May, 2001.

A Capital Oscars Night in the Old Dominion

by Jim Shippey

For those of us who see cinema as essential to our lives as food and air, we tend to see the Academy Awards as kindergarten theatre: we go, we socialize, we stare with hopeful eyes, we cringe when our favored sons don't make the grade and the neighbor's kid gets all of the glory. The Washington DC Film Society embraces this rite of spring with a bash we call the Capital Oscars Party. On March 25th, the night arrived. Welcome to Oscars Night.

This year's DCFS Capital Oscars Party, our 9th, was held in Virginia at the Arlington Cinema 'N Drafthouse. This was the first time the event had been held in the Old Dominion, and initially there were some concerns about the location. There was no Metro stop nearby. We had been unable to get commitments from other sites considered, including the now defunct Bethesda Theatre Café. On top of all that, the overarching fact was this was Virginia! The District, Montgomery County, these are the area's loci of cinema celebration, not Virginia. The most cinematic thing about Virginia is Charleton Heston's office in the NRA building out at Dulles, right?

Wrong-o. With some great volunteer help, plus the fabulous Godiva Chocolatier and donors to the Silent Auction, when the doors to the Drafthouse opened, approximately 175 people poured in. Within a short time the whole room was abuzz with film fans and Academy watchers sharing their pre-Awards take by handicapping the categories. It became apparent that Virginians were eager to attend an event like this in their neck of the woods for a change!

The attendees this year were greeted by a host of people on stage. Once again, Cable-access maven and Zuzu Petals devotee Jorge Bernardo was our MC, joined by the DCFS Cinema Lounge Director Brian Niemiec. Additional on-stage wonderment came from DCFS co-directors Liz Wagger and Michael Kyrioglou and a special birthday appearance by a Cher impersonator.

We gave attendees an opportunity to cast a short ballot to win a bundle of cool film promotional items. With the help of the Oscars website, Jim Shippey made a short ballot of just the acting and picture categories. Believe it or not, only one ballot predicted all of the awards correctly (when Marcia Gay Harden won the best supporting actress award, most of the ballots were out of the front contention). In the end, Chris Rojahn of Ballston had become the big winner.

One of the biggest points of interest was our Silent Auction. Among the items that were available for bidding included some wonderfully framed one-sheets and an Oscars 2001 poster. There was a signed script for The West Wing and an autographed Quills script signed by the screenwriter and actor Geoffrey Rush. Godiva Chocolatier, besides sending two representatives to serve chocolates to attendees (no Weinstein brothers were involved) donated a wonderful gift basket. The Shooting Gallery donated VHS copies of some of their film series' titles, including a copy of the much-lauded Croupier. There were dinners and theatre tickets from the Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage and Warner Theatre. This year we had open bidding, and as the deadline for bidding approached, the auction area turned into an eBay-styled sandbag jailbreak, with people running into each other, sweating out making those last, winning bids.

In the end, as the last of the volunteers shuffled out, there were tired smiles all around. It was a lot of fun for a lot of film fans, and many thankful Virginians among them. It's just too bad that most of us had to go into the office the next day!

Coming Attractions:

Upcoming Summer Movie Trailers

The Film Society's twice yearly presentation of upcoming preview trailers is coming soon to a theater near you! Don't miss out on seeing the best (and worst) of what the upcoming summer movie season has to offer us movie hungry fans-from action/adventure to comedy, from big-budgets and CGI creatures to small independent sleepers.

There's bound to be something for everyone on May 21 from 7-9pm at Loew's Cineplex, Wisconsin Avenue theaters . The evening will be hosted by local critics Joe Barber and Bill Henry and will include lots of fun movie promo items. $3 for Film Society members; $5 for guests and non-members. Check the website for more info on specific trailers as the date approaches or call 202-554-3263.

The Cinema Lounge Discusses Shock Films

by Brian Niemiec

On Monday, April 9, Cinema Lounge met to discuss shock films. Despite having a suggested viewing list of such films as Un Chien Andalou, Freaks, Wild at Heart and Requiem for a Dream, discussion quickly focused on the newest entry to shock cinema-Hannibal.

First we discussed if shock refers to something that is physically shocking or something that is emotionally shocking. Some people are more affected by physical shocks (someone getting brutally murdered onscreen), while others are more susceptible to emotional shocks (a character revealing an unbelievable secret). In the case of Hannibal, it was suggested that the shocking ending was physical, as opposed to emotional (unlike the book, which was both). One person suggested that the only shocking thing about the ending of Hannibal was the poor writing.

Certainly shock films have come under close scrutiny these days. With the advent of the Columbine tragedy, lawmakers have focused on the relationship between film and criminal behavior. Matters worsened when the two Columbine gunmen mentioned Natural Born Killers in their diary. One attendee worried that films with shocking amounts of violence can be a big an influence on people, causing copycat crimes. Another member chimed in that there are far more crimes committed that are not associated with films. It is too easy to make Hollywood a scapegoat for the parenting and penal ills of our society.

In the end, it was decided "different strokes for different folks". What one person finds shocking, another finds ridiculous. Filmmakers will continue to challenge people's senses as long as the customers are willing to pay.

Join us for our next Cinema Lounge, Monday, May 14th at 7:30pm at Borders Books, 5333 Wisconsin Ave NW in the Café Espresso on the 2nd floor. We will be talking about Sacred Cows. The critics adored it. Your friends can't stop talking about it. You absolutely hated it. Come and express your disgust for those critically and publicly lauded films. Note: Titanic and The English Patient are a given. Hope to see you then.

An Interview With Moufida Tlatli

by Jim McCaskill

This interview with Moufida Tlatli, director of The Season of Men, took place at the Edinburgh Film Festival in August 2000. The film was shown last month in Filmfest DC and was selected for "Un Certain Regard" at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

Q. How representative is The Season of Men of the life of a women in Tunisia?

A. Women's lives differ from village to village. Women in urban areas are much freer. Rural area still tend to be more traditional. I am often asked "Why do you talk about another problem in Tunisia?" Women there are regarded as unique. Four out of five are very modern. I have tried to tell the bigger story: the tension between generations. It is the women's mentalities that have not changed.

Q. How did you develop the story in this film?

A. I had bought a house much like the one in this film and wrote the synopsis. It is difficult for anyone to enter the house of women so it is almost impossible to talk with the women. A social worker in Jabba put me in the house that was the prototype for Season. I see the way they live. While the men are away the mother-in-law rules.

Q. Was the film based on your early life?

A. When I was young my mother was very ill. I did not go to school for seven years because I was needed to take care of her. One character, the girl in the loft, is based on that experience. I did this film for my mother. She was very traditional and was surprised that I was liberated. It was difficult to respond to her. She says the same things as her mother said to her. This film is also for my daughter. She is grown up now but when she was a teenager she asked me many questions about how to behave. This inspired me to write Season, a parallel story of two generations.

Q. How common is this situation?

A. In many parts of Morth Africa the men have gone to the city or to France. Some never return for their wives. In this film the men return for one month a year. This is the time for festivity. This film takes place in Djerba, sealed off environment, as was the palace in my first film. This can be a prison. I met a women who had never even see the tip of the island. She walked only on pathways to visit her mother or to go to funerals or births. It was through this women that I was able to move the film along. Despite their confined life they still find ways to amuse themselves. It is this sense of humor that enables them to survive. There is a real lack of infor-mation. Even now women sit around and wait. I believe it is only through school, love of culture and curiosity that they will get their freedom; not by marriage to a wealthy man.

Q. Did you do any other research?

A. I went to the university and talked with young people between 18 and 24 and was surprised by their conservatism and how mentalities have barely changed. The girls would not speak up. The boys say they have affairs but only want to marry girls who are virgins. This taboo is still with us.

Moufida Tlatli was born into a traditional Tunisian family. She studied editing in Paris at IDHEC. Returning to Tunisia four years after graduation in 1968, she spent 20 years working on some of the best Arab films. Her first film as director was the highly acclaimed The Silence of the Palace (1993).

Read Jim McCaskill's earlier reviews on the Edinburgh Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and interview with Andrucha Waddington at the Storyboard online archives.

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April, 2001
March, 2001
February, 2001
January, 2001
December,2000
November, 2000
October, 2000
July, 2000