Next Cinema Lounge

The Cinema Lounge meets Monday, August 11 at 7:00pm to take a closer look at Mulholland Drive. Join us as we examine David Lynch's labyrinthine film in detail. Of the two paths the film takes, which is real and which is fantasy?

Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, takes place the second Monday of every month at 7:00pm at Borders Books, 600 14th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop).

Charlotte Sometimes--An Interview with the Director

By Linda Posell

Eric Byler, 31, the Asian-American writer and director of Charlotte Sometimes, grew up in the Northern Virginia suburbs, where being half Chinese made him feel like an outsider.

He moved with his family to Hawaii, where his outsider status was compounded by being from the mainland. He believes that “isolation gives birth to artists. If you grow up marginalized, you become a very good observer of those inside those circles that you always find yourself outside. You become very introspective and ask yourself ‘what makes me different from them?’”

Byler attended Wesleyan University, where his senior thesis, “Kenji’s Faith,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, won six festival awards and was nominated for the Student Academy Awards.

During the summer of 2002, he gambled his entire life making his film--no place to live, all he had was a car, he slept in the editing room, would only eat meals that cost 99 cents or less, cut his own hair, gave away his dog… While in post-production of his film, he got paid for his first job in Hollywood, adapting a novel to screen, American Knees, “an Asian-American sexy romance,” He took the money and instead of buying a car or paying rent, he blew up Charlotte Sometimes from digital video to 35mm. Byler says it is the first film to use high definition color timing using a new technology, an Arrilaser, and a new processor, Teranex. The gamble paid off. The people who hired him to write American Knees saw his 35mm film and picked him to direct. Filming begins next spring. Showtime has hired him to write a television series about an Asian-American couple, “Infidelity.” This paycheck will go for housing, he says.

Eric Byler was recently in Washington for the opening of Charlotte Sometimes at the Avalon Theater. Longtime DC Film Society member Linda Posell interviewed the director.

Linda Posell: Why should people in DC see this movie on the big screen?
Eric Byler: Charlotte Sometimes is a movie that has more in the visuals, more in the subtext, more in the subterranean meaning than overt meaning. Audiences need to see it larger than life to intuit the intricacies and nuances of the story. It is much more a story about humanity than a story about ethnicity. It has nothing to do with race; it’s much deeper than that. It’s about small moments that are magnified if they really matter. If it’s your life, it matters. There are no dinosaurs, no heroes saving the earth from a comet. It’s not like the world ends if things don’t work out, but to these characters, it matters. And if you are a humanist, someone who cares about people, it starts to matter to you.

LP: But what’s unique about the film is that it features an all-Asian cast.
EB: The film gives Asian-Americans the kind of representation we really deserve. Too many movies in the past show us as kung-fu fighters and prostitutes. There’s so much more to life than that. This is a story about the lives we really lead. It’s not about ethnicity or culture or history or any of those tired clichés…It’s only Asian-American because the authors, the actors and the director are Asian-American.

Cody Chestnutt, who wrote the music, is African-American. The film is an homage to films of the 70s where the singer-songwriter is featured, like McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Midnight Cowboy, films that were made before I was born. [He is in negotiations with BMI to produce the film soundtrack.]

There are many more role models for Asian-American kids now. Major television studios still use Asian-ness as a joke. There’s progress but not a lot of progress. Though it’s not politically correct to be racist against Asians, it’s still socially acceptable. We are still marginalized. People talk about Charlotte Sometimes as the Asian She’s Gotta Have It but, the truth is, Asian-Americans haven’t progressed as far in 2003 as African-Americans had in 1986.

LP: Where did you learn to be a filmmaker?
EB: At Wesleyan, I learned how to direct, but the soul or style that makes my visual storytelling unique came from my self-taught secondary film school at my cousin’s house in Montebello (CA), all alone while I was housesitting. I discovered that we were actually making good films in the United States between 1967 and 1976. I got every movie I could find during that period on laser disc: Carnal Knowledge, The Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces, The Conversation, The Last Detail, The Long Goodbye. A lot of those great films I’ve never seen on the big screen.

LP: Does that influence your style, which is very telegraphic and minimalist?
EB: This film is a story about people who hide more than they show, so you have to depend of visual storytelling to learn about these characters. You have to learn about them in moments of solitude and calm. These aren’t the kind of characters that you can swirl up into hyperbolic drama to get them talking because it wouldn’t feel natural.

I never bought into the hand-held, digital approach to filmmaking. I shot it as though it was 35mm. Even though it was video, I put it on tripods, composed with attention to detail, foreground elements, frames within the frames, light and color, light and shadow, trusting that we would get it onto 35mm.

LP: The sex scenes were also minimalist: shot very staccato, shadowy, implicit.
EB: Just as Hitchcock could make a film scary without showing blood, I thought I could make a movie sexy without showing a lot of nudity. What makes the scenes sexy is not what is shown or not shown; it’s not simply a montage of body parts. These characters are going somewhere. The story changes during the sex scenes: the characters and their relationships are revealed. There is emotional, dramatic content in those scenes. The film is incomprehensible without the sex scenes.

LP: I read that you made the film for $20,000. Is that true?
EB: We shot the movie for $20,000. The overall budget was $100,000. Because there was no precedent for an Asian-American film with no kung-fu violence or prostitution, it was almost impossible to raise the budget with investors, with production companies, with studios. It had to be a movie that was paid for by my parents, my uncles and my credit cards. And, since none of us are millionaires, it had to be a budget that I was comfortable risking my family’s money.

LP: How did you promote the film?
EB: You take it to a film festival and hope you win an award; you hope an important critic comes to see it. We got very lucky when Roger Ebert wrote his review. We had already won three awards by then and the Independent Spirit Award nominations helped us achieve critical mass. We were lucky enough to make it into theaters. Distributors are looking for a film that’s marketable, not a film that’s good. In our film, nobody is famous and everybody looks a little funny; they’re Asian. We’ll just depend on reviews, awards, nominations. Our first weekend, we always do very well because that’s when reviews come out. The second weekend, we don’t do as well because nobody prints reviews the second weekend.

LP: What happened when you read the Ebert review? (Go to the website for Roger Ebert’s review and more information about the film. Desson Howe’s review appeared in The Washington Post, August 22).
EB: We were partying after the Hawaii International Film Festival and it was really late. We realized that Roger Ebert’s review from the Chicago Sun-Times would be available since it is five hours later there. So we went to Kinko’s and gathered around the computer. We had a feeling it was going to be strong because Roger was very active during the Q and A. He actually invited me and the actors out to dinner after the screening and invited us to come to his Overlooked Film Festival. He flew me, two of the actors and one of the producers to the wildly successful festival in Champaign Urbana. The DVD, which will be out this fall, features highlights from the event which has an audience of 1400.

LP: The Los Angeles Times gave the film a very good review as well.
EB: Our best scores are with the major critics, the ones who have seen a lot of movies, and are very appreciative of this film. You have to have some appreciation for world cinema to enjoy Charlotte Sometimes because the film is not commerce, not intended for the lowest common denominator. It’s been compared to films from Europe or Asia though my influences are Robert Altman, Bob Rafelson and Mike Nichols. But, in the United States, films are intended to be trendy, slick and to announce their own cult status before they’re even made. European and Asian films are still really made by the filmmakers themselves. No committee is saying “how can we make this film as trendy as possible?” There’s one person making a film that’s personal to that person. Artists, when left alone to pursue their own ideas and vision, will create a work that approaches the complexity of life. All I’m trying to do is to be true and honest and to reflect real life.

It’s not like it was an instant success or an easy road. There was a lot of suffering and sacrifice. But, for the 90 minutes that it takes for the film to run through the projector, everything went right. The final product is better than I ever imagined.

DCFS members! Here's your chance to be a part of Home Movie Day and show your home movies:

What is Home Movie Day?
Home Movie Day is the first annual, worldwide event organized by amateur film lovers to celebrate the celluloid home movies of your community. Whether it's on 8, Super8, or 16 millimeter, (get it? 8/16?) we know the amateur film heritage is a rich one. Our goal is to project those films on a screen for all to see.

What Can I Do?
It’s simple: rifle through your attics, dig through your closets, call up Grandma, and search out your family’s home movies. Next, contact your regional representative listed below, and bring an 8mm, Super8mm, or 16mm home movie to the nearest Home Movie Day event on 8/16 to see it projected. Will you bring “Christmas 1979?” Footage of your hometown’s July 4th parade? Did you ever make your own Indiana Jones sequel? Or want to find out what a normal family did on their vacation to Mexico? If you bring it, we will show it.

Why?
Happening in communities across the country, Home Movie Day events and screenings can focus on local and family histories, taking us back to a time when Main Street was bustling and the beehive hair-do was all the rage, with images of people we may know or resemble. Home movies are the essential record of our past, and they are among the most authoritative documents of times gone by.

Did you know that your original films can long outlast any video OR digital transfer?

Home Movie Day will also provide the opportunity for people to learn about the long-term benefits of film versus video. Motion picture archivists will be on hand to tell you how to properly store your films and plan for their future. Don’t throw away your film!

Where?
The Washington, DC home movie day is being held at The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 2003, two blocks from the Eastern Market Metro from 6:30pm-9:30pm.

Questions?
Contact Amy or Linda or call 202-527-5650. Check out the website for updates and more information.

Bring your family and friends!

2003 Seventh Annual American Black Film Festival: Off the Hook!

By Cheryl Dixon

Beautiful, sun-drenched beaches, beautiful faces and hard bodies, the boulevard, movie stars, movies, red carpets, lights, cameras…. C’est Cannes? No, it’s South Beach, Florida, the new home of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which, appropriately enough, is billed as the “African-American” version of Cannes. And fellow Film Society member Claudia Lagos and I discovered that this five-day festival (June 18-23) lives up to its name. Looking for the glamorous life of movie stars? Want to stay in world-class hotels (discounts available at the official host hotels, The Loews Miami Beach Hotel and The Royal Palm Hotel, the first African-American owned luxury hotel in South Beach) and mingle with the jet set while conducting the serious business of film and television in mighty swank venues? This is the place for you. ABFF offers all this and more and does it with more sophistication, class, and style than I’ve seen at many other film festivals.

Festival registrants pay for the privilege of getting up close and personal with the filmmakers and other celebrities. But you won’t mind in the least. You’ll be having too much fun mingling with the celebrities and other guests.

The Festival Creator, Jeff Friday, president and CEO of Film Life, a film marketing and distribution company, and Festival Director who along with Byron E. Lewis and others founded the Acapulco Black Film Festival in 1997 (the name change occurred last year when the festival was first held in South Beach). Friday’s Film Life Company produces the Festival and its goal is to commercially develop independent Black films. Actor/Director Robert Townsend, chairman of the ABFF Board, and Reggie Scott, ABFF Festival producer, ably assist him. ABFF is billed as “an annual, international celebration of independent feature films and short films produced by people of African descent.” It is considered as “Black Hollywood’s most prestigious annual retreat … [a] think tank of screenings, workshops, panels, and networking drawing established filmmakers, popular film stars, writers, directors, industry executives, and emerging artists from around the world.” For more information, check out the website.

The 7th Annual ABFF, sponsored by AOL Time Warner and HBO, features independent, feature films and television world premieres, panel discussions, and workshops. Events include an Actors Boot Camp and Writers Workshop. Film screenings and competitions include: an HBO Short Film Competition, the Opening Night event. There is also a Feature Film Competition: the Lincoln Filmmaker Trophy, Blockbuster Audience Award, The World Showcase (non-competitive) and Documentary Section (non-competitive). Screenings are held at the Regal Cinema, Lincoln Theater, and the Jackie Gleason Theater, all in close proximity to the host hotels. And there are great parties and receptions at Miami’s finest nightclubs and hotels at low cost or no cost interspersed throughout. Another highlight of the Festival is the celebrity-studded “Film Life Movie Awards” presentation featured on the Closing Night.

Specific Programs
Classic film screening, The Spook Who Sat by the Door, with post-screening discussion with Actor/Director Robert Townsend and Film Producer Sam Greenlee; The Network Casting Room, with executives from the four major networks participating; Panels, including, A Conversation with Laurence Fishburne, Innovation: Developing the Idea with AOL Time Warner, and From Oscar Micheaux to Ice Cube: To Entertain or Enlighten?;

Main Competition, including Anne B. Real, by Lisa France (USA), Dark, by D.A. Bullock (USA), Gang of Roses, by Jean Claude LaMarre (USA), Love Chronicles, by Tyler Maddox-Simms (USA), Never Get Outta the Boat, by Paul Quinn (USA), Skin Deep, by Sacha Parisot (USA), The Killing Zone, by Joe Brewster (Ghana/USA), and With or Without You, by G. Stubbs (USA);

HBO Short Films, including A-Alike, by Randall Dottin (USA), Quiet, by Sylvain White (USA), Short on Sugar, by Lynn A. Henderson and Joe Anaya (USA), Swallow, by Frank E. Flowers (USA), Welcome to Life, by Jowan Carbin (USA);

World Showcase, including “All About You, by Christine Swanson (USA), A Miami Tale, by Melvin James (USA), For Real, by Tim Reid (USA), Hot Parts, by Jennifer Marchese (USA), Kali’s Vibe, by Shari Carpenter (USA), Malibooty, by Barry Bowles (USA), Rap Wars One, by Ricardo Sean Thompson (USA), The Beat, by Brandon Sonnier (USA), The Hustle, by Jerry Lamothe (USA), The Right Questions, by Benjamin David Smith (USA);

Documentary, including Afro Punk: the Rock-n-Roll Nigger Experience, by James Spooner (USA), Cuando los Espiritus Bailan Mambo, by Dr. Marta Moreno Vega and Robert Shepard (Cuba), Joe Jackson’s Trail, by Lorna Thomas and Eli Kabillio (USA);

Invited Screenings, Film, including Platinum Comedy Series Presents: D. L. Hughley Live, The Spook who Sat by the Door, Television, including The Wire, with Producer David Simon and series cast members, The Twilight Zone, with Director Eriq La Salle.

The purpose of the ABFF is to: (a) provide an international market for independent black films; (b) facilitate networking and information sharing among industry professionals; (c) identify and reward the next generation of Black filmmakers through corporate-sponsored events; (d) recognize the accomplishments of African Americans in Hollywood.

By gathering Hollywood’s Black elite, emerging talent, industry professionals and corporate sponsors to provide both an international networking forum and competitive showcase, ABFF has created a marketplace to secure development and distribution deals for films that Hollywood (studios/distributors/exhibitors) would not.

Entertainment executives make deals at the Festival. Actor James McDaniel spoke to me about an independent film that he is producing. He was delighted that I knew about his work with “Sunshine State,” a Film Society screening! Hey, wine, cheese, and potential movie deals at a cocktail party no less! I also took advantage of a torrential rainstorm to chat with Tim Reid, Robert Townsend, and Eriq La Salle. We were all held up inside a movie theatre; no one wanted to deal with horizontal rain, so warm and cozy, panelists and audience alike stayed warm and dry inside and became better acquainted.

And the Winner is…2003 Awards
There were 26 independent films and invited screenings, including 12 world premieres, and award results were announced at the 2003 Film Life Movie Awards.

Honorees of the Movie Awards were the following: AOL Time Warner Entertainment Innovator Award--Russell Simmons and AOL Time Warner Rising Star Award--Gabrielle Union.

HBO Short Film Award--Frank E. Flowers (Swallow).

The Blockbuster Audience Award--Christine Swanson (All About You)

The Lincoln Filmmaker Trophy--Sasha Parisot (Skin Deep)

Best Performance by an Actor--Steve White (Skin Deep)

Best Performance by an Actress--Janice Richardson(Anne B. Real)

So, Who was There?
This is a partial listing of filmmakers, actors, and other celebrities attending this year’s festival: Jim Brown, Reuben Cannon, Cedric the Entertainer, Bill Duke, Laurence Fishburne, Sam Greenlee, Earl Hilliard, Reginald Hudlin, Jill Marie Jones, Tamala Jones, Eriq La Salle, Kenny Lattimore, James McDaniel, Elvis Mitchell, Chante Moore, Elise Neal, Dick Parsons, Lisa Raye, Tim Reid, Shaun Robinson, Russell Simmons, Robert Townsend, Gabrielle Union.

South Beach
O.K. I’ll admit it. Although I’ve been to Florida many times before (Florida is the retirement home choice location for many of my relatives tired of long, dreary, and freezing Massachusetts winters), I had never been to South Beach. Claudia introduced me to Ocean Boulevard where we spied Gianni Versace’s home, ate at Laurio’s (Gloria Estefan’s restaurant where the staff and patrons alike groove to the magnificent rhythms of the live Cuban band … very cool place!), and enjoyed the nightlife of Mango’s where the fellas and the ladies dance on top of tables! Two South Beach residents, the generous, charming, and humorous Victor and Fabian accompanied us on our last night out. Memorable. You won’t be bored with the many dining and dancing options alongside the beach. Again, something else to do if you can pull yourself away from the movies. ABFF is well worth the trip to this part of the world. Check it out!

P.S. My sister, Charmaine, and I were trying to decide whether to call this Festival, “off the chain” or “off the hook.” Whatever. I guarantee that you’ll enjoy it.

Short and Long--A Selection of ABFF Festival Favorites

By Cheryl Dixon

Five filmmakers’ works, chosen by a panel of industry experts, competed for a $20,000 grand prize in the 6th Annual HBO Short Film Award at the 7th annual ABFF. The competition seeks to encourage and recognize the talents of emerging, U.S. and international filmmakers of African descent who have either written or directed and produced a short fictional film (30 minutes length or less). All of the films were “knock your socks off” quality. I found them deeply emotional, moving, comic, and/or disturbing. All were exceptionally well-written, acted, and directed.

The films in competition were the following:

A-Alike (Randall Dottin), a tale of two brothers, one in corporate America, and the other newly-released from prison, as they attempt to bridge the distance between them. This was a powerful film and one that I would definitely like to see as a feature film.

Quiet (Sylvain White), a story about an unhappily married couple, a shrewish wife and hen-pecked husband. Vulnerable over the tragic loss of their son, the husband fantasizes about killing his wife. There is a nice twist at the end.

Short on Sugar (Lynn A. Henderson), a humorous story about a woman in love, trying to connect with a man that she has just met. There’s angst, there’s subtlety, and even overt boldness in her wiles to capture his attention. Really sweet!

Welcome to Life (Jowan Corbin), a story about two male 6th graders’ intimate moment, the discovery and recrimination from their peers, and the response of school officials and their parents. The filmmaker acknowledged that this was difficult and sensitive material to tackle. He did an excellent job!

Swallow (Frank E. Flowers), a story about a fresh-faced high school kid who earns money as a drug courier. Brilliantly acted and directed, this suspenseful film was my favorite short (A-Alike was my second choice) film and was the winner of the HBO Short Film Award.

Runners up received $5,000 each.

My two favorite long, i.e. feature-length, films were: Gang of Roses, and Anne B. Real. In Gang of Roses, it’s 1894, somewhere out west in Flatridge County; there are gold and women in those hills. But are you ready for these women? They’re gun-toting, knife-wielding, and whiskey-guzzling, and they look downright sexy riding those horses! There’s a stellar cast featuring Monica Calhoun, L’il Kim, Stacey Dash, and Bobby Brown. Mario Van Peebles does a cameo in his “Posse” character, as Ted Lange reprises his “Love Boat” role as the bartender.

Monica’s sister has been murdered and this female posse sets out to investigate and get the gold and the jewelry to boot. These women are rough, tough, and beautiful. It’s a nice surprise to see women in these nontraditional roles. And they have style too, leather midriffs and pants, hats, braided and natural hair. Kudos to the costume designer! The weaknesses: I can’t imagine anyone in the 19th century being asked to “chill out” and I’m not too sure about the stereotypical “Asian philosopher” posse member, but the movie was very enjoyable anyway.

With Anne B. Real, a contemporary drama, get out your handkerchiefs and don’t say that I didn’t warn you! There’s a war going on inside of the main character’s head. She’s a talented writer, but she doesn’t know it. She needs to build her self-confidence and develop her talent as a rap artist, but she’s preoccupied with the dangers in her outer world: her brother, Juan (impressive acting debut of Carlos Leon) is hooked on drugs, crime, and violence; her sister, angry and disappointed in life, dismisses her talent and urges her to get a “real” job. What to do? Express yourself and confront those inner demons while under the influence of the writings of Anne Frank. This film is moving, eloquent, beautifully written (kudos to screenwriter Antonio R. Macia), and brilliantly acted. Janice Richardson deservedly won the ABFF Best Actress Award.

This is not your everyday urban drama, but a cleverly woven story. Watch for the upcoming release.

A Conversation with Laurence Fishburne

By Cheryl Dixon

New York Times Film Critic Elvis Mitchell interviewed multi-talented Actor/Producer/Director Laurence Fishburne at the ABFF. Fishburne mostly reminisced over his lengthy acting career beginning with Cornbread, Earl, and Me and Apocalypse Now. He talked about what it was like to be discovered as an artist, and, as a teenager, treated like an adopted nephew by Francis Ford Coppolla during the filming of Apocalypse Now. He later discussed his acting and directing experiences as a mature adult.

He said that he enjoys movies that “speak” to his heart, ones that elicit some response: that are scary, or that grab, or repel him. He urged the importance of putting film into perspective. He stated that the medium changes peoples’ lives and that one must make one’s intentions clear, for there are little kids watching! He said that in 50 years he wants to make sure that these kids will be “proud of me.”
A future role that he’d love to do would be the story of Jimi Hendrix.

He urged independent filmmakers to follow their dreams despite the challenges.

How to Survive Edinburgh

By Jim McCaskill

EDINBURGH,SCOTLAND. If the powers that be ever decides to change the city motto, there is only one option: Spoilt 4 Choice. It never applied more appropriately than during the August festival season. Let's take at just one day: August 12. That doyenne of teenage angst and MTV find, Kelly Osbourne, plays a one night gig at the Corn Exchange. A little earlier that evening and the other end of the musical scene you could have swooned over arias and sonatas with Mozart at Teatime or tried to figure out what a "young clarsach players" actually plays with the Scottish folk group, North Sea Gas. The LA Music Conservatory (the HWS Jazz Epiphany) brings Coltrane, Monk, Billie Holiday and more to the former Lady Glenorch's Church. Want something even more uplifting? Try the Soweto Gospel Choir, South Africa's finest holds forth with an inspirational programme of tribal,traditional and popular African gospel. Want Broadway tunes? Cabaret is here. As is Candide, Carousel, A Chorus Line, Godspell, Hair, Little Shop of Horrors and the list.

Want something less middle brow? How about Wagner's Ring Cycle? Die Walkure rides in on August 12th also. But don't try to get tickets. Two complete cycles sold out in two days last November. You might be able to find a ticket for the stunning Culberg Ballet or the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

You can't tell the difference between 'God Save the Weasel' and 'Pop Goes the King?' Check out the plays. Emmy nominated Fiona Shaw is here with an immensely talented cast in Chekhov's The Seagull. That's Russia's contribution tonight. Argentina makes a major showing with the supremely talented El Perifierico de Objetos from Buenos Aires performing a 21st Century piece, The Last Night of Mankind. Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is waiting for you here. Dylan Thomas' 50th anniversary is acknowledged with two different productions of Under Milk Wood.

Even with that lineup we have not begun to scratch the surface of Festival in Edinburgh. Literally hundreds of other acts in the International Festival and Fringe Festival perform here on just that one day, August 12th.

We have not even gotten to the Book Festival where 30 authors discuss their work this day. Poets from Singapore (Felix Cheong,Alvin Pang, Hsien Min Toh & Cyril Wong), Scotland's Manda Scott expounds on the great female commander Boudica, best selling authors from Norway and Mexico (Lars Assbye Christensen & Jorge Volpi) add to the international luster.

All on one day. We have 27 more days and have not gotten to the film festival yet. That opens the next day, August 13, with Young Adam the opening night film. 73 directors have indicated that they will be here and 32 actors will join them in Q and A's. A preview of the Edinburgh International Film Festival appeared in the July Storyboad and a sneak preview of three film is in this issue.

A few survival tips:
If you have not booked your hotel then you may be staying in Glasgow, an hour away. Most hotels and B&Bs were filled some months back.

Take a chance on new talent. Some of it is rubbish but a few will make an impact. Ticket are usually less than $10 dollars so you aren't playing Broadway prices. You aren't in Broadway theaters either. Every cupboard in the city becomes a venue. Space runs from the fantastic Usher Hall to a men's restroom behind a Catholic church. One group will be performing on a bus. With thousands of acts in town every bit of space is used. Somehow they will find a few more next year.
Most of these venues are not air-conditioned so dress accordingly. It might be cool outside but it can be quite warm inside.

Be prepared to walk so wear comfortable shoes. Edinburgh is a great walking city. Buses are plentiful as are taxis. Luckily most venues are within an easy walk from each other.

Water fountains are few and far between. Pick up a bottle of water in the morning.

Performances begin as early as 9 in the morning and some begin around midnight. Don't worry about sleep. You can always sleep in September.

Three Films

By Jim McCaskill

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. The EIFF press office has graciously given me tapes of several films that will be in this year's festival. Their kind assistance is appreciated.

The Bookstore (El Kotbia, directed by Nafwel Saheb-Etaba, Tunisia, 2002). Jamil returns to Tunis after years in Paris after a failed love affair. A family friend gives him a job in his bookstore. He soon finds himself torn between his widowed mother and the young wife of his employer. The bored wife wants more in life than running a bookstore. She dreams of becoming an opera singer and her voice proves a wonderful soundtrack for this film. Saheb-Etaba's first film is a wonderful, carefully crafted study of these relationships. Superb soundtrack and beautiful photography work to raise this from typical melodrama. CAST: Hend Sabri, Ahmed El Haffiene, Martine Gafsi, Yadh Beji, Raoul Ben Amor.

Deserted Station (original title: Istgah-e Matrouk, directed by Alireza Raisian, Iran, 2002). Deserted Station follows in the mode of modern Iranian films such as White Balloon. This film does not rise to the heights of those earlier films as few relationships seem to click. As usual in Iranian films excellent use is made of non-professional actors and engaging children. No one child stands out but collectively they make a valuable contribution to the film. The basic story line has a photographer and his wife stranded in the desert when their car breaks down. Unable to fix the car they seek assistance in a nearby village. The wife is drafted as replacement teacher in a one-room school and it is her interaction with the children and their families that provides the story. Cuts to husband working valiantly on the car are often distracting and provide little to the film. A fair amount of translation is lost as the white subtitles blend into the light desert sands. While not a great film it is a good film and a good example of current Iranian cinema. CAST: Leila Hatami, Nezam Manouchehri, Hehran Rajabi, Mahmoud Pak Neeyat. Based on an original story by Abbas Kiarostami who wrote and directed Ten.

Sophiatown (directed by Pascale Lamche, France/UK, 2003). The director calls this a story of survival and of hope. It is that and more. Much more. Not many know the tragic story of Sophiatown but it is a monument to a failed political system, Apartheid. In the 1940s and 50 this was the multicultural home to musicians, artists, dreamers and gangsters where liberation politics thrived. While making a film in Soweto, Lamche discovered the life and destruction of this community.

This documentary films a reunion concert and interviews with the remaining musicians along with added archival film that results in South Africa's Buena Vista Social Club. Through the music and thoughts of such stars as Miriam Makeba and Dorothy Masuka and the words of Nelson Mandela (who grew up in Sophiatown) we have a portrait of a thriving enclave in the midst of oppression. "I can still sing political songs. They should have destroyed me." says Masuka. They did not destroy the artists but they did destroy the town. Bulldozers and 2000 policemen were called in and everything was destroyed. The residents were forced to live in artificial tribal lands.Taking four years the authorities moved street by street but eventually everything was cleared.

Touching scenes and interviews make this an outstanding film along with fantastic music. Dorothy and her collection of sunglasses from her world tours: "I bought this in Toronto to go with my black and white outfit." This came from Washington, DC. This one I bought in Paris."

"We were scattered like chaff." "When you looked for me, I was in jail."

An all white community was built on the ruins of Sophiatown and renamed but when Nelson Mandela was president he restored the name. Sadly no one can restore the community.

"When did you leave", Abdullah Ibrahim was asked. "I never left."

Previous Storyboards

July, 2003
June, 2003
May, 2003
April, 2003
March, 2003
February, 2003
January, 2003
December, 2002
November, 2002
October, 2002
September, 2002
August, 2002
July, 2002
June, 2002
May, 2002
April, 2002
March, 2002
February, 2002
January, 2002
December, 2001
November, 2001
October, 2001
September, 2001
August, 2001
July, 2001
June, 2001
May, 2001
April, 2001
March, 2001
February, 2001
January, 2001
December,2000
November, 2000