's baby, a 50,000-plus reel collection of industrial, educational and otherwise uncategorizable films housed floor-to-ceiling in a Mission District warehouse. Watch the end credits of almost any documentary that includes archival footage and you're bound to see the name Oddball Films scroll by. Parr also hosted incredibly fun weekend screenings at the warehouse. The first time I climbed Oddball's steep alleyway staircase and walked through the mysterious door covered by shag carpet was for a 16mm Halloween screening of a doc on actress Maila Nurmi (aka Vampira), which I watched from a beat-up sofa (or was it a beanbag chair?). The SFFILM Oddball/Parr celebration at the Castro on April 9 will include a selection of films from the archive, accompanied with live music by Marc Capelle's Red Room Orchestra.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For its annual pairing of a classic silent film with live music accompaniment, the festival has chosen Yasujiro Ozu's 1932 familial comedy <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/blonde-redhead-with-i-was-born-but" target="_blank">I Was Born, But…</a> with a score by alternative rock band Blonde Redhead. This is a group I haven't thought about since the late nineties, but apparently they've kept active and at least have a tangential relationship to the world of cinema. Their second album, "La Mia Vita Violenta" was dedicated to Pasolini, and 2016's boxed-set compilation "Masculin Féminin" of course references Godard. It will be interesting to compare their score to that of Stephen Horne, who accompanied <i>I Was Born, But…</i> at the 2011 SF Silent Film Festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two additional programs round out SFFILM Fest's 2018 Live & Onstage sidebar. In <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/a-thousand-thoughts" target="_blank">A Thousand Thoughts</a>, director Sam Green (<i>The Weather Underground</i>) stages a "live documentary" about the Kronos Quartet at the Castro Theatre on April 10. The formidable string ensemble will play a live musical score while Green provides live narration during the movie, which itself takes place on multiple screens. <i>A Thousand Thoughts</i> is co-directed by Joe Bini, a Bay Area native who has edited over a dozen films for Werner Herzog, as well as works by Andrea Arnold, Lynne Ramsay and Nick Broomfield. Then on April 15 at the Victoria Theatre, SFFILM presents <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/deep-astronomy-and-the-romantic-sciences" target="_blank">Deep Astronomy and the Romantic Sciences</a>, described as an "evening of music, animation and interstellar investigations" by director Cory McAbee (<i>The American Astronaut</i>).</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/film-finder?view=film&section=436" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Special Events</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a second year in a row, SFFILM Festival hosts a trio of free public screenings. On April 5 at SFMOMA the fest presents an episode of the new PBS/BBC series <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/civilizations-how-do-we-look-(episode-2)" target="_blank">Civilizations: How Do We Look?</a>, an updating of Kenneth Clark's landmark 1969 series <i>Civilization</i>. The episode to be shown spotlights China's terra cotta warriors and SF Asian Art Museum director Jay Xu will be on hand to lead a post-screening conversation. A free screening at the Victoria Theatre on April 10 will find acclaimed documentarian Katie Galloway (2011's Golden Gate Award winner <i>Better This World</i>) presenting her new work. <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-pushouts" target="_blank">The Pushouts</a> takes on the issue of high school dropouts through the story of former Oakland gang member Victor Rios, now a professor at UC Santa Cruz. Jun Stinson's <i>Futbolistas 4 Life</i> will screen at the same program, and it concerns Oakland students raising money for a new soccer field.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The third free screening is of Don Hardy and Dana Nachman's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/pick-of-the-litter" target="_blank">Pick of the Litter</a>, which follows five Labrador Retriever puppies as they train to be guide dogs for the visually impaired. Dogs (as well as masters) are invited to attend the April 7 screening at the Victoria Theatre, with the balcony being set aside as an "animal-free zone." Following last week's dog-friendly screening of Wes Anderson's <i>Isle of Dogs</i> at the Roxie (which prompted a write-up in the NY Times), this could signal yet another Bay Area-originated trend. Finally, while these screenings are free, registration is required (and <i>The Pushouts</i> is already at RUSH).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also operating under the umbrella of Special Events are a pair of Creativity Summits, both of which take place at the Creativity Museum on April 7 and are free to the public (registration required). Both panels are focused on discussions of "presence," or "how technology broadly (and VR & AR in particular) are impacting artistic and cultural practice." The first features multi-hyphenate novelist (<i>The Beach</i>), screenwriter (<i>28 Days Later</i>) and director (<i>Ex-Machina, Annihilation</i>) <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/creativity-summit-alex-garland-in-conversation" target="_blank">Alex Garland</a> in conversation with USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Tara McPherson. That will be followed by a panel comprised of VR pioneer <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/creativity-summit-jaron-lanier-in-conversation" target="_blank">Jaron Lanier</a> and WIRED magazine's Peter Rubin. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fans of actor/comedian Bill Hader (<i>SNL, The Skelton Twins</i>) will surely not want to miss the festival's special event presentation of his new HBO series, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/barry" target="_blank">Barry</a>. Hader plays the title character, an ex-Marine turned hitman who travels to L.A. for work and stumbles into an acting class run by a charismatic teacher (Henry Winkler). The series debuted on HBO this past Sunday and SFFILM Festival will show the first three episodes, all of which were helmed by Hader in his directorial debut. Bill Hader, Henry Winkler and writer/producer Alec Berg (<i>Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley</i>) are all expected to attend the presentation.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cross-published on <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2018/03/sffilm-festival-2018big-nights-awards.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a>.</span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-10594744395846045372018-03-13T13:27:00.004-07:002018-03-28T11:50:04.405-07:0061st SFFILM Festival 2018 – Early Announcements<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.sffilm.org/" target="_blank">SFFILM Festival</a>, which was known for 60 years as the San Francisco International Film Festival, is gearing up to celebrate its 61st edition from April 4 to 17. When the full line-up is revealed at tomorrow morning's press conference, SFFILM's programming team will have their work cut out for them. That's because in the dozen years I've blogged about the fest, never has so little been announced in advance. While it might not be easy topping last year's 60th anniversary extravaganza, I'm encouraged by what's been divulged thus far. What follows is a close-up look at what we already know, followed by some just-for-fun speculation and wishful thinking about what the rest of the festival line-up might hold for Bay Area cinephiles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⬤ Out of all the films which premiered at Sundance this year, none aroused more personal anticipatory excitement than Boots Riley's feature filmmaking debut, <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/sorry-to-bother-you" target="_blank"><i>Sorry to Bother You</i></a>. Now I'm completely over the moon that it'll be our festival's 2018 Centerpiece, with near-simultaneous screenings happening at both the Castro Theatre and Oakland's Grand Lake Theatre on Thursday, April 12. Oakland-based Riley is best known as one-half of the iconic, revolutionary hip-hop duo The Coup, whose songs include such full-mouth titles as "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Grenada Last Night," "BabyLet'sHaveABabyBeforeBushDoSomethingCrazy" and "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O." The group gained considerable notoriety for the original cover art of 2001's "Party Music" album, which depicted Riley and Coup co-conspirator DJ Pam the Funkstress (1966 – 2017 R.I.P.) blowing up the World Trade Center. The cover was created before the events of 9/11 and delayed the album's release by several months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Sorry to Bother You</i> is a scathing socio-politico satire set in the world of telemarketing, with a dystopic, gentrified Oakland as a backdrop. Rolling Stone magazine simply called it "a hundred thousand watts of fuck you." The plan on April 12 is for Riley to introduce the film at the Castro and then head across the Bay to introduce it at the Grand Lake. Riley and special guests (co-star Armie Hammer perhaps?) will then do a Skype Q&A for the Castro audience, followed by a live, in-person Q&A for the Oakland audience. Not incidentally, <i>Sorry to Bother You</i> received considerable funding and creative support through SFFILM artist development programs, FilmHouse Residency and the SFFILM/Rainin Filmmaking Grant. Be advised that the Grand Lake screening sold out less than 24 hours after tickets went on sale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⬤ Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron will be feted with a <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/tribute-to-charlize-theron-tully" target="_blank">SFFILM tribute</a> at the Castro Theatre on Sunday, April 8. After an on-stage conversation during which she'll discuss her formidable career (<i>Monster, North Country</i>, and most fabulously in recent years, <i>Max Max: Fury Road</i>), the festival will screen <i>Tully</i>, Theron's new film from director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. <i>Tully</i> is a third-time collaboration between Reitman and Cody, and is their second outing with Theron in the lead, following 2011's <i>Young Adult</i>. Oscar-nominated writer/director Reitman (<i>Up in the Air</i>) will join Theron for an on-stage Q&A following the screening. The movie is slated for general theatrical release on April 20.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⬤ Ten narrative features will compete in the festival's 2018 New Directors Competition. I can highly recommend Rungano Nyoni's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/i-am-not-a-witch" target="_blank"><i>I Am Not a Witch</i></a>, a top favorite amongst the 30 films I caught at this year's Palm Springs International Film Festival. Nyoni's movie premiered in the Director's Fortnight sidebar at Cannes, and is an empathetic, visually striking and acerbically funny satire in which a young village girl is suspected of sorcery and sent off to live in seclusion with other witches. The only other competition film already on my radar is Hlynur Pálmason's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/winter-brothers" target="_blank"><i>Winter Brothers</i></a>, which won a Best Actor prize at last summer's Locarno Film Festival. This idiosyncratic Danish film is set in the environs of a remote limestone factory and has been compared to the Greek "weird wave" films of Yorgos Lanthimos and others. The eight remaining New Directors Prize entries include works from Cape Verde (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/djon-%C3%A1frica" target="_blank"><i>Djon África</i></a>), Sweden (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/ravens" target="_blank"><i>Raven</i>s</a>), Georgia (<i><a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/scary-mother" target="_blank">Scary Mother</a>)</i>, France (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-sower" target="_blank"><i>The Sower</i></a>), Kyrgyzstan (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/suleiman-mountain" target="_blank"><i>Suleiman Mountain</i></a>), Switzerland (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/those-who-are-fine" target="_blank"><i>Those Who are Fine</i></a>), Argentina (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/tigre" target="_blank"><i>Tigre</i></a>) and the USA (<a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/night-comes-on" target="_blank">Jordana Spiro's <i>Night Comes On</i></a>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⬤ Ten films will also compete for the Golden Gate Awards McBaine Documentary Feature Competition. I'm especially looking forward to RaMell Ross' <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/hale-county-this-morning-this-evening" target="_blank"><i>Hale County This Morning, This Evening</i></a>, a filmic tone-poem centered on an African American community in rural Alabama which garnered terrific reviews when it premiered at Sundance. Two of the doc competition films, Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/the-rescue-list" target="_blank"><i>The Rescue List</i></a> and Denali Tiller's <a href="https://www.sffilm.org/2018-sffilm-festival/festival-calendar/tre-maison-dasan" target="_blank"><i>Tre Maison Dasan</i></a> will also be screening as part of SFFILM's "Launch" initiative, which aims to seek out distribution for non-fiction films that are SFFILM Festival world premieres, as well as "represent the values of our city and region" and "advance a culture of change." <i>The Rescue List</i> takes on the issue of forced child labor in Ghana, and <i>Tre Maison Dasan</i> follows the lives of three boys who share the common hardship of having incarcerated parents.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When speculating on which other films might make the SFFILM Fest roster, I first look at what's scheduled to pop up in local cinemas during, or shortly after the festival. This year's batch of April releases with potential for fest inclusion are Aaron Katz' <i>Gemini</i>, Chloé Zhao's <i>The Rider</i>, Lynne Ramsay's <i>You Were Never Really Here</i>, Andrew Haigh's <i>Lean On Pete</i>, Ferenc Török's <i>1945</i>, and last but not least, Sophie Fiennes' <i>Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami</i>. I also suspect that a number of films I saw in Palm Springs could also be making SFFILM Festival appearances, including such likely candidates as Laurent Cantet's <i>The Workshop</i>, Xavier Legrand's <i>Custody</i>, Léa Mysius' <i>Ava</i> and Léonor Serraille's <i>Montparnasse Bienvenue</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The following personal 20-film SFFILM Festival wish list is comprised entirely of works that played the international festival circuit in 2017, but have yet to find their way to the Bay Area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Barbara</i> (France, dir. Mathieu Amalric)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Beast</i> (UK, dir. Michael Pearce)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Casting</i> (Germany, dir. Nicolas Wackerbarth)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Claire's Camera</i> (France/South Korea, dir. Hong Sang-soo)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Everyone's Life</i> (France, dir. Claude Lelouch)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>First Reformed</i> (USA, dir. Paul Schrader)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>A Gentle Creature</i> (Russia, dir. Sergei Loznitsa)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Godard Mon Amour</i> (aka <i>Redoubtable</i>, France, dir. Michel Hazanavicius)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Hannah</i> (France/Italy, dir. Andrea Pallaoro)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jeanette, The Childhood of Joan of Arc</i> (France, dir. Bruno Dumont)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Joaquim</i> (Brazil, dir. Marcelo Gomes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The King</i> (US, dir. Eugene Jarecki)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Lover for a Day</i> (France, dir. Philippe Garrel)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Makala</i> (France, dir. Emmanuel Gras)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>A Man of Integrity</i> (Iran, dir. Mohammad Rasoulof)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Mrs. Hyde</i> (France, dir. Serge Bozon)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Razzia</i> (France/Morocco, dir. Nabil Ayouch)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Reinventing Marvin</i> (France, dir. Anne Fontaine)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Rodin</i> (France, dir. Jacques Doillon)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>See You Up There</i> (France, dir. Albert Dupontel)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cross-published on <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2018/03/sffilm-festival-2018michael-hawley.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-5551550650523200202017-10-02T21:48:00.002-07:002017-10-02T22:19:28.085-07:00Berlin & Cannes @ MVFF40 2017<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="https://www.mvff.com/" target="_blank">Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF)</a> turns 40 this year and will celebrate that milestone with a program that could be its biggest and best yet. Running from October 5 to 15, MVFF40 boasts yet another spectacular docket of filmmakers (Richard Linklater, Todd Haynes, Dee Rees, Sean Baker, Greta Gerwig) and actors (Holly Hunter, Andrew Garfield, Sean Penn, Kristin Scott Thomas) ready to make a Northern California pilgrimage to promote their autumn Awards Season projects. In total, the line-up encompasses nearly 120 features and 90 shorts from 52 countries – an impressive 43 percent of which were helmed by women filmmakers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year's festival is so chock-full of tributes, spotlights, sections, sidebars, panels, workshops and music programs – there's even a <a href="https://www.mvff.com/cannabis-culture/" target="_blank">Cannabis Culture focus</a> in anticipation of 2018's legalization of recreational weed – that it would be a fool's errand to try and survey it all in one preview. For me, the most exciting thing about MVFF is finally catching the wealth of new films that premiered earlier in the year at major international festivals like Berlin, Cannes and to a lesser extent, Sundance. What follows is a festival-by-festival glance at which movies I'm most hotly anticipating at MVFF40.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Sundance</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By the time MVFF rolls around, most of Sundance's prestige titles have already played the Bay Area or, as is often the case these days, gone directly to Netflix streaming. The exceptions tend to be films with massive critical acclaim, which prompts their distributors to squirrel them away for awards season roll-out. One such movie is Luca Guadagnino's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316658~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Call Me By Your Name</a>, an Italian-set, coming-of-age drama starring Armie Hammer as a 24-year-old doctoral student who sets off on a love affair with his employer's 17-year-old son. It's one of the best-reviewed flicks of 2017, with James Ivory's screenplay being singled out for special praise. Unfortunately, the film recently became the target of a <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/james-woods-responds-armie-hammer-amber-tamblyn-twitter-dustup-1037910" target="_blank">hypocritical homophobic tweet</a> by actor James Woods. <i>Call Me By Your Name</i> opens in Bay Area theatres on November 24.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another title lauded at Sundance was Dee Rees' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316719~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Mudbound</a>, a gritty familial drama about racism in post-WWII Mississippi. Rees' previous works include 2011's lesbian coming-out tale <i>Pariah</i> and HBO's <i>Bessie</i> Smith biopic. Both Rees and <i>Mudbound</i> will be the subjecy of a special MVFF Spotlight program on October 7 and the movie begins streaming on Netflix beginning November 17. It remains unclear if it will also receive a local theatrical release, meaning MVFF could be our only opportunity to experience <i>Mudbound</i> on the big screen. A third Sundance title I'm excited about is the Georgian film <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316720~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">My Happy Family</a>, from the same directors as 2013's magnificent <i>In Bloom</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Berlin</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While the 2017 Golden Bear winner <i>On Body and Soul</i> remains curiously M.I.A., nearly every other Berlin prizewinner earned a slot at MVFF40. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316674~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">A Fantastic Woman</a> is Chilean director Sebastián Lelio's follow-up to his international hit <i>Gloria</i>, for which Paulina Garcia won Berlin's 2013 best actress prize. Leilo's tale of a transgender woman dealing with the family of her recently deceased partner won awards for best screenplay, as well as the Teddy Award for best narrative feature – arguably the world's most prestigious prize for LGBT cinema. Berlin's 2017 best actress prize went to Kim Min-hee for her performance in Hong Sang-soo's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316724~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">On the Beach at Night Alone</a>. The film was inspired by Kim's real-life relationship with the married director Hong, which caused a huge public scandal in their home country South Korea. Hong is currently Asia's most prolific arthouse filmmaker, with <i>On the Beach</i> being just one of three movies he's released this year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alain Gomis' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316675~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Félicité</a> was chosen for Berlin's second highest award, the Grand Jury Prize. This music-filled drama centers around a Senegalese bar singer who's attempting to raise money after her son is injured in a car accident. The festival's singular Alfred Bauer Prize, awarded each year to a film that "opens new perspectives on cinematic art," was given to Agnieszka Holland's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316748~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Spoor</a>. Three of the Polish director's previous films have been nominated for Oscars and this Fargo-like murder mystery set in a wintry mountain village could possibly become her fourth.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had the chance to preview, and heartily recommend two Berlin titles dealing with the Syrian crisis in radically different ways. Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki won the festival's best director prize for <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316727~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Other Side of Hope</a>, in which an asylum-seeking Syrian mechanic finds refuge working in an oddball restaurant. The director's immediately recognizable style is in full effect, with its acute humanism, deadpan humor, candy-colored cinematography and retro art direction and music. I was somewhat perplexed by its aloof ending. In sharp contrast, Philippe Van Leeuw's intense and at times unbearably brutal <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316688~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">In Syria</a> gives viewers a front row seat to that country's civil war horrors. Incomparable Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (<i>The Lemon Tree, The Visitor</i>) stars as the matriarch of the last family to remain in a Damascus apartment building under blockade. The film is set during a 24-hour period and the action never leaves the building's confines. Best known as a cinematographer (he shot Bruno Dumont's <i>The Life of Jesus</i>), this is only Van Leeuw's second outing as writer/director. <i>In Syria</i> won the Audience Award in Berlin's Panorama sidebar and was easily my favorite of the MVFF40 films I previewed. If you miss it at MVFF, the film screens twice at this month's <a href="http://fest.arabfilmfestival.org/2017/films/in-syria/" target="_blank">Arab Film Festival</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another Berlin entry I can recommend is Élise Girard's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316751~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Strange Birds</a>, which builds on a recent mini-trend in French cinema for self-contained, enigmatic films that are barely feature length (e.g. <i>Nights With Theodore, A World Without Women, Vincent</i>). Lolita Chammah stars as Mavie, a reticent young woman from the provinces who tumbles into a job at a Parisian bookstore. The owner is Georges, a mysterious misanthrope (veteran Jean Sorel, <i>Belle de Jour</i>), who seems to have plenty of money despite a complete absence of customers. When his shady past comes home to roost, Georges goes on the lam, leaving Mavie to strike up a friendship with Roman (Pascal Cervo, <i>4 Days in France</i>), a possible anti-nuclear terrorist she meets at a screening of Satyajit Ray's <i>Charulata</i>. All of this so-called "action" is rendered in a wistful, tongue-in-cheek fashion. Directorial flourishes run the gamut from voiceover conversations that may or may not be imaginary, to iris shots employed for scene transitions and a running gag of dead sea gulls falling out of the sky. Paris itself is lovingly rendered by cinematographer Renato Berta. Franco-cinephiles probably know that Lolita Chammah is the daughter is Isabelle Huppert and producer/director Ronald Chammah. The latter makes a rare on-screen appearance in <i>Strange Birds</i> as a dead body being dragged out of George's bookstore.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite receiving mixed reviews at Berlin, I'm very much looking forward to catching <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316735~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Party</a>, Sally Potter's first new film in five years. Shot in B&W and in "real/reel" time, this acidic black comedy set during a chic London dinner party boasts a ridiculously beguiling cast that includes Kristin Scott Thomas, Bruno Ganz, Timothy Spall, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Patricia Clarkson and Cherry Jones. It was announced at the festival press conference that Ms. Thomas, who'll be in town for the October 6 Opening Night screening of <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316664~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Darkest Hour</a> (where she plays Mrs. Winston Churchill), plus <a href="https://www.mvff.com/kristin-scott-thomas/" target="_blank">her own MVFF tribute</a> on October 7, will stick around one extra day so that she can attend the October 8 showing of <i>The Party</i>. Rounding out MVFF40's line-up from Berlin are a pair of promising films from its Panorama sidebar, Song Chuan's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316659~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Ciao Ciao</a> from China, and Brazilian entry <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316759~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Vazante</a> from director Daniela Thomas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Cannes Film Festival's top three prizes are the Palme d'Or, the Grand Prix and the Prix du Jury. Amazingly, MVFF40 managed to score all three. This year's Palme went to Ruben Östlund's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316749~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Square</a>. I was a huge fan of his previous film, 2014's <i>Force Majeure</i>, and am therefore keen to catch this provocative satire centered around a Stockholm art museum director. <i>The Square</i> is also scheduled to open at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on November 10. The festival's second highest honor was awarded to Robin Campillo's exuberant <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316656~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">BPM (Beats Per Minute)</a>, which is set during the AIDS crisis in 1989 and deals with the rise of Paris' ACT UP chapter. The film also won the festival's FIPRESCI prize and Queer Palm. Although Campillo is best known for co-writing most of Laurent Cantet's screenplays, including 2008's Palme d'Or winner <i>The Class</i>, his two previous directorial efforts <i>They Came Back</i> and <i>Eastern Boys</i> are well worth seeking out. For those who miss <i>BPM</i> at MVFF40, it opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinemas on October 27. Lastly we have jury prize winner <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316709~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Loveless</a> from Oscar-nominated director Andrey Zvyagintsev (2014's <i>Leviathan</i>). Zvyagintsev is possibly Russian's greatest contemporary filmmaker (along with Sergei Loznitsa) and his new work focuses on an acrimonious divorce and the disappearance of a couple's 12-year-old son. It's worth noting that <i>The Square, BPM</i> and <i>Loveless</i> are all 2018 Oscar submissions from their respective countries of origin.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">From elsewhere in Cannes' main competition, MVFF40 has programmed <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316689~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">In the Fade</a> from noted German-Turkish director Fatih Akin (<i>Head On, The Edge of Heaven</i>). Mixed reviews didn't stop the festival from awarding its Best Actress prize to Diane Kruger, who plays a woman seeking revenge against the neo-Nazis that killed her husband and son. Cannes' Palm Dog Award was initiated in 2001 for the year's best canine performance and 2017's winner was Einstein, for his role as "Bruno" in Noah Baumbach's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316715~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Meyerowitz Stories</a>. Baumbach's latest work unites Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson as a dysfunctional NYC family. The film opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinemas on October 13, the same day it begins streaming on Netflix. The remaining Cannes prizewinner making its local debut is Ecumenical Jury Award recipient <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316738~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Radiance</a>. The new age-y, sentimental-borderline-maudlin films of Japanese director Naomi Kawase are an acquired taste I've yet to acquire.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only Cannes competition title offered for preview was Todd Haynes' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316765~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Wonderstruck</a>, which the festival was kind enough to screen at San Francisco's magnificent new Dolby Theatre. Based on a novel by Brian Selznick (who also wrote the screenplay), <i>Wonderstruck</i> marvelously conflates two storylines set 50 years apart, both concerning a hearing-impaired child who runs away to NYC. While a number of critics have disparaged the film as mawkish, I for one fell completely under its sway. At the very least, <i>Wonderstruck</i>'s technical achievements are nothing short of sublime. The production design and art direction are to die for, especially the evocation of 1977 Manhattan and the NY Museum of Natural History in 1927. Sandy Powell's costumes will no doubt earn her a 12th Oscar nomination and Carter Burwell's electric guitar-flavored score is one of his best. Haynes' ongoing collaboration with cinematographer Ed Lachman continues to be one of the most fruitful in contemporary cinema, and Affonso Gonçalves' editing adroitly juggles the two parallel storylines. <i>Wonderstruck</i> screens once at MVFF40, as part of an <a href="https://www.mvff.com/todd-haynes/" target="_blank">in-person tribute to Haynes</a> on October 13. The film's U.S. theatrical roll-out begins one week later.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Perhaps the best reviewed film at Cannes, with a current 100% Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating, was one that screened outside of any sidebar or competition. <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316673~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Faces Places</a> links the talents of 89-year-old French auteur Agnès Varda and 34-year-old French photo-muralist JR as they travel the countryside producing outsized, outdoor photo murals of people they encounter. The film seems a shoe-in for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar nomination, which would be doubly sweet considering that AMPAS will be giving Varda an honorary Oscar this year. <i>Faces Places</i> opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinemas on October 27.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another Cannes documentary that drew considerable praise is Barbet Schroeder's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316760~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Venerable W</a>, which I had the chance to preview and strongly recommend. The film is a disturbing profile of Wirathru, the Myanmar monk whose racist, anti-Muslim views have exacerbated the country's genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority. Schroeder has declared <i>The Venerable W</i> as the third part of a Trilogy of Evil, following 1974's <i>General Idi Amin Dada</i> and 2007's <i>Terror's Advocate</i> (the latter concerns Klaus Barbie/Carlos the Jackal/Khmer Rouge lawyer Jacques Vergès). It sadly and effectively demonstrates how Buddhism can be manipulated and used for fucked-up purposes just like any other religion on earth. In one telling birds-of-a-feather sequence, Wirathru warns that "in the U.S. if people want to maintain peace and security, they must choose Donald Trump." Given recent events in Myanmar, <i>The Venerable W</i> is even more urgent than when it premiered at Cannes back in May. Screenings of the film will be preceded by a 14-minute short, <i>Where Are You At, Barbet Schroeder?</i>, in which the director reflects on Myanmar's genocide through the filter of his own life-long dedication to Buddhism.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moving on to Cannes' various sidebars, I'm super excited about Sean Baker's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316677~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Florida Project</a>, which premiered in Director's Fortnight. Baker's previous film <i>Tangerine</i> was my second favorite movie of 2015, and his latest is said to be another empathetic valentine to America's marginalized. This time his focus is on the denizens of a run-down motel outside Orlando's Disney World wherein Willem Dafoe has garnered considerable praise for his portrayal of the motel's crustily benevolent manager. Happily, Sean Baker is expected at both MVFF40 screenings, which occur just days before its October 13 Bay Area theatrical debut at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinemas. Also hailing from Director Fortnight is Claire Denis' <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316704~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Let the Sunshine In</a>, which was the sidebar's opening night film. Juliette Binoche stars in this wry comedy about a divorced woman seeking true love, and she's supported by an impressive cast that includes Gérard Depardieu, Nicholas Duvauchelle and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. A third film culled from the DF roster is Jonas Carpignano's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316647~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">A Ciambra</a>, which Italy has selected as its 2018 Oscar submission.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MVFF40 has also gathered three intriguing titles from Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar. The one with the biggest buzz and critical acclaim is Valeska Grisebach's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316763~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">Western</a>, a culture clash drama that pits resistant local yokels against a group of boorish Germans brought to Bulgaria to build a water power plant. Then in Annarita Zambrano's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316649~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">After the War</a>, a former Italian terrorist residing in France with his teenage daughter is forced into hiding in order to evade extradition back to Italy. The third UCR selection at MVFF40 is Cecilia Atan and Valeria Pivato's <a href="https://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=316667~983c845f-a11a-4407-a254-d45cc3fdaab3&epguid=a1ad63af-e5ba-48a3-940d-9a52532417fb&" target="_blank">The Desert Bride</a>, an Argentine film starring the terrific Paulina Garcia (<i>Gloria, Little Men</i>) as a cautious urbanite who discovers potential transformation in her new rural locale.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-61607856822474692632017-06-14T08:20:00.002-07:002017-06-14T09:05:34.079-07:00Frameline41 2017<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkmc7NoQs9LUearchtbaRU60_-XeIosm2egDRAcJCd9JbILP51fuJmwyHlQJZAhpal-SezwlJfD4bVB-AfjenZKvE16VQTezF4R9J3y7zIPA9dZwHT0u3lZW9I8SdysFaIBQs0RM4hu4/s1600/Frameline41_Branding_Square.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="737" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkmc7NoQs9LUearchtbaRU60_-XeIosm2egDRAcJCd9JbILP51fuJmwyHlQJZAhpal-SezwlJfD4bVB-AfjenZKvE16VQTezF4R9J3y7zIPA9dZwHT0u3lZW9I8SdysFaIBQs0RM4hu4/s400/Frameline41_Branding_Square.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival" target="_blank">Frameline</a>, aka "the world's longest-running and largest showcase of queer cinema," celebrates its 41st edition from June 15 to 25. This year's 147 films from 19 countries are split almost evenly between features and shorts, with an unprecedented 40 percent coming from women filmmakers. Here are thoughts on a dozen I had the chance to preview, with additional spotlights on others I'm hoping to catch during the festival proper.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of my favorite film genres to watch at Frameline are LGBTQ "celebrity" documentaries and biopics. Frameline41 gets off to an auspicious start when Jennifer Kroot's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-untold-tales-of-armistead-maupin" target="_blank">The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin</a> screens on opening night. The film solidifies Kroot's reputation as one of our best cinematic LGBTQ biographers, and compares favorably with her previous bio-docs on George Takei (<i>To Be Takei</i>) and the Kuchar Brothers (<i>It Came From Kuchar</i>). Her new film traces writer Armistead Maupin's unexpected path from conservative great-great-grandson of a Confederate general, to author of the internationally beloved "Tales of the City." Stops are made along the way to frankly discuss such things as his sexual friendship with, and ultimate outing of, actor Rock Hudson.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kroot's main competition in the LGBTQ bio-doc biz is Jeffrey Schwarz, whose acclaimed films <i>Vito</i>, <i>I Am Divine</i> and <i>Tab Hunter Confidential</i> all played Frameline. He's back this year with <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-fabulous-allan-carr" target="_blank">The Fabulous Allan Carr</a>, a look at the outsized, hedonistic life of the man who produced <i>Grease</i>, the Broadway musical of <i>La Cage aux Folles</i> and everyone's fave campy disco romp, <i>Can't Stop the Music</i>. Speaking of fabulous, was anyone <i>ever</i> more deserving of that identifier than cartoonishly big-buxomed Jayne Mansfield, an actress perhaps best known for her grisly death as for her starring roles in 50's cult classics like <i>The Girl Can't Help It</i> and <i>Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?</i> I've been a rabid fan since childhood, which is why <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/mansfield-66/67" target="_blank">Mansfield 66/67</a> is the film I'm most anticipating at Frameline41. Directors David Ebersole and Todd Hughes' work promises to survey Mansfield's life and oeuvre, with heavy emphasis on her relationship with Anton LaVey, founder of San Francisco's Church of Satan. John Waters, Peaches Christ and Kenneth Anger, whose essential scandal tome "Hollywood Babylon" is graced with Mansfield's cover portrait, are among the film's talking heads.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another noteworthy film biographer with a new movie at Frameline41 is gadfly British documentarian Nick Broomfield (<i>Kurt and Courtney</i>, <i>Biggie and Tupac</i>, <i>Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer</i>). His <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/whitney" target="_blank">Whitney: Can I Be Me</a> was one of the big hits at this spring's Tribeca Film Festival, garnering great reviews for its provocative examination of Whitney Houston's troubled life and career. Why is this film at Frameline? Apparently, Houston was a closeted bi-sexual who was in a decades-long relationship with friend and personal assistant Robyn Crawford, even during her marriage to Bobby Brown. Frameline41's Centerpiece Documentary focuses on another singer, Mexican ranchera interpreter <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/chavela" target="_blank">Chavela</a> Vargas. Harry Vaughn's tantalizing program notes describe Vargas as a "pistol-packing, cigar-smoking, tequila-downing, women-loving" performer who had affairs with Ava Gardner and Frida Kahlo. Moviegoers may know her voice and image from films by Pedro Almodóvar (<i>Flower of My Secret)</i>, Alejandro González Iñarrítu (<i>Babel</i>) and Julie Taymor (<i>Frida</i>). <i>Chavela</i> is co-directed by Catherine Gund, whose portrait of choreographer Elizabeth Streb, <i>Born to Fly</i>, was a highlight of Frameline38. Elsewhere in the line-up of biographical films on famous (or in these cases, infamous) LGBTQ folks, I'm looking forward to the narrative features <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/tom-of-finland" target="_blank">Tom of Finland</a> and <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/my-friend-dahmer" target="_blank">My Friend Dahmer</a>, the latter an imagining of the serial killer's high school years based on a best-selling graphic novel (co-starring Anne Heche as his mother!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In addition to <i>Untold Tales</i>, I had the chance to watch five other Frameline41 docs and all are recommended. The most memorable is <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/quest" target="_blank">Quest</a>, Jonathan Olshefhski's empathetic, serenely powerful study of an African-American family and their Philadelphia neighborhood during the Obama years. The reason for the film's Frameline inclusion doesn't become apparent until roughly two-thirds through, when it's revealed that the Rainey family's teenage daughter PJ is lesbian. PJ's loss of an eye following a neighborhood shooting is one of Quest's major story arcs. The film is scheduled to appear on PBS' <i>P.O.V.</i> series later this year in an edited form, but trust me, you'll want to experience every possible minute of this remarkable family's eight-year journey.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two other Frameline41 docs centered on family are <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/abu" target="_blank">Abu (Father)</a> and <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/small-talk" target="_blank">Small Talk</a>. The former is director Arshad Khan's fascinating account of growing up gay in a once-liberal Pakistani family, where the parents gradually transition to fundamentalism after emigrating to Canada. Khan incorporates a wealth of home video footage with animation and Bollywood clips that reflect back on his own story with poignancy and humor. Then in <i>Small Talk</i>, Taiwanese filmmaker Hui-Chen Huang seeks answers about her painful relationship with Anu, her butch lesbian mother who was emotionally and physically absent during childhood. The film comes alive at its mid-point, when Huang interviews several of her mother's ex-girlfriends. Their descriptions of Anu as a drinking, gambling, generous-to-a-fault bon vivant contrast sharply with the dour, reticent woman we observe in the movie. <i>Small Talk</i> won the prestigious Teddy Award for best documentary at 2017's Berlin Film Festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Documentaries about LGBTQ cultural and political history are always of special interest to me. Andrea Weiss' <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/bones-of-contention" target="_blank">Bones of Contention</a> is a tragic and compelling memorial to queer folk who were persecuted, imprisoned and oftentimes buried in unmarked mass graves during Francisco Franco's fascist reign in Spain. Revered poet Federico Garcia Lorca is thought to be buried in one such grave, and quotations from his work are used as a framing device throughout the film. In a rare moment of levity, <i>Bones of Contention</i> reveals that "booksellers" was the coded euphemism used for lesbians, who were afforded the dubious "luxury" of slipping under the fascists' radar simply because they weren't thought to exist. During the festival, I'm hoping to catch two films documenting LGBTQ repression and emerging activism in the 1950's. Josh Howard's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-lavender-scare" target="_blank">The Lavender Scare</a> takes on gay witch-hunts that arose following President Eisenhower's 1953 signing of an executive order banning homosexuals from federal employment. Fergus O'Brien's docu-drama <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/against-the-law" target="_blank">Against the Law</a> covers roughly the same era in the UK, honing in on the story of pioneering activist Peter Wildeblood.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those with an affinity for LGBTQ culture's edgier edges won't want to miss <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/queercore-how-to-punk-a-revolution" target="_blank">Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution</a>. Yony Leyser's fast-paced and informative doc about queer punk-dom begins at ground zero with the scene's invention by Toronto musician-artist G.B. Jones and filmmaker Bruce La Bruce. Through a series of zines and especially La Bruce's groundbreaking 1991 debut feature <i>No Skin Off My Ass</i>, the duo dreamt up a non-existent phenomenon that became a self-perpetuating reality. Aided by nifty graphics and animation, Leyser's film highlights such seminal touchstones as Queer Nation, the anti-assimilation movement and Riot Grrrl. The parade of talking heads is nothing short of astounding, with La Bruce, Justin Vivian Bond, Lynn Breedlove (Tribe 8), Jon Ginoli (Pansy Division), Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Penny Arcade, Peaches, Patty Schemel (Hole) and especially Canadian artist-filmmaker Scott Treleaven (1996 doc <i>Queercore: A Punk-u-mentary</i>), all offering their singular takes upon the movement. And just when you start to think, "where the hell is John Waters," there he is bringing up the rear. On a side note, one wonders why La Bruce's latest film <i>The Misandrists</i>, is M.I.A. at Frameline41.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amongst the roster of international narrative features, I was especially taken by three from Latin America. This year's Centerpiece: World Cinema presentation is Ernesto Contreras' lush and lyrical <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/i-dream-in-another-language" target="_blank">I Dream in Another Language</a>, in which a linguist travels to a remote Mexican jungle village to document a barely extant dialect. The problem is the language's two remaining practitioners no longer speak to each other due to a decades old conflict involving sexual attraction. A moment or two of ill-fitting melodrama and an excess of sea-frolic-ing detract little from the overall intelligence of this lovely film tinged with magic realism. <i>I Dream in Another Language</i> won an audience award at this year's Sundance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also heartily recommend Carlos Lechuga's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/santa-and-andres" target="_blank">Santa & Andres</a>. Set in Cuba in the early 80's, the film keenly observes the evolving relationship between a gay writer – one who spent eight years in prison for being "counter-revolutionary" and is now banished to a remote countryside shack – and a seemingly hardened young female Communist party member assigned to keep tabs on him. In addition to its gripping, humanist storyline, the film boasts extraordinary performances from Eduardo Martinez and Lola Amores in the title roles. In Julia Solomonoff's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/nobodys-watching" target="_blank">Nobody's Watching</a>, we're offered a remarkably different kind of story about immigration to the U.S. Guillermo Pfening, who won the Tribeca Film Festival's best actor prize, plays an Argentine <i>telenovela</i> star trying to relaunch his career in NYC without much success. With his tourist visa about to expire, he tenuously couch-surfs and takes on odd jobs, including a stint as nanny for a close friend's baby. Meanwhile, he receives frequent phone calls, and an in-person visit, from his married and closeted ex who wants him back in Buenos Aires. As Tim Sika summarizes in his Frameline capsule, <i>Nobody's Watching</i> "observes with an outsider's eye the subtle boundaries that define class, race and opportunity in contemporary America." Director Solomonoff returns to Frameline for the first time since 2009's memorable <i>The Last Summer of La Boyita</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In four decades of attending Frameline I can't remember there ever being a film from Armenia, let alone a compassionate and thoughtful one centered on FTM transitioning. Pouira Heidary Oureh's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/apricot-groves" target="_blank">Apricot Groves</a> begins and ends with an identical POV shot of someone being wheeled into surgery by a chador-covered woman speaking words of comfort in Farsi. The unseen patient in this flash-forward is Aram, an Iranian-Armenian "man" who has come to Armenia's capital of Yerevan from Los Angeles to ask for his fiancé's hand in marriage. He's accompanied by his gregarious older brother and after a strained meeting with the bride's family, the siblings drive to the Iranian border for an unexplained purpose (albeit one that's foreshadowed in the film's opening – it helps if you know Iran is a world leader in sexual reassignment surgery). <i>Apricot Groves</i> features handsome widescreen cinematography, an effective regional-flavored score and a hypnotic performance by actor Narbe Vartan as Aram. The final international feature I'm recommending is Francis Lee's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/gods-own-country" target="_blank">God Own Country</a>, which I caught at the recent SFFILM Festival. Lee aptly won Sundance's World Cinema directing prize for this <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>-influenced tale about a closeted, hard-drinking Yorkshire sheep farmer's volatile relationship with a Romanian itinerant worker. The film's steamy sex scenes should look particularly glorious up on the Castro Theatre's gigantic screen.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The biggest surprise about Frameline41's World Cinema line-up is that there's only one entry from France. Luckily, it's a film I've read terrific things about and am delighted to have the chance to see. Jérôme Reybaud's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/4-days-in-france" target="_blank">4 Days in France</a> is described as a sexy road movie in which a 36-year-old Parisian leaves his boyfriend and hits the backroads of rural France, using his Grindr app to find anonymous sex. Unbeknownst to him, his boyfriend is also using Grindr to stalk and keep track of his movements. Although it's not from France, I'm also hoping to check out the French-language Canadian feature <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/those-who-make-revolution-halfway-only-dig-their-own-graves" target="_blank">Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves</a>, which not only has the longest title at Frameline41, but also the longest running time at 183 minutes. Finally, I'm hoping not to miss the Showcase presentation of John Trengove's <a href="https://www.frameline.org/festival/film-guide/the-wound" target="_blank">The Wound</a>, a rare example of LGBTQ narrative filmmaking from sub-Saharan Africa. The film is a gay love story set against the backdrop of <i>Ulwaluko</i>, a ritualistic circumcision ceremony practiced by South Africa's Xhosa community. Director Trengove created controversy recently when he withdrew <i>The Wound</i> from the opening night slot of Tel Aviv's TLVFEST, at the request of <a href="http://www.bdssouthafrica.com/cultural-boycott/south-african-filmmaker-withdraws-israeli-film-festival/" target="_blank">BDS South Africa</a>. (Frameline has dealt with its own issues over Israeli governmental support over the years). The film has also <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/africa/the-wound-film-south-africa-john-trengove-nakhane-toure/index.html" target="_blank">proven to be controversial</a> in its homeland.</span></span><br />
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<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-10892800939309258402017-05-31T08:14:00.002-07:002017-05-31T08:50:02.703-07:00San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2017<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A pair of films by trailblazing women directors, a quartet of movies spotlighting the year 1925, plus Oscar Micheaux's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276003~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Body and Soul</a> starring Paul Robeson (with live accompaniment by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Spooky" target="_blank">DJ Spooky</a>!) are among the anticipated highlights of the <a href="http://www.silentfilm.org/festivalevents/sfsff-2017-june-14" target="_blank">22nd San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF)</a>. This year's edition takes in 18 programs, and according to the indispensable <a href="http://www.filmonfilm.org/filmcalendar/" target="_blank">Film on Film Foundation Bay Area Calendar</a>, fully half contain some element of 35mm presentation. What's especially remarkable about the festival, however, is that all 15 feature films are SFSFF debuts. That includes warhorses like Harold Lloyd's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=275999~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Freshman</a>, which opens the event on Thursday, June 1, straight through Sunday evening's closer, <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276016~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Three Musketeers</a> with Douglas Fairbanks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If I could only choose one film to see at SFSFF22, it would be the reconstruction of Harry Hoyt's 1925 dinosaur epic <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276014~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Lost World</a>. Based Arthur Conan Doyle's oft-filmed novel, this adventure yarn about an Amazonian land-that-time-forgot co-stars Wallace Beery, Bessie Love and Lewis Stone. But the movie's true stars are the crudely magnificent stop-motion animated dinosaur sequences by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien" target="_blank">Willis O'Brien</a>, the man who would give the world <i>King Kong</i> eight years later. I last saw <i>The Lost World</i> at the SF International Film Festival in 2009, with an explosive live score by Cambodian-flavored rock band Dengue Fever. (For my money, the most successful of that festival's many alt-rock and silent cinema pairings thus far). Accompanying the film this Sunday afternoon will be the peerless Alloy Orchestra, who I'm certain are up to the task. Lobster Films' Serge Bromberg will introduce the program and hopefully speak about the film's reconstruction from 11 different source materials.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a prelude to <i>The Lost World</i>, the festival presents the short, <i>Fifty Million Years Ago</i> prior to the screening of Victor Sjöstrom's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276013~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">A Man There Was</a> earlier Sunday afternoon. This seven-minute, 1925 film was created to exploit the country's interest in the subject of evolution – this being the year of America's infamous Scopes "Monkey" Trial – as well as to pique interest in the release of <i>The Lost World</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In addition to <i>The Lost World</i>, <i>The Freshman</i> and <i>Body and Soul</i>, the fourth element of the festival's spotlight on 1925 is none other than Sergei Eisenstein's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276009~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Battleship Potemkin</a>. It's almost impossible to believe SFSFF carried on for more than two decades without having screened this revolutionary masterpiece, but there you have it. My first <i>Potemkin</i> exposure was in a university film theory class where the professor ran the Odessa Steps sequence forward and backward through the projector until the film broke. More recently, I caught it at the Castro Theatre in 2011 in a definitive version that placed all 1,374 shots in correct order, re-instated the original inter-titles and re-worked Edmund Meisel's original score. That's the version we'll presumably be seeing on Saturday evening, but with live accompaniment performed by the Matti Bye Ensemble. Bye's ethereal-sounding music seems an odd choice to accompany Potemkin's propulsive dynamism, so it'll be interesting to hear how they pull this off. Those with an interest in Soviet silent cinema might also want to check out Heorhii Stabovyi's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276015~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Two Days</a>, which is set during the Ukraine's 1917-21 civil war and screens Sunday night.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The festival is giving its two women-directed films back-to-back showings on Friday afternoon. First up will be Dorothy Arzner's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276001~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Get Your Man</a> from 1927. The bewitching Clara Bow stars as a woman who gets trapped in a Paris wax museum overnight with an aristocrat, played by Charles "Buddy" Rogers (of all people). This new Library of Congress reconstruction fills out missing sections with production stills and expository intertitles. As an added bonus to the program, the festival is premiering a 23-minute fragment from <i>Now We're in the Air!</i> Footage from this long-lost 1927 comedy starring Louise Brooks and Wallace Beery was recently discovered in the Czech Republic's National Film Archive and subsequently restored by the festival's president, Rob Byrne.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The afternoon's celebration of pioneering female filmmakers continues with another important restoration, Lois Weber's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276002~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Dumb Girl of Portici</a>. The 1916 film stars legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and it's believed to be her only screen appearance. Pavlova produced and choreographed this tale of a mute fisher-girl who sparks a revolution in 17th century Spanish-occupied Naples. It was Universal Pictures most expensive production to date and was only one of ten feature films that the ultra-prolific Weber directed in 1916 alone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a major fan of both Tod Browning and Ernst Lubitsch, I was delighted to find relatively little known selections from their early filmographies in the line-up. Browning is represented by <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276008~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Outside the Law</a>, a 1920 crime thriller set in San Francisco's Chinatown. Frequent Browning collaborator Lon Chaney appears in dual roles as a sleazy criminal mastermind and a Chinese Confucian philosophy student. Anna May Wong also pops up in a bit part, marking her third screen performance (albeit uncredited). The Lubitsch film is 1919's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276011~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Doll</a>, a comic fantasy said to be one of the director's personal favorites from his pre-Hollywood career. The main draw for me is actress Ossi Oswalda, who was such a hoot in Lubitsch's cross-dressing comedy <i>Girls Will Be Boys</i>, which the fest screened last year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the most intriguing-sounding titles at SFIFF22 is surely Mario Roncoroni's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276007~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Filibius</a>. This 1915 Italian movie stars Cristina Ruspoli as a crime-committing baroness who stages her capers from the safety of a technologically-advanced zeppelin manned by subservient male acolytes. I'm especially looking forward to hearing what the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra has concocted in the way of a score for this. <i>Filibus</i> was recently restored by the Netherlands' EYE Filmmuseum, whose chief silent film curator Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi will be on hand to receive this year's (long-overdue!) San Francisco Silent Film Festival Award at the screening.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amongst the remaining programs, I'm probably most looking forward to <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276010~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">A Page of Madness</a>, Teinosuke Kinugasa's 1926 Japanese avant-garde masterpiece that's entirely set in an insane asylum. Appropriately enough, the Alloy Orchestra will be accompanying that one. I also don't want to miss <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276005~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Magic and Mirth: A Collection of Enchanting Short Films, 1906-1924</a>. Curated by Lobster Films' Serge Bromberg, the program will include works by D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and George Méliès. The free-admission <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276000~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Amazing Tales from the Archives</a> program is always a fun and informative look at the latest in silent cinema preservation. Rounding out SFSFF22's roster are a trio of dramas: Irish revolutionary tale <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276004~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Informer</a>, a Cecil B. DeMille adaptation of the Broadway stage play <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276012~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Silence</a>, and the Polish thriller <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=276006~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">A Strong Man</a>. The latter apparently contains elements of film noir, given that it's to be introduced by Eddie Muller.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-32027069552957921182017-05-02T13:43:00.002-07:002017-05-03T08:34:39.227-07:00SFFILM Festival 60 Wrap-Up<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival" target="_blank">60th SFFILM Festival</a> recently came to a close after a 15-day orgy of movie-going magic. Personal highlights included getting to share the same air as Ethan Hawke, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, as well as seeing new works from favorite directors like Alejandro Jodorowsky and João Pedro Rodrigues. Here are some thoughts on 20 of the programs I caught at this year's memorable anniversary edition.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/casting-jonbenet#.WQjsuFMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Casting JonBenet</b></a> (USA/Australia dir. Kitty Green)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All I knew about this lurid Boulder, CO child murder case was what I gleaned from standing in supermarket check-out lines in 1997. This singular documentary recounts the whole story with zero archival footage, exclusively relying upon tapes of Boulder residents "auditioning" for a filmic study about the case. The result is an affecting portrait of how media sideshows affect those on its sidelines. This was my first time seeing a film in the astounding new Dolby Cinema on Market Street. <i>Casting JonBenet</i> is currently available to stream on Netflix.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-ethan-hawke-maudie#.WQjs21MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>A Tribute to Ethan Hawke</b></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This conversation with one of my favorite actors – conducted by his 2000 <i>Hamlet</i> director Michael Almereyda – was an expected highlight of the festival. There were anecdotes aplenty about Hawke's longtime directorial collaborator Richard Linklater, all of which gave me even greater respect for the versatile Austin filmmaker. And I was especially tickled to hear that Hawke's first acting gig (as a one-line extra in Shaw's "Saint Joan") was at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ, where I saw my first Shakespeare play on a school outing back in the 60's. I didn't stay to watch Hawkes' new film <i>Maudie</i> (it opens locally on June 23), because I didn't realize he'd be returning for a post-screening Q&A.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/leaning-into-the-wind-%E2%80%93-andy-goldsworthy#.WQjs9VMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Leaning Into the Wind – Andy Goldsworthy</b></a> (UK dir. Thomas Riedelsheimer)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While lacking some of the "wow" factor that made <i>Rivers and Tides</i> a surprise arthouse hit 15 years ago, this sequel will still be appreciated by admirers of that first cinematic profile of environmental artist Goldsworthy. The new film finds the artist facing issues of aging and legacy, and keeps tabs on his latest projects (some of which, such as his newfound propensity for crawling through giant hedges, seem rather silly). Local audiences will appreciate the detailed section on the creation of Tree Fall, one of four Goldsworthy pieces to be found in San Francisco's Presidio. This SFFILM Festival screening was the movie's world premiere and unsurprisingly, it immediately got snapped up for U.S. distribution (by Magnolia Pictures).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/7852#.WQjtD1MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>78/52</b></a> (USA dir. Alexandre O. Philippe)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This was my favorite documentary of the festival – a sort-of everything you ever wanted to know about <i>Psycho</i>'s shower scene, but didn't know what to ask. Positing the film as Hitchcock's fuck-you to Hollywood after a decade of glossy, star-studded thrillers, this enormously fun and informative doc digs deeps into the minutiae of those world-changing three minutes of celluloid. I was particularly delighted to hear from Janet Leigh's body double, Marli Renfro, and I now know that the stabbing sound effects were achieved by plunging knives into casaba melons.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/score-a-film-music-documentary#.WQjtKlMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Score: A Film Music Documentary</b></a> (USA dir. Matt Schrader)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although limited by its near exclusive focus on Hollywood tent-pole composers, i.e. John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith, et al., there was still much to appreciate in this close-up look at the marriage of orchestral music and film. (A relationship, as the film points out, that began with 1933's <i>King Kong</i>). Among its film's highlights are a fly-on-the-wall look at an Abbey Road recording session and an appreciation for how different composers work with studio musicians. My favorite anecdote had composer Brian Tyler (<i>Iron Man 3, The Fate of the Furious</i>) describing his method for determining a score's effectiveness: he hides in toilet stalls to hear if anyone comes into the theater restroom humming his tunes. The screening was followed by a lively Q&A with director Schrader and composer John Debney (<i>The Jungle Book</i>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/yourself-and-yours#.WQjtQ1MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Yourself and Yours</b></a> (South Korea, dir. Hong Sang-soo)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'd have to go back 10 years to find a Hong film I enjoyed less than this one, a surprise given the one-two knock-out punches of 2015's hilarious <i>Hill of Freedom</i> and 2016's deeply moving <i>Right Now, Wrong Then</i>. I'll admit that I fell asleep twice, which could be a problem in a film with possible twins and/or doppelgangers. Anyway, I plan to revisit it ASAP. Fortunately, I'm a SFFILM member and <i>Yourself and Yours</i> is one of 15 films from this year's festival available to stream for free in the organization's <a href="https://films.fora.tv/" target="_blank">Screening Room</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-lost-city-of-z#.WQjtXlMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>The Lost City of Z</b></a> (USA dir. James Gray)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I decided to pass up <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/beach-rats#.WQjw_1MrKi4" target="_blank">Beach Rats</a>, a film I was dying to see, in order to catch director James Gray in person presenting his latest work. While this engaging-enough mini-epic about an early 20th century Amazonian explorer proved Gray's least interesting film to date, the director himself decidedly did not disappointment. He held the festival audience captive, regaling us with one production "war story" after the next (including how the indigenous peoples who appear in the film asked for two things in return for their participation – help constructing an irrigation system and a shipment of Lands' End cargo shorts). Out Woody-ing Woody Allen in his halting Brooklyn-ese accent, Gray also proved a master impressionist, taking on Jimmy Stewart in <i>Vertigo</i> as well as Benedict Cumberbatch (in a recreation of his phone call to Gray wherein he withdrew from <i>Lost City of Z</i> two weeks before production started).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/vr-days#.WQjtj1MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>VR Days</b></a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The highlight of this year's virtual reality showcase was <i>Dreams of O</i>, a tripped-out, slightly creepy in-your-face adaptation of Cirque du Soleil's aqua-spectacular. It came as no surprise to learn that its creators, Felix & Paul Studios, were also behind <i>Nomad: Sea Gypsies</i>, my favorite piece from last year's VR Days (see my review <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2016/05/sfiff59-2016-wrap-up-report-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I was also taken by Connor Hair and Alex Meader's <i>My Brother's Keeper</i>, in which the viewer intimately experiences the tragedy of siblings fighting on opposite sides of America's Civil War. The wistfulness of Patrick Osborne's Oscar-nominated <i>Pearl</i>, wherein the participant sits in a car's passenger seat and witnesses the years-long evolution of a father-daughter relationship, also made an impression.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/bill-nye-science-guy#.WQjtqFMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Bill Nye: Science Guy</b></a> (USA dir. David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the big thrills of this year's fest was sitting across the aisle from bow-tied Mr. Nye as we both watched this tribute to his life and work. Shot over the course of two years, the doc pays tribute to Nye's adulation by America's schoolchildren and follows his involvement as CEO of Carl Sagan's The Planetary Society as it successfully launches a solar sail project into space. A big chunk is also devoted to his role as the public face of opposition to evolution and climate change deniers, specifically his battles with creationist theme park huckster Ken Ham and bodybuilding meteorologist Joe Bastardi. More personally, the film looks at Nye's reason for never having children – the Ataxia disease which profoundly affected his brother and sister. It pained me to skip out on the post-screening panel discussion in order to catch my next movie.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/endless-poetry#.WQjtwVMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Endless Poetry</b></a> (Chile/France dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Latin America's master surrealist once again employs exquisite artifice and outsized emotions in the service of presenting his life story, making this my hands-down favorite film of the festival. The movie picks up where 2013's <i>The Dance of Reality</i> left off, with the director's family leaving tiny Tocopilla for Santiago, where he'll evolve into a celebrated young poet. <i>Endless Poetry</i> concludes with Jodorowsky's departure for Paris, and we can only hope that the 88-year-old filmmaker lives long enough to see this intended five-part project to its conclusion. In addition to being the film's U.S. premiere, the screening was augmented by special guest Bob Taicher, a longtime friend of Jodorowsky's who executive-produced 1973's <i>The Holy Mountain</i>. For those who missed it, <i>Endless Poetry</i> opens in Bay Area Landmark Theatres on July 21.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival-2017/asian-dub-foundation#.WQjt2VMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Asian Dub Foundation: Live Score of George Lucas' THX 1138</b></a> (USA 1971)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a cinephile and four-decade San Francisco resident, I've always been embarrassed to admit I've never seen <i>THX1138</i>. I've resisted because the clips always made it look, well, kind of boring. I still can't say I've seen the film as Lucas intended, but boy did I ever have a blast watching it to the live throbbing beats of the UK's Asian Dub Foundation. I detected little of Lalo Schifrin's original score (was it even audible?) and appreciated that the film's dialogue was necessarily close-captioned. It was a kick watching the Broadway tunnel chase scene, and of course, the futuristic humanoids trudging through the same BART stations I do. Question: can anyone tell me why all the POC in the film are holograms?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-death-of-louis-xiv#.WQjt81MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>The Death of Louis XIV</b></a> (France dir. Albert Serra)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This intimate and atmospheric portrait of the Sun King's final days just continues to grow in my estimation. It's composed of dozens of lovely moments that revel in the royal decorum of the era. We observe as a succession of servants, family members, doctors, advisors and courtly hangers-on all come to fuss over their beloved <i>Sire</i>, whose gangrenous leg is slowly transporting him to the grave. At the center of it all is Jean-Pierre Léaud's exquisitely haunting performance as Louis, a venerated yet vulnerable man in a big wig, at repose in a little bed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/brimstone-and-glory#.WQjuElMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Brimstone & Glory</b></a> (USA dir. Viktor Jakovleski)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Castro Theatre's enormous screen was the perfect place to witness this spectacular documentary about Mexico's National Pyrotechnic Festival. Shot over the course of three years in the town of Tultepec, where virtually every inhabitant is involved in the manufacturing of fireworks (and virtually every building displays a "PELIGRO" sign), the film invites the audience to participate in the festival's incendiary insanity from the safety of a cinema seat. I was not disappointed <i>Brimstone & Glory</i> won the top prize in the Golden Gate Documentary Feature Competition.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/patti-cake#.WQjuKlMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Patti Cake$</b></a> (USA dir. Geremy Jasper)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year's Centerpiece Film was a full-on crowd pleaser about the fable-esque rise of a plus-sized, put-upon, white female rapper in New Jersey. The film's boundless energy and propulsive music scenes more than made up for any script misgivings, such as an out-of-nowhere sex scene between Patti and her socially maladjusted music producer. Australian actress Danielle Macdonald gives an unforgettable performance and was on hand for a Q&A in which she talked about the difficulties of learning a NJ accent, learning to rap and learning to rap in a NJ accent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/everything-else#.WQjuQ1MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Everything Else</b></a> (Mexico dir. Natalia Almada)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It seemed like everyone but me admired this portrait of a lonely, middle-aged female government bureaucrat in Mexico City. The film even won the festival's New Directors Prize. Now I'm as much as fan of "humanism, consistency of vision and formal rigor" as the next cinephile, but sitting through this movie was a ponderously opaque chore. I thought I'd go insane if I had to watch one more scene of her pulling up or pulling down her pantyhose, one more scene of her moping around a public pool, one more scene of her riding the subway, one more scene of her writing in that mysterious ledger she kept at home, one more scene of her, well, doing almost anything.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-shah-rukh-khan-my-name-is-khan#.WQjuW1MrKi4" target="_blank"><b>A Tribute to Shah Rukh Khan</b></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The personal appearance of the world's biggest movie star was, as I mightily expected, the most spectacular thing I experienced at SFFILM Festival 60. I was lucky to have a close-up view of the proceedings, first as I watched SRK's security guards spend 10 minutes hustling him from his limo to the Castro Theatre's front door while surrounded by a <i>Day of the Locusts</i>-sized mob. From my seat near the stage, I got to watch Khan graciously play to his shrieking fan-base and later eloquently navigate the on-stage interview. Regrettably, the conductor of that interview was <i>Rush Hour</i> franchise director Brett Ratner, whose rambling questions were inane and borderline self-serving. The corker was when he implied that Khan's career could be best served by starring in a movie disguised as a Caucasian. The blowback from the audience was brutal and Ratner hadn't a clue as to why. To the festival's credit, he was apparently Khan's choice, so go figure. Because Ratner initially blew off the house manager's instruction to begin the audience Q&A, there was only time for two queries from the crowd. I decided not to stick around for the screening of <i>My Name is Khan</i> and soon found myself on the sidewalk watching the actor wave to a swarm of fans on Castro Street from his limousine perch. For a detailed account of the evening, I recommend reading <a href="http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/shah-rukh-khan-honored-at-san-francisco-international-film-festival/article_6aacfe8a-23cb-11e7-b170-df523a5c634e.html" target="_blank">Reena Rathore' excellent piece at Indiawest</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-stopover#.WQjuflMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>The Stopover</b></a> (France/Greece dir. Delphine & Muriel Coulin)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The titular stopover refers to a "decompression" holiday at a ritzy Cyprus beach resort taken by French soldiers traveling home from Afghanistan. For three days they endure VR-enhanced recreations of their shared war experiences, for the purpose of determining who among them is damaged enough to warrant private shrink sessions. For the female soldiers, however, this "burkas to thongs" transition only serves to remind them of the double jeopardy placed upon them by all societies. Those female soldiers are effectively played by Ariane Labed, the French-Greek actress who has become reason enough to see any movie she stars in, and French rock singer/actress Soko. This was one of my top five films of the fest, and a huge leap forward for the filmmaking Coulin sisters, whose previous film was a ludicrous story about 17 high school girlfriends all deciding to get pregnant together (<i>17 Girls</i>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/canyon-cinema-50-guy-maddin-presents-the-great-blondino-and-other-delights#.WQjuqVMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Canyon Cinema 50: Guy Maddin Presents The Great Blondino</b></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I considered skipping this tribute to San Francisco's beloved experimental/avant garde distribution company when it was announced that Guy Maddin would not be on hand to personally present his curated selections. The festival nicely rebounded from his absence, however, by having an on-stage Q&A with a stand-in (National Film Preservation Foundation's executive director Jeff Lambert) reading Maddin's pithy emailed responses aloud. As for the four Canyon catalogue films screened (all in 16mm!), I was both amused and disturbed by Gary Goldberg's <i>Mesmer</i>, and particularly appreciated the vintage Bay Area looniness of 1967's <i>The Great Blondino</i>. Perhaps most impressive of all was the roster of tribute attendees. Seated in the audience was a veritable who's who of Bay Area filmmakers, programmers, exhibitors, publicists and cinema scenesters.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-ornithologist#.WQjuwFMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>The Ornithologist</b></a> (Portugal dir. João Pedro Rodrigues)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"There are certain things we shouldn't try to understand" is a salient line that arrives near the end of this phantasmagoric odyssey that's both a loopy St. Anthony biopic and an introspective profile of its director's psyche. Those "certain things" not to be understood include topless Amazonian huntresses who speak Latin, a forest of gigantic stuffed animals, riverside gay sex with a wilderness spirit and a pair of lost Chinese lesbian pilgrims who rescue our hero after his kayak capsizes. Even with that said, <i>The Ornithologist</i> is possibly Rodrigues' most accessible and fully realized vision to date and I can't wait to see it again when it opens at Landmark Theatres on July 7.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/maliglutit-(searchers)#.WQju4VMrKi4" target="_blank"><b>Maliglutit (Searchers)</b></a> (Canada dir. Zacharias Kunuk)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My 2017 festival ended with this Inuit bride-knapping tale. While it boasts strong ethnographic interest, I found it neither as dramatically compelling or as filled with richly drawn characters as the director's masterful <i>Atanajurant: The Fast Runner</i> from 2001.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-71383789632595576342017-04-04T13:40:00.001-07:002017-04-05T07:11:31.362-07:00SFFILM Festival 60 – The Films<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that we've had a look at the <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival" target="_blank">SFFILM Festival 60</a> programs announced <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2017/03/sfiff60-2017-anticipating-line-up.html" target="_blank">prior to the opening press conference</a> as well as the <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2017/03/sffilm-festival-60-more-big-nights.html" target="_blank">Big Nights, Awards & Tributes and Special Events</a>, it's time to zero in on the movies themselves. By my count, there are 100 feature films in this year's fest, which breaks down to 66 narrative and 34 documentary features. Ten of those are revival/repertory screenings. Here's my subjective round-the-world overview of the highlights, accompanied by a few words on those I've had the opportunity to preview.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Europe</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We'll begin our tour with the French language selections. I had hoped the departure of SFFILM's French Cinema Now mini-fest would inspire an expanded French line-up, but the roster measures with years past. Within that roster, however, lies a sizable chunk of 2016's preeminent French flicks. Leading the pack is <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-unknown-girl#.WOSBvY61ui4" target="_blank">The Unknown Girl</a> from Belgian master auteurs Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. It premiered in Cannes' competition to some of the most lackluster reviews of their career, which is perhaps why the film has taken 11 months to reach the Bay Area. Those reviews hardly diminish my desire to see it – after all, it <i>IS</i> the Dardenne Brothers. The fact that <i>The Unknown Girl</i> also stars Adèle Haenel, who made such a resounding impression in 2014's <i>Love at First Fight</i>, and includes supporting roles for Dardenne-land habitués Olivier Gourmet and Jérémie Renier, seals the deal for me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the most revered names in French cinema is Jean-Pierre Léaud, who debuted as a child actor in 1958's New Wave classic <i>The 400 Blows</i>. At age 72 he caps a hallowed career as the lead in <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-death-of-louis-xiv#.WOSCHI61ui4" target="_blank">The Death of Louis XIV</a>, for which the actor reportedly stayed in character for the entire 15-day shoot. The movie is by experimental Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, who dipped a little toe into mainstream-ish movie-making with 2013's Casanova-meets-Dracula fantasy <i>Story of My Death</i>. <i>Louis XIV</i> has <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">iggered S<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">erra<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'s warmest critical reception to da<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">te</span></span></span></span></span>. A second mid-career director who generated rave reviews last year was Katell Quillévéré, whom Bay Area cinephiles might remember from French Cinema Now selections <i>Love Like Poison</i> (2010) and <i>Suzanne</i> (2013). Her latest, <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/heal-the-living#.WOSCY461ui4" target="_blank">Heal the Living</a>, is a poetic drama set in the world of organ transplants (of all things) and stars Tahir Rahim, Emmanuelle Seigner and the great Anne Dorval (best known for her maternal turns in the films of Xavier Dolan).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A third important mid-career French director is Bertrand Bonello, who personally attended 2015's festival with his delightfully raunchy and oversized <i>Saint Laurent</i> biopic. His equally controversial and well received <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/heal-the-living#.WOSCY461ui4" target="_blank">Nocturama</a>, which I was able to view at a press screening, hits the festival with a lone presentation at the Castro on April 7. The new movie centers on a group of multi-culti young French radicals who execute an intricately planned quartet of terrorist acts in Paris. Afterwards, they re-group and hide out in an upscale urban shopping mall. Unfortunately, <i>Nocturama</i>'s intense, highly calibrated first half comes undone in the second, when these young masterminds inexplicably transform into millennial knuckleheads who fully deserve the ensemble <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Awards" target="_blank">Darwin Award</a> that befalls them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Elsewhere in the Francophile-sphere we have a glossy-looking <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/marie-curie-the-courage-of-knowledge#.WOSDHo61ui4" target="_blank">Marie Curie</a> biopic from German director Marie Noëlle, and a behind-the-scenes documentary about <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-paris-opera#.WOSDQ461ui4" target="_blank">The Paris Opera</a> (in the event that Frederick Wiseman's 159-minute doc <i>La Danse</i> left you hungry). I <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">especially</span> look forward to catching <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-stopover#.WOSDfY61ui4" target="_blank">The Stopover</a>, a pointed social drama starring French-Greek actress Ariane Labed (<i>Attenberg, The Lobster</i>) <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">as</span> an Afghanistan war vet decompressing at a Cyprus seaside resort. The film is by sibling directors Delphine and Muriel Collin, whom fest-goers might remember from their 2011 debut <i>17 Girls</i>. Finally, in what <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">could</span> be the most inspired repertory/revival screening of the entire festival, we have a 50th anniversary presentation of <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/story-of-a-3-day-pass-(50th-anniversary-screening)#.WOSD0Y61ui4" target="_blank">Story of a 3-Day Pass</a>. This romantic drama about a black American G.I. on leave in France was novelist-filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles' (<i>Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song</i>) feature debut. It's worth noting that SFFILM members can access the organization's <a href="https://films.fora.tv/" target="_blank">screening room</a>, where many festival films will eventually stream for free. <i>Story of a 3-Day Pass</i> is the first title they've announced.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of the remaining Western European films playing SFFILM Fest, I'm most excited about João Pedro Rodrigues' <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-ornithologist#.WOSE5o61ui4" target="_blank">The Ornithologist</a>. The Portuguese maverick's latest, for which he won Best Director at 2016's Locarno Film Fest, has been intriguingly described as everything from a "happily blasphemous" St. Anthony biopic to a cross between Apichatpong Weerasethakul's <i>Tropical Malady</i> and Alain Guiraudie's <i>Stranger by the Lake</i>. Another European LGBT prize-winner playing the fest is Francis Lee's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/god%E2%80%99s-own-country#.WOSFHo61ui4" target="_blank">God's Own Country</a>. Lee took Sundance's Directing Award in World Cinema for this <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>-ish tale set amidst the Yorkshire moors.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two other Western European films piquing my interest are the UK's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/lady-macbeth#.WOSFRo61ui4" target="_blank">Lady Macbeth</a>, which transports the Russian novella "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" (source of the Shostakovich opera) to Victorian England, and <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/park#.WOSFY461ui4" target="_blank">Park</a>, wherein disaffected Greek youth live out a nihilistic existence among the ruins of Athens' 2004 Olympics. I'm also likely to take a look at Spain's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/next-skin#.WOSFgo61ui4" target="_blank">Next Skin</a>, if for no other reason than it stars Sergi López and Bruno Todeschini. Director Isaki Lacuesta's previous feature, <i>The Double Steps</i>, played the festival in 2012. I previewed and heartily recommend <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/mister-universo#.WOSFqo61ui4" target="_blank">Mister Universo</a>, an Austria/Italy co-production by documentarians Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. I was a huge fan of <i>La Pivellin</i>a, which screened in 2010 and landed in my Ten Best list. Their new work rejoins one of Pivellina's protagonists, a young down-on-his-luck Italian lion tamer, as he tracks down a circus strongman who once gave him a treasured talisman.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are three Eastern European films in the festival, all of which I've watched and recommend to varying degrees. The one not to miss is Cristi Puiu's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/sieranevada#.WOSF4o61ui4" target="_blank">Sieranevada</a>, a 3-hour familial dramedy set almost entirely within a cramped Bucharest apartment as an extended family gathers to honor their recently deceased patriarch. Puiu is one of the greats of Romanian New Wave and his latest equals previous masterworks like <i>The Death of Mister Lazarescu</i> (2005) and <i>Aurora</i> (2010). The festival's only new Russian film is Kiril Serebrennikov's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-student#.WOSGGo61ui4" target="_blank">The Student</a>, a somewhat overwrought satire on post-Communist Russia's newfound hyper-religiosity. Its protagonist Venya wages a one-man war against "depravity" at his high school, which includes getting bikinis banned in swim class and terrorizing a Darwinism lecture dressed in a gorilla suit. I was particularly taken by the film's wide-screen compositions, candy-glossed interiors and agitated camera movements.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God's role in a post-Communist world also informs Ralitza Petrova's bleak and austere <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/godless#.WOSGO461ui4" target="_blank">Godless</a>, in which a morphine-addicted Bulgarian homecare nurse steals her clients' ID cards so her boyfriend can sell them on the black market. The film's<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">milieu of h<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">opelessness gets</span> fed</span> by a murky plot, boxy aspect ratio, sludge pacing and wintry mise-en-scène of soulless public housing blocks. It also has a WTF ending I'd <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">appreciate having someone explain</span>. <i>Godless</i> won prizes for Best Film (Golden Leopard) and Best Actress at last year's Locarno Film Festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hong Sang-soo's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/yourself-and-yours#.WOSGeo61ui4" target="_blank">Yourself and Yours</a> is <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the Asian film I'm most anticipating</span> at SFFILM Festival 60. It's the South Korean master's 18th feature in 21 years and I'm grateful this festival religiously keeps us abreast of his work (his <i>Right Now, Wrong Then</i> was my second favorite film of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">last year</span>). <a href="http://filmmakermagazine.com/99823-tiff-critics-notebook-6-yourself-and-yours-safari/#.WOGNSxLyui4" target="_blank">Vadim Rizov</a> at Filmmaker Magazine described <i>Yourself and Yours</i> as "intermittently very funny but also an emotional horror movie" that's the director's "most structurally radical film yet," which for Hong is saying something. During the festival I'm also keen to see Anocha Suwichakornpong's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/by-the-time-it-gets-dark#.WOSHHo61ui4" target="_blank">By the Time It Gets Dark</a>, which finds the Thai filmmaker riffing on a 1976 student protest that was brutally suppressed by government forces. I was very impressed by the director's earlier work, <i>Mundane History</i>, when it screened at CAAMFest back in 2010. I'm also scheduled to catch <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-cinema-travellers#.WOSHZo61ui4" target="_blank">The Cinema Travellers</a>, a promising-sounding doc about India's mobile movie caravans.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only Asian film I had a chance to preview was Brillante Mendoza's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/ma%E2%80%99-rosa#.WOSHgI61ui4" target="_blank">Ma' Rosa</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">L</span>ike his notorious 2009 Cannes shocker <i>Kinatay</i>, it's a portrait of Philippines police corruption. As is the case with many Mendoza films, <i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ma' Rosa</span></i> features a strong female protagonist, in this case a shopkeeper who runs a small notions store on the ground floor of her family home. She also sells drugs to make ends meet, sparking a police raid that results in Ma' Rosa and her (addict) husband being dragged to police HQ and basically held for ransom. <i>Ma' Rosa</i>'s dynamic first half-hour reminded me of the breathtaking police slum raid that kicked off Mendoza's 2007 <i>Slingshot</i>, my first unforgettable exposure to this director. Frankly, I'll be surprised if I experience a more bravura piece of filmmaking this year. Th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e</span> energy tapers off in the second half as it becomes concerned with the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">attempts <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of</span></span> Ma' Rosa's three children to raise bail money. That doesn't render the film any less affecting. Jaclyn Jose won Cannes' Best Actress prize for her titular performance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were two Latin American films on my festival wish list and I was thrilled both made the line-up. Chilean cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky's autobiographical <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/endless-poetry#.WOSH0I61ui4" target="_blank">Endless Poetry</a> picks up where 2013's <i>Dance of Reality</i> left off. His personage, once again played by the director's son Adan, is now in his 20's, freed from his oppressive provincial family and living a poet's life in Santiago. <i>Endless Poetry</i> debuted in the Director's Fortnight sidebar at Cannes and its April 10 screening at the Roxie Theater will be the film's U.S. premiere. My other must-see from the region is Mexican filmmaker Amat Escalante's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-untamed#.WOSH_o61ui4" target="_blank">The Untamed</a>. Following on the heels of 2013's brutal drug cartel drama <i>Heli</i>, for which he won a Best Director prize at Cannes, <i>The Untamed</i> appears to present a new direction for Escalante. <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-untamed-review-1201852117/" target="_blank">Guy Lodge</a> at Variety tantalizingly describes the film as a "strange stew of socially conscious domestic drama and tentacular sci-fi erotica." <i>The Untamed</i> premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, where Escalante was once again awarded a Best Director prize.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had the chance to preview <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-human-surge#.WOSIYY61ui4" target="_blank">The Human Surge</a>, a big-buzz 2016 debut feature from Argentine director Eduardo Williams. This singular work is "about" young people in three different locales – Buenos Aires, Mozambique and the Philippines – and their relationship to technology<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone is always <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eeking </span></span></span>a functioning internet connection. Shot in quasi-documentary style, Williams' film conveys a tremendous sense of place, with elaborate tracking shots that leave the viewer wondering, how'd they <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">do that?</span> Most of the talk surrounding <i>The Human Surge</i> rightly focuses on the awe-inspiring transition sequences that link the film's three locations<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One involves an ant<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hill and I'll let the<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> other remain a surprise.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although none of Argentina's top directors released<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>new films in 2016, the festival still managed to assemble the four-film World Cinema Spotlight, <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/spotlights/argentina-a-national-cinema-in-movement" target="_blank">Argentina: A National Cinema in Movement</a>. Apart from <i>The Human Surge</i>, Matías Piñeiro's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/hermia-and-helena#.WOSIzo61ui4" target="_blank">Hermia & Helena</a> has achieved the most international recognition. The director's recent films have all been oblique Shakespearean riffs, with his latest taking on <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i> in a New York City setting. Other titles in the sidebar include Nele Wohlatz' <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-future-perfect#.WOSI8o61ui4" target="_blank">The Future Perfect</a>, about a rebellious Chinese Buenos Aires teenage girl, and Emiliano Torres' Patagonia-set <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-winter#.WOSJDo61ui4" target="_blank">The Winter</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As always, the festival's bulk is comprised of new works by domestic narrative and documentary feature filmmakers.The top three U.S. narrative films I'm hoping to catch are <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/beach-rats#.WOSJN461ui4" target="_blank">Beach Rats</a>, <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-incredible-jessica-james#.WOSJVo61ui4" target="_blank">The Incredible Jessica James</a> and <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-transfiguration#.WOSJdY61ui4" target="_blank">The Transfiguration</a>, which all appear to share a NYC setting. <i>Beach Rats</i> is the highly praised second feature from director Eliza Hittman. Her poetic portrait of a rough-edged Brooklyn teen who secretly pursues older gay men on-line won Hittman Sundance's Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. As a big fan of former <i>The Daily Show</i> correspondent Jessica Williams, I was taken by her strong supporting performance in Jim Strouse's 2015 <i>People Places Things</i>. The director's new film, a rom-com with the uninspiring title of <i>The Incredible Jessica James</i>, was written specifically for Williams and co-stars Chris O'Dowd. Premiering in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes and screening in our festival's Dark Wave section, Michael O'Shea's elevated genre piece <i>The Transfiguration</i> imagines the life of a teenage African-American vampire.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A handful of well-established U.S. indie filmmakers have new movies playing SFFILM Fest. Alex Ross Perry (<i>Listen Up Philip, The Color Wheel</i>) – stop the presses – has made yet another movie about brittle, unlikeable people. His <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/golden-exits#.WOSJ0Y61ui4" target="_blank">Golden Exits</a> boasts a promising cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Cholë Sevigny, Mary-Louise Parker and ex-Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz. Festival-mainstay Michael Almereyda, whose <i>Experimenter</i> screened on closing night two years ago, comes to SF once again with <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/marjorie-prime#.WOSJ9o61ui4" target="_blank">Marjorie Prime</a>. <i>Mad Men</i>'s Jon Hamm stars as a hologram employed to spark memories in a dementia patient (Lois Smith, reprising the stage role she originated). Experimental composer Mica Levi (<i>Jackie</i>) supplies the music and Geena Davis and Tim Robbins co-star.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also attending this year's festival will be acclaimed director James Gray (<i>Little Odessa, Two Lovers</i>). His adventure yarn <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-lost-city-of-z#.WOSKKo61ui4" target="_blank">The Lost City of Z</a> stars Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson as early 20th century explorers seeking a mythic city in the Amazon jungle. It's also worth noting new films from <i>Interior. Leather Bar</i> director-provocateur Travis Mathews (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/discreet#.WOSKUI61ui4" target="_blank">Discreet</a>) and another <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SFFILM Fest regular</span>, Mike Ott (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/california-dreams#.WOSKa461ui4" target="_blank">California Dreams</a>). Finally, star-gazers need to know that Ellen Burstyn (recipient of the festival's 2016 Peter J. Owens Acting Award) will be on hand for the screening of <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-house-of-tomorrow#.WOSKiI61ui4" target="_blank">House of Tomorrow</a> and Kevin Bacon will pop up at the 2-episode presentation of Amazon Studios' new TV series <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/i-love-dick#.WOSKoY61ui4" target="_blank">I Love Dick</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moving on to U.S. documentaries, I'm sure the most popular will prove to be <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/long-strange-trip#.WOSKyI61ui4" target="_blank">Long Strange Trip</a>. Amir Bar-Lev's four-hour profile of the Grateful Dead screens just once, at the Castro on April 15. I disliked the Dead even in my hippie daze, so I'll be giving this one a pass. The music doc I wouldn't dream of missing is Matt Schrader's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/score-a-film-music-documentary#.WOSK7I61ui4" target="_blank">Score: A Film Music Documentary</a>, which profiles movie composers Ennio Morricone, Mark Mothersbaugh, John Williams, Quincy Jones, Alexandre Desplat and of course, Bernard Herrmann. Speaking of Herrmann, I'm equally excited about the Dark Wave doc <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/7852#.WOSLJY61ui4" target="_blank">78/52</a>, which promises to analyze Alfred Hitchcock's <i>Psycho</i> shower scene to within an inch of its life. The title of Alexandre O. Philippe's film refers to <i>Psycho</i>'s 78 camera set-ups and 52 edits.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Documentaries that survey the li<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ves</span> of<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> notable</span> people are a festival staple. If I only catch one this year it'll be <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/bill-nye-science-guy#.WOSLQ461ui4" target="_blank">Bill Nye: Science Guy</a>, a personal hero of mine who famou<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sly </span>spends much of his time debating creationists and climate change deniers on TV. The April 10 screening will feature a Q&A and conversation between Nye, directors David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg, and Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, former Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. Festival-goers interested in Bill Nye will also want to see <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/chasing-coral#.WOSLao61ui4" target="_blank">Chasing <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coral</span></a>, Jeff Orlowski's look at how rising sea temperatures have decimated the world's coral reefs. Orlowski also directed the impressively frightening <i>Chasing Ice</i>, which the fest played in 2012.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other personality profile docs in the festival include <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/dolores#.WOSLxI61ui4" target="_blank">Dolores</a>, Peter Bratt's look at the work of iconic Latina political activist Dolores Huerta, and <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/this-is-everything-gigi-gorgeous#.WOSL5461ui4" target="_blank">This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous</a> from Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple. I had never heard of the transgender YouTube sensation who currently has 2.5 million subscribers, but th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e</span> fact that Kopple chose to document her story certainly makes this worthy of attention. Following the April 12 screening, Gigi Gorgeous and Kopple will be joined by Ian Roth of YouTube Originals and other guests for a discussion about social media's impact on our lives. Of the many remaining documentaries playing the festival I'll briefly mention three. Former Persistence of Vision award winner Jem Cohen returns with <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/world-without-end-(no-reported-incidents)#.WOSMHo61ui4" target="_blank">World Without End (No Reported Incidents)</a>, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an</span> impressionistic portrait of British resort town Southend-on-Sea. Brian Knappenberger's timely <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/nobody-speak-trials-of-the-free-press#.WOSMNY61ui4" target="_blank">Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press</a> uses the Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker Media brouhaha to explore <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a</span> very timely issue. Then in <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/casting-jonbenet#.WOSMU461ui4" target="_blank">Casting JonBenet</a>, director Kitty Green offers a fresh take on the infamous (and still unsolved) murder of a six-year-old beauty queen<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-567650265981966542017-03-24T09:05:00.003-07:002017-03-24T10:34:18.555-07:00SFFILM Festival 60 - More Big Nights, Awards & Tributes and Special Events<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The first order of business at last week's press conference for the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) was addressing the issue of rebranding. There were hints of impending change in some of the graphics used during last year's festival and now it's become official. Henceforth, the festival's parent organization, the San Francisco Film Society, will be officially known as <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/" target="_blank">SFFILM</a>, and the preferred name for its annual festival is the <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival" target="_blank">SFFILM Festival</a>. According to Executive Director Noah Cowan, the change "provides a new kind of flexibility" to the organization and better "reflects the reality and breadth of our programming." Cowan also clarified that the festival's move to an earlier timeframe was meant to create distance with Cannes and therefore better engage the international film industry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The press conference was held at the new Dolby Cinema on Market Street, and it was my first visit. Boasting a gargantuan screen and ultra-plush stadium seating – and I imagine the best sound found anywhere – the Dolby joins the pantheon of great Bay Area places to see a movie and I can't wait to experience it during the festival. In addition to the new Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA, this year's festival makes extensive use of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) for the first time, both its main theater and screening room, creating a mini festival hub around the area of 4th and Mission Streets. Given that I live a quick 15-minute walk away, this suits me perfectly. In all, SFFILM Festival 60 incorporates eight main venues, not including the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, making this the most spread-out fest in the many decades I've been attending.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Following his opening remarks, Cowan and the SFFILM programming team got down to the business of revealing the 2017 line-up. In <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2017/03/sfiff60-2017-anticipating-line-up.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a> I talked about the programs revealed prior to the press conference, including this year's greatly expanded <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup?view=film&section=270" target="_blank">Live & On Stage</a> section. It turns out that was just the iceberg's tip. The fest has whipped up enough 60th edition specialty events to program a decade's worth of festivals. Here are my thoughts. (An overview of SFFILM Festival's roster of narrative and documentary features will appear before the festival's April 5 start date).</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup?view=film&section=266" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Big Nights</b></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ Having previously announced <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival2017-closing-night#.WNVFDo5lCi4" target="_blank">The Green Fog</a> for Closing Night plus the Centerpiece film <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/patti-cake#.WNVFNo5lCi4" target="_blank">Patti Cake$</a>, the only Big Night left to reveal at the press conference was Gillian Robespierre's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/opening-night-landline#.WNVFWI5lCi4" target="_blank">Landline</a> as the fest's Opening Night selection. While I perhaps expected something more grandiose to kick off SFFILM's 60th birthday, I admit to seriously loving <i>Obvious Child</i>, the 2014 "abortion rom-com" that marked the first collaboration between Robespierre and actress/comedian Jenny Slate. SNL alum Slate now returns to star in <i>Landline</i>, a NYC 1995-set dramedy that premiered to solid reviews at Sundance and co-stars Jay Duplass, Edie Falco and John Turturro. Robespierre, Slate and co-writer/producer Elizabeth Holm are the evening's expected guests and the Opening Night party happens at the Regency Center on Van Ness Avenue.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup?view=film&section=267" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Awards & Tributes</b></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ As if having Ethan Hawke at the festival wasn't spectacular enough, SFFILM Festival will also pay a <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-shah-rukh-khan-my-name-is-khan#.WNVFyI5lCi4" target="_blank">Tribute to Shah Rukh Khan</a> at its 60th edition. Expect a mob scene at the Castro Theatre on April 14 when the biggest movie star in the world takes the stage for a conversation with <i>Rush Hour</i> director Brett Ratner. I've been a SRK acolyte since seeing 1995's <i>Ram Jaane</i> at Berkeley's now defunct Fine Arts Theatre on Shattuck, which exclusively exhibited Bollywood product in the '90s. I thrilled to the sight of his train-top dance in 1998's <i>Dil Se</i> and our love affair peaked at a riotous screening of <i>Om Shanti Om</i> at the 2008 SF Asian American Film Fest (now CAAMFest). The SFIFF screened his historical epic <i>Asoka</i> in 2002. While I'm elated to finally experience SRK live, I wish a movie other than 2010's <i>My Name is Khan</i> had been chosen to accompany this tribute. Yes, the film remains a timely rebuke of American anti-Muslim sentiment, but it also queasily portrays African Americans in a manner most politely described as "quaint."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ While it appears the festival has discontinued its Founders Directing Award, it still honors one of the world's most beloved filmmakers this year with <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-james-ivory-maurice#.WNVGMY5lCi4" target="_blank">A Tribute to James Ivory</a>. Berkeley-born Ivory is of course the director of such high-brow classics as <i>A Room with a View</i>, <i>Remains of the Day</i> and <i>Howard's End</i>, and his 44-year production partnership with Ismail Merchant entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest in independent cinema history. Ivory is also getting considerable attention this year for his screenplay of Luca Guadagnino's <i>Call Me By Your Name</i>, perhaps the most rave-reviewed movie of 2017 thus far. As part of this tribute on April 14 at SFMOMA, the festival will screen a 30th anniversary 4K restoration of Ivory's LGBT milestone, <i>Maurice</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ I've been a fan of multimedia-installation-performance-conceptual artist Lynn Hershman-Leeson's films ever since catching her brilliant biopic <i>Conceiving Ada</i> at the 1998 SFIFF. Ensuing festivals brought out equally compelling works like the Tilda Swinton-starring <i>Teknolust</i> and the documentaries <i>Strange Culture</i> and <i>!Women Art Revolution</i>. This year's SFFILM Festival finally honors Hershman-Leeson with its 2017 <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/persistence-of-vision-award-lynn-hershman-leeson-tania-libre#.WNVGtI5lCi4" target="_blank">Persistence of Vision Award</a>, which celebrates a "filmmaker whose main body of work falls outside the realm of narrative feature filmmaking." Following an on-stage conversation, there will be a screening of <i>Tania Libre</i>, the filmmaker's new doc about radical Cuban artist Tania Bruguera. This all takes place on April 11 at the YBCA Theatre. Festival-goers are encouraged to visit the nearby YBCA museum whose first-floor gallery currently houses her major exhibition <a href="https://ybca.org/whats-on/civic-radar" target="_blank">Civic Radar</a> (on display through May 21).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ The festival's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/mel-novikoff-award-tom-luddy-a-long-happy-life#.WNVHYI5lCi4" target="_blank">Mel Novikoff Award</a> is presented each year to an "individual or institution whose work has enhanced the film-going public's appreciation of world cinema." This year's long overdue recipient is the Bay Area's own Tom Luddy, whose many accomplishments include co-founding the Telluride Film Festival. An on-stage conversation at the Castro Theatre on April 9 will precede two screenings: <i>Une bonne à faire</i>, an extremely rare 8-minute Jean-Luc Godard short that was filmed on the set of Coppola's <i>One from the Heart</i> at Zoetrope Studios, followed by <i>A Long Happy Life</i>. Released in 1966, this little-seen classic Russian road movie and "Chekhovian drama about the solipsism and narcissism of modern characters" would be the only film directed by Gennady Shpalikov, who committed suicide at age 37.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ Another SFIFF accolade that seems to have fallen by the wayside is the Kanbar Screenwriting Award. In its stead, this year's SFFILM Festival offers up <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-john-ridley-guerrilla#.WNVHqY5lCi4" target="_blank">A Tribute to John Ridley</a>, who most recently won an Oscar for penning <i>12 Years a Slave</i>. Ridley is also recognized for writing the story that became David O. Russell's <i>Three Kings</i>, for writing and directing the Jimi Hendrix biopic <i>All is By My Side</i>, as well as writing the novel ("Stray Dogs") which became Oliver Stone's <i>U Turn</i> in 1997. (More importantly to me, he wrote and executive-produced all 21 episodes of <i>The Wanda Sykes Show</i>.) To accompany this special program on April 12 at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission, the fest will screen the first episode of <i>Guerilla</i>, Ridley's upcoming Showtime series about black radical activism in early 1970's London, starring Freida Pinto, Babou Ceesay and Idris Elba.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ The 2017 <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/george-gund-iii-craft-of-cinema-award-eleanor-coppola-paris-can-wait#.WNVIG45lCi4" target="_blank">George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award</a>, traditionally handed out at the ritzy SF Film Society's Award Night Gala, will be presented for the first time in public on April 10 at SFMOMA. The recipient is filmmaker, artist and writer Eleanor Coppola. The evening will feature a screening of <i>Paris Can Wait</i>, her first feature film since the 1991 award-winning documentary <i>Hearts of Darkness</i>. This comic road movie stars Diane Lane as the wife of a high-profile movie producer (Alec Baldwin) who goes on a Cannes-to-Paris adventure with a seductive Frenchman (Arnaud Viard). <i>Paris Can Wait</i> had its Bay Area premiere in the "Culinary Cinema" sidebar of last autumn's Mill Valley Film Festival and will open at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on May 19.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup?view=film&section=436" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Special Events</b></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ One of the most ingenious happenings at this year's festival has to be film historian David Thomson interviewing William R. Hearst III about <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/citizen-kane-with-william-r-hearst-iii#.WNVItY5lCi4" target="_blank">Citizen Kane</a>, whose protagonist Charles Foster Kane is based on Hearst's grandfather. Their conversation at the YBCA Theater on April 6 will be followed by a screening of Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece, long considered the greatest film ever made until its position was usurped by Hitchcock's <i>Vertigo</i> in 2012. Speaking of both David Thomson and <i>Vertigo</i>, he conducts a master class at SFMOMA on April 16 entitled <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/two-or-three-things-that-frighten-me-in-vertigo-david-thomson-master-class#.WNVJC45lCi4" target="_blank">Two or Three Things That Frighten Me in Vertigo</a>. (Two additional SFFILM Festival master classes are <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/finding-characters-in-unlikely-places-with-pixar%E2%80%99s-newest-short-lou%C2%A0a-workshop-for-kids#.WNVJJI5lCi4" target="_blank">Finding Characters in Unlikely Places with Pixar's Newest Short, Lou</a> and <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/we-are-all-storytellers-a-pixar-in-a-box-workshop-for-girls#.WNVJPY5lCi4" target="_blank">We Are All Storytellers: A Pixar in a Box Workshop for Girls</a>, both to be held at the Walt Disney Family Museum).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ Short on funds? SFFILM Festival has your back with a trio of free screenings. On April 8 at the Vogue Theatre the fest presents <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/rivers-and-tides-%E2%80%93-andy-goldsworthy-working-with-time#.WNVJbY5lCi4" target="_blank">Rivers and Tides – Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time</a>, the acclaimed documentary which had its international premiere at SFIFF in 2002. The film is being shown as a ramp-up to the world premiere of Thomas Riedelsheimer's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/leaning-into-the-wind-%E2%80%93-andy-goldsworthy#.WNVJlo5lCi4" target="_blank">Leaning Into the Wind</a>, his latest collaboration with the nature-driven artist. Among other things, <i>Leaning</i> observes Goldsworthy as he creates Tree Fall, one of four artworks found in San Francisco's Presidio park.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The next free screening takes place on April 14 when Hayes Valley's outdoor Proxy space hosts a presentation of <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/whose-streets#.WNVJvI5lCi4" target="_blank">Whose Streets?</a>, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis' documentary about the outsized militaristic police response to the 2014 events in Ferguson, MO. Then on April 15 the Castro Theatre will free-screen <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/defender#.WNVJ1Y5lCi4" target="_blank">Defender</a>, Jim Chai's new documentary about Jeff Adachi, San Francisco's heroic Public Defender and sometime film director (<i>The Slanted Screen</i>, <i>You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story</i>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ SFFILM Festival isn't the only local arts organization celebrating an important anniversary this year. At <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/canyon-cinema-50-guy-maddin-presents-the-great-blondino-and-other-delights#.WNVL7o5lCi4" target="_blank">Canyon Cinema 50: Guy Maddin Presents The Great Blondino and Other Delights</a>, the fest pays tribute to one of the world's most important distributors of avant-garde and experimental cinema. First released in 1967, Robert Nelson and William T. Wiley's 42-minute <i>Blondino</i> is considered one of the early masterworks of American independent filmmaking. I'm far from a fervent devotee of this strain of cinema, but the fact that Guy Maddin will curate and introduce the selections renders this April 15 event at SFMOMA a personal must-see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another Bay Area commemoration of note is <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/disposable-film-festival-10th-anniversary-retrospective#.WNVMGI5lCi4" target="_blank">Disposable Film Festival 10th Anniversary Retrospective</a>. Founded the same year as the iPhone, the festival was created to exclusively showcase people telling stories with DIY personal technology. Disposable co-founder Carlton Evans will be on hand at the Roxie Theater on April 13 to introduce a dozen of the best shorts culled from the festival's first decade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ For the second year running, the festival will host a <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/vr-days#.WNVMQ45lCi4" target="_blank">VR Days</a> program. When I attended last year's one-day event (read my report <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2016/05/sfiff59-2016-wrap-up-report-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>), the only thing I knew about VR was that it stood for Virtual Reality. Now that I'm a bit more seasoned, I look forward to seeing how the technology has advanced in the past 12 months. This year's <i>VR Days</i> takes place at YBCA Forum on April 9 and 10, with tickets being sold for one-hour timeslots between noon and 7:00 p.m. The line-up of VR experiences will include the Oscar-nominated short <i>Pearl</i>, interactive re-enactments of historic battles (<i>My Brother's Keeper</i>) and cinematic dance on camera (<i>Through You</i>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">⚫ This year's annual <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/state-of-cinema-edwin-catmull#.WNVM0Y5lCi4" target="_blank">State of Cinema Address</a> will be given by Dr. Ed Catmull at the Dolby Cinema on April 8. The co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and five-time Academy Award winner is expected to speak on "the importance of skepticism when exploring new technology," after which several Pixar artists will take the stage for a conversation hosted by Wired magazine. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-17746587606883720152017-03-13T21:44:00.000-07:002017-03-31T07:57:15.758-07:00SFIFF60 2017 Anticipating the Line-Up<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival" target="_blank">San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF)</a> celebrates its 60th edition next month, marking an impressive milestone for the oldest continuously-operating film festival in the Western Hemisphere. This year’s event arrives and departs two weeks earlier than usual – from April 5 to 19 – and finds itself centered in the city’s Mission District for a second year running. SFMOMA’s newly renovated Phyllis Wattis Theater, where the SF Film Society has already co-presented two impressive <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/screenings-and-events/series/modern-cinema" target="_blank">Modern Cinema</a> series, will happily serve as an additional venue for SFIFF60.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I began blogging about SFIFF on its 50th anniversary in 2006. A decade-plus later it has become a tradition that on the eve of the festival’s opening press conference, I offer a recap of what’s been announced thus far, along with a wish list of 20 films I hope to find in the line-up.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">⚫ In addition to taking place a fortnight earlier than usual, this year's festival begins and ends on a Wednesday rather than a Thursday. Another change finds 2017’s Closing Night festivities occurring 72 hours before the festival’s official end date. On Sunday, April 16 at the Castro Theatre, SFIFF60 therefore "concludes" with <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival2017-closing-night#.WN5q5461ui4" target="_blank">The Green Fog – A San Francisco Fantasia with Kronos Quartet</a>. For this special collaborative event, Kronos will perform a Jacob Garchik score to a re-ima<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ing of</span></span> Alfred Hitchcock’s <i>Vertigo</i>, as constructed by iconoclast Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin and his <i>The Forbidden Room</i> co-directors Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. Without using a single frame of Hitchcock's original, Maddin's "parallel-universe version" will employ "Bay Area-based footage from a variety of sources – studio classics, '50s noir, documentary, experimental films, and '70s prime-time TV." With a live Foley element added to the mix, this promises to be a major highlight of SFIFF60 and as well as one of the festival's most inspired finales of all time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">⚫ SFIFF60 will honor actor-writer-filmmaker <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/a-tribute-to-ethan-hawke-maudie#.WN5rLY61ui4" target="_blank">Ethan Hawke</a> with a special tribute on Saturday, April 8 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Following an on-stage conversation, there will be a screening of Aisling Walsh's <i>Maudie</i>, which co-stars Sally Hawkins as renowned Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis. It's unclear at this point whether this tribute supplements or supplants the festival's annual Peter J. Owens Award for Acting, which was presented last year to Ellen Burstyn. For those unable to attend this event, <i>Maudie</i> is scheduled to open at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on June 23.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">⚫ SFIFF is usually the Bay Area's first chance to catch the big hits from Sundance. This year's Centerpiece event spotlights <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/patti-cake#.WN5rT461ui4" target="_blank">Patti Cake$</a>, Geremy Jasper's ultra-rave-reviewed debut feature which shockingly failed to win a single Sundance prize. The film revolves around a plus-sized, white lower middle class, aspiring teen rapper from New Jersey who enlists the help of her South Asian best friend and an African American lone-rocker musician to achieve her dreams. Think <i>Welcome to the Dollhouse</i> meets <i>Precious</i> meets <i>8-Mile</i>? <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/patti-cakes-review-sundance-1201967614/" target="_blank">Variety critic Peter Debruge</a> called <i>Patti Cake$</i> "the kind of movie where the energy builds to such levels that a packed-house audience can hardly resist bursting into applause." To that end, SFIFF60 wisely places 2017's Centerpiece film at the enormous Castro Theatre on Wednesday, April 12.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">⚫ As has been the case for several years now, the festival pre-announced the films competing for the <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup?view=film&section=356" target="_blank">Golden Gate Awards' New Directors Prize and Documentary Feature Prize</a>. Among the 10 narrative feature contenders, there are three I'm particularly excited about. In Ralitza Petrova's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/godless#.WN5rpI61ui4" target="_blank"><i>Godless</i></a>, a morphine-addicted Bulgarian nurse steals senior citizens' ID cards and sells them on the black market. According to <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/godless-review-1201837099/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Variety's Jay Weissberg</a>, the film "goes to great lengths to rub the viewer's face in the joylessness of life in a post-Communist world." Sounds like a "festival" flick if there ever was one! The jury at last summer's Locarno Film Festival saw fit to award <i>Godless</i> its top prize (the Golden Leopard) as well as its Best Actress accolade to lead player Irena Ivanova. Another film laying claim to a pair of Locarno prizes was Eduardo Williams' <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-human-surge#.WN5rzI61ui4" target="_blank"><i>The Human Surge</i></a>. Shot in Buenos Aires, Mozambique and the Philippines, this "adventurously formalist" debut loosely concerns three young men and their relationship to technology. The film had a NYC theatrical release just last week and I'm grateful the festival will be bringing it our way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The third New Director's Prize nominee I'm anticipating is Francis Lee's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/god%E2%80%99s-own-country#.WN5r6Y61ui4" target="_blank"><i>God's Own Country</i></a>, which won Sundance's Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Set amidst the Yorkshire moors, this romance between a hard-drinking young sheep farmer and an itinerant Romanian migrant worker has drawn comparisons to <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>. The remaining competition entries hail from Iran (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/duet#.WN5sFo61ui4" target="_blank"><i>Duet</i></a>), Mexico (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/everything-else#.WN5sPo61ui4" target="_blank"><i>Everything Else</i></a>), Lebanon (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/heaven-sent#.WN5sV461ui4" target="_blank"><i>Heaven Sent</i></a>), USA (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-house-of-tomorrow#.WN5scY61ui4" target="_blank"><i>The House of Tomorrow</i></a>), China (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/life-after-life#.WN5sjI61ui4" target="_blank"><i>Life After Life</i></a>), Greece (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/park#.WN5ssY61ui4" target="_blank"><i>Park</i></a>) and Niger (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-wedding-ring#.WN5s5461ui4" target="_blank"><i>The Wedding Ring</i></a>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over in the GGA documentary feature competition, only one film has surfaced on my radar and that's Peter Nicks' <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-force#.WN5tAY61ui4" target="_blank"><i>The Force</i></a>. Nicks previous work was <i>The Waiting Room</i>, a beautifully empathetic portrait of Oakland's Highland Hospital which the fest screened to great acclaim in 2012. <i>The Force</i> marks the second part of a trilogy on the relationship between public institutions and the communities they serve, with this new film setting its gaze upon Oakland's police department. For his work on <i>The Force</i>, Nicks won the Best Director prize in the U.S. Documentary competition at Sundance. Other SFIFF60 films competing for the GGA Doc Award span a range of interests from Mexico's National Pyrotechnic Festival (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/brimstone-and-glory#.WN5tL461ui4" target="_blank"><i>Brimstone & Glory</i></a>) to falconry in Qatar (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-challenge#.WN5tWY61ui4" target="_blank"><i>The Challenge</i></a>) to India's movie caravans (<a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup/the-cinema-travellers#.WN5tdY61ui4" target="_blank"><i>The Cinema Travellers</i></a>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">⚫ Four ambitious programs have thus far been announced as part of the festival's <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival/lineup?view=film&section=270" target="_blank">Live & Onstage</a> sidebar. For starters, the UK band Asian Dub Foundation will perform a <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival-2017/asian-dub-foundation#.WN5tuI61ui4" target="_blank">Live Score of George Lucas' THX:1138</a> at the Castro Theatre on April 11. Then two nights later on April 13, the Denver-based music/vocal ensemble DeVotchKa will accompany Dziga Vertov's 1929 silent masterpiece <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival-2017/man-with-a-movie-camera#.WN5t5Y61ui4" target="_blank">The Man With a Movie Camera</a> at the Castro. DeVotchKa is possibly best known for their film score to <i>Little Miss Sunshine</i>, and it'll be interesting to see how their <i>Movie Camera</i> score compares to that of the Alloy Orchestra, which was performed most recently at the 2010 SF Silent Film Festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two additional Live & Onstage presentations have connections to Marin's Headlands Center for the Arts, whose current Director of Programs, Sean Uyehara, served as SFIFF's chief Live & Onstage programmer for a number of years. On April 10 at the Castro, <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival-2017/parallel-spaces#.WN5uAI61ui4" target="_blank">Parallel Spaces: Will Oldham and Jerome Hiler</a> will find actor/musician (and 2008 Headlands Artist in Residence) Will Oldham performing alongside three works by Bay Area experimental filmmaker Jerome Hiler. Headlands' 2014 Artist in Residence, artist and filmmaker Terence Nance, will present the interactive live program <a href="http://www.sffilm.org/festival-2017/18-black-girls-boys#.WN5uI461ui4" target="_blank">18 Black Girls Aged 1 - 18 Who Have Arrived at the Singularity and Are Thus Spiritual Machines</a> at the Victoria Theatre on April 16, with a separate program focused on <i>18 Black Boys</i> taking place the following evening.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Predictions and Wish List</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Each year I enjoy ruminating on which films might make the cut for SFIFF inclusion, and follow that up with a 20-film festival wish list. Landmark Theatres' upcoming release calendar has been my most dependable crystal ball in years past, as the festival traditionally features many of the arthouse chain's spring and summer offerings. In their weekly mailing to press, however, Landmark no longer lists movies arriving more than several weeks out. That said, there are three films scheduled to open Friday, April 21 that I do consider strong SFIFF possibilities: the animated satire <i>My Entire High School is Falling into the Sea</i>, the Anne Hathaway monster movie <i>Colossal</i> (from <i>Timecrimes</i> director Nacho Vigalondo) and Cristian Mungiu's <i>Graduation</i>, the Romanian director's follow-up to <i>Beyond the Hills</i> which won the Best Director prize at Cannes last year. Three feature documentaries on Landmark's horizon could also find themselves in the SFIFF60 line-up: <i>Finding Oscar</i>, <i>Angkor Awakens: A Portrait of Cambodia</i>, and <i>Citizen Jane: Battle Cry for the City</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As for this year's wish list, I could have easily filled all 20 slots with French language films, due in part to the void created by the discontinuation of the SF Film Society's French Cinema Now mini-fest. The movies I've chosen below all debuted on the 2016 festival circuit but have yet to make a Bay Area appearance – in other words, it's getting to be now-or-never time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>By the Time It Gets Dark</i> (Thailand dir. Anocha Suwichakornpong)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Death of Louis XIV</i> (Portugal/Spain/France dir. Albert Serra)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Endless Poetry</i> (Chile dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Heal the Living</i> (France dir. Katell Quillévéré)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hedi</i> (Tunisia dir. Mohamed Ben Attia)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It's Only the End of the World</i> (Canada/France dir. Xavier Dolan)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A Journey Through French Cinema</i> (France dir. Bertrand Tavernier)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ma' Rosa</i> (Philippines, dir. Brilliante Mendoza)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Mister Universo</i> (Austria/Italy dir. Tizza Cova, Rainer Frimmel)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Moka</i> (France/Switzerland dir. Frédéric Mermoud)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Nocturama</i> (France dir. Bertrand Bonello)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Ornithologist</i> (Portugal dir. João Pedro Rodrigues)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rat Film</i> (USA dir. Theo Anthony)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Safari</i> (Austria, dir. Ulrich Seidl)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Scarred Hearts</i> (Romania dir. Radu Jude)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sieranevada</i> (Romania dir. Cristi Puiu)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Slack Bay</i> (France dir. Bruno Dumont)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Souvenir</i> (Belgium dir. Bavo Defume)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Untamed</i> (Mexico dir. Emat Escalante)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Yourself and Yours</i> (South Korea dir. Hong Sang-soo)</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-2007930615153842892016-10-06T07:50:00.002-07:002016-10-06T08:54:26.432-07:00MVFF39 2016<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Round about five years ago, the <a href="http://www.mvff.com/" target="_blank">Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF)</a> began expanding its well-established mix of Awards Season contenders, docs and programmers' discoveries to include a sizable number of prize-winners and big buzz films from Cannes and Berlin. To witness, the fest's 39th edition boasts an unprecedented nine selections from Cannes' competition as well as an autograph collector's wet dream of celebrated actors and filmmakers set to stroll its red carpet. In my ten years of covering MVFF for this blog, I've never seen it so chock full of films I'm hot to see. Here's an overview of what's got me excited, with brief thoughts on some films I've previewed. (San Francisco theatrical release dates are noted where known.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spanning 114 features and 88 shorts from 37 countries, the Bay Area's second largest film festival takes off on Thursday, October 6 with dueling opening night presentations. Over at the CinéArts Sequoia in Mill Valley, Toronto audience winner <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240136~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">La La Land</a> stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in a roundly raved-about modern musical. I wasn't taken with director Damien Chazelle's <i>Whiplash</i>, so color me hopeful, yet skeptical about this early Best Picture Oscar contender. Stone and Chazelle are expected to attend. The evening's other viewing opportunity is Denis Villeneuve's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240089~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Arrival</a>, which plays the Century Cinema in Corte Madera. Special festival guest Amy Adams stars as a linguistics professor called upon to communicate with newly-arrived space aliens. It'll be a bittersweet night for the Century Cinema, as Marin County's largest single-screen cinema prepares to close its doors and make way for a Scandinavian Designs store. The beloved movie house will also host a <a href="http://www.mvff.com/star-wars/" target="_blank">Star Wars Trilogy Event</a> on Saturday, October 8 and then close for good after Sunday night's <a href="http://www.mvff.com/nicole-kidman/" target="_blank">Nicole Kidman tribute</a>, featuring an on-stage conversation with the actress and screening of her new film, <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240143~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Lion</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MVFF concludes 11 days later with Jeff Nichol's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240148~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Loving</a>, which premiered in competition at Cannes. Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton star as Mildred and Richard Loving, the real-life couple whose interracial marriage in Virginia lead to the Supreme Court decision banning all anti-miscegenation statutes. The director and both stars will be on hand for a Q&A. The film also opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on November 11. Giving <i>Loving</i> some stiff competition on closing night will be a just-announced screening of Pablo Larraín's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=244954~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Jackie</a> at the Century Larkspur. Critics are calling Natalie Portman's turn as Jackie O in the days following JFK's assassination as the performance to beat for this year's Best Actress Oscar. It's the Chilean filmmaker's first English-language film and it follows his string of darkly comic arthouse movies that includes <i>Tony Manero</i>, <i>The Club</i> (MVFF38) and 2012's Oscar-nominated <i>No</i>. Larraín will attend the <i>Jackie</i> screening and be presented with the Variety International Director of the Year Award.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MVFF also showcases <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240164~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Neruda</a>, Pablo Larraín's other biopic-of-sorts from 2016. It premiered in the Director's Fortnight sidebar at Cannes and arrives at MVFF as a part of a <a href="http://www.mvff.com/gael-garcia-bernal/" target="_blank">Spotlight on Gael Garcia Bernal</a>. The Mexican actor (and sometime director) will take part in an on-stage conversation before Larraín's fanciful, yet politically pointed film set in Chile immediately after WWII. It's perhaps Bernal's most challenging role to date, wherein he plays an imaginary police inspector in dogged pursuit of the communist poet who's been reluctantly forced underground. The actor makes an additional festival appearance in the Mexican rom-com <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240194~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">You're Killing Me, Susanna</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mvff.com/viva-el-cine/" target="_blank">¡Viva el Cine!</a> is the MVFF39 sidebar where we encounter Pedro Almodóvar's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240132~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Julieta</a> and Kleber Mendonça Filho's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240086~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Aquarius</a>, both of which competed at Cannes. While Kleber's <i>Aquarius</i> isn't as audaciously inventive as his 2012 debut, <i>Neighboring Sounds</i>, it takes on the same issues of race and class in contemporary Brazil. The film contains one of the year's great cinematic character studies in Sonia Braga's Clara, a retired Recife writer battling developers who want to tear down the beachfront apartment building where she's the last remaining resident. <i>Aquarius</i> is perhaps overlong at 142 minutes, but a powerfully gratifying denouement makes the slow journey worthwhile. Unfortunately, the film became embroiled in a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/world/americas/brazilian-politics-smother-a-films-oscar-ambitions.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fmovies&_r=1" target="_blank">nasty political controversy</a>, which prevented it from becoming Brazil's Oscar submission. (Chile on the other hand, has proudly submitted <i>Neruda</i>). <i>Aquarius</i> opens at Landmark Theatres Clay Theatre on October 28, with Braga appearing in person at select Bay Area screenings. Almodóvar's <i>Julieta</i> also hits the Clay on January 6.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two additional <i>¡Viva el Cine!</i> selections I've previewed are recommended. In the searingly intense <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240144~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">The Long Night of Francisco Sanctis</a>, a family man must decide whether to risk his safety by warning two strangers of their imminent arrest in the days of Argentina's Dirty War. I'd love to hear what others think about the film's cryptic ending. In stark contrast, <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240127~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Icaros: A Vision</a> is set in a laid-back ayahuasca retreat deep in the Peruvian Amazon. The film observes the spiritual journeys of several Western "passengers" seeking enlightenment via hallucinogens, as well as the plight of a shaman's assistant who's slowly losing his vision. It was a welcome surprise to find Italian actor Filippo Timi, best known for his portrayal of Mussolini in <i>Vincere</i>, among the film's cast.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to Pablo Larraín and Gael Garcia Bernal, MVFF attendees can serve themselves double helpings of Jim Jarmusch and Isabelle Huppert. Jarmusch's well-received Cannes competition title <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240171~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Paterson</a> stars Adam Driver as a low-key Paterson, NJ bus driver who writes poetry he shares with his wife, played by esteemed Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani (<i>About Elly</i>). Cannes is also where the director premiered <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240120~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Gimme Danger</a>, his documentary on punk progenitors Iggy Pop and The Stooges that will open at Landmark Theatre's Opera Plaza on November 4. Huppert turned in a pair of wildly acclaimed performances in 2016 and MVFF has both. Mia Hansen-Løve's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240185~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Things to Come</a> premiered at Berlin and stars Huppert as a slightly unmoored philosophy professor who begins discovering new life possibilities. The actress also commands the lead role in <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240114~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Elle</a>, a rape-revenge psychological thriller which is the never-dull Paul Verhoeven's first feature since 2006's <i>Black Book</i>. <i>Elle</i> premiered in Cannes' competition and opens locally at Landmark Theatre's Embarcadero Cinema on November 18. It's also France's official Oscar submission.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MVFF is often the first opportunity for Bay Area cinephiles to catch Cannes' prize-winners. This year's Palme d'Or went to Ken Loach's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240126~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">I, Daniel Blake</a>, marking the second time the socially conscious British director has won international art cinema's top prize. The jury's choice was a controversial one, however, as the award had been fully expected to go to Maren Ade's German comedy <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240186~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Toni Erdmann</a>. The director's first film since 2009's <i>Everybody Else</i> was hands down the most critically acclaimed movie at the festival, but the jury shockingly awarded it zilch. <i>Toni Erdmann</i> is the film I most eagerly anticipate at the fest and it opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on January 20 should I want to revisit it. The other Cannes prize winner on offer is Asghar Farhadi's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240178~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">The Salesman</a>, which was awarded Best Actor and Best Screenplay. It's a startling familial drama that's every bit as compelling as the Iranian director's 2011 Oscar-winning <i>A Separation</i>. The story centers on the emotional fallout experienced by a married couple following a mistaken identity home invasion. While the movie's title derives from the fact that the couple are acting in a local theater production of <i>Death of a Salesman</i>, I couldn't make a connection with Arthur Miller's play much beyond that. <i>The Salesman</i> opens in the Bay Area on January 13, but I'd strongly recommend catching the October 7 MVFF screening where director Farhadi is expected to appear. Incidentally, <i>Toni Erdmann</i> and <i>The Salesman</i> are the respective 2016 Oscar submissions for Germany and Iran.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The final Cannes winner snagged for MVFF39 inclusion is <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240174~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">The Red Turtle</a>, which won a special prize in the festival's Un Certain Regard sidebar. This wordless, animated feature about a man shipwrecked on a deserted island marks the first time that venerated Japanese animation house, Studio Ghibli, has participated in an international co-production. Director Michael Dudok de Wit previously won an Oscar for his 2001 animated short, <i>Father and Daughter</i>, and <i>The Red Turtle</i>'s screenplay was written by Pascale Ferran, director of the noted French features <i>Lady Chatterley</i> and <i>Bird People</i>. While I'm not much of an animation enthusiast, I did make sure to secure a ticket for this one.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MVFF39 has also gone out of its way to secure top prize winners from this year's Berlin Film Festival. The 2016 Golden Bear was awarded to <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240117~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Fire at Sea</a>, Gianfranco Rosi's documentary portrait of Lampedusa, the Sicilian island which serves as ground zero for immigration from Africa to Europe. Rosi, who also won Venice's Golden Lion three years ago with the doc <i>Sacro GRA</i>, will attend both MVFF showings of <i>Fire at Sea</i>. The film is tentatively scheduled to open at the Roxie Theater on November 11. As an avid fan of Balkan director Danis Tanovic (<i>Cirkus Columbia</i>, the Oscar-winning <i>No Man's Land</i>), I was thrilled the fest booked his Silver Bear-awarded <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240106~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Death in Sarajevo</a>. Tanovic's latest is a multi-character political satire set in a troubled grand hotel, where E.U. representatives are arriving to celebrate the centenary of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination. Berlin awarded its Silver Bear for Best Director to the aforementioned Mia Hansen-Løve for <i>Things to Come</i>. Two other Berlin selections worth considering are Terence Davies' <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240173~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">A Quiet Passion</a>, starring Cynthia Nixon as Emily Dickinson, and Doris Dörrie's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240119~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Fukushima, Mon Amour</a>, an alleged German "comedy" set within Japan's radioactive Exclusion Zone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An enticing assortment of Asian films also awaits MVFF-goers, starting with Park Chan-wook's Cannes competition entry <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240124~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">The Handmaiden</a>. Based on a "sapphic Victorian potboiler" transposed to 1930's Japanese-occupied South Korea, Park's latest sees the director returning to the revenge genre of earlier films like 2003's <i>Oldboy</i>. Should you miss it at the fest, <i>The Handmaiden</i> opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on October 28. I had the good fortune to preview and heartily recommend Hirokazu Kore-eda's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240084~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">After the Storm</a>, which premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar. The humanist filmmaker's latest family drama is about a gambling-addicted novelist-turned-private detective who rides out a typhoon in his mother's apartment, accompanied by his adoring young son and bitter ex-wife. The film bears strong similarities to Kore-eda's 2008 masterpiece <i>Still Walking</i>, and not just because mother and adult son are once again played by Kirin Kiki and Hiroshi Abe.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also suggest not missing Lee Je-yong's <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240090~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">The Bacchus Lady</a>, which spotlights the issue of elderly South Korean women who survive by prostitution. (The film takes on a second social issue as well, but it would be too much of a spoiler to reveal here – just don't seek out the movie's original Korean title). <i>The Bacchus Lady</i> stars Yoon Yeo-jeong, well known for her films by Im Sang-soo and Hong Sang-soo, appearing here as a caustic streetwalker who takes in an abandoned boy. Director Lee is best recognized for 2003's <i>Untold Scandal</i>. Finally, <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240111~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">The Eagle Huntress</a> tells the tale of a plucky 13-year-old Mongolian girl who becomes, yes, a champion eagle huntress. While uplifting and gorgeous to look at, it stretches the term docu-drama to extreme limits. Every frame feels like a re-enactment. The movie opens at Landmark's Clay Theatre on November 4.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/list.aspx?epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&cp233=Valley%20of%20the%20Docs&" target="_blank">30 non-fiction features</a> at MVFF39 and as usual there's a strong emphasis on social issue and music documentaries. Fitting squarely in the first category are <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240102~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Company Town</a> and <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240110~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Do Not Resist</a>, both of which I've previewed and recommend. Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow's <i>Company Town</i> bears witness to the recent heated supervisorial race for San Francisco's District 2, which encompasses Chinatown and North Beach. The campaign pitted moderate Julie Christensen, backed by Mayor Ed Lee and fat-cat tech money (especially Air B&B) against returning progressive firebrand Aaron Peskin, a match-up that perfectly encapsulates the class struggles of today's San Francisco. The movie's guiding soul is Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, a city native and current SF Examiner staff-writer whose own grandfather was evicted from his longtime Mission district home. Co-directors Kaufman and Snitow are scheduled to attend both MFVV screenings. Craig Atkinson's <i>Do Not Resist</i> effectively documents the grotesque and absurd militarization of America's local police departments and is expectedly alarming, heart-sickening and thoroughly essential viewing. Both docs show up again later this month at the Roxie Theatre, <i>Do Not Resis</i>t on the 21st and <i>Company Town</i> on the 28th. I've also had a look at <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240152~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise</a>, a rich and all-encompassing survey of America's beloved poet, writer, dancer, performer and civil rights activist. While the film will ultimately show up on PBS (it was made for ITVS' <i>American Masters</i> series), it should be well worth seeing on a big screen with an audience. Following the MVFF screenings, it will see a local theatrical release at the AMC Van Ness 14 (of all places) on October 14.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back in 2008 MVFF screened a terrific documentary called <i>The Wrecking Crew</i>, which chronicled the unsung L.A. studio musicians who played on zillions of 1960's pop hits. Due to the cost of securing music rights, the movie didn't see a theatrical release until 2015. This is my way of telling you, DO NOT MISS <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240093~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Bang: The Bert Burns Story</a> when it plays this year's festival. For anyone with even a passing interest in 60's Pop and R&B music, this film is compulsory stuff. Born in the Bronx in 1929 to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Bertrand Russell Berns would enter the music business at age 31 and almost single-handedly introduce Afro-Caribbean rhythms to American pop and R&B music. By the time he died in the final days of 1967 at age 38 (from lingering effects of adolescent rheumatic fever), he would write and/or produce 51 iconic chart singles. Indulge me while a list a few: "Twist and Shout," "A Little Bit of Soap," "Under the Boardwalk," "Tell Him," "Cry Baby," " Baby I'm Yours," "I Want Candy," "Hang On Sloopy," "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Piece of My Heart." When Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller left Atlantic Records in 1963, Berns signed on as house producer and parlayed his success into the creation of his own label, Atlantic subsidiary Bang Records. How Berns used his mob connections to wrest control of Bang from the extortionate demands of Atlantic VP Jerry Wexler is one of many memorable yarns spun in the film.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Known as the "white soul brother," Berns seems to have been truly beloved by the R&B artists he produced, as evidenced by those who appear on camera testifying in his memory. A shortlist includes Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, Ronald Isley, Wilson Picket and Cissy Houston of The Sweet Inspirations. The Exciters' lead singer Brenda Reid gives a glorious recounting of the recording session that produced the Berns-penned smash hit "Tell Him." Fellow songwriters Leiber and Stoller, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Jerry Ragovoy arrive with their own tales to tell, as do Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and Van Morrison. The most poignant memories, however, come from Berns' wife Ilene, a former go-go dancer who found herself a widow and mother of three at age 24. She maintained Bang Records for another 12 years and spent her life carrying on Bert Berns' legacy. The doc's narration by Steven Van Zandt was written by Bay Area music scribe Joel Selvin, based on his 2014 book, "Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of R&B." Berns' son Brett co-directed the film with established music doc maker <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Sarles" target="_blank">Bob Sarles</a>, both of whom will attend the festival. Following the October 11 screening, there will be a <a href="http://www.sweetwatermusichall.com/event/1312259-bang-bert-burns-tribute-mill-valley/" target="_blank">Bert Berns Tribute Concert</a> at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley featuring the Flamin' Groovies and the great Betty Harris. (One of the film's most breathtaking sequences is actual footage of Harris' 1963 recording session of "It's Dark Outside," with Berns showing her exactly how he wants the acapella intro to be sung.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MVFF's selection of new American films, representing both indie and indie-ish cinema, is where we find the bulk of the festival's eye-popping line-up of red carpet stars and filmmakers. Annette Bening, along with director Mike Mills and co-star Lucas Jade Zumann, appear at the Centerpiece screening of <a href="http://www.mvff.com/20th-century-women/" target="_blank">20th Century Women</a>, which arrives days after its NY Film Festival world premiere. Aaron Eckhart gets the MVFF Spotlight treatment for his latest <a href="http://www.mvff.com/aaron-eckhart/" target="_blank">Bleed for This</a>, a boxing pic co-starring Miles Teller (<i>Whiplash</i>). Ewan McGregor comes to town with <a href="http://www.mvff.com/ewan-mcgregor/" target="_blank">American Pastoral</a>, an adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulitzer-winning novel that also marks the actor's directorial debut. (The film received truly awful reviews at Toronto and opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on October 28). <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240128~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">In Dubious Battle</a> reps another outing for James Franco as both actor and director, this time adapting John Steinbeck's Depression-era novel about a California fruit pickers strike. The Bay Area native is expected to appear at the film's October 9 screening.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the most critically praised U.S. films of 2016 arrive at MVFF with their directors in tow. Kelly Reichardt will be present for the October 8 screening of <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240099~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Certain Women</a>, her contemporary portrait of four intrepid Montana women. Starring Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern and Lily Gladstone, the film also opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on October 28. Filmmaker Barry Jenkins has received ecstatic reviews for his haunting, semi-autobiographical <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240159~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Moonlight</a>, a Miami-set meditation on black masculinity set in three different time periods of a young man's life. Jenkins will be on hand for the October 10 screening. <i>Moonlight</i> arrives at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema on October 28. On October 14 MVFF pays tribute to director Julie Dash, whose seminal <a href="http://www.mvff.com/julie-dash/" target="_blank">Daughters of the Dust</a> was a key touchstone for Beyoncé's recent <i>Lemonade</i> project. The film has been completely restored for its 25th anniversary, and the festival's tribute will feature an on-stage conversation with Dash as well as a career-spanning clips reel. The restored <i>Daughters of the Dust</i> plays Landmark's Opera Plaza Cinema starting on December 2.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although director Kenneth Lonergan won't be in attendance, MVFF39 also offers an early opportunity to see the critically acclaimed <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240151~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Manchester by the Sea</a>, starring Casey Affleck as a troubled man who reluctantly takes on guardianship of his teenage nephew. Affleck is being roundly touted as having the lead on this year's Best Actor Oscar. There also won't be any talent present for MVFF screenings of Antonio Campos' <a href="http://tickets.cafilm.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=240100~b5ffc240-184b-4172-a0fd-0f56eabee2d5&epguid=c6b17b06-9289-4456-9ea8-48c16255c85d&" target="_blank">Christine</a>, but that shouldn't stop you from partaking in the best American film I've seen thus far in 2016. "Mind-blowing" is a cliché that aptly applies to Rebecca Hall's portrayal of Christine Chubbuck, the insecure and abrasive Florida TV news reporter who shot herself to death on live TV in 1974. With his assured direction, Campos leads us through the harrowing chain of events that caused her unhinging, and makes it all bearable with a welcome infusion of arch humor. He's aided by an amazing ensemble cast (particularly Michael C. Hall as the station's lead anchor upon whom Christine has a crush), a thoughtfully selected cheesy 70's pop soundtrack, and in-your-face art direction and costume design. <i>Christine</i> also works as a prescient look back at the dawn of TV news' devolvement into info-tainment, a notion Chubbuck was giving the finger to with her desperate final act.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-2881360930533995772016-09-22T08:17:00.001-07:002016-09-23T08:21:53.746-07:00Autumn 2016 Bay Area Film Round-Up<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Autumn can be a crazy busy time of year for Bay Area cinephiles. While it's been that way for nearly a decade, 2016 could see the phenomenon reach dizzying new heights. As always, <a href="http://www.mvff.com/" target="_blank">Mill Valley Film Festival</a> is the pond's biggest fish, celebrating its 39th edition from October 6 to 16. I'll post a preview shortly before it opens. The San Francisco Film Society's Fall Season of mini-festivals has long been autumn's other major player, but it essentially no longer exists – or at least not under that aegis. I'll especially miss French Cinema Now, which had an impressive eight-year run bringing an awesome mix of new French-language movies to the Bay Area. In happier news, the Film Society has announced an exciting new year-round collaboration with the recently re-opened SFMOMA, details of which I'll share later in this overview.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 40 years of living in San Francisco, I can't remember a weekend quite as full of quandary-filled film choices as this upcoming one. There are no less than six festivals and retrospectives to choose from. My top pick is SF Film Society's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/exhibition/hong-kong-cinema#.V-QVyjX2khV" target="_blank">Hong Kong Cinema</a> (Sept. 23 to 25), which returns as a welcome holdover from their Fall Season. This year's line-up features a tribute to renowned director Stanley Kwan, as well as seven popular new HK releases. Kwan will be in town for opening night's 25th anniversary screening of <i>Center Stage</i> (1991), starring the incomparable Maggie Cheung as tragic Chinese silent film star Ruan Ling-yu. I'm excited to revisit this film after experiencing several Ruan performances at recent SF Silent Film Festival editions. The filmmaker returns the following evening to present <i>Rouge</i> (1987), his classic, sensual ghost story starring Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung. Among the festival's new HK films, I'm betting on Johnnie To's <i>Three</i>. Set within the confines of a modern hospital, To's latest pits a female neurosurgeon and police captain against a criminal patient. Reviews say it contains a climactic hospital shoot-out that's on par with John Woo's <i>Hardboiled</i>. I also wouldn't mind having a look at Fruit Chan's <i>Kill Time</i>, a thriller that sounds even nuttier than Chan's excellent <i>The Midnight After</i>, which played the fest two years ago.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Certain to be clamoring for local filmgoers' attention this Saturday is <a href="http://www.cinemaitaliasf.com/new-gallery-5-forte/xqtvuf9qm6a7tt45wg1le5iuei0fei" target="_blank">Anna Magnani – A Film Series</a>. Co-presented by Luce Cinecittà, the Italian Cultural Institute and Cinema Italian San Francisco, this all-day event builds on the success of those organizations' recent Vittorio De Sica and Pier Paolo Pasolini retrospectives. Three iconic Magnani films – <i>Rome Open City</i> (1945), <i>Bellissima</i> (1952) and <i>The Rose Tattoo</i> (1955) plus the relatively obscure <i>The Passionate Thief</i> (1960) – all play the Castro Theatre in 35mm prints. And if that's not enough Magnani for you, Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive begins presenting <a href="http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/program/anna-magnani-eternal-soul-italian-cinema" target="_blank">Anna Magnani: Eternal Soul of Italian Cinema</a> this Sunday, continuing through October 29. The PFA series includes nine films that are not part of the one-day Castro event.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is weekend's other</span> important retrospective is the Roxie Theater's <a href="http://www.roxie.com/ai1ec_event/samuel-fuller-fuller-life/" target="_blank">Samuel Fuller: A Fuller Life</a>, which kicks off Friday night with a documentary directed by the iconoclast filmmaker's daughter, Samantha. I caught <i>A Fuller Life</i> at the Castro two years ago and recommend it to Fuller aficionados and newbies alike. The Roxie will screen nine of his movies over the weekend, including stone classics <i>Shock Corridor</i>, <i>Pick Up on South Street</i>, <i>The Naked Kiss</i>, <i>The Crimson Kimono</i> and <i>White Dog</i>, plus rarities <i>Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street</i>, <i>Forty Guns</i>, <i>The Steel Helmet</i> and <i>Underworld USA</i> (the latter being my favorite discovery at the 2012 Noir City festival). As an added bonus, Samantha Fuller and Fuller's "widow, muse and collaborator" Christa Lang-Fuller will appear at five screenings in conversation with film programmer and archivist Peter Conheim. (For North Bay residents, the <a href="http://rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/samuel-fuller/" target="_blank">San Rafael Film Center</a> holds a slightly altered Fuller retrospective this weekend as well). It's worth mentioning here that the Roxie follows up the Fuller fest with <a href="http://www.roxie.com/ai1ec_event/banned-movie-week/?instance_id=" target="_blank">Banned Movie Week</a> (Sept. 25 to 28), featuring <i>I Am Curious Yellow</i>, <i>The Tin Drum</i>, <i>In the Realm of the Senses</i> and a Dusan Makavejev double bill of <i>Sweet Movie</i> and <i>WR: Mysteries of the Organism</i>. I must say the Roxie has really stepped up its game in 2016. Their adventurous programming choices continuously surprise me and I'm particularly grateful they've installed DCP in the Little Roxie.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Anna Magnani, Hong Kong and Sam Fuller aren't your thing, there are three festivals of national<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-</span>regional cinema this weekend as well. The <a href="http://sfirishfilm.com/" target="_blank">13th SF Irish Film Festival</a> runs from September 22 to 24 at the Delancey Street Screening Room while across town, the SF Art Institute hosts the <a href="http://iranianfilmfestival.org/" target="_blank">9th Iranian Film Festival</a>. The latter features a rare screening of <i>Tickets</i>, which serves as a remembrance to director Abbas Kiarostami who unexpectedly passed away in July. The 2005 film was co-directed by Ermanno Olmi and Ken Loach, and interweaves three narrative threads set on a train trip from Innsbruck to Rome. The fest is where you'll also find <i>Finding Altamira</i>, a historical drama from <i>Chariots of Fire</i> director Hugh Hudson starring Antonio Banderas as the man who discovered Spain's Altamira Paleolithic cave paintings. Its inclusion in the festival is due to the presence of celebrated Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani (<i>About Elly, Eden</i>) who plays Banderas' wife "Conchita."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, the <a href="http://www.sflatinofilmfestival.com/" target="_blank">8th SF Latino Film Festival</a> continues its 16-day run this weekend at venues throughout the Bay Area. The film I'm most anticipating is César Augusto Acevedo's <i>Land and Shade</i>, which screens one time only at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts next Saturday, October 1. Acevedo's film won the 2015 Cannes Film Festival's Camera d'Or prize (given to a first-time feature filmmaker) and centers on the struggles of Colombian sugar cane harvesters. I've seen and also heartily recommend Salvador del Solar's <i>Magallanes</i>, which has two more screenings during the fest. This intense Peruvian political drama stars favorite Mexican actor Damián Alcázar (<i>Herod's Law, El Infierno</i>) and unforgettable, indigenous Peruvian actress, Magaly Solier (the Oscar-nominated <i>The Milk of Sorrow, Madeinusa</i>).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now let's peer into to October where the big news is <a href="http://www.sffs.org/exhibition/modern-cinema#.V-QXkvkrK_4" target="_blank">Modern Cinema</a>, the aforementioned collaboration between the SF Film Society and SFMOMA. Over the course of three weekends, viewers can experience 26 essentials of film history (11 of them in 35mm) all united around the seasonally apropos theme of "haunting." Eighteen programs are post-WWII titles (e.g. "Modern") from the vaults of Criterion Collection/Janus Films, the rightfully exulted company that received the Mel Novikoff Award at last spring's SF International Film Festival. The selections run the gamut from Kurosawa's <i>Rashomon</i> (to be introduced by Philip Kaufman) to Herk Harvey's <i>Carnival of Souls</i>, and from Fassbinder's <i>The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant </i>to Akerman's <i>Jeanne Dielman</i> (to be introduced by Wayne Wang). The remaining eight programs encapsulate a near-complete retrospective of Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (with 2002's <i>Blissfully Yours</i> being oddly M.I.A.). The director, whose oeuvre fits snugly within the series' "haunting" motif, will appear in person at one of two scheduled shorts programs. His video installation piece, Phantoms of Nabua is already on exhibit in the museum.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm super excited to have SFMOMA back as a film venue following a two-year closure for expansion and renovation. While their film programming has always been intermittent, I fondly remember catching major Chantal Akerman and Derek Jarman retrospectives there. At the press conference for Modern Cinema, it was announced SFMOMA and SF Film Society are cooking up two additional three-weekend film events for February and July, 2017. As for the museum's Phyllis Wattis Theater, it was essentially gutted and rebuilt within the existing shell during renovation. The new auditorium looks snazzy, with a 12' X 24' screen, 270 boxy but comfortable new seats with cup holders (!) and a deepened stage with adjacent green room. On the tech side, they've installed a new 4K NEC digital projector, Kinoton 16mm and 35mm projectors and Meyer Sound Cinema Surround System. The new cinema even boasts its own dedicated entrance off of Minna Street.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts lies directly across the street from SFMOMA, which makes it easy to go catch some of <a href="https://www.ybca.org/whats-on/andy-warhol" target="_blank">Andy Warhol's Silver Screen: Rarities and Restorations</a>. From October 13 to 30, YBCA has scheduled seven Warhol films spread across five programs, all exhibited in 16mm prints. The series' spotlight piece is 1968's ultra rare <i>San Diego Surf</i>, which Warhol was unable to complete following Valerie Solanas' assassination attempt on him. It has recently been edited together by associate/collaborator Paul Morrissey, as a commission for the Andy Warhol foundation. The irrepressible Taylor Mead and Viva star as a middle-class couple who live with their pregnant daughter (Ingrid Superstar) in La Jolla, where they rent out an extra beach house to a group of sexy surfers (including Joe Dallesandro). Legend has it that cast and crew were furiously harassed by police during the three-week shoot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second Warhol program is a double bill of <i>Outer and Inner Space</i> (1965) and <i>Tiger Morse</i> (1967), both featuring Edie Sedgewick talking an amphetamine-fueled blue streak. That's followed by a double bill of <i>My Hustler</i> (1965) and the infamous <i>Blow Job</i> (1964), the latter a 35-minute static shot on a man's face as he receives the titular sex act. <i>The Velvet Underground Tarot Card</i> (1966) comes next, featuring all V.U. band members having their cards read at a raucous party. The film was initially shown as background projection during Warhol's "Exploding Plastic Inevitable" events. The series concludes with <i>The Life of Juanita Castro</i> (1965), in which a group of actors improvise "a ridiculous yet politically meaningful meditation on Fidel Castro and his family." October's final weekend also finds YBCA hosting <a href="https://ybca.org/whats-on/silver-bullets-all-day-werewolf-marathon" target="_blank">Silver Bullets: All-Day Werewolf Marathon</a>, with back-to-back screenings of <i>Teen Wolf</i> (1985), the original <i>The Wolf Man</i> (1941), <i>Ginger Snaps</i> (2000) and <i>Wolfcop</i> (2015).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another important October film event is the <a href="http://www.arabfilmfestival.org/" target="_blank">Arab Film Festival</a>, whose 20th edition begins on Friday, October 7 at the Castro Theatre and continues for 10 days at various Bay Area venues. The complete line-up was supposed be announced a week ago, but there's still no word. The festival has revealed its opening night film, however, and it's one I definitely want to see. <i>Clash</i> is the second feature by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab that follows up his well received 2010 debut, the feminist-leaning <i>Cairo 678</i>. Premiering in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar to solid reviews, <i>Clash</i> is set within the confines of a police paddy wagon full of both pro-military dictatorship and pro-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators in 2013. The audience only sees what the detainees see through the vehicle's windows. <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/cannes-film-review-clash-1201773347/" target="_blank">Variety's Jay Weissberg</a> calls it "bravura filmmaking with a kick-in-the-gut message about chaos and cruelty." Somewhat surprisingly, Egypt has named <i>Clash</i> its 2016 Oscar submission. The Arab Film Festival screening in San Francisco will be the U.S. premiere, which is appropriate considering Diab developed the script during a SF Film Society residency program back in 2014.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking ahead to November and December, here are some important dates to keep in mind. <a href="http://www.midcenturyproductions.com/" target="_blank">The French Had a Name for It</a> returns for a third edition on November 3 to 7 at the Roxie Theatre, with a 15-film foray into the world of French film noir. That same weekend will also see the return of the SF Film Society's Doc Stories, another welcome mini-fest that was formerly part of the SFFS Fall Season. The following week brings us the 14th annual <a href="http://www.thirdi.org/" target="_blank">3rd i SF International South Asian Film Festival</a> from November 10 to 13. <a href="http://www.nicefestival.org/" target="_blank">New Italian Film Festival</a> (aka N.I.C.E.) pops up at the Vogue Theatre from November 16 to 20, albeit without programming or other involvement from the SF Film Society. Finally, the SF Silent Film Festival recently announced the stellar line-up for its one-day, six-program <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/list.aspx?epguid=c28d70a4-79b4-4389-a804-d388e1c77072&" target="_blank">A Day of Silents</a> at the Castro Theatre on December 3. I'm already drooling over the prospect of hearing the Alloy Orchestra accompany Sergei Eisenstein's <i>Strike</i>!
</span></span>Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-31325420184613202622016-06-01T08:21:00.003-07:002016-06-06T10:19:30.815-07:0021st San Francisco Silent Film Festival 2016<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hot on the heels of last year's 20th anniversary blow-out, the <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/list.aspx?epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF)</a> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is back</span> with another stunning roster for 2016. The Western Hemisphere's most prestigious silent movie showcase returns to the Castro Theatre from June 2 to 5 and features 19 programs and 11 new restorations, all screened with live music. Only four films have shown at previous SFSFF editions. Marquee-worthy stars such as Pola Negri, Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks and Emil Jannings appear in films by top directors like Fritz Lang, Yasujiro Ozu, Victor Fleming and Ernst Lubitsch. Special highlights include a pair of René Clément restorations and Oscar Micheaux's <i>Within Our Gates</i> accompanied by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The terrific news for celluloid lovers is that ten movies will screen in 35mm, according to the indispensible <a href="http://www.filmonfilm.org/filmcalendar/" target="_blank">Film on Film Foundation</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Classics</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The festival opens Thursday night with William A. Wellman's 1928 <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209943~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Beggars of Life</a> starring Louise Brooks, Richard Arlen and Wallace Beery. It's considered Brooks' best Hollywood film, wherein she plays a young woman fleeing police after killing her abusive stepfather. Hopping a freight train disguised as a boy, she hooks up with a fellow traveler (Arlen) and together they spend time in a hobo encampment run by Oklahoma Red (Beery). Brooks did her own stunts and apparently despised Wellman for making her jump on and off moving trains. The actress' penchant for subtlety and underplaying is in full evidence here, rendering her performance completely contemporary. Her next film would be the iconic <i>Pandora's Box</i>. Based on an autobiography by scrappy writer/boxer/ex-hobo Jim Tully, <i>Beggars of Life</i> originally contained several talking sequences and is credited as Paramount's first movie with spoken words. It will be shown in 35mm accompanied by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, who were also on hand when the festival first screened the film in 2007.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jrLiVpABc8yTSy7KKUjWxLFGC5l7iDCcUjGjCub736X5vVrccBJ-UQo0nfbvS-KkCEYY5RcZnV_b2xq-hKPY2BDwvwf362t1vKTX73oZxj9T5TSIbFExgrY29X-gtY13wnPqlVPxEo8/s1600/When_the_Clouds_Roll_by+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jrLiVpABc8yTSy7KKUjWxLFGC5l7iDCcUjGjCub736X5vVrccBJ-UQo0nfbvS-KkCEYY5RcZnV_b2xq-hKPY2BDwvwf362t1vKTX73oZxj9T5TSIbFExgrY29X-gtY13wnPqlVPxEo8/s320/When_the_Clouds_Roll_by+poster.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SFSFF21 concludes four days later with the 1919 comedy <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209961~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">When the Clouds Roll By</a>, which last played the fest in 2004. It was Victor Fleming's debut feature and the last "Coat and Tie" role for star Douglas Fairbanks before he shifted to swashbucklers. In this enchanting and surreal spoof on psychology, the actor plays a superstitious man who falls under the influence of a mad doctor's nefarious hypnosis experiments. The film is noted for two particular sequences, one of which has Fairbanks running up a wall and across the ceiling, a full 30 years before Fred Astaire's similar accomplishment in <i>Royal Wedding</i>. The other is a surrealistic dream sequence in which an onion, mincemeat pie, Welsh rarebit and lobster all do battle ins<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ide</span> the actor's stomach. <i>When the Clouds Roll By</i> will be introduced by Fairbanks biographer Tracey Goessel and accompanied by Guenter Buchwald and Frank Bockius.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Robert Flaherty's 1922 <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209958~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Nanook of the North</a> is one of the silent era's most famous films, which is why I was shocked to discover SFSFF hadn't screened <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it previously</span>. I'm pretty sure I haven't watched it since a university documentary film class in the early 1970's. This captivating year-in-the-life look at an Inuit family in the Canadian Arctic – how they hunt, fish, trade and migrate – is considered the granddaddy of non-fiction filmmaking, although today it would probably be deemed a "docudrama." <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A number of</span> scenes were apparently staged. The director forced his subjects to hunt with spears instead of their customary rifles, and Nanook's "wife" was actually a common-law spouse of director Flaherty. None of this detracts from its greatness, however, which is why it was one of the first 25 films chosen for preservation by the US Library of Congress.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzj4NIo4nLoNtkNASY17Q_n9ZoTwyZLPIulqq58RIC3DDfynLbn5FBcDiex6kOgp05kYb__SDUmC_qpDLPQYQFhdl1G-fzVs8zPasENk7lViZ6TAaCXlPZH5Kq9tiI6-_DfBfmenWa-s/s1600/strongest+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzj4NIo4nLoNtkNASY17Q_n9ZoTwyZLPIulqq58RIC3DDfynLbn5FBcDiex6kOgp05kYb__SDUmC_qpDLPQYQFhdl1G-fzVs8zPasENk7lViZ6TAaCXlPZH5Kq9tiI6-_DfBfmenWa-s/s320/strongest+poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While not even remotely considered a "classic," the Norwegian Arctic setting of <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209951~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Strongest</a> makes it a appropriate companion piece to <i>Nanook</i>. This 1929 Swedish narrative feature was co-directed by Axel Lindblom, who got his start making Arctic newsreels earlier in the decade. Those experiences inspired him to write a melodramatic screenplay about rival hunting ships and rival suitors, and he enlisted the aid of Alf Sjöberg to co-direct. While Lindblom never made another film, Sjöberg would become Sweden's foremost 20th century theatre director, as well as a filmmaker who had five movies compete for the Palme d'Or at Cannes (including two that won). <i>The Strongest</i> is said to contain some of the most striking images in silent Swedish cinema. <i>Nanook of the North</i> and <i>The Strongest</i> will both be shown in 35mm and appropriately accompanied by the ethereal<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ounds of the </span></span> Matti Bye Ensemble.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The year's most highly anticipated silent film restoration is surely Laurel and Hardy's 1927 <i>The Battle of the Century</i>. The missing second reel, which contains the most insanely epic pie fight in the history of cinema (3,000 pies!) was discovered complete in 2015 by collector John Mirsalis. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that it's</span> been restored by Lobster Films<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">,</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o</span>ne of Hollywood's most deeply mourned lost treasures<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>headlines the SFSFF21 program <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209950~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Battle of the Century and Other Com<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">edy</span> Restorations!</a> On the same bill we'll see <i>The Dancing Pig</i>, a 1907 French short from Pathé Studios, plus the Buster Keaton shorts, <i>The Balloonatic</i> (1923) and <i>Cops</i> (1922). The latter is regarded as one of Keaton's most entertaining two-reelers and features "The Great Stone Face" being chased through the streets of Pasadena. Both Mirsalis and Leonard Maltin will be on hand to introduce the screenings. Meanwhile, check out <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/06/laurel_and_hardy_s_battle_of_the_century_pie_fight_reel_is_found.html" target="_blank">Matthew Dessem's article at Slate Magazine</a> for a deeper appreciation of this wondrous discovery. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAULJSCQP1fqSYD22P8ZPaTgh4Q-yXQKrOOkoFInpF72ahJ3qG39K4Nr6aSqFzcOXjRvy33FlMpsjSM7aVc2D-531ym7-btRJCtd2df8GS3s8DoAuoYvXWfItKbEpg0G7tRqPp6RBj5E/s1600/what%2527s+the+world+coming+to+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAULJSCQP1fqSYD22P8ZPaTgh4Q-yXQKrOOkoFInpF72ahJ3qG39K4Nr6aSqFzcOXjRvy33FlMpsjSM7aVc2D-531ym7-btRJCtd2df8GS3s8DoAuoYvXWfItKbEpg0G7tRqPp6RBj5E/s320/what%2527s+the+world+coming+to+poster.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">June is LGBTQ Pride month and <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209957~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Girls Will Be Boys</a> fits right into the festivities. Inspired by Laura Horak's new book of the same title, the program spotlights two comedies with cross-dressing protagonists. First up is Ernst Lubitsch's 1918 <i>I Don't Want to be a Man</i>, made five years before the acclaimed director's arrival in Hollywood. The three-reeler stars Ossi Oswald<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a</span>, aka "The German Mary Pickford," as a poker-playing tomboy who hits the town for a night of tuxedo-clad carousing, only to discover the grass isn't always greener. That will be followed by Richard Wallace's 1926 <i>What's the World Coming To?</i> in a new 35mm co-restoration by SFSFF, Carleton University and New York University. The opening intertitle of this Hal Roach-produced comedy announces its milieu, "one hundred years from now – when men have become more like women and women more like men." And indeed it is a world where men read "Husbands Home Journal," go to bed with curlers and receive expensive gifts from women on the prowl. Stan Laurel is listed as one of the writers and makes a brief on-screen appearance. Author Horak will be present to do the intro honors.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first exposure to Pola Negri came four years ago when the fest played <i>The Spanish Dancer</i>. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She utterly beguiled</span> me and not just because <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of her</span> spooky resembl<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ce to</span></span> 1920's photographs of my Polish grandmother. Negri returns to SFSFF in a new Paramount Archives 4K restoration of Malcolm St. Clair's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209945~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">A Woman of the World</a>. In this 1925 "fish out of water" comedy of manners she plays a newly broken-hearted Italian countess who visits family in Maple Valley, Iowa. Naturally her wicked ways – which include but aren't limited to smoking, drinking and sporting a skull tattoo – provoke outrage amongst the puritanical townsfolk. When the district attorney tries to run her out of town, she responds by bloodily flogging him with a horsewhip. It's said that Negri was <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lampooning</span> her vamp image in this picture, which had grown stale with the movie-going public. The cast includes the instantly recognizable, walrus-mustachioed Chester Conklin as her cousin.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For ardent admirers of director René Clair (<i>À nous la liberté, Le million, I Married a Witch</i>) this year's festival is all about the restorations of his final two silent features. By virtue of their accorded importance, <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209954~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Italian Straw Hat</a> (1928) and <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209960~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Les deux timides</a> (1928) screen in the fest's choice weekend primetime slots. Both films are recent co-restorations by SFSFF and Cinémathèque Française and both will be shown in 35mm. Perhaps not coincidentally, each is also an adaptation of 19th century French playwright Eugène Labiche. <i>Straw Hat</i> is described as a fast moving poke at bourgeois manners that uses techniques common to early silent cinema (fixed camera, few close-ups or intertitles, stock characters). The plot concerns the complications that ensue when a horse eats a married woman's hat while she's off dallying with a lover. None other than Pauline Kael called it "one of the funniest films ever made and one of the most elegant as well." In the visually ambitious, "cheerful satire" <i>Les deux timides</i>, a shy lawyer's screw-up results in his wife-beating client going to prison. The tables turn when the ex-jailbird later sabotages the lawyer's relationship with a young woman. In his program notes from Pordenone, <a href="http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/ed_precedenti/screenings_recorden.php?ID=6008" target="_blank">Lenny Borger writes</a> that the film "owes much of its freshness and charm to Pierre Batcheff's hilariously Keatonesque performance" as one of the titular <i>timides</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>More Restorations</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnIRPz-iXbpBuXsCssj0mgQ-mVYVGmhmpnk5KUH2zHmlYh9E2s6ujYZVw1dcG7odVxKgOx5MBZbxzmukN_snUAKfjEylXfrFkTNt34nDhE2SuCUVxx2_7o6ywRQcI4NVbIYk9-dGLSnY/s1600/every+woman%2527s+problems+news+ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnIRPz-iXbpBuXsCssj0mgQ-mVYVGmhmpnk5KUH2zHmlYh9E2s6ujYZVw1dcG7odVxKgOx5MBZbxzmukN_snUAKfjEylXfrFkTNt34nDhE2SuCUVxx2_7o6ywRQcI4NVbIYk9-dGLSnY/s320/every+woman%2527s+problems+news+ad.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A program <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of</span> tremendous local interest is Willis Robards' <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209947~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Mothers of Men or Every Woman's Problem</a>, a pro-women's suffrage picture shot entirely in the Bay Area. First released in 1917, it was given a different title upon re-release in 1921. The majority of filming took place in Santa Cruz and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">over 500 extra<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s were used</span></span>. Additional footage <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">om</span></span> Berkeley includes scenes at the downtown train station and a suffrage march <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on</span> Shattuck Avenue. <i>Mothers of Men</i> is based on a play by Hal Reid, whose actor son Wallace Reid died of morphine addition in 1923 and was married to the film's star, Dorothy Davenport. The story concerns a woman suffragist, turned judge, turned governor, who must prove her husband's innocence when he's falsely accused of murdering a newspaper editor. This restoration is a BFI National Institute and SFSFF collaboration. I recommend visiting the <a href="http://mothersfilm.com/local-locations/" target="_blank">film's website</a>, which has a nifty "then and now" slide show of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bay Area</span> locations used in the shoot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The festival's late shows are traditionally reserved for the offbeat and/or macabre. Friday night's selection is Irvin Willat's 1919 <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209949~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Behind the Door</a>, in which a German-American naval officer <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">seeks</span> revenge against the German submarine commander whose crew raped and brutalized his wife. Hobart Bosworth, whose nearly 300 imdb credits include filmdom's first Wizard of Oz in 1910, stars as the hero. The ubiquitous Wallace Beery, appearing at his sleaziest here, chews up the villain's role. This new co-restoration from SFSFF, the Library of Congress and Russia's Gosfilmofond will screen in 35mm, with the festival's in-house restoration expert Rob Byrne introducing. Saturday's late show is 1929's <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209955~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">The Last Warning</a>. It would be the final film from director Paul Leni (<i>The Cat and the Canary, The Man Who Laughs</i>), who died of blood poisoning that same year. Set in a haunted Broadway theatre, it's the story of a producer who reunites the cast of a play that saw one of its actors murdered on stage. <i>The Last Warning</i> is a new restoration from Universal Pictures and the film is considered a prescient progenitor to the classic horror movies the studio would crank out just a few years later. At the festival's FREE <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209944~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Amazing Tales from the Archives</a> program, Universal's Peter Schade and Emily Wensel will discuss this particular restoration in depth. Also appearing at <i>Amazing Tales</i> will be Georges Mourier, who is currently overseeing a six and 1/2 hour restoration of Abel Gance's <i>Napoleon</i>, and festival regular Bryony Dixon from the British Film Institute's National Archive.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of my favorite SFSFF discoveries has been the work of British filmmaker Anthony Asquith. <i>A Cottage on Dartmoor</i> and <i>Underground</i> screened in 2007 and 2014 respectively and now the festival presents a restoration of his 1928 debut feature, <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209952~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Shooting Stars</a>. This tragicomic morality tale about the illusions of filmmaking contains the same Hitchcockian plot twists and expressionist visuals that would come to signify Asquith's style. The plot centers on a husband and wife acting team that's torn asunder when she becomes involved with another actor. Brian Aherne, who would secure an Oscar nomination playing Mexico's Maximillian I to Bette Davis' Carlotta in <i>Juarez</i>, is thought to be particularly good as the film's lunkish, cuckolded husband. I'm thrilled that musician Stephen Horne, who did such a breathtaking job accompanying <i>Dartmoor</i> and <i>Underground</i>, will perform with <i>Shooting Stars</i> as well. Writer and historian David Robinson, who recently retired as director of the Giornate del Cinema in Pordenone, will receive this year's SFSFF Award prior to the screening.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The final two SFSFF21 restorations are from Germany. I'm very excited about <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209959~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Destiny (Der müde Tod)</a> from 1921, which is regarded as Fritz Lang's first masterwork. Alfred Hitchcock and Luis Bunuel have both claimed the film as enormously influential, with its proto-surrealism, lavish spectacle and special effects. In this story about one woman's efforts to defy death and save her lover, the character of "Death" itself gets a surprisingly sympathetic, world-weary portrayal by actor Bernhard Goetzke. The film's highlight is said to be three fanciful vignettes set in Persia, Venice and China. <i>Destiny</i> will be introduced by actress Illeana Douglas, who recently hosted the TCM series <i>Trailblazing Women</i>. Douglas is expected to speak on the contributions of Thea von Harbou, who co-wrote many Lang screenplays including <i>Metropolis, M</i> and <i>Destiny</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other German restoration is Ewald André Dupont's 1925 <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209948~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Varieté</a>, which arrives courtesy of the F.W. Murnau Foundation. Alternately known as <i>Jealousy</i>, the film is a morality play about sexual envy amongst three trapeze artists in Berlin – an older acrobat, his young wife and the hunky star who comes between them. The great Emil Jannings, who starred in the classic <i>The Last Laugh</i> just the year before, was ludicrously overweight for the role and often replaced by stunt doubles. The film is regarded for the kinetic camerawork by master DP Karl Freund (<i>Metropolis, I Love Lucy</i>) as well as its fascinating depiction of 1920's Berlin nightlife. Four years later A.E. Dupont would direct Anna May Wong in her acclaimed silent film <i>Piccadilly</i>. Composer Sheldon Mirowitz, whose Berklee Silent Film Orchestra will accompany the film, introduces the screening.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>This and That</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In terms of shear spectacle, the event to catch at this year's festival would seem to be Oscar Micheaux's 1920 <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209953~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Within Our Gates</a>. The oldest surviving film made by an African-American director will be accompanied by members of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, performing a new score for strings and voice by composer Adolphus Hailstork. The film's title is lifted directly from an intertitle in D.W. Griffith's racist epic <i>Birth of a Nation</i>, which sought to glorify the KKK and oppression of African Americans. Micheaux's film served as a direct rebuttal to Griffith, with its story of a young woman who travels North to solicit funds for a rural Southern school. It depicts the early years of Jim Crow, the rebirth of the KKK and the Northern urban migration of African Americans. It also unflinchingly dramatizes lynching and rape. A novelist and former homesteader, Micheaux would direct roughly 30 films over three decades. <i>Within Our Gates</i> was a lost film until the early 70's when a print turned up in Madrid's Filmoteca. Restored by the Library of Congress in 1993, the movie's intertitles are an approximation of Spanish translated back into English. This SFSFF presentation will be in 35mm and introduced by Michael Morgan, conductor of the Oakland Symphony.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SFSFF is progressively making its way through the silent filmography of Japanese auteur Yasujiro Ozu. Thus far we've had the pleasure of seeing <i>I Was Born, But...</i>, <i>Tokyo Chorus</i> and most recently in 2014, <i>Dragnet Girl</i>. This year's fest brings us <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209946~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">That Night's Wife</a>, a 1930 noir-ish family crime drama that takes place over a single evening. Tokihiko Okada plays a father who commits robbery to buy medicine for his sick daughter, thereby presently a moral dilemma for the cop who tracks him down. The film is notable for Ozu's trademark empathy for everyday characters as well as an expressionistic 20-minute opening sequence in which the father is pursued through dark abandoned streets. Pay close attention to the family's apartment walls, upon which Ozu advertises his filmmaking influences via American movie posters. <i>That Night's Wife</i> will screen in 35mm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks to the EYE Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, this year's SFSFF audience gets to experience a <a href="http://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=209956~d9133282-4896-49aa-be18-b053ee8cefc3&epguid=1822aae7-3fda-46c4-8940-081224f26742&" target="_blank">Fantasia of Color in Early Cinema</a>. The program's 15 films represent various techniques for creating colorized celluloid in the days before Technicolor's invention. All but three hail from France and they span an era from 1897 to 1915. Hand-painting, dyeing and stenciling were all used to embellish images ranging from Dutch windmills to Versailles fountains to Algerian folkdancing. On the <a href="https://www.eyefilm.nl/fantasia-of-color-in-early-cinema" target="_blank">EYE Filmmuseum's website</a>, a promotional film for the <i>Fantasia of Color</i> collector's book gives an idea of what to expect.</span></span><br />
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<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-4386865822216031662016-05-11T19:08:00.000-07:002016-05-12T09:21:29.620-07:00SFIFF59 2016 Wrap-Up Report Part 1<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59" target="_blank">San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF)</a> concluded its 59th edition last Thursday following 15 satisfying days of movies and special events. While I have some reservations about the festival's move from Japantown/Fillmore to the Mission district, the transition itself seems to have gone extremely well considering its ambitious scope. I also have to say that House One at Alamo Drafthouse's New Mission Theatre, with its enormous screen and Sony SRX-R515D dual 4K projection system, is now my favorite place to see new movies in the Bay Area – especially while consuming one of Alamo's signature Brussels sprout salads with apple slices, toasted hazelnuts and pecorino cheese.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had the pleasure of participating in 28 programs at SFIFF59. Here's a look at the special events and documentary features I attended. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Special Events</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The highlight of my festival was getting to see and hear Ellen Burstyn in conversation with SF Film Society Executive Director Noah Cowan on SFIFF59's first Saturday afternoon. The energetic 83-year-old Oscar, Tony and Emmy winner was in town to accept the fest's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/peter-j-owens-award-an-afternoon-with-ellen-burstyn-requiem-for-a-dream#.VzPiy-QpoUw" target="_blank">Peter J. Owens Acting Award</a>. I was shocked that fewer than a hundred people showed up, which was possibly attributable to the event being announced just five days prior. The audience on hand, however, was wildly enthusiastic and the Victoria Theatre's intimacy rendered the encounter all the more special. Following a clips reel of career highlights, Cowan conducted a revelatory and frequently hilarious chat with Burstyn that touched on everything from how she came to hire Martin Scorsese for <i>Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore</i> to her new-found fame with <i>House of Cards</i> to her feelings about being robbed of a second Academy Award by Julia Roberts. Fortunately Michael Guillén at <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-peter-j-owens-acting.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a> was also there and has transcribed the talk for all to enjoy.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ellen Burstyn and SF Film Society Exec Director Noah Cowan share a mirthful moment on stage at the Victoria Theatre. (Photo by Pamela Gentile)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Exactly one week later, the promise of seeing both Coen Brothers in person packed the 1400-seat Castro Theatre to capacity. The occasion was the festival's presentation of its annual <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/mel-novikoff-award-an-afternoon-with-janus-films-and-the-criterion-collection#.VzPjSOQpoUw" target="_blank">Mel Novikoff Award</a> to Peter Becker and Jonathan Turell of Janus Films and the Criterion Collection. After an on-stage interview with Variety critic Scott Foundas, Joel and Ethan Coen joined the conversation and introduced a screening of Criterion's most recent restoration, the brothers' 1984 debut, <i>Blood Simple</i>. Bay Area exhibitor Novikoff was an early advocate of the Coen's neo-noir, and they returned the honor by naming an <i>Inside Llewyn Davis</i> character after him. The siblings spent a good half-hour reminiscing about <i>Blood Simple</i>'s production. Amongst the rollicking revelations was that Frances McDormand, in her first screen role, was never permitted to see the film's storyboards because the artist compulsively drew her character in the nude.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Filmmakers Joel (far left) and Ethan (far right) Coen flank Mel Novikoff Award Winners Jonathan Turell and Peter Becker of Janus Films and the Criterion Collection in the Castro Theatre mezzanine. (Photo by Pamela Gentile)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Earlier that same morning I was first in line to participate in the festival's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/vr-day#.VzPjmOQpoUw" target="_blank">VR Day</a>. As a virtual reality newbie I found the technology cruder than I'd imagined, but was nonetheless impressed by two of the VR experiences I had in my allotted one-hour timeslot. <i>Seeking Pluto's Frigid Heart</i> offered stunning 360-degree surface vistas of various terrains on the ex-planet, all based on data recently collected by NASA. The mind-blower of VR Day was Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael's <i>Nomad: Sea Gypsies</i>, which begins by plopping you in the middle of a Borneo lagoon inhabited by Sama-Bajau tribespeople. By turning in your swivel chair you get a full 360-degree survey of the lagoon, complete with thatched huts on stilts and people paddling you by in canoes. After a brief fade to black, you find yourself sitting on the porch of one of those very huts, watching as a family prepares food. Turning around reveals their drying laundry flapping in the wind just inches from your head. Another fade to black lands you in a canoe being propelled across the lagoon by tribesmen standing both in front of and behind you. By looking down at the canoe bottom, you see the still-living fish they've just caught. The possibilities for this technology are obviously staggering.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From my VR experience I was off to hear NY Times Critic-at-Large Wesley Morris deliver this year's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/state-of-cinema-wesley-morris#.VzPj4uQpoUw" target="_blank">State of Cinema Address</a>. The former SF Chronicle and Examiner film critic's topic was "The Radicalization of Sidney Poitier and how it parallels the current climate of race in the movies." Morris began by riffing on various contemporary race-related topics, such as the upcoming appearance of Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. ("Do you really want to be caught stuffing Tubmans into a stripper's g-string or paying your weed dealer with Tubmans?") Morris ultimately made his way through Poitier's filmography, making extended stops for <i>Lilies of the Field</i> ("In 1964, America was finally ready to see him left alone with white women, even if they were nuns who barely spoke English") and his career "pinnacle" <i>In the Heat of the Night</i>, whose infamous slapping scene Morris analyzed extensively. He barely got started on the actor's post-1967 work – "when the studio system collapsed and Poitier starting working exclusively with black people" – before time ran out and he had to bring the talk to an abrupt conclusion.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWOi51DGFEbLnkaJ6xA_9dPGgN8pA6nAeqQdmCCaUL2oAFMSqqfvLuKpDrLIVCGl2l7bYgWVKj1sVu2rcscIsE1_7iARgDw17U64OW363Qqs6pp3xllyb7uZyYDKdtvazmfxWIR-h1sE/s1600/Wesley+Morris_behind+Victoria+screen+byPamelaGentile_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWOi51DGFEbLnkaJ6xA_9dPGgN8pA6nAeqQdmCCaUL2oAFMSqqfvLuKpDrLIVCGl2l7bYgWVKj1sVu2rcscIsE1_7iARgDw17U64OW363Qqs6pp3xllyb7uZyYDKdtvazmfxWIR-h1sE/s400/Wesley+Morris_behind+Victoria+screen+byPamelaGentile_003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NY Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris backstage at the Victoria Theatre waiting to deliver this year's State of Cinema Address. (Photo by Pamela Gentile)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My final SFIFF59 special event was the festival's annual pairing of a silent film with contemporary live music. This year's combo, the first not to be concocted by former SF Film Society programmer Sean Uyehara, was Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 Dracula flick <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/vampyr-with-mercury-rev-and-simon-raymonde-%28cocteau-twins%29#.VzPkI-QpoUw" target="_blank">Vampyr</a> accompanied by alt-rock band Mercury Rev and the Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde. The musicians took to the stage wearing black capes and proceeded to unleash an ungodly sound cavalcade that worked fittingly with the dreamlike imagery on screen. The score ranged from quiet noodling to ear-piercing feedback, with Raymonde particularly fun to watch as he played the electric saw and emitted nonsensical castrato-like vocals. The last 15 minutes was an extended crescendo of propulsive, heart-pounding percussion reminiscent of the Alloy Orchestra. As for <i>Vampyr</i> itself, I was especially struck by the lithe, somnambulant lead performance by actor Julian West, who in real life was a gay Russian-Jewish aristocrat and bon vivant named Baron Nicholas de Gunzberg. The baron financed <i>Vampyr</i> on the condition he play the lead and later in life became an editor at Town & Country, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKvd9f4o6Fs4tUwF4XD8wz5Ab9SjGFocPc2dGw7lT01mCKUI1tBvFT0OqExWBqkH-0_-8Y7cUtfFSL-Rb76eQXrNEvK7P6Iqjxl1uYO0mbIZ7DgyMKh-2KYeq7y0BFaOB5hVpLvqrkok/s1600/Vampyr_byPamelaGentile_014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKvd9f4o6Fs4tUwF4XD8wz5Ab9SjGFocPc2dGw7lT01mCKUI1tBvFT0OqExWBqkH-0_-8Y7cUtfFSL-Rb76eQXrNEvK7P6Iqjxl1uYO0mbIZ7DgyMKh-2KYeq7y0BFaOB5hVpLvqrkok/s400/Vampyr_byPamelaGentile_014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde and members of Mercury Rev strike a pose in the Castro Theatre's side alley prior to performing a live score to Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 <b><i>Vampyr</i></b>. (Photo by Pamela Gentile)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Documentaries</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Compared to similar festivals, SFIFF has been doc-heavy for some years now. For 2016 the section expanded even further, with a whopping 40 percent of the feature film roster being dedicated to non-fiction works. Unless the director is someone like Werner Herzog, Sergei Loznitsa, Patricio Guzmán or others who strive to make their films cinematic, I'm of a mind that most documentaries suffer little when watched privately on a small screen. That of course changes when you have the director and other special guests at a screening, which is nearly always the case at SFIFF. This year I caught five docs at the festival and all but one had talent available for post-screening Q&As.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The aforementioned missing filmmaker was Werner Herzog, whose <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/lo-and-behold-reveries-of-the-connected-world#.VzPkY-QpoUw" target="_blank">Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World</a> played to a large, receptive and overtly techie crowd at the Castro Theatre. Divided into ten chapters, Herzog's latest delves into a multitude of tech-related issues both awe-inspiring and fearsome. Topics include hacking, tech addiction, cyber <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">terrorism</span>, illnesses related to radioactive signals, artificial intelligence, self-driving vehicles and a score of others. I was fascinated by the section on robots. Will they be able to fall in love? Will a robotic soccer team be able to beat FIFA's world champions by 2050? It was also a hoot to learn that when the first internet message was sent in 1969 from UCLA to Stanford, comprised only of the word "login," the system crashed immediately after transmission of the letter "o." With Herzog's trademark detached bemusement, <i>Lo and Behold</i> comprehensively looks at how far we've come since then and where we might be heading, but in a manner that was still perhaps a bit too wonky for this low-tech senior.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My favorite of the docs I caught was Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/weiner#.VzPkleQpoUw" target="_blank">Weiner</a>, a shockingly intimate, fly-on-the-wall look at Anthony Weiner's NYC mayoral run two years after a sexting scandal forced his resignation from Congress. The directors commenced filming the day he declared his candidacy and we tag along every step of the way, from chauffeured-car strategy meetings to wince-inducing confrontations in the home he shares with long-suffering wife, Hillary Clinton's ex-Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin. We're also present when, just as it appears New Yorkers have forgiven Weiner and his campaign is catching fire, new sexting allegations result in his ultimately earning only 4.9 percent of the vote. The film's high point, if you will, is a thrillingly furtive chase through a MacDonald's back exit as Weiner attempts to reach his campaign HQ on election night and avoid an on-camera confrontation with one of his accusers, publicity whore par excellence, Ms. Sydney Leathers. <i>Weiner</i> opens at Landmark's Embarcadero Cinemas on May 27.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Depressing and enraging issue-oriented docs are a festival staple and this year I saw two, Johan Grimonprez' <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/shadow-world#.VzPkw-QpoUw" target="_blank">Shadow World</a> and Sonia Kennebeck's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/national-bird#.VzPk3eQpoUw" target="_blank">National Bird</a>. The first is based on Andrew Feinstein's book of the same name and it goes into sickening detail about the massive corporate bribery and government corruption commonplace in international arms dealing. From Reagan's Iran-Contra scandal to Donald Rumsfeld's Iraqi chemical weapons sale to Tony Blair's cover-up of BAE's £1 billion Saudi prince payoff to Obama's Terror Tuesday meetings, it's all laid out and contrasted with a cheesy muzak soundtrack emphasizing how innocuous this horror has become in our world. It was particularly dispiriting to learn how corruption over armaments deals has essentially destroyed South Africa's democracy, a subject close to Feinstein's heart as an ex-S.A. parliament member. Perhaps the most powerful scene is an interview with Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush, as he describes the unspeakable tortures perpetrated upon him. Director Grimonprez and Feinstein engaged in a spirited post-screening Q&A, and I was especially gratified when Feinstein, completely unprompted, reminded the audience that as wonderful as it would be to have a female president, Hillary Clinton has received more money from the military-industrial complex than any other candidate of either party.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The subject of Kennebeck's equally effective <i>National Bird</i> is U.S. drone warfare, with a special focus on the psychological trauma done to U.S. soldiers who kill civilians halfway across the globe from the (dis)comfort of control booths. The film spotlights three whistleblowers, all of whom fear prosecution under the 1917 Espionage Act for things they might say while being treated by therapists for PTSD. We accompany Bay Area whistleblower "Lisa" (who was present at the Q&A along with <i>National Bird</i>'s director and producer) as she travels on a humanitarian mission to Afghanistan in an effort to make amends for her transgressions. There, in the film's most affecting sequence, surviving members of a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/29/AR2010052901390.html" target="_blank">2010 drone strike that killed 23 civilians</a> collectively speak about the atrocities experienced that day. </span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-70529406537971143502016-04-19T17:58:00.003-07:002016-04-21T08:35:58.514-07:00SFIFF59 2016 More Awards & Special Events<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After weeks of anticipation, the <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59" target="_blank">59th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF59)</a> is finally set to kick off Thursday night<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span>Bay Area cinephiles are going to be crazy-busy for the next 15 days. Thus far <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've</span> surveyed the <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2016/03/sfiff59-2016-early-announcements.html" target="_blank">programs that were announced</a> prior to the festival's March 29 press conference, as well as taken in-depth looks at the extensive line-up of <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-2016-focus-french-cinema.html" target="_blank">French</a> and <a href="http://film-415.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-2016-focus-asian-cinema.html" target="_blank">Asian</a> cinema on offer. This final piece of pre-fest coverage spotlights some of the remaining awards programs and special events that <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">will no doubt</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> help make this festival one for the books.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/state-of-cinema-wesley-morris#.VxbQNnopoUw" target="_blank">State of Cinema Address</a></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I couldn't be more pleased with the festival's choice of Wesley Morris for this year's SOC Address. The current NY Times critic-at-large has been one of my favorite film writers since his days at the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner. His early-aughts departure from the Bay Area launched a productive decade at The Boston Globe, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2012. One of my most cherished Morris reviews is his <a href="http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/blog/2009/05/cannes_09_day_5.html" target="_blank">hilarious 2009 Cannes write-up</a> of Lars von Trier's <i>Antichrist</i>, titled "Charlotte, don't." Here's a sampling: "I don't think I breathed for the last half. My seatmate and I took turns grabbing each other – out of shock, out of stress, out of disbelief. At some point, I found myself reaching around the edges of my chair. I was looking for a seatbelt." Morris will deliver the State of Cinema address at the Victoria Theatre on Saturday, April 30 and is expected to speak on "the radicalization of Sidney Poitier and how it parallels the current climate of race in the movies."</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/peter-j-owens-award-an-afternoon-with-ellen-burstyn-requiem-for-a-dream#.VxbQnnopoUw" target="_blank">Peter J. Owens Award</a></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The festival held off until three days before SFIFF59's start date before announcing the recipient of its annual acting award – talk about good things coming to those who wait! None other than Ellen Burstyn will receive this year's Peter J. Owens Award at the Victoria Theatre on Saturday, April 23. At <i>An Afternoon with Ellen Burstyn</i>, the star of stage, screen and TV will discuss her career before introducing a screening of Darren Aronofsky's 2000 shock masterpiece <i>Requiem for a Dream</i>, for which Burstyn was robbed of a second Oscar® by Julia Roberts in <i>Erin Brockovich</i>. The 83-year-old actress can currently be seen in the fifth season of Netflix' hit series <i>House of Cards</i>. She also has a co-starring role in Todd Solondz' new film <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/wiener-dog#.VxbQ1XopoUw" target="_blank">Wiener-Dog</a>, which plays SFIFF59 as well.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/contemporary-color#.VxbQ_HopoUw" target="_blank">Contemporary Color</a></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For one night the festival expands from the hip Mission District to the even hipper Hayes Valley neighborhood for a free outdoor screening of <i>Contemporary Color</i>. This new documentary from Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV documents the mega-spectacular event spearheaded by David Byrne in which championship color guard teams performed elaborate routines to music performed live by Nelly Furtado, St. Vincent, Money Mark + Ad-Rock, Tune-Yards and others. Reservations are recommended for this free screening that takes place on Friday, April 29 at <a href="http://proxysf.net/" target="_blank">Proxy</a>, "a temporary two-block project that mobilizes a flexible environment of food, art, culture, and retail within renovated shipping containers." The exact address is 432 Octavia Street. To get an idea of what this film's about, check out David Byrne's mission statement on the <a href="http://www.contemporarycolor.com/" target="_blank">Contemporary Color website</a>, or the plethora of amateur YouTube videos shot at the actual Contemporary Colors events last summer (such as this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBZ3_yeYF0E" target="_blank">amazing one from Tune-Yards</a>). The filmmaking Ross Brothers, who won the Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary Feature at last year's festival for <i>Western</i>, are expected to attend this very special screening.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/kanbar-award-an-evening-with-tom-mccarthy-the-station-agent#.VxbRznopoUw" target="_blank">Kanbar Award</a></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ellen Burstyn won't be the only Oscar® winner on hand at this year's festival. SFIFF59's Kanbar Storytelling Award will go to Tom McCarthy, the actor-writer-director who took home filmdom's biggest honor for <i>Spotlight</i>'s Best Original Screenplay (a film he also happened to direct). <i>An Evening with Tom McCarthy</i> takes place at Berkeley's fabulous new Pacific Film Archive on Tuesday, April 26 and will feature an on-stage conversation conducted by SF Film Society Executive Director Noah Cowan. There will also be a screening of McCarthy's 2003 screenwriting and directorial debut <i>The Station Agent</i>, which won Sundance's Audience Award and introduced much of the world to the talents Bobby Cannavale, Patricia Clarkson and especially, <i>Game of Thrones</i> star Peter Dinklage. According to the Film on Film Foundation's <a href="http://www.filmonfilm.org/filmcalendar/" target="_blank">Bay Area calendar</a>, <i>The Station Agent</i> will be one of two SFIFF59 screenings in 35mm.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/vr-day#.VxbSW3opoUw" target="_blank">VR Day</a></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only thing I know about VR is that it stands for Virtual Reality. That's something I hope to change on Saturday, April 30 when SFIFF59 presents <i>VR Day</i>, "a pilot program designed to showcase emergent storytellers in virtual reality filmmaking." In order to participate, you buy a ticket for a time slot between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. which entitles the bearer to a 60-minute session using Samsung Gear. That same ticket also allows one to attend several VR artist panels and experience Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, Nokia and other Samsung VR tools on a walk-in basis. Featured VR films and stories will include <i>Special Delivery</i> from Aardman Animations co-founder Peter Lord and <i>Seeking Pluto's Frigid Heart</i>, which "creates a stereoscopic virtual reality experience that will bring viewers to Pluto." All of this takes place at <a href="http://grayarea.org/" target="_blank">Gray Area</a>, a non-profit "supporting art and technology for social good" located in the former Grand Theatre on Mission Street, just down the block from Alamo Drafthouse's New Mission Theatre.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revival Screenings</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In addition to classic films being screened in connection with awards programs like <i>Requiem for a Dream</i>, <i>Blood Simple</i>, <i>The Station Agent</i> and <i>Monsoon Wedding</i>, SFIFF59 will host three additional repertory/revival events. In honor of LV-426, the exomoon that harbored the dastardly Xenomorph eggs in the <i>Alien</i> movie franchise, the festival in conjunction with Alamo Drafthouse will host a 30th anniversary showing of James Cameron's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/aliens-30th-anniversary-screening#.VxbTK3opoUw" target="_blank">Aliens</a> on 4-26-16. Both the Castro Theatre and PFA will host screenings of the classic 1955 UK noir thriller <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/cast-a-dark-shadow#.VxbTVnopoUw" target="_blank">Cast a Dark Shadow</a>, in a brand new digital 2K restoration. The film stars Dirk Bogarde as a sociopathic <i>homme fatale</i> looking to bump off his second wife and is directed by Lewis Gilbert, who would make a star of Michael Caine in <i>Alfie</i> as well as direct three James Bond flicks. Finally on May 1 at the Castro Theatre, there'll be a 20th anniversary presentation of Cheryl Dunye's New Queer Cinema breakthrough, <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/the-watermelon-woman#.VxbTpXopoUw" target="_blank">The Watermelon Woman</a>, which is recognized as the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian. Following the screening, Dunye will take part in an on-stage conversation with SF State Assistant Professor of Sexuality Studies, Darius Bost. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cross-published <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">at</span> <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-2016michael-hawley-focuses-on_66.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-34278147844417660062016-04-17T18:38:00.002-07:002016-04-21T08:36:12.786-07:00SFIFF59 2016 Focus: Asian Cinema<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps it's a just matter of perception, but it appears there might be fewer Asian films at this year's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59" target="_blank">San Francisco International Film Festival</a>. Admittedly, not many movies from the continent generated festival buzz in 2015 and several of those that did, such as Hou Hsiou-hsien's <i>The Assassin</i>, Apitchatpong Weerasethakul's <i>Cemetery of Splendor</i> and Jia Zheng-ke's <i>Mountains May Depart</i> have already played the Bay Area. The biggest surprise is that there isn't a single film representing Southeast Asia. Fortunately, there's still plenty to look forward to from the region, including the film that topped my wish list for SFIFF59 inclusion. Here's a country by country overview. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>South Korea</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of all the films in the festival I'm most excited about Hong Sang-soo's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/right-now-wrong-then#.VxQyk3opoUw" target="_blank">Right Now, Wrong Then</a>. It's the director's 17th feature in a 20-year career, which probably makes him Asia's most prolific (non-genre) arthouse filmmaker. His works never receive a Bay Area theatrical release, so I'm incredibly grateful to SFIFF for screening his movies year after year. I confess that I haven't always been a fan. The protagonists in his early efforts were so obnoxiously pathetic as to render the experience of watching them insufferable. That began to change somewhere around 2009's <i>Like You Know It All</i> and I've been on the Hong love train since. The 65-minute bonbon <i>Hill of Freedom</i> was the funniest movie I saw at last year's festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some critics accuse Hong of making the same movie over and over again. From what I've read, it sure doesn’t sound like <i>Right Now, Wrong Then</i> will change any minds. All the familiar Hong tropes appear firmly in place – an artistic-type male protagonist travels out of town and attempts to hook up with an enigmatic female, accompanied by lots of booze consumption and Hong in<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">variably</span> messing with the story's narrative's structure. More specifically in this new movie, a film director comes to Seoul for a festival and meets an attractive artist while sightseeing, followed by an alcohol-fueled incident that turns things sour. At the film's mid-point the clock gets reset<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, </span>with the title changing to <i>Right Then, Wrong Now</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T</span>he entire story gets replayed with slight variances, affording the hero a shot at redemption. The jury at last year's Locarno Film Festival gave the film its top prize, the Golden Leopard, as well as the best actor award to leading man, Jeong Jae-yeong.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While <i>RNWT</i> might be the lone South Korean entry in SFIFF59, it's also worth mentioning Vitaly Mansky's Russian documentary <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/under-the-sun#.VxQy8nopoUw" target="_blank">Under the Sun</a>, which adds to the recent groundswell of non-fiction films reporting on life inside North Korea. <i>Under the Sun</i> is one of 11 films competing in the Golden Gate Awards Documentary Feature Competition.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Japan</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are three Japanese selections at the festival and I've had an opportunity to preview two. I especially recommend Kiyoshi Kurosawa's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/journey-to-the-shore#.VxQzKXopoUw" target="_blank">Journey to the Shore</a>, which is the director's latest metaphysical exploration and his best film since 2008's <i>Tokyo Sonata</i>. In the pre-opening credits sequence, a piano teacher comes home to find that her husband, played by Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano, has returned home after dying at sea three years previous. He invites her on a journey to experience the villages where he "lived" during his absence, working as a newspaper assistant at one location and a cook/astrophysicist teacher at another. <i>Journey to the Shore</i> is filled with melancholy longing and regret, as well as a goofy kind of sweetness. This being Kurosawa, one keeps waiting for the appearance of some malevolent entity that never (quite) shows up. Stylistic flourishes include the dimming and brightening of interior settings for emotional effect, and an archaically sweeping music score that lies somewhere between Max Steiner and Arvo Pärt. <i>Journey to the Shore</i> premiered at Cannes and received mixed reviews, with some critics calling it an "overlong afterlife story" that's "undecided if it belongs in the arthouse or on afternoon TV." Un Certain Regard jury members rightfully thumbed their nose at these naysayers, awarding Kurosawa the sidebar's Best Director prize.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've also taken a look at Ryûsake Hamaguchi's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/happy-hour#.VxQzeXopoUw" target="_blank">Happy Hour</a>, which has the distinction of being SFIFF59's longest movie at 317 minutes. Is it worth the huge time investment? My answer is a qualified yes. <i>Happy Hour</i> centers on the lives of four 30-something women in Kobe who are best friends. When one of them announces her impending divorce, plus the fact that she's having an extra-marital affair, it destabilizes the group and causes the others to question their own relationships with men. Hamaguchi's film is rich with character detail and features several extended set pieces that invite comparisons to Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohmer. I was particularly struck by how the director places his actors within the frame, achieving meaning via their relationship to the camera and each other. Unfortunately <i>Happy Hour</i> wears out its welcome in the plot-heavy final hour, which also includes the least engaging of the aforementioned set pieces. The performances by the quartet of first-time, non-professional actresses are effective, if occasionally awkward. Collectively they won the Best Actress prize at Locarno. The script, which was developed through a series of workshops, also won that festival's Best Screenplay prize. The third Japanese SFIFF59 selection is Eiichirô Hasumi's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/assassination-classroom#.VxQzyHopoUw" target="_blank">Assassination Classroom</a>, which screens in the festival's Dark Wave sidebar.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>China/Hong Kong</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are zero narrative features from China in the festival, which is quite a contrast to last year's powerful and artistically accomplished triple punch of <i>Black Coal Thin Ice</i>, <i>Red Amnesia</i> and <i>Dearest</i>. The closest we come this year is <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/paths-of-the-soul#.VxQ0GXopoUw" target="_blank">Paths of the Soul</a>, a highly acclaimed docudrama from narrative filmmaker Zhang Yang (<i>Shower, Getting Home</i>). The director's latest recreates a grueling 1,200 mile pilgrimage to Lhasa during which a group of 11 Tibetan Buddhist devotees stop every few yards to prostate themselves. Along the way they endure extreme temperatures, flooded roads and a mini-avalanche. Stops are made en route, once for a participant to give birth, and again for the group to perform manual labor in order to earn travel expense money. In his <a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/paths-of-the-soul-review-zhang-yang-1201604544/" target="_blank">rave review for Variety</a>, Richard Kuipers calls <i>Paths of the Soul</i> "a stirring study in faith and spirituality that will inspire many viewers to think about big and small questions of life." The other mainland Chinese documentary at SFIFF59 is <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/a-young-patriot#.VxQ0pXopoUw" target="_blank">A Young Patriot</a>. The film traces the disillusioned transition of a die-hard young Maoist as he's forced to confront the realities of his country's rush to cutthroat capitalism. The film's director, Du Haibin, is expected to attend the festival.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The SF Film Society presides over a separate <a href="http://www.sffs.org/exhibition/fall-season-2015/hong-kong-cinema#.VxQ063opoUw" target="_blank">Hong Kong Cinema</a> festival each autumn. That, combined with the fact that Hong Kong (and mainland Chinese) films now receive year-round Bay Area theatrical exhibition could explain why there are only two HK flicks at SFIFF59. The one I'm looking forward to is the U.S. premiere of <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/hong-kong-trilogy-preschooled-preoccupied-preposterous#.VxQ1JXopoUw" target="_blank">Hong Kong Trilogy: Preschooled Preoccupied Preposterous</a>, the third directorial effort from ace cinematographer Christopher Doyle (known for his work with Gus Van Sant, Zhang Yimou, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and most memorably, Wong Kar-wai). Each section of this docudrama triptych spotlights a different generation, with "actors" playing slightly modified versions of themselves. The first is set amongst a group of elementary schoolchildren, the second focuses on young people involved in the 2014 "Umbrella Revolution" and the third spends time with a group of "speed dating" seniors. According to reviews, the middle segment is by far the most compelling. Also representing Hong Kong at SFIFF59 is <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/trivisa#.VxQ1U3opoUw" target="_blank">Trivisa</a>, a high-octane crime thriller set during HK's 1997 handover to China, which screens in the festival's Dark Wave sidebar.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>India</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The big news here is that Mira Nair will be given the festival's Irving M. Levin Directing Award, making her the first woman to receive the honor since its inception in 1986 (when it was initially called the Akira Kurosawa Award and later, the Founders Directing Award). The India-born, New York-based filmmaker will be on hand for an <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/irving-m-levin-directing-award-an-afternoon-with-mira-nair-monsoon-wedding#.VxQ1inopoUw" target="_blank">An Afternoon with Mira Nair</a> at the Castro Theatre on Sunday, April 24. The program will include an on-stage conversation, clips reel and a revival screening of the fabulous 2001 Oscar® nominated <i>Monsoon Wedding </i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(in 35mm!).</span> We're also promised a preview of <i>Queen of Katwe</i>, Nair's upcoming biopic of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi starring Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo. Be sure to check out Michael Fox' excellent SF Film Society Blog essay on Nair's career, <a href="http://blog.sffs.org/home/2016/4/mira-nair-between-two-worlds.html" target="_blank">Mira Nair: Between Two Worlds</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only new Indian film showing at the festival is Raam Reddy's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/thithi#.VxQ2VXopoUw" target="_blank">Thithi</a>, was has gotten plenty of attention since winning the New Directors Prize at Locarno. It screened at last month's <a href="http://www.newdirectors.org/" target="_blank">New Directors New Films</a> series in New York (along with nine other films playing SFIFF59) and will compete for our festival's New Directors Prize as well. In this folk comedy-of-errors set in a South Indian village, three generations of sons react in very different, but all too human ways to the death of the family's 101-year-old patriarch. At issue is what's to be done with the old man's estate, as the family prepares for the <i>thithi</i>, or final funeral celebration taking place 11 days after death.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Turkey</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The festival has done a fine job programming new Turkish cinema in recent years and I'm thrilled they've secured Emin Alper's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/frenzy#.VxQ233opoUw" target="_blank">Frenzy</a> for SFIFF59 inclusion. The director's second feature won the Special Jury Prize at last year's Venice Film Festival. Set in an Istanbul shantytown amidst a quasi-apocalyptic, near-future dystopia, <i>Frenzy</i>'s protagonist has just been released from prison after 20 years. He's assigned the job of combing through people's garbage in search of terrorism clues and lives with his brother whose occupation is shooting stray dogs. Reviews describe <i>Frenzy</i> with adjectives like "tense," "brooding" and "paranoid," making special mention of its dark visual palette and nerve-jarring sound design of explosions, alarm bells, rattling trucks and clanging metal doors. "A parable about a society brought to heel by its fear of terrorism" is how Jay Weissberg sums up <i>Frenzy</i> in <a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/frenzy-review-venice-film-festival-1201587650/" target="_blank">his review for Variety</a>, a description that certainly has applications extending beyond Turkey given our planet's current socio-political zeitgeist.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Iran</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While there aren't any Iranian films per se at SFIFF59, there are three very promising-sounding features which are Iranian in terms of either setting or co-production. <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/radio-dreams#.VxQ3rHopoUw" target="_blank">Radio Dreams</a> is the latest from director Babak Jalali, whose <i>Frontier Blues</i> won the festival's FIPRESCI prize in 2010. Set during a single day at a San Francisco Farsi-language radio station, this bittersweet deadpan comedy stars Moshen Namjoo, a.k.a. the Bob Dylan of Iran, as a station manager awaiting the arrival of Metallica. The Bay Area metal band has promised to come jam in-studio with visiting Afghani rock group Kabul Dreams. Jalali's film, which won the prestigious Tiger Award at January's Rotterdam Film Festival, has been praised for how it gently touches on issues of immigration, national identity and assimilation. A large coterie of the film's talent, including the director, producers and cast members are expected to attend the festival, with Kabul Dreams performing a concert after the April 28 showing at the Victoria Theatre.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I'm not a particular fan of genre films, I have no intention of missing debut filmmaker Babak Anvari's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/under-the-shadow#.VxQ4eXopoUw" target="_blank">Under the Shadow</a>, which has garnered terrific write-ups as it's traveled the 2016 U.S. festival circuit. The story takes place in a Tehran apartment building near the end of the Iran/Iraq war where Shideh, a resentful, aspiring female doctor lives with her young daughter. When a missile crashes through the roof of the top floor unit, it unleashes an evil force that takes special interest in the girl. In his <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/under-the-shadow-review-sundance-1201686919/" target="_blank">favorable review for Variety</a>, Justin Chang asks us to imagine <i>Under the Shadow</i> as "an Asghar Farhadi remake of <i>The Babadook</i>," with "feminist anger blazing at its core." He also praises lead actress Narges Rashidi, who "plays Shideh like an instrument slowly going out of tune, modulating skillfully between maternal tetchiness and scream-queen abandon." The film unsurprisingly screens under the festival's Dark Wave banner.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally in the documentary <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/sonita#.VxQ5inopoUw" target="_blank">Sonita</a>, an 18-year-old undocumented Afghani refugee lives in a Tehran homeless shelter, all the while aspiring to become a rapper. Tensions come to a head when her mother tries to return her to Afghanistan, where she'll be sold for $9,000 so her brother can afford his own bride. In the World Cinema Documentary section at Sundance, <i>Sonita</i> won the Grand Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award. Director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami, who ends up stepping outside her role as objective filmmaker in order to assist Sonita, is expected to appear at the SFIFF59 screenings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cross-published <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">at</span> <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-2016michael-hawley-focuses-on_20.html" target="_blank">The </a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-2016michael-hawley-focuses-on_20.html" target="_blank">Evening Class</a>.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520374013278982095.post-54757968903797873812016-04-16T08:38:00.000-07:002016-04-21T08:36:31.397-07:00SFIFF59 2016 Focus: French Cinema<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Franco-cinephiles in the Bay Area look upon the <a href="http://www.sffs.org/" target="_blank">San Francisco Film Society</a>, with its <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59" target="_blank">international film festival</a> and <a href="http://www.sffs.org/exhibition/fall-season-2015/french-cinema-now#.VxJUi3opoUw" target="_blank">French Cinema Now</a> series, as their principal source for important and interesting new works emanating from France. The eight eclectic features chosen for SFIFF59 include one animated movie, two feature directing debuts, three new works from mid-career auteurs and the latest from an octogenarian I'm guessing to be the oldest filmmaker in the entire festival. Here are some thoughts about what's on offer from April 21 to May 5.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A name that links three SFIFF59 French selections is Thomas Bidegain, the screenwriter best known for deconstructing genre-movie masculinity in his work with director Jacques Audiard (<i>A Prophet, Rust and Bone</i> and last year's Cannes Palmes d'Or winner <i>Dheepan</i>.) Bidegain finally makes his directorial debut with <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/les-cowboys#.VxJVNnopoUw" target="_blank">Cowboys</a>, a contemporary drama that's been thematically linked to John Ford's 1956 western <i>The Searchers</i>. Here the protagonist is a French aficionado of American cowboy culture whose daughter converts to Islam in 1995 and then disappears. He sets off to find her, and following the events of 9/11 he's joined by his son in a years-long search that touches down in Syria and Afghanistan. The film received very positive reviews when it premiered in Cannes' Director's Fortnight sidebar last year, but reactions from Toronto and the NY Film Fest were less kind. One reviewer went so far as to sum up Cowboys as "meatheaded pulp." Regardless, it remains a must-see for this SFIFF59 attendee.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bidegain also lends a screenwriting assist to Clément Cogitore's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/neither-heaven-nor-earth#.VxJVeHopoUw" target="_blank">Neither Heaven Nor Earth</a>, which is competing for the festival's New Directors Prize. The film premiered in Cannes' Critics Week sidebar and has toured the festival circuit thus far as <i>The Wakhan Front</i>. Fortunately it's been renamed with a literal translation of the French title, <i>Ni le ciel ni la terre</i>. Jérémie Renier stars as a French army captain serving in Afghanistan. After several men under his command disappear, followed in short order by a handful of nearby villagers, a suspicion of paranormal or perhaps even theological causation comes into play. Reviews have been favorable, with some quibbling over the effectiveness of the film's denouement – or its lack thereof. Renier is one of my favorite French actors and it's hard to believe 20 years have passed since his teenage debut in the Dardenne brothers' breakout film, <i>La Promesse</i>. It's worth noting Renier played another Afghan War vet in last year's <i>The Great Man</i>, which screened at French Cinema Now, and he appeared at last year's fest in Bertrand Bonello's <i>Saint Laurent</i> biopic, whose script also bore a Thomas Bidegain imprint.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The third SFIFF59 selection with script collaboration by Bidegain is Joachim Lafosse's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/the-white-knights#.VxJV03opoUw" target="_blank">The White Knights</a>. Belgian director Lafosse is known for a trio of effectively transgressive domestic dramas – <i>Private Lessons</i> (2006), <i>Private Property</i> (2008) and <i>Our Children</i> (2012) – none of which, to the best of my knowledge, have ever screened in the Bay Area. Lafosse broadens his scope with the ironically titled <i>The White Knights</i>, based on the true story of earnest NGO workers employing dubious means to smuggle orphans out of Africa for eventual adoption in France. The film stars Vincent Lindon, who took home the best actor prize at last year's Cannes for <i>The Measure of a Man</i> (French Cinema Now 2015), as well as actor/director Valérie Donzelli as a reporter embedded with the NGO. Lafosse, whose "gift for sustained emotional tension and moral ambiguity" was praised in <a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/the-white-knights-review-joachim-lafosse-1201646923/" target="_blank">Justin Chang's positive review for Variety</a>, won the Best Director prize at last year's San Sebastián Film Festival for <i>The White Knights</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've had the pleasure of previewing two of SFIFF59's French selections, but their "hold review" status restricts to me to brief remarks. First off, I flat-out adored Michel Gondry's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/microbe-and-gasoline#.VxJWpXopoUw" target="_blank">Microbe and Gasoline</a>, which is his best film since 2006's <i>The Science of Sleep</i> (and I say this without having seen the poorly reviewed <i>The Green Hornet</i> or <i>Mood Indigo</i>). In this wondrous road movie about two teenage outsiders, Gondry tones down his predilection for frenzied whimsy and aims for something more low-key and heartfelt. Microbe is a budding artist nicknamed for his small size and resultant low self esteem, while his unlikely pal Gasoline exudes self confidence and possesses a talent for things mechanical. After cobbling together a petrol-powered cottage on wheels complete with geranium boxes, they hit the summertime byways of rural France in an effort to escape worrisome problems at home. Gondry's endearing script thumbs its nose at our high tech world – an iPhone literally gets pooped on – and low-fi surprises await our heroes, and us, with each passing kilometer. I'll be surprised if I see a funnier movie this year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When it comes to animation, I sheepishly admit I'm not much of an enthusiast. When I noticed that <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/phantom-boy#.VxJXCXopoUw" target="_blank">Phantom Boy</a> hailed from the same creators as the extraordinary <i>A Cat in Paris</i>, however, I couldn't resist having a look. Jean-Loup and Alain Gagnol's latest is set in an alternate NYC where everyone speaks French and a Dick Tracy-like villain threatens to unleash a cataclysmic computer virus. A wheelchair-bound cop and a plucky journalist (voiced by Audrey Tautou), with assistance from a terminally ill boy who's discovered a way to float outside his body, all work in tandem to put an end to his treachery. While I wasn't as impressed by <i>Phantom Boy</i> as compared to <i>Cat</i> (which the festival screened five years ago), I was still taken by its vibrant rendering of the Big Apple and the genuinely moving plight of its juvenile protagonist. Both elements should be greatly enhanced via a big screen experience, and co-director Gagnol is expected to attend the festival screenings. Animation fans might also want to check out additional titles being screened in SFIFF59's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/sfiff59-explore-more/world-cinema-spotlight#.VxJYh3opoUw" target="_blank">World Cinema Spotlight: Animating the Image</a>. For those who miss them at the festival, <i>Microbe and Gasoline</i> will open in Bay Area Landmark Theatres on July 15, followed by <i>Phantom Boy</i> on July 29 (although the latter could possibly show up in a dubbed version).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've considered Anne Fontaine a fairly middling director for some time now. Her recent efforts have included <i>Coco Before Chanel</i> (vastly inferior to Jan Kounen's <i>Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky</i> released the same year), <i>My Worst Nightmare</i> (Isabelle Huppert embarrassing herself as a rich-bitch buffoon) and <i>Adore</i> (Naomi Watts and Robin Wright having sex with each others' sons). The thought of her making a movie about pregnant nuns is enough to induce major eye-rolling. That movie, however, which premiered at Sundance as <i>Agnus Dei</i> and is now titled <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/the-innocents#.VxJZEXopoUw" target="_blank">The Innocents</a>, has gotten rave reviews and is now one of my most anticipated films of SFIFF59. Set in 1945 Poland, it stars Lou de Laâge, a relatively unknown actress outside of France, as a French Red Cross doctor on a mission to assist concentration camp survivors. Her efforts become diverted upon discovering a convent of pregnant nuns who were raped by Russian soldiers, many of them consumed by shame and now perhaps questioning their faith in God. In <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/agnus-dei-review-sundance-1201693312/" target="_blank">his review for Variety, Justin Chang</a> calls <i>The Innocents</i> Fontaine's "finest film in years," admiring how it "manages to respect faith even though it refuses to partake in it." He also singles out two performances for special praise. Agata Kulesza, who was memorable as the hard-edged aunt in Pawel Pawlikowski's <i>Ida</i>, plays the convent's strict Reverend Mother, and Vincent Macaigne, an actor heretofore known exclusively for his schlubby slacker roles, appears as a more experienced doctor brought in to assist with childbirths.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The octogenarian referred to earlier is 82-year-old French-Georgian director Otar Iosseliani, who's a long-time SFIFF favorite. His latest is titled <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/winter-song#.VxJZ1XopoUw" target="_blank">Winter Song</a> and it's the filmmaker's 12th movie to play the festival in 30 years. For me, Iosseliani reached a career high with 1999's masterful <i>Farewell, Home Sweet Home</i>. Since then his style of stringing together sight gag-filled absurdist vignettes has become overly precious, reaching an insufferable nadir with 2006's <i>Gardens in Autumn</i>. Iosseliani actually flew to San Francisco five years ago to screen his semi-autobiographical <i>Chantrapas</i>. While I didn't care much for the film, I was delighted by his spirited Q&A that continued long past midnight. <i>Winter Song</i> premiered in competition at last year's Locarno Film Festival and can seemingly be summed up in three words – geezer buddy comedy. The film has its champions, particularly <a href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/locarno-review-satire-and-surrealism-meet-in-otar-iosselianis-delightful-winter-song-20150809" target="_blank">Eric Kohn at Indiewire</a>. If I decide to catch <i>Winter Song</i>, it'll be due to a featured performance by legendary French comic actor/director Pierre Étaix, as well as an extended cameo by Mathieu Amalric. The latter made his screen acting debut at age 19 in Iosseliani's <i>Favourites of the Moon</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only SFIFF59 French selection not previously on my radar is Pascale Breton's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/suite-armoricaine#.VxJaj3opoUw" target="_blank">Suite Armoricaine</a>, which premiered at Locarno and brought home the festival's FIPRESCI prize. <i>Illumination</i>, Breton's previous (and only other) feature screened at the fest 10 years ago, but it seems I missed it. Her latest centers around an art history professor who becomes destabilized after leaving a 15-year relationship in Paris. She comes to teach at her alma mater in the Brittany capital of Rennes, where her past and present become tangled in heady and dreamlike ways. There's no one in the cast I've heard of, but the reviews are stellar and the trailer is captivating. SFFS programmer Rod Armstrong makes a reference to director Arnaud Despechin in the festival capsule, which pretty much seals the deal right there. Pascale Breton is also expected to attend the film's SFIFF59 screenings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, I'll make mention of Chantal Akerman's <a href="http://www.sffs.org/sfiff59/films/suite-armoricaine#.VxJaj3opoUw" target="_blank">No Home Movie</a>, which is of course in French and is the only Belgian film in the festival that's not merely a co-production. I previewed <i>No Home Movie</i> via <a href="https://www.fandor.com/films/no_home_movie" target="_blank">Fandor</a> and will be necessarily brief due to its "hold review" status. As many people know, iconic experimental-feminist filmmaker Akerman committed suicide two months after the film's premiere at Locarno. It's essentially an ode to her concentration camp survivor mother and speaks to the idea that "there's no more distance in the world." We observe Akerman and her mother interacting within the confines of a Brussels apartment, as well as via Skype during the director's time abroad. As her mother's condition deteriorates, the camera pulls back and records her from increased distances. <i>No Home Movie</i> requires a patience not every moviegoer possesses. Lengthy static shots – of a treetop whipping in the wind, an empty room devoid of people, a tracking shot of barren, scrub-covered hills filmed from a moving car – achieve profundity from the mundane for those willing to dig deep. If you miss <i>No Home Movie</i> at the festival, it will screen again at the <a href="http://www.ybca.org/chantal-akerman" target="_blank">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts</a> from May 19 to 22, along with <i>I Don't Belong Anywhere</i>, Marianne Lambert's new career-spanning documentary on Akerman.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cross-published at <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2016/04/sfiff59-2016michael-hawley-focuses-on.html" target="_blank">The Evening Class</a>.</span><br />
<br />Michael Hawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04712772885405352863noreply@blogger.com0