ACTS OF CONSCIENCE, ACTS
OF LOVE:
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN DIRECTORS
With courage and insight,
the 14 films premiering in ACTS OF CONSCIENCE, ACTS OF LOVE deal in the
most moving of terms with such themes as human rights, personal and political
oppression, family ties that bind and often unwind, gender roles, memory
and healing. These award-winning works from Austria, Guatemala, India,
Israel, Korea, Morocco, The Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden and the United
States each stretch the boundaries of the medium as they inform, enlighten
and encourage new understandings of universal issues.
JUNE 10 11 THUR
10 7:30 P.M. FRI 11 7:30 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE
MOROCCO/NETHERLANDS 1997
DIRECTOR: FATIMA JEBLI
OUAZZANI Fleeing the strict Moroccan gender roles that
demand she remain a virgin until an arranged marriage takes place, director
Fatima Jebli Ouazzani left her homeland at 18 and settled in the Netherlands—right
after her father divorced her mother and married a 17-year-old girl.
Her departure dissolved her relationship with her father and her later
sexual awakening left her viewed as "spoiled fruit" by those in her native
Islamic culture. Now she returns to Morocco to confront those traditions,
her own family and herself as she examines the impact arranged marriages
have had on her grandmother and mother and what the future holds for Naima,
a young Netherlands-born Moslem woman who has chosen to follow the traditional
rules for her upcoming marriage. Lyrical and profoundly moving, Ouazzani
mixes dramatic elements and interviews with shots of Morocco and its rituals
to provide a rare glimpse into the sexual and social politics of the Islamic
world. (67 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
SEARCHING FOR GO-HYANG
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: TAMMY TOLLE
Korean born Tammy Tolle explores the delicate bonds of family as she follows
two Korean sisters who were given up for adoption for a better life in
the United States. Now, 14 years later, they return to their homeland ("Go-Hyang")
to reunite with their biological parents and siblings, and find themselves
caught between two cultures and the barriers of language. This homecoming,
like those for many other girls who have been brought to the U.S., touches
deeply on issues of dislocation, kinship and national identity. Tolle (Chu
Dong Soo) who left Seoul, Korea for the U.S. at age 8 has created a haunting
and highly personal film. (32 mins.)
JUNE 12 13 16
SAT 12 7 &
9 P.M. SUN 13 7 P.M., WED 16 7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
DOING TIME, DOING VIPASSANA
ISRAEL 1998
DIRECTORS: ELIONA ARIEL
& AYELET MENAHEMI When a strong-willed woman named
Kiran Bedi became Inspector General of Prisons in New Dehli, India and
took over the notorious Tihar Prison, change was imminent.
Given unique access to the inmates and jailers, Eilona Ariel and Ayelet
Menahemi's award-winning film looks at Bedi's dramatic efforts to move
away from punishment to a true form of rehabilitation by drawing upon the
ancient meditation technique of Vipassana which shows people how to take
control of their lives and channel their energy for the good. The effects
were profound, leading Bedi to offer training to the guards as well. Seen
through the perspective of prisoners from Australia, Africa and Britain
as well as India, this challenging film subtly suggests how not only India's
prisons, but the world's, can undergo reforms that heal instead of maim,
rejuvenate instead of incarcerate. (55 mins).
PRECEDED BY
SATYA: A PRAYER FOR THE
ENEMY
U.S. 1993
DIRECTOR: ELLEN BRUNO
As poetic as it is thoughtful, Ellen Bruno's SATYA explores the plight
of Tibetan refugees forced into exile by China since 1949. First-person
accounts by Buddhist nuns combine with one captivating image after another
to contrast the peaceful customs and traditions of a people who face unwarranted
hardships. Besides indoctrination through books and propaganda films, imprisonment,
forced sterilization, and disappearances are a few of the civil rights
violations facing those who call for freedom and independence. The personal
testimonies and arresting images Bruno has recorded will leave no one unmoved.
(28 mins.)
JUNE 17 18 19 20
THUR 17 7:30 P.M.
FRI 18 7:30 P.M.
SAT 19 7:30 P.M. SUN 20 5 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
VISITING ARTIST
SILENCE BROKEN
U.S. 1999
DIRECTOR: DAI SIL KIM-GIBSON
The Film Center welcomes Dai Sil Kim-Gibson (A FORGOTTEN PEOPLE: THE SAKHALIN
KOREANS) as she premieres SILENCE BROKEN, the stories of Korean women forced
into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
At once heartbreaking and empowering, the women share their painful stories
as they seek justice for the "crimes against humanity" committed against
them. Sent from their homes to far-flung Japanese military bases, these
"comfort women" endured enslavement, abandonment by their own country,
and a Japanese government which for years refused to acknowledge its actions.
Archival footage, interviews and dramatic re-enactments call forth difficult
memories, Kim-Gibson not only preserves the voices of the women, now aged
and in ill health, but makes certain they can never be silenced again.
(88 mins.)
DAI SIL KIM-GIBSON PRESENTS
A WORKSHOP, LIVING WITNESS: PRODUCING THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY, ON SATURDAY,
JUNE 19 FROM 1 TO 3 P.M. SEE CLASS INSERT FOR DETAILS.
JUNE 20 21 SUN
20 7 P.M. MON 21 7 P.M.
PORLAND PREMIERES
SPEAK TO ME SISTERS...
SWEDEN/SOUTH AFRICA 1998
DIRECTOR: MAJ WECHSELMANN
SPEAK TO ME SISTERS OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID brings alive the
voices of 25 women, ages 86 to 18, from across the length and breadth of
South Africa who candidly speak of their fight against apartheid. Weaving
together interviews with rare archival footage canvassing South Africa's
turbulent past, Wechselmann also touches on the arrival of the young Mahatma
Gandhi and his wife Kasturba in 1893 who came to Durban after Ghandi completed
his law studies in London. Discovering that more than 100,000 Indians had
been lured to South Africa under false pretenses and forced into slavery,
Ghandi soon became the political leader who founded the Indian National
Congress, the model for the African National Congress. SPEAK TO ME SISTERS
gives voice to black, Indian and white women whose courageous actions against
oppression led to long-awaited freedom and independence. Winner of the
Olof Palme Award for Free Speech. (60 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
OKAY BYE BYE
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: REBECCA BARON
Rebecca Baron's first person documentary, inspired by the memory of an
old friend and the chance discovery of a roll of film on a San Diego sidewalk
is a beautifully constructed, enigmatic and probing essay on the recent
history and representation of Cambodia. Winner, Golden Spire, 1999 SAN
FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (39 min.)
JUNE 22 23 TUES
22 7 P.M. WED 23 7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
JULIETTE OF THE HERBS
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: TISH STREETEN
Throughout her life, world-renowned herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy
steered away from conventional wisdom. This author and pioneer of holistic
veterinary medicine (she has raised generations of Afghans) led a nomadic
life for 60 of her 85 years, travelling with European gypsies to learn
their healing ways and connection to the earth. She also continued to make
her own discoveries about the power of plants. Seven years in the making,
Tish Streeten's JULIETTE OF THE HERBS follows Levy throughout Greece, Spain,
Portugal, Switzerland, England and the U.S. to bring forth the story of
an inspirational woman. Through interviews, speaking appearances and through
Levy's own remarkable collection of photographs "Streeten conveys a real
sense of the woman and her work."—VARIETY (75 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
CERRIDWEN'S GIFT
U.S. 1987
DIRECTOR: ROSE BOND
A beautifully envisioned rendering of an ancient Celtic myth which tells
how aWelsh woman receives the gift of prophesy and poetry by Portland animator
Rose Bond. (9 mins.)
JUNE 24 25 THUR
24 7:30 P.M. FRI 25 7:30 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
MY FEMINISM
CANADA 1997
DIRECTORS: LAURIE COLBERT
& DOMINIQUE CARDONA MY FEMINISM, a fertile treatise
on the past, present and future of the women's movement (made by the directors
of THANK GOD I'M A LESBIAN) spans issues that unite, encourage and renew
debates about equality, social backlash and political extremism. Featuring
interviews with such feminist leaders as Gloria Steinem, Urbashi Vaid,
bell hooks and others, this look at one of the most important acts of social
change in the 20th century is a powerful primer or reminder, depending
on one's vantage point. As Gloria Steinem states: "feminism is not a public
relations campaign, it's a revolution we're still tired of the misunderstanding
that still pervades our culture." "With amazing clarity, MY FEMINISM links
equality, gender, race, reproductive rights, sexualities, women's health,
abortion, parenting, breast cancer, poverty and power as interlocking planks
of the feminist global agenda."—Patricia Zimmerman (55 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
BARBIE NOIRE
U.S. 1999
DIRECTOR: CLAIRE SIMONSON
While Mattel accountants can supply facts about Barbie, the truth about
Barbie can only be told by those who treasured and often hated this plastic
goddess. Adding to the Barbie mythology, Simonson has fashioned a first-rate
film noir, a low-low-budget work with a lead character that rivals Robert
Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart. In the vein of Todd Haynes' KAREN CARPENTER:
SUPERSTAR, BARBIE NOIRE enters familiar territory with its own clever twist.
(15 mins.)
JUNE 27 28 29 SUN
27 7 P.M., MON 28 7 P.M., TUE 29 7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
DIRTY SECRETS
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: PATRICIA GOUDVIS
Truth is an elusive commodity—especially when dealing with governments
that seem to abide by self-serving rules and morals. Like Robert Richter's
FATHER ROY: INSIDE THE SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS, Patricia Goudvis' DIRTY SECRETS:
JENNIFER, EVERARDO & THE CIA IN GUATEMALA exposes the interlocking
lies of the CIA and the Guatemalan government. Tracing the story of lawyer
Jennifer Harbury whose courageous search for her missing husband Everardo—a
Mayan rebel leader—led to the forming of a truth commission by President
Clinton, Goudvis weaves a story of love and solidarity paralleled by lies
and deceit. Featuring rare interviews with Everardo's family, fellow guerrilla
soldiers, government officials and witnesses alongside declassified U.S.
government documents, DIRTY SECRETS is at once a disturbing look at human
rights violations and the fortitude and commitment of a singular citizen.
Narrated by Jane Alexander. (56 mins.)
FOLLOWED BY
THERESIENSTADT LOOKS
LIKE A SPA RESORT
AUSTRIA 1998
DIRECTOR: NADJA SEELICH
& BERND NEUBERGER Women of strength come in many forms.
Without the freedoms afforded Jennifer Harbury in DIRTY SECRETS, concentration
camp survivor Losefa Stibitzova fought a battle to survive her own way.
In 1948, three years after the war when her memories were still possessed
by an immediacy and clarity, Losefa's husband made recordings of her experiences.
Now some fifty years later, the husband hands over the three audio tapes
to his daughter, director Nadja Seelich, and says: "perhaps you can use
them." The result is a haunting look at days inside the camps and the choices
Losefa had to make to survive. With these interviews at the heart of the
film along with skillfully integrated archive footage, photographs and
a supporting soundtrack, Seelich has crafted an unforgettable look at the
war and the absurdity of the so-called "Endlosung." (50 mins.)
JULY 1 2 3 5 6
THUR 1 7:30 P.M., FRI 2 7 & 9 P.M.,
SAT 3 7 & 9
P.M., MON 5 7:30 P.M., TUE 6 7:30 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
WAR ZONE
U.S./GERMANY 1998
DIRECTOR: MAGGIE HADLEIGH-WEST
Filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West takes the battle of the sexes straight to
the streets. WAR ZONE is a non-stop attack on men whose verbal and visual
assualts are exercised on women pursuing their own solitary activities
on our city streets. This is a battleground where the male seeks sexual
power regardless of a woman's sense of security. Just what do catcalls,
leers and lewd comments mean to women and why do some men engage in a pastime
that should not see the light of day? Hadleigh-West turns her camera on
these men, and in her own confrontational way, seeks out answers to their
behavior. At times funny, often explosive, the conversations that ensue
provide a telling look at the world of harassment that will leave no viewer
complacent. "WAR ZONE is 76 charged minutes that asks the questions on
the mind of every woman who knows the anger and frustration of not being
able to walk down the street undisturbed."—LA WEEKLY (76 mins.)
THE INDIGENOUS AMERICAS FILM
FESTIVAL
Premiering recent films
and videos produced by or about Indigenous people from North, South and
Central America, THE INDIGENOUS AMERICAS FILM FESTIVAL celebrates the diversity
of Native communities as it reflects on distinct histories and cultural
traditions of specific Nations. These works bring to life personal histories,
the stories of elders, artistic triumphs and also canvas the changes brought
about by historical events over the past two centuries. The Festival also
looks at images mass media has manufactured as it attempts to provide new
insights and ways to bridge cultural misconceptions. From the Artic, the
Great Plains of Canada, Vancouver, Alaska to New Mexico, Mexico, Guatemala
and Brazil, the Festival looks at the creative, spiritual and historical
legacies of the Tlingit, Hopi, Apache, Wintu, Pueblo, Zuni, Tuscacora,
Eskimo, Yaqui, Cree, Cherokee, Iroquois, Ojibwa, Salish, Mayan, Aztec and
Toltecs and others whose rich traditions need to be honored and preserved.
A special thanks to Rennard Strickland, Bob Miller, Bill and Lawretta Ray,
the Canadian Consulate, Heather Rae at the Sundance Film Festival and the
Museum of the American Indian for their support
JULY 15 THUR 15
7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
GUEST SPEAKER
IN SEARCH OF SELF:
HOLLYWOOD MOGULS &
NATIVE FILMMAKERS
TELLING THE INDIAN STORY
The Film Center welcomes
Rennard Strickland (Osage, Cherokee), author of TONTO'S REVENGE and Dean
and Professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, as he explores
the different approaches, motivations and techniques of historic and contemporary
filmmakers in telling the story of Native peoples. The cinematic Indian
has been seen as a "mirror" in which the problems of mainstream society
are reflected. In what ways do Native filmmakers hold up their own
mirrors and reflect back Hollywood images and Native realities? In an age
of new technology, what are special opportunities and challenges in creating
a truly "native cinema"? These are a few of the concerns to be discussed.
FOLLOWED BY
IMAGINING INDIANS
U.S. 1993
DIRECTOR: VICTOR MASAYEVSA
Hopi artist and filmmaker Victor Masayevsa looks squarely at Hollywood
and the Native American experience in IMAGINING INDIANS, a provocative
and far-reaching look at the appropriation and depiction of Native American
images, objects and rituals. Combining interviews, archival photographs
and film clips, Masayesva examines both Hollywood's caricatures of this
country's Indigenous peoples and the commodification of their arts and
crafts. "I have come to believe that the sacred aspects of our existence
that encourage the continuity and vitality of Native peoples are being
manipulated by an aesthetics in which money is the most important qualification.
This contradicts values intrinsic to what is sacred and may destroy our
substance. I am concerned about a tribal and community future which is
reflected in my film and I hope this challenges the viewer to overcome
glamorized Hollywood views of the Native American, which obscure the difficult
demands of walking the spiritual road of our ancestors."—Victor Masayevsa.
(90 mins.)
JULY 16 17 FRI
16 7 P.M., SAT 17 5 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
SINGING OUR STORIES
CANADA 1998
DIRECTOR: ANNE FRAZIER
HENRY
"It is said that the
creator first gave the drum to a woman. Men sing and dance to acquire power
while women already have it."
A celebration of tradition
and song, SINGING OUR STORIES is a touching and joyous journey through
the landscape of Native North American song. Featuring profiles and performances
by many of the great "First Ladies" of indigenous music, Henry's odyssey
takes us from the Northwest Coast of Vancouver Island to the Smokey Mountains
of North Carolina, from the Great Plains of Southern Alberta to the mesas
of New Mexico. Among those who generously share their music as well as
their spirit are the a cappella trio Ulali (Tuscarora, Apache, Yaqui and
Mayan Nations) whose voices and drums were featured in SMOKE SIGNALS; the
Monk-Sanders Family Singers (Tuscarora Nation), four generations of singing
daughters who give an impromptu performance on their porch; Olivia Tailfeathers
(Blood Nation), a singer of traditional songs of the Great Plains; the
Zuñi Olla Maidens (Zuni Nation) whose traditional songs are accompanied
by women who perform the Pottery (olla) Dance; and Walela (Cherokee Nation),
which showcases the talents of rock icon Rita Coolidge, her sister Priscilla
and niece, Laura Satterfield. Henry's musical tapestry is also interwoven
with rare historical footage and commentary by ethnomusicologist Judith
Gray. (56 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY:
REMEMBERING CHIEF DAN
GEORGE
CANADA 1998
DIRECTOR: LORETTA TODD
"This remarkable film, which is visually evocative and emotionally up-lifting,
goes to the very soul of Chief Dan George. It tells the story of an unassuming
Native Indian man who became an actor in his sixties, yet he would change
forever the very image of Aboriginal people in cinema. Using a deft combination
of family stories, film clips and poignant re-creations, TODAY IS A GOOD
DAY takes the viewer inside the life of Chief Dan George. Interviews with
Dustin Hoffman and Arthur Penn (LITTLE BIG MAN) underscore how important
Dan was to the profound shift in the portrayal of Native Americans in film.
Loretta Todd's (Cree, Métis, Iroquois) narrative examines the whole
man, from his deep and abiding love for his wife, Amy, to his determination
to provide for his family no matter what, and his sense of humor that saw
him through bad times. Through it all, Chief Dan George was a man who was
proud of who he was as an Aboriginal person. He was an ordinary man with
an uncommon passion to restore truth and dignity to a culture trammeled
by centuries of colonial repression."—AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL.
(46 mins.)
JULY 17 21 SAT
17 7P.M., WED 21 8 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
SUPER CHIEF
U.S. 1999
DIRECTOR: NICK KURZON
Part mystery-thriller, part political drama, Nick Kurzon's SUPER CHIEF
has the intimacy and tension of BROTHER'S KEEPER along with the charm of
ROGER AND ME. In Minnesota, on the White Earth Ojibwa Reservation, tribal
leader Darrell "Chip" Wadena, who calls himself Super Chief, runs the prosperous
Shooting Star casino, the Reservation's main employer. But the millions
of dollars the casino pulls in hasn't found its way to other members of
the tribe, many who live in sub-poverty. Enter filmmaker Nick Kurzon, invited
by tribal activist Erma to follow the upcoming election for tribal chief,
a position Wadena has held for 20 years. Many think his lasting power derives
from kickbacks, favoritism, fraud and intimidation. Running against him
are two determined candidates, Lowell Bellenger, a semi-retired welder
who fishes in his backyard for dinner and Eugene "Bugger" McArthur, an
earnest family man who has already lost three elections to Wadena. What
unfolds in the election process are truths stranger than fictions with
plot twists galore as we come to know the quality of character each possesses.
Throughout, Kurzon's documentary eye reveals the sharp contrasts of the
land and its people. (75 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
YUXWELUPTUN: MAN OF MASKS
CANADA 1999
DIRECTOR: DANA CLAXTON
This portrait of Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, a Salish artist, is an up-close
look at a man whose colorful paintings blend the modern and traditional.
As if Salvador Dali interpreted the realists, Yuxweluptun re-envisions
the history and realities of First Nation communities with his profound
and unforgettable images. (22 mins.)
JULY 16 21 FRI
16 9 P.M., WED 21 6 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
IF ONLY I WERE AN INDIAN...
CANADA 1995
DIRECTOR: JOHN PASKIEVICH
Imagine a countryside in Czechoslovakia in the 1990s, where teepees are
gracefully set up near hillsides and people, dressed in loincloths, feathers
and moccasins, engage in traditional Native American practices and traditions.
But these people are Czech and Slovak. In 1992, Joseph Young and his wife
Irene, Cree from northern Manitoba, and Barbara Daniels, an Ojibway from
Winnipeg, flew to the former Czechoslovakia to meet this group with an
extraordinary interest in Native American culture. What starts like a down-to-earth
episode of THE X-FILES or Alice stepping through the looking glass, quickly
gives way to complex emotions by Joseph, Irene and Barbara—are they to
laugh, cry or seethe at this radical form of cultural appropriation. Within
this framework, director John Paskievich looks at a European people inspired
by romanticized visions of the Wild West envisioned by turn-of-the-century
writers Karl May and Ernest Thompson Seton, people who have sought refuge
and meaning by appropriating a 19th-century utopia to avoid living in the
moral and spiritual decay of modern Europe. " John Paskievich has crafted
a humorous, destabilizing and complex journey across continents, cultures
and history. A subtle and beguiling work, IF ONLY I WERE AN INDIAN coils
seductively through such diverse issues as radical environmentalism, cultural
appropriation, colonialism and over-identification with the Other, subverting
accepted wisdoms with wit, sincerity and respect."—TORONTO FESTIVAL OF
FESTIVALS (80 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
SKYWALKERS
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: PAT FERRARO
Pat Ferraro's (HEARTS AND HANDS) look at Iroquois metalworkers who help
build city skyscrapers. Her aerial cinematography will leave you breathless.
(11 mins.)
JULY 17 SAT 8:45
P.M.
OUR INDIANS
BRAZIL 1995
DIRECTOR: SYLVIO BACK
"OUR INDIANS is a collage of hundreds of Brazilian films and films from
other countries—features, newsreels and documentaries—that show how the
film industry has seen and heard Brazilian Indians, since they were filmed
in 1912 for the first time. The surprising images are surrounded by music
and poetry that inaugurate the viewers in the universe of Brazilian Indians,
that is alternately idealized and prejudiced, religious and militaristic,
cruel and magic. The director presents this rich film under the motto of
the documentary-maker Richard Leacock: 'The only good Indian is a filmed
Indian'. Sylvio Back: 'The film archives in Brazil are a treasure chest
of material that can help us find out more about our existence. By discovering
more and more about history, we are able to see the judgments and prejudices
about our country in a different light.'"—Rotterdam Film Festival.
(70 mins.)
JULY 18 SUN 5 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
WOMAN'S WORK
CANADA, 1997
DIRECTOR: DIANE NGUI-YEN
In the remote regions of the Arctic, above the timberline and living in
the harshest of environments, three First Nation women artists, Ovilu Tunillie,
Okpik Pitseolak and Elsie Klengenberg create delicate and detailed sculptures
out of hard rock. For each it is an art form that not only lets them
feed their families, but overcome the misfortunes of suicide, divorce and
alcoholism. Traversing their own environment and the world of art, each
successfully create lasting legacies of their culture with modern power
chisels, careful hands and expressive hearts. (45 mins.)
FOLLOWED BY
PICTURING A PEOPLE: GEORGE
JOHNSTON:
TLINGIT PHOTOGRAPHER
CANADA 1997
DIRECTOR: CAROL GEDDES
As director Carol Geddes, a relative of Tlingit photographer George Johnston,
says, "His legacy was to help us dream the future as much as to remember
the past." In this eloquent portrait of Johnston, we discover a man who
at 16 trekked hundreds of miles of coastal Alaska to seek out the history
of his people, speak to his elders and learn first-hand about the Tlingit
religion, its songs and dances. Yet it was when he ordered a camera from
a mail-order catalog and taught himself darkroom techniques that his images—of
special moments and everyday occasions shot between 1920 and 1945—would
become a beacon to the young and a testament to the golden times of the
Tlingit people. Predating a generation of Indian and Inuit photographers,
Johnston is only now gaining the international recognition he surely deserves.
(58 mins.)
JULY 19 MON
7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
RUINS
U.S. 1999
DIRECTOR: JESSE LERNER
Jesse Lerner's (FRONTIERLAND) RUINS is an extraordinary pastiche of found
footage, newsreels, propaganda and educational films, home movies and more,
seamlessly woven to form a fake documentary about the life and history
of the Mayan people. It is a mockumentary for good reason—within the footage
he has gleaned are works of faulty archeology, mistaken anthropology, curious
ways of luring tourists to the lands of the Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs,
and of course, the misguided opinions of outsiders looking in. Comic and
surprising at every turn, Lerner inventively intertwines truths and fictions
as he explores a Mayan history corrupted from the outside. From architecture
to authentic and replicated art works, from rituals for sacrificial virgins
to causes of social revolution, RUINS speaks to the faulty ways people
and the past can be viewed. Lerner's tour de force even uncovers footage
of Rockefeller as he takes off from a Mexican air strip with his plane
overloaded with art and artifacts—and like other scenes, it is a potent
metaphor for the misguided attempts to "know" another culture. (90
mins.)
FOLLOWED BY
USUAL AND ACCUSTOMED
PLACES
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: SANDRA OSAWA
Showcased in this year's Northwest Film & Video Festival, this
remarkable documentary is a collection of profiles in courage: the indigenous
peoples of the Northwest and their more than 100-year battle to retain
treaty-protected fishing sites. It is a story that reaches far into family
histories, as Osawa personalizes a political struggle with testimony and
photographs from those who remember. Osawa's portrait is bravely complete,
including rare documentation of Native affluence, as families prospered
through the fishing industry—just part of the cycle of history in which
Native Americans, seeking to retain their rights, consistently prevailed
in the federal courts, but lost politically at the state and local level.
(48 mins.)
JULY 20 TUES 7
P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
RESILIENCE
U.S. 1997
DIRECTOR: AMY HAPP
A haunting memoir of the relationship of the filmmaker to Vyola, her loving
stepmother, an Alaska Eskimo woman who finds herself living in white middle
America. Exploring shifting definitions of family, the effects of racism
and Vyola's struggles with sobriety, this lyrical short is both tender
and brave. (14 mins.)
FOLLOWED BY
CARVED FROM THE HEART
U.S. 1997
DIRECTOR: ELLEN FRANKENSTEIN
Revealing the transformative power of art to heal, CARVED FROM THE HEART
is a portrait of Tshimsian Native Stan Marsden and Craig, Alaska, a community
of Native and non-Natives with one of the highest rates of suicide, drug
addiction and violence in Alaska. A master carver by trade, Marsden grief-stricken
by the drug overdose and death of his son, set out to carve a 46-foot,
two ton totem—the first totem to be raised in the community for close to
100 years. Dubbed The Healing Heart Totem, it marks a return to tradition
and the process, traced by director Ellen Frankenstein, illuminates a fragmented
community as they come together. (30 mins.)
FOLLOWED BY
A THOUSAND YEARS OF CEREMONY
U.S. 1999
DIRECTOR: CHRISTOPHER
MCLEOD Elder Florence Jones, now in her eighties, the spiritual
leader and healer of her Wintu people in Northern California, has consistently
fought off the invasion of New Age practitioners, recreational mountain
climbers and skiers in an effort to protect and preserve the land the Wintu
live on at the base of Mt. Shasta. A THOUSAND YEARS OF CEREMONY: FLORENCE
JONES & THE STRUGGLE FOR MT. SHASTA tells her story of strength and
fortitude, good humor and struggles to deal with the U.S. Forest Service
who oversee the Wintu land. Central to this land is a sacred spring which
is showing the ravages of intruders. Eloquent and forthright, McLeod's
portrait of Jones and her descendants is an intimate and compelling argument
for the need to protect sacred sites, language, healing traditions and
the inalienable right to practice one's religion. (39 mins.)
CASTING A HUMAN SPELL:
THE FILMS OF FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Truffaut, his name is synonymous
with auteur. At the center of the French New Wave, Truffaut (1932-1984),
a romantic humanist, created a body of work known for as much for its autobiographical
approach as its recognition of the masters of the medium. The Film Center
is pleased to present newly restored 35mm prints of 16 of his films along
with the documentary FRANCOIS TRUFAUT: STOLEN PORTRAITS. "I believe he
is practically the only man in the whole world who knows how to make use
of the large screen. In a Truffaut picture you never have the feeling that
the film is the work of several people; it is the product of one man alone
and that man looks with an equal eye on the problems of the actors, the
sound system, the camera. There are no small problems, no great problems.
There is only a film. For Hindus the world is one; for Truffaut the film
is one."—Jean Renoir
CO-SPONSORED BY TRILOGY
VIDEO
AUGUST 5 6 7 8 THUR 5
7 P.M., FRI 6 7 P.M., SAT 7 7 P.M., SUN 8
7 P.M.
JULES AND JIM
FRANCE 1961
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
One of the French New Wave's great period pieces, JULES AND JIM is
one of Truffaut's greatest love stories, a nostalgic look at a menage a
trois that begins before the first World War and concludes with the outbreak
of Nazism. But it is in between these historical events that this magical
adaptation of the Henri-Pierre Roche novel takes shape. This story of two
men who share a romantic relationship with the same woman is based on Truffaut's
premise that ''the couple is not a satisfying concept, but is there an
alternative?" Starring Oskar Werner, Henri Serre and Jeanne Moreau, Truffaut
invokes the Iyricism of Jean Vigo and Jean Renoir's careful detailing of
character to celebrate life at its most passionate. "On first seeing JULES
AND JIM one was struck by its zest and vigor of narration, and the heady
lilt of George Delerue's music. Reviewing years later, one
still warms to its romantic agony, to the impudent optimism of its technique,
and above all to Jeanne Moreau."—PETER COWIE (105 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
THUR 5 9 P.M.,
FRI 6 9 P.M., SAT 7 9 P.M., SUN 8 9 P.M.
STOLEN KISSES
FRANCE 1969
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Now 22, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) is struggling to transform the
scars of his childhood into a mature acceptance of the world. Booted out
of the military, he returns to Paris to confront the affairs of the heart.
In search of himself, Antoine is torn between the love of two women and
sees himself moving through a variety of odd jobs—hotel clerk, private
detective, TV repairman and shoe salesman. Paying homage to the romantic
comedies of the 30's and 40's, STOLEN KISSES is "a movie so full of love
that to define it may make it sound like a religious experience, which,
of course, it is, but in a wonderfully unorthodox, cockeyed way."—Vincent
Canby, THE NEW YORK TIMES. Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Film. (91
mins.)
AUGUST 9 10 11
MON 9 7 P.M., TUES 10 7 P.M., WED 11 7 P.M.
TWO ENGLISH GIRLS
FRANCE 1972
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
The emotional flipside of Truffaut's earlier adaptation of a novel by Henri-Pierre
Roche, JULES AND JIM, TWO ENGLISH GIRLS was one of Truffaut's favorite
films. This version of a love triangle has at its center serious undercurrents
as it traces Claude's (Jean-Pierre Leaud) summer relationship with two
chaste, yet passionate sisters modeled after the Bronte sisters. Anne is
a sculptress who yearns to taste life while Muriel desires time alone to
write in her diary. This tale of innocence lost "may be Truffaut's richest
and most complex film. One of the underlying tensions of TWO ENGLISH GIRLS
is literature versus sculpture, or language versus flesh and clay, or Muriel
versus Anne—with Claude caught between them all."— Annette Insdorf.
(108 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
MON 9 9 P.M., TUES
10 9 P.M., WED 11 9 P.M.
BED AND BOARD
FRANCE 1970
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
The Doniel Cycle—with the earlier ANTOINE AND COLLETTE and THE 400 BLOWS
and later LOVE ON THE RUN, reached maturity with BED AND BOARD. Antoine
Doinel, now married to his longtime girlfriend Christine (Claude Jade),
has lost some of his youthful charm. Self-centered and unable to face the
responsibilities of adulthood and fatherhood, Antoine veers from the nest
and takes off with a Japanese woman. Reconciliation soon follows, but not
as easily as he had hoped. In this wry comedy of errors, marital and otherwise,
Truffaut creates a-running series of jokes and sight gags, with the help
of the great cinematographer Nestor Almendros, as he examines the difficulty
of communication. As Antoine spouts ludicrous English phrases to a potential
American employer or tries to reach the impassive Kyoko, or simply relates
to those in his Parisian courtyard, Truffaut infuses the film with profound
ironies and delightful surprises—one can even catch a glimpse of Jacques
Tati's befuddled Mr. Hulot. (95 mins.)
AUGUST 12 13 14 15 THUR
12 7 P.M., FRI 13 7 P.M., SAT 14 7 P.M., SUN 15
7 P.M.
THE LAST METRO
FRANCE 1980
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
THE LAST METRO is a superb ensemble piece that works on two different levels—the
sad drama of wartime and the immediate drama faced by a small theater company
in Montmarte. It's 1942 and the Jewish manager (Heinz Bennett) of the theater
is forced to go underground. His wife (Catherine Deneuve) takes over the
company for a production called, appropriately enough, "The Disappearance."
Gerard Depardieu won a Cesar (the French Oscar) for Best Actor for his
portrayal as a key actor in the company and a member of the Resistance
who also risked arrest by the Nazis. Nestor Alemendros' muted cinematography
captures the color and climate of the occupation as Truffaut thoughtfully
deals with lives and artistry in crisis. (131 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
THUR 12 9:15 P.M.,
FRI 13 9:15 P.M., SAT 14 9:15 P.M., SUN 15 9:15 P.M.
DAY FOR NIGHT
FRANCE 1975
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, Francois Truffaut's
homage to movies is fiction within fiction as Truffaut stars as a Truffaut-like
director. A celebration to the magic of actors, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Jaqueline
Bisset and Jean-Pierre Aumont give stellar performances as performers surrounded
by all the sets and booms and costumed fantasies of the never-never land
of celluloid. This loving and whimsical look at moviemaking, acting, directing,
and merely coping in the world Truffaut himself helped to create is a pure
delight. (100 mins.)
AUGUST 16 17 18
MON 16 7 P.M., TUE 17 7 P.M., WED 7 P.M.
FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT: STOLEN
PORTRAITS
FRANCE 1982
DIRECTORS: SERGE TOUBIANA
AND MICHEL PASCAL Truffaut blurred the line between his
and the cinematic worlds. His films moved between autobiography and literature,
self and social psychology. In this revealing documentary portrait of the
filmmaker, family members, friends and fellow directors speak about the
man behind the camera, providing insights to his life and work. Among those
who share their candid opinions are such other New Wave directors as Eric
Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, Bertrand Tavernier, actors Gerard Depardieu and
Fanny Ardant, Marcel Ophuls and Truffaut's daughter and ex-wife. Taken
as a whole, along side clips from many of his films, they provided a multi-faceted
view of one of the 20th century's most gifted filmmakers. (93 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
MON 16 8:45 P.M.,
TUE 17 8:45 P.M., WED 18 8:45 P.M.
FAHRENHEIT 451
GREAT BRITAIN 1966
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Moving far from intimate stories about heated relationships, Truffaut adapted
Ray Bradbury's classic science fiction novel about a future world where
all texts, the forbidden fruit of ideas, are burned. Taking its title from
the temperature at which books burn, the story revolves around a hedonistic
society, seduced by television, and the fireman who secretly saves books
from the ashes. Metaphorically rich and filled with imaginative visuals,
Truffaut's only film made in Britain stars Oskar Werner, Julie Christie,
Cyril Cusack. (111 mins.)
AUGUST 19 20 21 22 THUR
19 7 P.M., FRI 20 7 P.M., SAT 21 7 P.M., SUN 22
7 P.M.
THE WILD CHILD
FRANCE 1969
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Based on a true story, THE WILD CHILD embraces Truffaut's keen interest
in the lives and development of children. Following an 18th century doctor's
attempts to educate and civilize a feral boy found in the woods, Truffaut
himself plays Dr. Itard in this confrontation between Western rationalism
and Rousseau's noble savage. As in many of his films, Truffaut draws upon
classic cinematic devices. In THE WILD CHILD, he reinvents the conventions
of 1930's scientific biographies, shooting in black and white and irising
in and out of beautifully realized tableaus to show the painstaking growth
of the child as he slowly acquires language. A spellbinding tale told with
a remarkable purity of style. (85 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
THUR 19 8:45 P.M.,
FRI 20 8:45 P.M., SAT 21 8:45 P.M., SUN 22 8:45
P.M.
SMALL CHANGE
FRANCE 1976
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Set in a small provincial town, Truffaut's Iyrical and episodic tribute
to the resiliency of children traces the adventures of about a dozen children
as the school year draws to a close and summer vacation begins. Drawing
natural performances from his cast, this gentle film has a casual and fleeting
charm that mirrors the lives of its young characters. "Truffaut's series
of sketches on the general theme of the resilience of children turns out
to be that rarity—a poetic comedy that's really funny."—Pauline Kael (105
mins.)
AUGUST 23 24 25
MON 23 7 P.M., TUE 24 7 P.M., WED 25 7 P.M.
THE 400 BLOWS
FRANCE 1959
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Francois Truffaut’s first feature is still considered by many to be his
best film and most autobiographical. Drawing upon his early years as an
orphan, Truffaut gives subtle and realistic meaning to the Chinese proverb
about the 400 blows of childhood. Jean-Pierre Leaud plays Antoine Doniel,
a neglected 12-year-old who rebels against school and escapes to freedom.
The second of five films in the Antoine Doniel cycle, this early French
New Wave milestone is one of the most poignant and moving studies of childhood
ever put on film. (98 mins.)
PRECEDED BY
LES MISTONS (1957) &
ANTOINE AND COLLETTE
(1964)
Two early works of Truffaut,
LES MISTONS (The Mischief Makers) is a children's comedy (23 mins) and
ANTOINE AND COLLETTE (a chapter LOVE AT 20) traces the romance between
Jean-Pierre Leaud (Antoine Doniel) and Marie-France Pisier (Collette).
(20 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
MON 23 9:30 P.M.,
TUE 24 9:30 P.M., WED 25 9:30 P.M.
SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER
FRANCE 1960
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Francois Truffaut’s second film is a respectful pastiche of the Hollywood
B-film, involving rapid shifts of mood and action. A concert pianist played
with doleful empathy by Charles Aznavour loses his wife to suicide and
tries to hide from his past by playing piano in a bar. fate dogs him as
he becomes involved in a murder and tries to free his brother from the
grip of a pair of bungling gangsters. An engrossing example of the French
New Wave preoccupation with American crime films. "Charlie (Charles Aznavour)
is a shy, self-effacing pianist whose actions and thoughts are fragmentary,
astonishingly perceptive, and lurch from one crisis to the next in tragi-comic
confusion. His emotions are depicted by Truffaut with balletic skill, from
the sickening burst of awareness that his wife has committed suicide (the
camera races past him to the window and zooms down towards her body on
the sidewalk a la Ophuls), to the long, poetic vision of Lena, his love,
swirling down a snowy slope after being shot by gangsters."—PETER COWIE
(80 mins.)
AUGUST 26 27 28 THUR
26 7 P.M., FRI 27 7 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
THE SOFT SKIN
FRANCE 1964
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Francois Truffaut's investigation of a marriage that crumbles when the
husband attempts to establish a relationship with a stewardess stars Jean
Desailly, Francoise Dorleac and Nelly Bendetti. "This is no longer the
world of JULES AND JIM in which a triangle is connected by warmth, friendship
and a panning camera that sustains and encloses deep emotions. Truffaut
moves instead into a story of contemporary adultery that depends upon Hitchcockian
principles of editing and visual storytelling to portray its sense of fragmentation."—Annette
Insdorf. (115 mins.)
DOUBLE FEATURE
THUR 26 9 P.M.,
FRI 27 9 P.M., SAT 28 9 P.M.
THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR
FRANCE 1981
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Eight years after their passions flamed out, ex-lovers Gerard Depardieu
and Fanny Ardant find themselves, now married and both with children named
Thomas, living next door to one another. In Francois Truffaut's finely
detailed study of love and romantic obsession, one discovers two people
who cannot live together nor apart and witnesses the rise and fall of mercurial
emotions played out in a tragedy tinged with comic edges. Truffaut's clever
understanding of complex feelings, excellent performances by Depardieu
and Ardant and a tone-setting score by Georges Delerue make for a compelling
misadventure. "I have not been so moved by a Truffaut film since SHOOT
THE PIANO PLAYER."—Andrew Sarris. (106 mins.)
AUGUST 29 30 31
SUN 29 7 P.M., MON 30 7 P.M., TUES 31 7 P.M.
LOVE ON THE RUN
FRANCE 1979
DIRECTOR: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
The final chapter in Truffaut's Antoine Doniel cycle finds the unpredictable
protagonist Antoine, now a man of 34 and in love with Sabine, on the day
he is to divorce his wife Christine (Claudine Jade, BED AND BOARD). It
is also the day he will run into his first love, Collette (Marie-France
Pisier). Truffaut traces Antoine's trajectory of love and lovers as the
present mingles with the past through clips from such past films as THE
400 BLOWS, STOLEN KISSES, BED AND BOARD. Joined by cinematographer Nestor
Almendros and composer Georges Delerue, this affectionate look at Truffaut's
alter-ego is a delicate examination of the long rite-of-passage which is
at once poised and messy, uncertain and determined, promising and often
disillusioning, in a nutshell—life. (94 mins.)
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
JUNE 3 4 6
THUR 3 7 P.M.,
FRI 4 7 P.M., SUN 6 7 P.M.
IRRATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS
PORTLAND PREMIERE
ANIMALICIOUS
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: MARK LEWIS
In his previous CANE TOADS
and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DOGS, Mark Lewis displayed a genuine knack for
uncovering the comic and quizzical relationships that exist between people
and creatures great and small. While television currently offers up a bevy
of "amazing" videos, Lewis has been collecting tales of animal and human
interactions that truly border on the bizarre. The most recent result is
ANIMALICIOUS, a wry account of how people's lives have been affected by
encounters with other species— a bomb-diving duck, a squirrel which
thinks it's landed on Normandy Beach, a hawk that could easily work for
a hair-growth pharmaceutical company, a parakeet, and a hungry snake and
one small dog. Masterfully coaxing finely tuned performances from the non-actors
whose experiences shape the film, Lewis has created his own surreal version
of "When Animals Attack."
(52 mins.)
FOLLOWED BY
RAT
U.S. 1998
DIRECTOR: MARK LEWIS
RAT turns its attention to the metropolis of New York and the tensions
that exist between people and the irascible rodents who invade their lives.
In what just may be the first film to include actual rat dramatic recreations,
Lewis goes from borough to borough, interviewing citizens and members of
the Bureau of Pest Control about their strange encounters with this long-tailed
creature with attitude. Moving through the sewers, basements, attics and
subway tunnels, Lewis' fluid camera accompanies these vermin in amusing
fashion as their territorial battle with the city's citizens ensue. As
James Cagney says, "I smell a rat." (57
mins.)
JUNE 9 WED 8 P.M.
ARTISTS OF THE AVANT
GARDE VISITING ARTIST
VIDEOPOEMS
U.S., CZECHOSLOVAKIA,
IRELAND 1998-99
DIRECTORS: VARIOUS
The Film Center welcomes Antero Alli (THE DRIVETIME) and his NOMAD VIDEOFILM
FESTIVAL for an evening of experimental media that draw their inspiration
from poetic texts and narratives. The 16 short works being shown, drawn
from over 100 entries, offer independent visions sparked by the writings
of Sylvia Plath, Baudelaire, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ani Difranco and others
as they explore meditation, myth, ritual and even e-mail. From beautifully
realized animation techniques, digital and live action pieces, the intersection
of word and image enter an ephemeral and kinetic world each under12 minutes
long. Add to that a Nomad Mystery Performer and you have the makings of
a truly alternative night at the movies. For more information, visit the
NOMAD VIDEOFILM FESTIVAL website.
(85 mins.)
JUNE 19 SAT 19
2 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
THE 23RD ANNUAL YOUNG
PEOPLE'S
FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
U.S. 1998-99
DIRECTORS: YOUNG &
VARIOUS This afternoon we are pleased to present the winning
entries from our 23RD ANNUAL YOUNG PEOPLE'S FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL—an
impressive selection of new short works produced throughout the Northwest
by media makers in grades K-12. The program was selected by a panel of
professional media artists and provides a fascinating glimpse of the world
seen through the eyes of young people.
JUNE 26 SAT 7 &
9 P.M.
THE NORTHTWEST FILM CENTER
AND PICA PRESENT
STRETCH YOUR HEAD CINEMA
AN EVENING OF NEW IDEAS
IN EXPERIMENTAL FILM
DIRECTORS: VARIOUS 1997-99
CURATED BY: JOANNA PRIESTLEY
Joanna Priestley has been instrumental in the growth and success of Portland's
media arts community and has been its winning, if unofficial, ambassador
around the world. Tonight she screens a selection of works that reflect
new visions and new ways to approach the medium. And as with any show by
Priestley, there are sure to be a few surprises. Among the works
to be screened are SURGE by Jan Otto Ertesvag (Norway), FIREHOUSE by Barbel
Neubauer (Germany), ALONE, LIFE WASTES ANDY HARDY by Martin Arnold (Germany),
IMMER ZU by Janie Geiser (US), FEELING MY WAY by Jonathan Hodgson (Great
Britain), UNDERGROUND by Mati Kutt (Estonia), BUSBY by Anna Henckel-Doninersmarck
(Germany), DIRT by Portlander Chel White and UTOPIA PARKWAY by Joanna Priestley.
(80 mins.)
SPECIAL ADMISSION: $8
GENERAL; $6 PAM AND PICA MEMBERS
JUNE 30 WED 7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERES
THE 31ST ANNUAL ASIFA-EAST
ANIMATION FESTIVAL
The only annual competition
devoted to animation in the United States, ASIFA-East's annual contest
spans the field as it includes entertainment films, independent work, sponsored
films, commercials and works by students. The national competition took
place in April and the Film Center is pleased to present the winning program
tonight. The 24 works being shown include such stellar animators as Karen
Aqua and Bill Plympton, J.J. Sedelmaier whose cartoons grace SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE, and Chris Wedge's 1999 Academy-Award winning animated short, BLUE
SKY. (Approximately 90 mins.)
CO-SPONSORED BY ASIFA/NW.
Special thanks to Linda Simensky, Rose Bond and Laura Di Trapani.
R E E L B L U E S
"The blues is just a
funny feelin', yet some folks calls it a mighty bad disease." - Lightnin'
Hopkins
Join us for two very special
outdoor screenings at the OREGONIAN A&E's Front Porch Stage at this
year's Waterfront Blues Festival. Admission to the Festival is free, but
a $3 donation and cans of food to donate to The Oregon Food Bank are most
appreciated. Special thanks to In Focus Systems.
JULY 2 FRI
10 P.M.
CURTIS SALGADO'S BLUES
FAVORITES
Portland blues and soul
master Curtis Salgado returns with another ace compilation of musical rarities
drawn from his personal video collection of blues greats. Tonight he'll
introduce vintage performance clips featuring Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson,
Muddy Waters, Big Walter Hornton, Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Guy, Johnny
Shines, Amos Milburn and many, many more. As those who enjoyed Salgado's
program in our January REEL MUSIC series will attest, this is a special
treat. (80 mins.)
Note Location: Waterfront
Park.
JULY 3 SAT
10 P.M.
LES BLANK PRESENTS
THE BLUES ACCORDIN' TO
LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS and
HOT PEPPER
Tonight Bay-area filmmaker
Les Blank is here to present two of his classic films. In his own words
and in his "own own" music, the late, great Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins
(1975) reveals the genius of his special boogie and the roots of the deep
power in country blues. (31 mins.) Blank's HOT PEPPER (1978) provides an
intoxicating journey into the bayous and byways of southwestern Lousiana
and the potent mix of rock and blues that was unique to the king of Zydeco,
accordionist Clifton Chenier. Totally hot stuff. (54 mins.)
Note Location: Waterfront
Park.
JULY 7 8 9 10 11
WED 7 7 P.M., THUR
8 7 P.M., FRI 9 7 P.M., SAT 10 7 P.M., SUN
11 7 P.M.
FULLY RESTORED—
MARTIN SCORCESE AND FRANCIS
FORD COPPOLA PRESENT
THE SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT
POLAND 1965
DIRECTOR: WOJCIECH HAS
Mixing the macabre, surreal, romantic and the comic, Wojciech Has' THE
SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT, the favorite film of The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia,
is an elliptical odyssey set at the end of the Napoleonic era where events
super shadow plot. Based on a 19th century novel by Jan Potocki, this epic
adventure follows the exploits of Belgian Captain Alphonse van Worden (played
by Zbigniew Cybulski, the James Dean of Poland) whose discovery of a manuscript
in Spain leads him on a transforming journey into his past. These fantastic
adventures come about as two half-naked princesses test his worthiness
to woo them. Mixing stories within stories, narration within narration,
the film's colorful characters disclose van Worden's history as his spiritual
journey proceeds, unabated by the constraints of a conservative narrative.
Newly restored in 35mm to its original length (a shorter version once toured
the U.S.), THE SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT, shot in glorious black and white cinemascope
by Miecyslaw Jahoda, is originality unspooled. (180 mins.)
JULY 18 SUN 7:30 P.M.
ENCORE SCREENING
RICHTER, THE ENIGMA
FRANCE 1998
DIRECTOR: BRUNO MONSAINGEON
"When Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) died last year—shortly after the completion
of this prize-winning film—it has been said that the great age of Russian
pianist classicism came to an end. Director Bruno Monsaingeon (THE GLEN
GOULD CYCLE; YEHUDI MENUHIN, THE VIOLIN OF THE CENTURY) has made a film
appropriate to both the singularity of its subject and to the complexity
of his milieu. Dominating the proceedings with his still-striking good
looks and an often piercing, self-deprecating wit, Richter narrates the
events of his life with a combination of candor and canniness. Illustrated
with well-chosen archival and performance footage (much of it in impossibly
saturated Mosfilm color), the pianist's journey from provincial obscurity
to international stardom emerges with breadth and clarity."—1998 VANCOUVER
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (144 mins.) PRESENTED IN CONJUNCTION
WITH PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY'S PIANO RECITAL SERIES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
CALL 725-5400.
JULY 22 THUR 8 P.M.
VISITING ARTIST
PORTLAND PREMIERES
A CITY SYMPHONY
U.S. 1987-1997
DIRECTOR: DOMINIC ANGERAME
The Film Center welcomes experimental filmmaker and longtime director of
the independent collaborative Canyon Cinema as he presents A CITY SYMPHONY,
his collection of five distinct films that each revolve around the flux
of urban landscapes, city environments and human cycles of destruction
and construction. CONTINUUM (1987), like a constructivist poem, engages
itself in the science of motion within the streets and buildings of the
city. DECONSTRUCTION SIGHT (1990) uses time-lapse cinematography to explore
the impact the industrial revolution has had on our ideologies and realizations.
PREMONITION embraces an innocence as the filmmaker watches the Embarcadero
Freeway come to life, a premonition of San Francisco's 1989 earthquake.
IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS (1997) is the exquisite depiction of the
very same freeway's demolition. As a coda to the program, Angerame screens
LINE OF FIRE (1997) which weaves two events, the filmmaker's own open heart
surgery with a fire he escaped that burnt down his apartment. As Angerame
well nows, the ephemeral, as in cinema, is all that survives. "To see the
city through the eyes of Dominic Angerame is to see an organic beast of
concrete that sifts and breathes in rich shades of black and white."—Silke
Tudor, SF WEEKLY. (70 mins.)
JULY 23 FRI
8 P.M.
VISITING ARTIST
PORTLAND PREMIERES
CANYON CINEMA - A CELEBRATION
Tonight Dominic Angerame,
Director of Canyon Cinema, helps us celebrate one of the first and most
influential alternative media distribution organizations. Founded in 1966
and run by and for independent filmmakers, it is a mutual base of support
for such pioneering filmmakers as Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage, Peggy Ahwesh,
Bruce Baille, James Broughton, Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner, Su Freidrich,
Bette Gordon, Leighton Pierce, Jay Rosenblatt and others. Canyon Cinema's
existence is a mirror of our own. So join us for a special evening of works
spanning three decades and devoted as much to viewers as to makers.
(2 hrs.)
JULY 24 25 26 27 28
SAT 24 7 &
9 P.M., SUN 25 5 & 7 P.M., MON 26 7 P.M., TUE 27
7 P.M., WED 28 7 P.M.
FRENCH KISSES
THE SWINDLE
FRANCE 1998
DIRECTOR: CLAUDE CHABROL
Off all the New Wave directors, it is Claude Chabrol who has taken on the
Hitchcockean role of looking at human foibles through the lens of sleek
and understated thrillers. In THE SWINDLE, his 50th film, the great French
director has fashioned a delectable comedy-mystery around the superb talents
of actors Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault. Seductive con artists,
the two play a clever cat and mouse game with their targets. But what sets
these two apart from other petty criminals is the puzzling relationship
the two have. With suspense and humor, their enigmatic relationship, like
a Rubric's cube, is one of the charming puzzles for the viewer to toy with
as their heists unfold. When they ultimately reach a Swiss resort, is their
next victim, Maurice (Francois Cluzet), a handsome businessman, part of
what plan serving whom? "The performances are so winkingly adroit that
THE SWINDLE becomes as much a character study as a caper story. Thanks
to the sleek, psychologically astute direction that has been Chabrol's
hallmark, it glides gracefully as both."—Janet Maslin, THE NEW YORK TIMES.
(105 mins.)
JULY 29 30 31 AUGUST
1 2 3 4 THUR 29 7:30 P.M., FRI 30 7 & 9 P.M., SAT 31 7
& 9 P.M., SUN 1 7 P.M., MON 2 7 P.M. TUE 3 7 P.M., WED
4 7 P.M.
PORTLAND PREMIERE
ITALIAN DREAMS
PIZZICATA
ITALY 1996
DIRECTOR: EDOARDO WINSPEARE
Frequently compared to IL POSTINO, Edoardo Winspeare's PIZZICATA clearly
defines its own stirring landscape. The title derives from two words, pizzia
(the dance of joy and love) and tarantata (the dance of death). When an
American bomber is shot down over Salentino, the only survivor, Toni Morciano,
the son of local Pugliese emigrants, is taken in and brought back to health
by a widowed father and his three daughters. Soon he takes on role of distant
cousin and immerses himself in the local traditions, ones lost to him in
America. When a powerful love develops between Toni and one of the daughters,
jealousy and fury follow. Bubbling over with the music and dance of the
region, PIZZICATA..."recalls the early pictures of the Taviani Brothers
but with more visual and emotional warmth. Winspeare...makes plentiful
use of local color, especially music and dance, but never loses sight of
the emotional arcs that give the gently simmering relationships their depth."—VARIETY.
(96 mins.)