July, 2001.

The Cinema Lounge Celebrates Its First Anniversary

The Cinema Lounge Discusses the Changing Face of Film Criticism

By Brian Niemiec

"Why do we have critics, anyway?" I asked.

"So I can see movies for free," Bill Henry quipped back, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.

On June 11, Cinema Lounge met for our first anniversary to discuss the changing face of film criticism. Joining us were DC area film critics Bill Henry, Joe Barber and Willie Waffle. The topics ranged from choosing a favorite film critic to Roger Ebert's new partner, Richard Roeper.

After Bill's quip, he likened himself to Consumer Reports for movies. They all agreed that they function as consumer advocates, suggesting films for which you should or shouldn't plop down your $9. However, they did agree that their opinions have very little influence over studio juggernauts like Pearl Harbor or Swordfish. Bottomless studio advertising budgets can propel those films to tops at the box office despite poor reviews. Instead, they prefer to champion smaller films, like Memento or Following, that don't get much exposure due to the budget constraints of smaller studios. Good reviews will get people out to see the movie and from there word-of-mouth hopefully takes over.

Our discussion soon turned to the Internet, where just about anyone can be a film critic. There are endless sites to post your own reviews. Joe thought it was great that the Internet allows everyone a say. At the same time, he fears that so many voices with varied opinions can dilute the impact of the reviews making them ineffectual.

The conversation continued for nearly two hours. Participants learned the secrets of new theater openings and the buzz on some upcoming films. It was a great way to kick off the second year of Cinema Lounge.

Join us for our next meeting on Monday, July 9, as we discuss Hollywood's uneven relationship with sports films. As always, we will meet at Borders Books, 5333 Wisconsin Ave. NW, at 7:30 p.m. in the Café Espresso on the 2nd floor. Can't wait to see you there.

An Interview With Student Director Hans Smitsman

By Jim McCaskill

The following interview took place at Cafe Steven, Amsterdam, in early May 2001. Hans Smitsman is one of five student directors nominated for the Student Foreign Language Academy Award to be presented on June 10. This is his first interview.

Q.Tell me about Ahmed Was Hier (Ahmed Was Here), your nominated film.

A. Ahmed came together with the cooperation of three other students: Iris Huizinga, Daniel van Veen and Bianca van Riemsdyk. We had spent much of the year on another script that was just not coming together. We trashed that and quickly began Ahmed.

This film is about a foreigner's peek into another culture. A foreigner is invisible; no one will talk with him. In this film he tells his story to the camera. It is a tragic comedy about an Egyptian who want to be accepted. He does not want to get into trouble but does. He is locked, naked, outside his house but no one sees him. No one helps him. His situation goes from bad to worse and he ends up in prison. The primary colors used in this film are the colors of the Dutch flag: red, white and blue.

Q. What is your film background?

A. I have just graduated from the Netherland Film and Television Academy. Admission is very competitive as only twelve as accepted for the four-year program.

Ahmed is my second film. The first was Gloria, not a musical but they sang. I like to play with the topic of incest. So far everything I have done is an experiment.

Q. Did you always want to go into film?

A. First I went to Agricultural University. We had to dig a hole but I was more interested with the visual aspect of the photograph than the hole. My mother is an artist and so I have always had an interest in visual communication. Painting is too lonely. Film is collaborative. With film you can unite as everyone has to work together to make it work.

Q. Who has influenced your work?

A. Peter Greenaway is almost like a Dutch painter in the way he makes film. He is concerned with texture. Bernardo Bertolucci is also an influence. Fassbinder is too.

Q. How was your film funded?

A. All films made in the Netherlands receive state subsidies. The producer gets both state and private funds. Very difficult to make a film without government support. The state has an active role as they can say we like the beginning and ending but not the middle. You have to have a script doctor make changes.

Q. Let's return to Ahmed. The theme of the outsider seem to run through both your films. Do you consider yourself an outsider?

A. I was born in Holland and at the age of one we moved to Israel. My family stayed there for five and one-half years. At the time of the Yom Kippur War we returned to the Netherlands. Stayed here for six years and then moved to the UK. After four years there we moved back.

Q. Anything else in your background that leads to understanding the outsider?

A. My parents divorced when I was 12. My father discovered that my mother was having a lesbian affair.

Q. What do you expect from an actor?

A. Minimalist acting. Understating is very effective in film. The actors and I try to find the content of a scene and really focus on that. The director helps you get to the level that makes a film work.

Q. What do you expect from an audience?

A. I'm still not making the film I should. I'm still trying to find out what I want do with film. The audience wants to be entertained. I want to make a film that interests me. When you make a film with state funds you have an obligation.

Q. What film do you want to make?

A. I am working on a script about our 11 City Skating Contest. It begins with the skater's death. An Egyptian wants to win the contest and gain popularity.

If all goes well I will make a film about Alexander the Great. Everything he did was extreme. I also want to make a film about Isabelle Ebenhard. She went to war dressed as a man and was killed in Algiers.

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June, 2001
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December,2000
November, 2000
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July, 2000