Arabian Sights Showcases the Best in Arab Film
The best in contemporary Arab cinema will once again be showcased by FilmFestDC¹s Eighth Annual Arabian Sites series, October 3-12.
"With all of the recent political attention on the Middle East, Arabian Sights provides a rare glimpse at the lives of average Arabs dealing with relationships, family and culture," explained Shirin Ghareeb, Arabian Sights Festival Director. Ghareeb said the quality of the Arab film industry continues to push the envelope and several of the films have already been screened at major film festivals, including Toronto this September.
Recent films from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine will be featured, many for the first time in the Washington, D.C. area, at the Loews Cineplex Wisconsin Avenue Theatres, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (Tenleytown Metro). By popular demand, Arabian Shorts returns with films by some of the most creative and talented young filmmakers from the Arab World.
This year, the festival will welcome Nawfel Saheb-Ettaba, director of The Bookstore, the opening weekend feature on October 3 and 4. "We're very
excited to provide such a prestigious venue for these filmmakers. Arabian
Sights is one of the only festivals of its kind in the U.S.," Ghareeb said.
Tickets for individual films are $9. A special Festival Pass to all eight shows is also available for $60. The Festival Pass provides the best opportunity to ensure a seat at the most popular films.
For more information, visit www.filmfestdc.org or call 202-724-5613.
Arabian Sights is made possible through the generous support of The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, American University¹s Center for the Global Sout, Georgetown Universit's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, the Mosaic Foundation, The Jerusalem Fund, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Quality Graphics and Printing and Loews Cineplex Entertainment.
The Venice Film Festival
By Cheryl Dixon
The city is the quintessential set, the perfect venue; Hollywood could not create a more evocative location. This is a celebration of history, art, theater, and drama. (Frommer’s Portable Venice, p. 103).
This is Venice, Italy’s famous city of art and architecture, gondolas and canals, the perfect setting for the Venice Film Festival, also known as the “Mostra” (Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica) held this year from August 27 through September 6. It is the world’s oldest film festival and is second only to Cannes, in prestige and in the enormous gathering of international stars, directors, producers, and other filmmakers. Once again, fellow Film Society member Claudia Lagos and I set out for Venice to explore the offerings of this Festival. Here is what we discovered. You might say that Venice and the Mostra were simply made for each other.
The Mostra “aims to encourage, in an atmosphere of freedom and tolerance, the awareness and the promotion of all aspects of world cinema as an art, as entertainment and as an industry ... the Festival program ... include[s] tributes to outstanding personalities as well as retrospectives, as a contribution to a better understanding of the history of cinema.”
The Competition Categories
There are two main competition sections with separate juries. One is the “Venezia 60,” primarily featuring mainstream films and the Gold and Silver Lion Awards. The other is the “Upstream” section featuring more innovative, alternative films and the San Marco prize of 50,000 Euros. There are also other juries, including a special jury in charge of awarding the “Luigi De Laurentiis” Award with a prize of 100,000 Euros for the best first feature of the festival, including films presented out of competition. There are also prizes awarded by the film critics’ federation (FIPRESCI) and the Catholic Church. Short films are presented either within the “Venezia 60” section or the “New Territories” section. (“New Territories” is a forum for experimental filmmaking and includes documentaries, videos and includes films of all formats, lengths, and genres.) There is also a retrospective section dedicated to the history of cinema. The Italian Association of Film Critics, independently from the Mostra, selects seven first feature films for “International Critics’ Week.” This has its own jury and awards. Finally, the “Venice Screenings” section provides a film market wherein producers and distributors have access to screening and market facilities and contacts with buyers and promoters.
Over 3,000 journalists, including film critics, radio, and TV reporters attend the Mostra; a film shown at this prestigious festival garners worldwide attention for both established and emerging filmmakers. They are joined by thousands of international film fans eager to catch a glimpse of the many film stars on the blue carpet of the Palazzo del Cinema.
And the Winner is…2003 Awards
Official Awards of the 60th Mostra. The international Jury of Venezia 60, composed of Mario Monicelli (President), Stefano Accorsi, Michael Ballhaus, Ann Hui, Pierre Jolivet, Monty Montgomery, and Assumpta Serna, has viewed the 20 feature films and 12 short films in competition and has assigned the following awards:
Golden Lion for the best film: The Return by Andrej Zvjagintsev. Jury Grand Prix, Silver Lion to: Le Cerf-Volant by Randa Chahal Sabbag. Special Director's Award, Silver Lion to Takeshi Kitano for Zatoichi. Award for an Outstanding Individual Contribution to Marco Bellocchio for the screenplay of Buongiorno, notte. Coppa Volpi for Best Actor to Sean Penn in 21 Grams by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Coppa Volpi for Best Actress to Katja Riemann in Rosenstrasse by Margarethe von Trotta. Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress to Najat Bensallem in Raja by Jacques Doillon.
Short Films Silver Lion for best short film to Neft (The Oil) by Murad Ibragimbekov. UIP Award for Best European Short Film to The Turmouse Show by Julio Robledo. Special Mention to Hochbetrieb by Andreas Krein "for having paid a tribute to Harold Lloyd, who shall not be forgotten, by means of modern technology."
Controcorrente (Upstream): The international Jury of Controcorrente (Upstream) composed of Laure Adler (President), Vito Amoruso, Samir Farid, Rene Liu, Ulrich Tukur, wishes to make the following statement: "We traveled a lot during these nine days. All the films we saw were good. We have worked in a very good atmosphere. We have seen many films dealing with the dark sides of the world but they all convey the hope that cinema is still alive and we can fight for our freedom." The Jury has viewed the 17 films in competition and has assigned the following awards: San Marco Prize to the film Vodka Lemon by Hiner Saleem Special Director's Award to Michael Schorr for Schultze Gets the Blues. Upstream Prize for Best Actor to Asano Tadanobu in Last Life in the Universe by Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Upstream Prize for Best Actress to Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola. Special Mention to La Quimera de los Heros by Daniel Rosenfeld "for its wry and concise style and for the fascinating way by which it portrays the depth and ambiguity of the characters involved."
"Luigi De Laurentiis" Award for a First Film: The international Jury of the Lion of the Future--"Luigi De Laurentiis" Award for a First Feature, composed of Lia van Leer (President), Jannike Ahlund, Pierre-Henri Deleau, Stefan Kitanov, Peter Scarlet, has viewed all of the full-length first films and has assigned the Lion of the Future Award to The Return by Andrei Zvjagintsev, "a subtle and compelling film about love, loss and coming of age." Two Special Mentions to "two extremely promising first films, each in a different style": The Last Train by Aleksej German and Ballo a Tre Passi by Salvatore Mereu. From the official Festival website, “Official Awards of the 60th Mostra.” Check out the complete listing of film selections from the website.
So, Who was There?
This is a partial listing of filmmakers, actors, and other celebrities attending this year’s Mostra: Yaël Abecassis, Stefano Accorsi, Woody Allen, Flavia Bécharra, Paolo Benvenuti, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jason Biggs, Pierre Boulanger, George Clooney, Nicholas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Bruno Dumont, Claudia Gerini, Peter Greenaway, Salma Hayek, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Hudson, James Ivory, Jim Jarmusch, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, Dino De Laurentiis, Tsai Ming-Liang, Mario Monicelli, Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Katja Riemann, Christina Ricci, Tim Robbins, Robert Rodriguez, Isabella Rossellini, Omar Sharif, Gary Sinise, Margarethe von Trotta, Christian Vadim, Naomi Watts, Michael Winterbottom, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The Lido Lowdown
There are many reasons to attend this Festival. I can think of three good ones. The first, of course, is for the opportunity to see a terrific selection of film. 143 films were shown during the Mostra, so you certainly will see many films that you will like, if not love. Non-English spoken films all have English subtitles. In some cases you'll see two sets of subtitles in both English and Italian. One set imbedded in the film, the other delivered electronically, just beneath the film (soft titles). There are actually three categories: short, medium, and feature-length films! The second, is to get in the mix of international filmlovers like yourself and connect with the many filmmakers, journalists, and stars that are present. You’ll mix easily with the people on the Lido, a sunny, bicycle-filled island with a romantic sandy beach, where the Mostra takes place. If you get the opportunity, go to the Excelsior Hotel where the celebrities and the jet set in general hang out. You can see all the action even if you sit outside on the steps facing the hotel. If stargazing is your thing, then head to the Palazzo and mingle with the throngs at the blue-carpeted entrance. Claudia and I were swept up in the mad rush of “Gorgeous George” Clooney fans. I did see George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones at Intolerable Cruelty’s screening and our friend, Angela, did get to actually meet Mr. Clooney! We also greeted Raoul Bova (whom I recalled seeing in Filmfest DC’s Francesca e Nunziata (Lina Wertmuller) earlier this past spring, but he will be more popularly known in the U.S. as Diane Lane’s Italian lover in Under the Tuscan Sun) on the street nearby the Palazzo. Dress is casual chic, but, in characteristic Italian style, you’ll see many very well-dressed Festival attendees. Even the Festival workers wear suits cut to perfection! The third is to see Venice, which is like being in a dream, and to experience the friendliness of Italian culture. You’ll make friends easily and maybe you’ll get a nighttime tour of Venice where the little bridges, Grand Canal, gondolas, deserted piazzas, and narrow streets all take on a nighttime mystique. We met many great people, and it was wonderful to reunite with Angela, Antonio, and the RAI TV crew that we had met in Cannes. Besides, the beach on the Lido looks magnificent under the starry skies and calm breezes, which you can see and feel at many of the outdoor venues for the evening social events. There are tents with bars and outdoor couches that encourage mingling, day or night. If you do want to venture out, the waterbuses can take you to the islands of Murano (glass-making) or Burano (lace-making) for day trips.
The Countdown
By Cheryl Dixon
143 films (86 features, 57 shorts), 5 sections: Venice 60, Upstream, New Territories, International Critics’ Week, and The Venice Screenings. So many movies, so little time. Once again, the eager film lover will have an abundance of choices of really great film. Opening night featured the world premiere of Woody Allen’s Anything Else with Woody Allen, Christina Ricci and Jason Biggs attending. Closing night featured a restored version of David Lean’s Summer Madness in a special tribute to Katharine Hepburn (the movie, directed by David Lean in 1955, is set in Venice and tells the story of a middle-aged American woman who falls in love with an Italian antiques dealer (Rossano Brazzi). Both Hepburn and Lean were nominated for Academy Awards for this film.) In between, were selections from the film categories including:
Venice 60 (in competition): Twentynine Palms (Bruno Dumont), Segreti di Stato (Paolo Benvenuti), 21 Grams (Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu), Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano), Alila (Amos Gitai) (out of competition) The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci), Intolerable Cruelty (Joel and Ethan Coen), Monsieur Ibrahim at Les Fleurs du Coran (François Dupeyron), Matchstick Men (Ridley Scott), The Blues: From Mali to Mississippi (Martin Scorsese).
Short Films in Competition: Nuts and Bolts (Andreas Krein), El Excusado (Lorenza Manrique), Knight Games (Sven Martin), Match (Jef Nassenstein), From Where I’m Standing (Annalise Patterson).
Short Films Out of Competition: Destino (Dominique Monfery), Le Lion Volatil (Agnés Varda).
Upstream: Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola), Casa de los Babys (John Sayles).
New Territories: Persona Non Grata (Oliver Stone), The Agronomist (Jonathan Demme).
Special Screenings: La Tivu di Fellini (Federico Fellini), Cesare Zavattini (Carlo Lizzani), Le Chien, Le Général, et Les Oiseaux (Francis Nielsen).
There was also a special homage to Italian producers, a retrospective of Italian films made between 1945 and 1975. Omar Sharif received a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. He was featured as an elderly Muslim grocer who befriends a young Jewish man in Paris in François Dupeyron's film Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran. A series of films on the blues, spearheaded by Martin Scorsese and currently televised on PBS were also featured.
For the most part, Claudia and I enjoyed all of the films that we saw. Some were a bit curious: For example, Baram-Nan Gajok (A Good Lawyer’s Wife, Sangsoo Im). What was that all about? The movie was about sex, and more sex, but where was the plot? What was the point? John Sayles’ film, Casa de los Babys, a recent Film Society screening, I thought had brilliant characterization and great ensemble performances that we have been accustomed to seeing in his films, but I thought that the ending was a little disappointing. I was very impressed, however, by some of the film shorts that we saw, most notably United We Stand (Matteo Barzini), a man-in-the-street style documentary featuring commentary about the Iraq war from U.S. citizens in several cities and towns across the U.S., and Senza Tregua, (Marco Pozzi) about a real-life husband and wife spy team in the 1940s.
An Informal Interview with Venice Film Festival Film Critic Domenico Monetti
By Cheryl Dixon
What’s it like to be a native Venetian, growing up with the fabulous Venice Film Festival in your own back yard? I spoke with Domenico Monetti, Film Critic of Segnocinema, a monthly Italian film publication (similar to Sight and Sound, complete with essays and film reviews).
Storyboard: Can you tell me about your interest in film and why you are here at the Venice Film Festival?
DM: Well, I was born here, and from the beginning I have been coming to the Lido since I was a small child. I used to sneak in to the movies. This was my passion and my inspiration to become a movie critic later in life. It was like a drug.
Storyboard: Are you here on assignment just to see movies? Are you also conducting interviews?
DM: At one time I preferred to see only the movies, before the dailies, however, I do interviews.
Storyboard: What kind of movies do you like to see? What have you seen here that you like?
DM: I like to see a variety of films, including the retrospectives like, Diabolik, (1968) by Mario Bava (Produzione De Laurentiis) I also like to see the underground, independent films, and “strange” films. I’ve seen some really good films like Il ritorno di Cagliostro, (Daniele Cipri, Franco Maresco) which featured actor Robert Englund as a drunken actor in crisis and his arrival in Sicily. I also loved Pitons, (Laila Pakalnina), Zatoichi, (Takeshi Kitano) a Japanese samurai satire, Twentynine Palms, (Bruno Dumont) which was like Vanishing Point, and Easy Rider. It’s a French film with intense sexuality and violence. It was quite shocking. I also really loved Bu San (Goodbye Dragon Inn, Ming-Liang Tsai), a Vietnamese movie about the last night at the cinema, where the spectators who are featured in the movie are now old.
Storyboard: What was your favorite movie and why? What was your least favorite movie and why?
DM: Bu San was my favorite film. It’s a movie within a movie, and like a love letter to the movies.
Storyboard: Oh, like Cinema Paradiso?
DM: Exactly. I did not like The Dreamers, (Bernardo Bertolucci). Technically, it was very good, but I prefer seeing honest relationships between people. There is a lot of hypocrisy in this film. There is a sexual relationship between a young boy and woman, but there is also an illusion of homosexuality. It was a bit confusing and I prefer to see things in a more straightforward manner. It’s a matter of style.
Storyboard: Whom have you interviewed or at least talked to?
DM: Takeshi Kitano, Raoul Bova, Katherine Zeta Jones, George Clooney, Paulo Benvenuti, Margarethe von Trotta, Robert Rodriguez, and Johnny Depp.
Storyboard: Can you tell us a bit about the party scene here, or is it all work and no play?
DM: Oh, there are parties every night. One of the best was in the hangar of the Lido airport. There was industrial, electronic music with bodybuilders dancing in cages and cyber-punk performers, robotic sculptures, strange sounds and music. A lot of the parties are invitation only. A lot of the actors and directors come. There are parties at the Excelsior Hotel. George Clooney was at the Pagoda. There’s one tonight with “Howie B,” a U2 producer.
Storyboard: Sounds like you get around! Can you get us an invite?
DM: I’ll see what I can do...
Epilogue: Domenico made good on his promise and got Claudia and myself and invitation to our first “official” party at the Rotunda del Cinema Italiano, featuring Howie B on September 5.
An Interview with Lone Scherfig, Director of Wilbur Who Wants to Kill Himself
By James McCaskill
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. Wilbur (Who Wants to Kill Himself) was one of the hits at the 2003 Edinburgh International Film Festival. The article is based upon my notes from the Press Conference and interviews with the director, co-writer and stars. The 2004 EIFF will be held from 11-22 August. Wilbur's U.S. premiere is scheduled for New York and Los Angeles on 24 October and general release in November.
At last! After a string of gritty, social realism films (My Name is Joe, Orphans, Ratcatcher, Sweet 16) a film is set in Glasgow that is a light, sweet comedy. Or is it? Wilbur is the story of two brothers, Wilbur and Harbour, who inherit their father's second hand bookstore. "Harbour," actor Jamie Sines told me, "wants everyone who come into the bookshop to have a good day. Multiply that by ten for his brother." Unfortunately, Wilbur (played by Jamie Sives) does not think he deserves to live and only wants to commit suicide. Guess this is not going to be a 'light, sweet comedy' after all. It is a touching, romantic, black comedy that does not shy away from a serious subject.
The film began with a Danish script by director Lone Scherfig (who saw her last film, Italian for Beginners, pick up a car load of awards) and highly honored co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen (screenwriter for Mifune and winner of the 1999 Academy Award for best short film. He also directed and wrote the soon-to-be-released The Green Butcher, another dark comedy) and "had translator's assistance in polishing the script as my English is not that good," Jensen said. He continued, "Lone came up with the basic idea: a triangle with one brother wanting to live and one wanting to die."
Scherfig said, "It was moved from Denmark to Scotland as it is better setting for this story. Bigger bookstores." Their sense of humor ran through the interview. She wanted to continue the Denmark-Scotland film connection that began with Breaking the Waves. For her, Scotland is more like Denmark than England. "There is more drams here. And the city, Glasgow, is more beautiful. Denmark's cities are more plain. It is inspiring not to work at home." "I wanted to show that small countries with small budgets can make a film like this."
"Directing," she continued, "is more than listening. Very often you should shut up and let the people act. You can hear if something is really phony." "Humor is about timing." "English has more words. Our language is smaller than yours." Was all the humor in the script? Occasionally we would say that is not funny. Let's work up something else."
For Edinburgh-born Sives, this was his first feature film. "None of the lines are belly laughs. It is quirky, off center. A bit strange and weird. There are lots of anomalies. This is not a slice of Glasgow life." For him, "95% of Wilbur was in the script. I did not have to do a great deal of searching. Thoughtless, rude, inflexible, defenseless was all there."
"The older I get, the less professional I get," said the director. "The less I look at resumes. I am more willing to take chances." "As with an Emily Watson or Helen Bonham Carter, what you must do is to let the actor not just play the role but get the role properly. The role becomes the actor. Leave control outside the door."
"Looks don't matter very much," she continued. "The part of Alice would be hard to cast. You don't know anything about her. She has the worse job. Hard to find someone with the magic."
Fortunately she found another Scottish actor, Shirley Henderson, for the part. An intelligent and strong actor whose screen credits range from Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films to Trainspotting, Topsy-Turvey and Bridget Jones Diary. Henderson said, "This was nice. Two guys who wanted me. The problem for me was to make it believable--tragedy and romance running along side each other. She all but steals the film with her portrayal of the shy, single mother, operating room cleaning lady who augments her small salary by selling books patients have left behind. "The first time Wilbur and Alice meet she saves his life. Not a usual way to meet someone, " commented Scherfig.
Adrian Rawlings, who plays Harbour, has an equally impressive CV as his roles have ranged from Shakespeare to the desperate, infatuated doctor in Breaking the Waves and is also a Harry Potter veteran. He felt lucky to be in the film as he is English and a Scottish director would not have cast him. "I loved playing him. It is the part of a lifetime. There are times, as when he throws up on the little girl's party dress, that you just want to slap him and say, 'Grow up.' He is naive but not so good that you hate him."
Where did the brothers' names come from? Wilbur is named for the author Wilbur Smith. Harbour is the place where the father first set foot in Greenland. Parents giving their children odd names is part of the back story. "'Wilbur' has a nice old fashion ring about it," Scherfig confessed, "but I would not give that name to my second born."
Credits
Cast: Jamie Sives, Adrian Rawlings, Shirley Henderson, Lisa McKinlay, Mads Mikkelsen, Julia Davis, Susan Vidler/
Director: Lone Scherfig. Screenplay: Lone Scherfig and Anders Thomas Jensen. Producer: Sisse Graum Olsen. Co-Producer: Gillian Berrie. Executive Producer: Peter Aalb/Ek Jensen. Director of Photography: Jorgen Johansson, DFF. Length: 109 minutes.
The Telluride Film Festival
If you missed this story which was posted later in September, you can read it here.
The Toronto International Film Festival
Check the November issue for a comprehensive report by Ron Gordner on the Toronto Film Festival. In the meantime, check out Adam Spector's report here.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
In October, the AFI shows Czech films from the first 10 years of the new republic, films starring Katharine Hepburn, Charles Guggenheim's Berga, a restored director's cut of Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984), and lots more. See the website.
Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer takes part in the Asian Pacific American Film Festival (see below Calendar section) with four programs of short videos. On October 11 at 2:00pm is "Mother, Where Are We?" exploring mother/daughter relationships, followed by a panel discussion; on October 11 at 7:00pm is "Love Hurts," four shorts exploring love and relationships from different cultural and personal perspectives; on October 12 at 2:00pm is "Vietnam: Bellum/Postbellum," three shorts about the Vietnamese experience, and on October 12 at 5:00pm is "Cambodia: Coming Home," three documentaries about Cambodian Americans.
In conjunction with the exhibition Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure is a series of 5 films about this region of the world. On October 17 at 7:00pm is Himalaya (Eric Valli, 1999); on October 19 at 2:00pm is Mask of Desire (Tsering Rhitar Sherpa, 2000); and on October 24 at 7:00pm is Black Narcissus (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1947). Two more follow in November.
National Gallery of Art
A series of films by Jean Cocteau include Blood of a Poet (1930) shown with Beauty and the Beast (1946) on October 11 at 3:00pm and October 12 at 4:00pm. Orpheus (1949) is on October 18 at 4:30pm; Les Enfants Terribles (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1950) is October 19 at 4:00pm and Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) shown with Collette (Yannick Bellon, 1952) is on October 26 at 4:00pm. More Cocteau films are shown at the French Embassy, see below.
Three films by Oscar Micheaux are shown in October: Body and Soul (1924) is on October 4 at 1:00pm preceded by four trailers from Micheaux's films; Within Our Gates (1920) followed by fragments from Birthright (1939) is on October 5 at 4:00pm; and Symbol of the Unconquered (1920) followed by fragments and trailer from Veiled Aristocrats (1932) is on October 11 at 12:30pm.
On October 4 at 3:30pm is a program of Stan Brakhage's last films ranging from 1994 through 2003, introduced by Paul Roth.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Along with the Freer (see above), the Hirshhorn takes part in the APA Film Festival. Films include Book of Rules (Sung H. Kim, 2002) preceded by A Ninja Pays Half My Rent (Steven Tsuchida, 2002) on October 9 at 8:00pm. On October 10 are two separate shorts programs: at 7:00pm is a program of 4 shorts exploring truths and truisms about relationships and at 9:00pm is a program of short animated films.
On October 2 and 3 at 8:00pm is Traces of a Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family (Mabel Cheung, 2002) a documentary about the action star's discovery of his relatives incorporating historical footage. On October 16 at 8:00pm is Peter Greenaway's latest film, The Moab Story (2003) the first installment of a multimedia epic followed by Vaux to the Sea, an in-progress version of the second film in this trilogy. If you missed it at the DC Film Festival, you have another chance to see Guy Maddin's Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002) on October 23 and 24 at 8:00pm. A documentary by Pearl Gluck Divan (2003) with the director present for discussion is on October 30 at 8:00pm.
National Museum of African Art
On October 2 at 7:00pm is Mountains of Faith (2001) and At the Second Traffic Light, a program moderated by Lucy Gebre-Egziabher. On October 9 at 7:00pm is That's My Face (Thomas Allen Harris, 2001) and I Was Born a Black Woman (2000), about Benedita da Silva, the first Afro-Brazilian women elected to Brazil's senate. On October 30 at 7:00pm is Seven Songs for Malcolm X (John Akomfrah, 1993) about black culture throughout the world shown with The Last Angel of History (1996) a sci-fi drama about a computer hacker.
Museum of American History
Also taking place in the Asian Pacific American Film Festival, on October 18 at 6:30pm the museum shows Robot Stories (Greg Pak), weaving four stories about relationships between humans and machines with the director present for discussion.
On October 21 at 7:00pm is a documentary Tupperware! (Laurie Kahn-Leavitt) about inventor Earl Tupper. The filmmaker will be present for discussion.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
A program of 3 short films "Aboriginal Australia on Film" is on October 29 at 7:00pm. The films include Two Bob Mermaid (Darlene Johnson, 1996) about an Aboriginal girl passing for white at the local swimming pool; Black Chicks Talking (Leah Purcell, 2002) a documentary with the filmmaker in person to discuss the film; Confessions of a Headhunter (Sally Riley and Archie Weller, 2000), a satire about two headhunters on run from the law, awarded Best Short Film by the Australian Film Commission in 2001.
Films on the Hill
October is Halloween month at Films on the Hill. On October 22 at 7:00pm is The Blackbird (Tod Browning, 1926) with Lon Chaney in a dual role, preceded by Spook Spoofing (Robert F. McGowan, 1928) a comedy with the Our Gang kids, both silent with recorded music accompaniment. On October 27 at 7:00pm is a double feature for Halloween: The Most Dangerous Game (Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel, 1932) shot on the same sets as King Kong shown with The Mask of Fu Manchu (Charles Brabin and King Vidor, 1932) with Boris Karloff and on October 31 at 7:00pm is King Kong (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1932).
DC Jewish Community Center
On October 27 at 8:30pm is a video, Kinky Friedman: Proud to Be An Asshole from El Paso (Simone De Vries, 2001) about the Jewish writer and country musician and his band, The Texas Jewboys.
Pickford Theater
The Pickford Theater continues its series "Rivers, Edens and Prairies" with Fort Apache (John Ford, 1948) on October 14 at 7:00pm and Westward the Women (William Wellman, 1951) on October 23 at 7:00pm and a series of films celebrating flight with Ceiling Zero (Howard Hawks, 1936) on October 2 at 7:00pm and The Great Santini (Lewis John Carlino, 1979) on October 3 at 7:00pm. See the website for more.
Goethe Institute
Continuing in a series of German films made by Turkish directors is 40 Square Meters of Germany (Tevfik Baser, 1986) on October 6 at 6:30pm; The Lovers of Hotel Osman (Idil Ulner, 2001) shown with Lola and Billy the Kid (Kutlug Ataman, 1998) on October 20 at 6:30pm; and In July (Fatih Akin, 2000) on October 27 at 6:30pm.
French Embassy
A program of French animated films is on October 6 at 7:00pm. Categories include "Modern Tales" with 9 shorts, "Taking Flight" with 9 shorts and "Familiar and Unusual Worlds" with 10 shorts. Another program of French animated films is presented by the Smithsonian Associates, see below.
The Embassy, along with the National Gallery of Art (see above) shows Jean Cocteau films. On October 14 at 7:00pm is Beauty and the Beast, a 1995 opera by Phillip Glass shown with a documentary about Cocteau. On October 21 at 7:00pm is Les Parents Terribles (1948), on October 26 at 4:00pm is Les Dames du Bois de Boulognes, and on October 28 at 7:00pm is a program of short films by Roland Petit, Kenneth Anger, Jean Genet, Jacques Demy and Jean-Luc Godard.
National Museum of Natural History
The date of the previously mentioned Gullah Film Festival has been changed to November 1 and 2: a program of shorts, features and documentaries about the Gullahs and their roots. Films include Family Across the Sea (1990), The Language You Cry In (1998), Conrack (1974), When Rice Was King (1990), Gullah Tales (1986), and Daughters of the Dust. Films start at 10:30am both days and run to 5:30pm.
Smithsonian Associates
On October 3 at 7:00pm is "An Evening of French Animation" including cutting-edge animations ranging from clay modeling to puppets to surrealism. See French Embassy, above, for another program of French animated films.
FILM LECTURES
