Cinematheque Series 2007

CINEMATHEQUE SPRING SERIES 2007 ~ FEBRUARY-MAY


	BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB 1999 – 1 hr 45 min – USA/Cuba – color - digital d: Wim Wenders Bryn Mawr: Feb 28 (Wed 7:00) In association with the Free Library’s One Book, One Philadelphia program and their featured book, Carlos Eire’s Waiting for Snow in Havana, BMFI presents BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, a compelling documentary about musician Ry Cooder’s journey to Havana in search of the aging, but still amazing musicians of Cuba. This joyful film, which features transcendent music and unforgettable characters, will be introduced and discussed by Enrique Sacerio-Gari, poet and professor at Bryn Mawr College.

	ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL YEAR ZERO 2004 – 2 hr 11 min – Israel – color – 35 mm d: Joseph Pitchhadze - w/subtitles Bryn Mawr: Mar 4 (Sun 7:00) BMFI and the Israeli Film Festival are proud to co-sponsor this screening of YEAR ZERO. Set in Tel Aviv, three separate stories unfold about different people on what appears to be an ordinary day. By the end of the film their lives will have intersected—with surprising results. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8.00 for seniors, $4.50 for BMFI members, and free for students.

	ANIMATION MANIA An Evening with Lou DiCrescenzo County: Mar 5 (Mon 7:00) We welcome film preservationist Lou DiCrescenzo back to the County Theater for a fun-filled night of vintage animated films. These cartoons were some of the first films to be processed in dye transfer Technicolor, one of the most significant technological breakthroughs in film presentation. Dating back over fifty years, many of them have not been seen on a movie screen since they first appeared! Film program is approximately 2 hours.

	Filmmaker Maori Karmael Holmes SCENE NOT HEARD: WOMEN IN PHILADELPHIA HIP-HOP 2005 – 45 min – USA – color – digital d: Maori Karmael Holmes Bryn Mawr: Mar 7 (Wed 7:30) Featuring rare performance footage, music, and interviews with artists such as Floetry, Bahamadia, and Lady B, this engaging documentary looks at the role of women in Philadelphia’s underground hip-hop scene as they struggle to make their way in an industry that is not always welcoming. The film will be introduced by filmmaker Maori Karmael Holmes, who is also the Director of the Black Lily Film and Music Festival.

ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK
We are excited to host a celebration of the films of acclaimed director Robert Altman. Revered for his visual style, wry humor
and circuitous narratives, Altman made many great films over the last forty years, which have exerted a powerful influence over
American movies. This examination of a true original begins with three lectures and is followed by the screenings of four of his
films, all of which are hosted by knowledgeable figures in the Philadelphia film community.


	ROBERT ALTMAN REVISITED A Film Forum with Sam Adams Ambler: Mar 8 (Thu 7:00) County: Mar 12 (Mon 7:00) FREE FOR MEMBERS Join City Paper film critic Sam Adams, who will discuss the films of acclaimed American director Robert Altman, examining his definitive work with ensemble casts, his fluid, instantly identifiable camerawork, his unsentimental humanism, and his unflinching determination to fly by his own lights. The program will feature numerous clips from Altman’s work, and will last approximately two hours.
	ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK
	ROBERT ALTMAN CONSIDERED An Introduction by Jennifer Steinberg Bryn Mawr: Mar 14 (Wed 7:00) Philadelphia Film Festival documentaries curator Jennifer Steinberg will give a one-hour overview of Altman’s films, with a particular focus on MASH, the screening of which will follow her talk.
	ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK
	MASH 1970 – 1 hr 56 min – USA – color – 35 mm d: Robert Altman Bryn Mawr: Mar 14 (Wed 8:00) Ambler: Mar 15 (Thu 7:00) A raucous and irreverent black comedy, MASH is one of the benchmarks of 70s Hollywood. Set in a Korean War field hospital, Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland are army surgeons who use pranks and hi-jinx to inoculate themselves against the bloodshed of war. Winner of the Palme D’or at Cannes, MASH was Altman’s breakout film. The Bryn Mawr screening will be hosted by film curator Jennifer Steinberg, and the screening at the Ambler will be hosted by film scholar Adrienne Redd.
	ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK
	THE LONG GOODBYE 1973 – 1 hr 52 min – USA – color – 35 mm d: Robert Altman – w/ Elliott Gould County: Mar 19 (Mon 7:00) Bryn Mawr: Mar 21 (Wed 7:00) A revisionist take on the detective genre, THE LONG GOODBYE is an adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel and stars Elliott Gould as private investigator Philip Marlowe. Subversively misanthropic in its worldview, as well as innovative in its filmmaking, THE LONG GOODBYE is a pure delight. The County screening will be hosted by film curator Jennifer Steinberg, and the Bryn Mawr screening will be hosted by Philadelphia Inquirer film critic Steven Rea.
	ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK
	THE PLAYER 1992 – 2 hr 4 min – USA – color – 35 mm d: Robert Altman – w/Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi Ambler: Mar 22 (Thu 7:00) County: Mar 26 (Mon 7:00) Altman’s clever satire of the movie industry. Tim Robbins is a studio executive who becomes the chief suspect in a murder investigation. Supplemented by 65 star cameos and chockfull of insider jokes, THE PLAYER is a must for anyone who loves Hollywood, or who loves to hate it. The Ambler screening will be hosted by Scribe Video Center Programming Director Gretjen Clausing, and the screening at County will be hosted by Philadelphia Inquirer film critic Steven Rea.
	ROBERT ALTMAN: AMERICAN MAVERICK
	GOSFORD PARK 2001 – 2 hr 17 min - Great Britain/USA - color – 35 mm d: Robert Altman Bryn Mawr: Mar 28 (Wed 7:00) Ambler: Mar 29 (Thu 7:00) County: Apr 2 ( Mon 7:00) GOSFORD PARK is a deft blend of murder mystery and British class drama. Set in England in the 1930s, a murder is investigated in a big country house. A sharply focused script, together with an amazing ensemble cast, reinvigorated Altman’s later career. The screening at BMFI will be hosted by Scribe Video’s Gretjen Clausing. The Ambler screening will be hosted by Renew program coordinator Alice Bullitt and the County screening will be hosted by film scholar Adrienne Redd.

	2007 BLACK MARIA FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL Bryn Mawr: Apr 4 (Wed 7:00) Ambler: Apr 5 (Thu 7:00) We are delighted to welcome back the Black Maria Film and Video Festival, an awardwinning festival committed to the exhibition of cutting edge independent films. Each evening will showcase a different program of new and highly creative films—documentary, narrative, animation, experimental, and more. Both programs will be introduced and discussed by Festival Director John Columbus.

	RENAISSANCE 2006 – 1 hr 45 min – France – b&w – 35 mm d: Christian Volckman County: Apr 9 (Mon 7:00) Ambler: Apr 12 (Thu 7:00) This futuristic drama is an amazing visual accomplishment. Combining animation and live-action, RENAISSANCE is a step beyond what we’ve seen before. The film’s black-and-white widescreen look is closer to comic book panels than digital filmmaking. Combine Metropolis, Blade Runner, and Sin City, set them in Paris in 2054 and you’ll have a sense of this mournful film noir.

	THE 16th PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL Bryn Mawr: Apr 9 (Mon 4:00 & 7:00) Apr 10 (Tue 4:00 & 7:00) Apr 11 (Wed 4:00) Apr 12 (Thu 4:00 & 7:00) Bryn Mawr Film Institute is excited to be an official venue for the 16th Philadelphia Film Festival, one of the most dynamic festivals in the country, annually presenting over 300 works on film and video from nearly 50 countries. As an official venue, BMFI will be showing seven great films in the heart of the festival schedule. Specific films will be announced at www.PhillyFests.com and www.BrynMawrFilm.org as well as at the theater.

	REELS ON WHEELS: PHILADELPHIA FILM FEST ENCORE County: Apr 18 (Wed 7:00 & 9:00) Apr 19 (Thu 7:00 & 9:00) Ambler: Apr 18 (Wed 7:00 & 9:00) Apr 19 (Thu 7:00 & 9:00) The County and Ambler Theaters will again host an encore selection of four great films from this year’s Philadelphia Film Fest in the week following its conclusion. Selections will include documentaries, narratives, and sneak previews. Specific films will be announced at www.PhillyFests.org, www.CountyTheater.org, and www.AmblerTheater.org, as well as at the theaters.

	BLINDSIGHT 2006 – 1 hr 44 min – Great Britain – color 35 mm – d: Lucy Walker Bryn Mawr: Apr 11 (Wed 7:00) BMFI and Overbrook School for the Blind are pleased to co-sponsor this screening of BLINDSIGHT, an inspirational documentary that chronicles the gripping adventure of six blind teenagers who set out to climb the north side of Mount Everest. This screening will be introduced and discussed by documentary subject Sabriye Tenberken, a blind educator and adventurer who established the first school for the blind in Lhasa.

	BEST OF THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL SOLOMON AND GAENOR 1999 – 1 hr 45 min – UK – color - 35 mm d: Paul Morrison Bryn Mawr: Apr 18 (Wed 10:00am) In partnership with the JCC’s Regional Film Festival and the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, BMFI presents SOLOMON AND GAENOR, a tragically moving love story about a young Jewish man and a young Welsh woman set in the early twentieth century. It’s a beautifully and intriguing reworking of Romeo and Juliet.

	LOVELY AND AMAZING 2001 – 1 hr 32 min – USA – color – 35 mm d: Nicole Holofcener – w/ Brenda Blethyn, Catherine Keener Bryn Mawr: Apr 18 (Wed 7:00) In conjunction with Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Comprehensive Breast Center, BMFI is delighted to host a screening of LOVELY AND AMAZING. Nicole Holofcener’s smart comedy dissects a family of insecure women in Los Angeles who struggle in search of happiness. The superb ensemble cast shines with Brenda Blethyn, Catherine Keener, and Emily Mortimer playing a mother and her two grown daughters. Screening will be preceded by a breast health discussion from some of Bryn Mawr Hospital’s most distinguished physicians.

	TOUCH OF EVIL 1958 – 1 hr 52 min - USA – b&w - 35 mm d: Orson Welles County: Apr 23 (Mon 7:00) Bryn Mawr: Apr 25 (Wed 7:00) Ambler: Apr 26 (Thu 7:00) In association with Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production of the stage play Orson’s Shadow, we are pleased to present Orson Welles’ film TOUCH OF EVIL. Charlton Heston plays a Mexican narcotics investigator who clashes with Welles’ corrupt US police chief. The b&w cinematography is stunning, the story is tawdry, and the characters are colorful. Beautifully restored, this film is a delicious big screen treat.

	HERZOG'S DOCUMENTARIES: GERMAN CINEMA THEN & NOW A Film Forum with Timothy Corrigan County: Apr 30 (Mon 7:00) Werner Herzog is one of world cinema’s most influential directors. Together with filmmakers Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Herzog helped launch the New German Cinema in the 1970s. Join Timothy Corrigan, Professor of English and Director of Cinema Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, for a fascinating foray into the work of Werner Herzog, with special attention paid to his documentary films. Program length is approximately two hours.

	THE COEN BROTHERS & FILM NOIR A Discussion (7:00) & A Screening of THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (8:00) 2001 – 1 hr 56 min – USA – b&w – 35 mm d: Joel Coen – w/ Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand Bryn Mawr: May 2 (Wed 7:00) Discussing movies ranging from the textbook noir Blood Simple to the hilariously brilliant The Big Lebowski, Friends Central School seniors Matt Dancis and Andrew Roth will lead a discussion addressing the noir aesthetic in the Coen Brothers’ work. The talk will take place in the new BMFI multimedia room and will be followed by an 8:00 screening of THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE in the theater.

	BEST OF THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL GLOOMY SUNDAY 1999 – 1 hr 52 min – Hungary – color - 35 mm d: Rolf Schubel - w/subtitles Bryn Mawr: May 6 (Sun 10:00am) In partnership with the JCC’s Regional Film Festival and the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, BMFI presents this screening of GLOOMY SUNDAY. Set in a bar in 1930s Budapest, Laszlo, a pianist, is spurned by a woman he loves. He then composes a song so soul-wrenching that it induces hundreds of people to commit suicide. Moody and dark, this film is a feast for the eyes and the mind.

	Filmmakers Gus Sacks & Justin Dillard JUDY GOOSE 2006 – 1 hr 25 min – USA – color - digital d: Gus Sacks and Justin Dillard Ambler: May 3 (Thu 7:00) County: May 7 (Mon 7:00) We welcome Philadelphia area filmmakers Gus Sacks and Justin Dillard, who will be present to introduce and discuss their film, JUDY GOOSE. This locally-shot feature is about an advertising firm that loses its boss, but must carry on. An excellent ensemble cast brings to life two mismatched friends, a quarrelling husband and wife team, a disaffected industry stalwart, and a delivery boy.

	ITALIAN NEOREALISM A Film Forum with Maurizio Giammarco Bryn Mawr: May 9 (Wed 7:00) Ambler: May 10 (Thurs 7:00) Beginning in the mid-1940s and ending in the early 1950s, Italian neorealism was a film movement that featured stories about the working class, the use of nonprofessional actors, and a cinema vérité aesthetic. Join Maurizio Giammarco, Professor of Film Studies and English Literature at Rosemont College, for a lively evening of discussion and clips from essential films, including those of Visconti, Rossellini, and De Sica. Program length is approximately two hours.

	THE BIG LEBOWSKI 1998 – 1 hr 57 min – USA – color – 35 mm d: Joel Coen – w/ Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, John Turturro County: May 14 (Mon 7:00) Ambler: May 17 (Thu 7:00) This classic from the Coen Brothers gets better with every viewing. Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski, a laid-back, aging California hippie-type who spends a lot of time at the local bowling lanes. He’s mistaken by thugs for a philanthropist of the same name, which leads to a kidnapping plot and a lot of amusing developments. Don’t miss seeing “The Dude” on the big screen!

	PARTING WORDS Filmmaker Stan Schofield & Actor Nicholas Giordano 2005 – 1 hr 50 min – USA – color - digital d: Stan Schofield Bryn Mawr: May 16 (Wed 7:00) Well-written and featuring stellar acting, this dramatic comedy chronicles the lives of three guys, their wives, and the imminent death of a friend. The characters are on an emotional rollercoaster, which tests friendships, marriages, and love, in a volatile mix of life, laughs, and death. We welcome director Stan Schofield and actor Nicholas Giordano, who will be present to introduce and discuss their film.

	THE BEST OF THE DIAMOND SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL 2007 SHOWCASE OF TEMPLE UNIVERSITY STUDENT FILMS County: May 21 (Mon 7:00) Bryn Mawr: May 23 (Wed 7:00) Ambler: May 24 (Thu 7:00) Join us for three different evenings of the most creative and outstanding student work from Temple University’s Film School, including documentary, narrative, experimental, and animated films and videos. Each evening will feature a different selection of Senior and Graduate works. Presented by the filmmakers and Temple University’s Department of Film and Media Studies.

	THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW 1975 – 1 hr 40 min – USA – color – 35 mm d: Jim Sharman Bryn Mawr: Apr 21 (Sat Midnight) Back by popular demand, we present the outrageous cult classic film, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. So don your favorite fishnets and join us for the quintessential interactive film experience. Or just watch the movie – that’s okay, too.

	OPEN SCREEN MONDAYS Bryn Mawr: First Monday of each month 9:00-11:00 pm The Bryn Mawr Film Institute invites area filmmakers to screen their films at our theater. Just bring your film in DVD or VHS format, and we’ll run it on the BIG SCREEN! Admission, as well as praise (or criticism) from your peers, will be offered FREE of charge. This is an exciting forum for Philadelphia area filmmakers. You don’t have to be a filmmaker—come if you just want to see interesting local work.