December 2007


Last updated on December 1, 2007. Please check back later for additions.

Contents

The Cinema Lounge
Coming Attractions Trailer Night: Winter 2007
The 4th Reykjavik International Film Festival
Adam's Rib Goes After the Black Bird
The Kite Runner: Q&A with Actor Khalid Abdalla
The London Film Festival
Juno: Q&A with Writer Diablo Cody and Actress Ellen Page
We Need to Hear From You
Calendar of Events

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The Cinema Lounge

The next meeting of the Cinema Lounge will be on Monday, December 10 at 7:00pm. The topic is "Who are the auteur directors?"

The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the second Monday of every month at 7:00pm at
Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop).

Last month at Cinema Lounge
In November, we discussed the topic "What methods does Hollywood use to attract kids to films?" The first comment from the group was that "movies do not have to have kids in [the movie] to attract kids to the film." Someone added that X-Box games take kids out of the puzzle. Meanwhile, Halo-3 is believed to be hurting the box office. In general, people have less time, which must always be considered. Among the group, we divided "kids" into four categories: 0-7, 8-12, 13-18, and 19-35.

Tie-ins are important, like Happy Meals and amusement park rides, with the obvious example of Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) coming to mind. Transformers (2007) made a movie out of toys. Also, Bratz (2007) was based on toys, though it was not a success. Blogs are helpful, too, along with DVDs aimed at children. Sometimes characters are suitable for children. The Mac commercial guy, Justin Long, helped attract kids. Slasher films can attract kids, even though they are rated R, since kids can sneak into them, like the remake of Prom Night (1980): When a Stranger Calls (2006).

T&A, as a topic arose, the censored term for "[cleavage] and [butt]." Superbad (2007) talked about it, but did not show it, along with Team America (2004). Van Wilder (2002) was similar to American Pie (1999). Sometimes studios will put T&A in the DVD version, though.

Perhaps T&A is not in films anymore because Hollywood is becoming more conservative, fearing the politicians, who fear the negative votes of "soccer moms." Does sex still sell? Lost, Caution (2007) had nudity, along with Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Currently, parents make the decisions for what their kids see. Thus, Hollywood is no longer the forbidden fruit, as the internet has taken the place of that.

There is also a change of traditional American themes. For instance, Dukes of Hazzard (2005) did not feature the car's confederate flag on its poster. Also, GI Joe (2009) is now a United Nations soldier, rather than an American soldier. In Superman Returns (2006), Superman had a different look. The Superfriends (1978) have also changed, now going by the name Justice League (2001). Fantastic Four (2005) had a lighter theme, too, a change from the darker themes of the past.

One person commented about how children's movies are layered, with themes that apply to children and adults. For instance, The Great Muppet Caper (1981) has a long scene in it which adults find funny but that goes over the heads of kids. Someone else added that the trailers in Grindhouse (2007) were more funny than the movie. Many laughs came from someone mimicking "Don't, f--- with a Mexican," and "Werewolf man of the S.S."

Sometimes newer spins on old themes can bomb. Nancy Drew (2007) bombed. Do modern kids even know who she is? Fat Albert (2004) didn't do well either, probably for the same reason. However, Brady Bunch Movie (1995) did, though no one could really explain why. Bee Movie (2007) is an example of kids driving their parents to the films, though not literally. The same is true for Knocked Up (2007) and King Kong (2005).



Coming Attractions Trailer Night Winter 2007

By Charles Kirkland, Jr., DC Film Society Member

As you made your way through the concessions area of Landmark’s E Street Cinema to attend the Winter 2007 version of the DC Film Society’s “Coming Attractions Trailer Night,” you could see the promotional posters for several upcoming movies lined up on the floor, including: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Juno, 10,000 BC, Vantage Point, Hitman, and others. As trailer night began, only one poster, American Gangster, had disappeared. Many others just lay there waiting for a home. The poster for Vantage Point was one of them. An audience of close to 100, including nearly three dozen first time attendees (!), named by applause, Vantage Point, an action movie about an assassination attempt on the President of the United States, the overall favorite trailer of the evening. At the program’s end, all the posters for Vantage Point were gone. Film critics and Film Society favorites, Joe Barber and Bill Henry, co-hosted one of the most vocal, opinionated, and downright outrageously fun sneak peeks into the winter movie season ever held.

The purpose of the trailer night is to give some feedback to the production companies about the quality, entertainment value, and effectiveness of the trailer. Each trailer is rated twice; first by applause and second by a formal ballot with a 0-5 rating scale. Trailers are grouped into seven categories and an informal applause meter vote selects the best of each group. The group winners within each category are then pitted against each other to determine the overall winner. The group winners were: This Christmas, War/Dance, Vantage Point, Juno, Untraceable, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, and Enchanted.

Thanks to the DC Film Society Directors and Coordinating Committee, especially Michael Kyrioglou, Jim Shippey, Karrye Braxton, Billy Coulter, Cheryl Dixon, Annette Graham, Charles Kirkland Jr., Larry Hart, Ky Nguyen, Adam Spector, and all other volunteers for organizing this twice annual event. Very special thanks go to Joe Barber, Bill Henry, Allied Advertising, Landmark’s E Street Cinema and staff, Terry Hines and Associates, and all the participating film studios.

For those of you who missed the evening, a summary of the trailers follows. For those who attended and shared in this great night of entertainment, remember, the studios create these trailers to entertain, but they also should inspire movie attendance. If you enjoyed the trailers, support the films they promote.

I USED TO LOVE CHRISTMAS, NOW I HATE CHRISTMAS

  • Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Fox)
    Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and Jason Bateman star in a movie that seems to be this year’s Night at the Museum with the museum being Toys R Us. Thank goodness for CGI. There was sincere laughter from the attendees at this entertaining clip. Easily, this clip won the applause vote for best trailer in this small category.
  • This Christmas (Screen Gems)
    Now what would happen if Tyler Perry could get his hands on an all-star ensemble cast to do a Christmas movie? This trailer was full of the typical one-liners, sight gags and quips that you have seen before. Although the trailer was entertaining, the audience was convinced that this was more of the stereotypical, African-American ensemble cast movies.
TOO SOON – TOO REAL?
  • Charlie Wilson’s War (Universal)
    Tom Hanks stars as alcoholic, womanizing, U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson, who, with some prodding by the lovely Julia Roberts, decides to wage a very private war to help the Afghans in their war against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. This good trailer reminds us that the film is based on true events where the Senator assists the training of Afghan freedom fighters to resist the Soviet Army.
  • The Price of Sugar (New York Films)
    This documentary written and directed by Bill Haney introduces us to Father Christopher Hartley, a man who has dedicated his life to breaking the iron death grip sugar harvesting has on life in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This trailer left the audience silent.
  • Redacted (Magnolia)
    This trailer or the lack thereof became the joke of the night. The trailer feature voices over a grey slate. Nothing to see and almost no information about the movie were conveyed. The trailer itself is redacted. Through the discussion of the clip, it was found that Brian De Palma was given a significant amount of money to produce this “You Tube” style documentary.
  • War Dance, (Rogues Harbor Studios)
    In its initial narration, this trailer sounded like "Blood Diamond 2" but transforms itself to an uplifting tale of a group of war-scarred youth entering a national music competition in Uganda. The trailer showed enough promise to win the applause vote in its category.
It was at this point in the program that a poll was taken regarding the title of the last category. The question, posed by our illustrious hosts, Joe and Bill, was given the lackluster response to some pretty good films regarding war, is it possible that America is not ready for war films while the country is still involved in an unresolved conflict in the Middle East? The response from the audience was that America was ready, but only by a very, very small margin.

THE MOVIES YOU COULD NOT HAVE MADE IN A PRE-CGI UNIVERSE
  • Hitman (Fox)
    Visually, the trailer for this movie made it seem like a decent action-packed adventure movie. However, the voiceover exposed the film’s implausible and plain ridiculous storyline. Plus, watch the tattoo!
  • Vantage Point (Columbia)
    Let’s see…combine Crash, Rashomon and Dave and throw in a little ‘24’, don’t forget the adrenaline and you have Vantage Point. Dennis Quaid, Forrest Whitaker, and Matthew Fox star in a movie that asks how many perspectives are necessary to solve an assassination attempt on the President? Remember, this clip was narrowly voted the best trailer of the evening.
FAMILY: NOT JUST AN INSTITUTION, BUT A COMMITMENT
  • Juno (Fox Searchlight)
    This dark comedy from the director of Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman) stars Ellen Page as the titular character who faces the options presented to her to deal with her unplanned pregnancy. A great ensemble cast featuring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, and J.K. Simmons shows that great films can still be independently made. This trailer was voted the best of this category and almost the overall favorite trailer of the night.
  • Margot at the Wedding (Paramount Vantage)
    This trailer featured Nicole Kidman as Margot, the sister of Jennifer Jason Leigh, who is marrying Jack Black. Margot wants to know why. Directed by Noah Baumbach who also helmed The Squid and The Whale.
  • The Savages (Fox Searchlight)
    In this dark comedy, a brother and sister are suddenly and, unfortunately for the trailer, inexplicably burdened with taking care of their elderly father. The movie stars Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney from The Squid and The Whale!
FEEL MY PAIN
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks (Fox)
    The buildup in this clip was excellent leading the viewer to believe that we are going to see a movie about some great ground breaking band like The Beatles. Instead, Jason Scott Lee yells “Allllviiin” to a chipmunk who just ate his brother’s poo!
  • National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Disney)
    Oh that Gates clan! They’re back again and attempting to clear the name of the Gates family and find a centuries-held secret concerning…wait, wasn’t that the plot of the first movie? Oh well. Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, and Justin Bartha all return for another rollicking romp. Looks as exciting as the original.
  • Southland Tales (Samuel Goldwyn)
    How can Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Seann William Scott, and Sarah Michelle Gellar predict the future, save the world from it, and televise it for the world to see? Not sure about that or whether that is truly what the movie is about, thanks to this confusing trailer.
  • Untraceable (Screen Gems)
    Diane Lane plays an FBI agent who is hunting a killer who uses the internet to kill his victims. Somehow the killer becomes aware of his hunter and the cat and mouse game begins. This very exciting trailer was easily voted the best of the category. The fear expressed in discussion became how quickly the film’s originality would devolve and would become formulaic.
  • Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (Universal)
    Martin Lawrence is Roscoe Jenkins, a super successful talk show host who is a combination of Oprah and Dr. Phil. Well, Roscoe has decided to get married and must bring his fiancée home to meet the family. An all-star cast of comedians and James Earl Jones show us that even when the money is good, sometimes you just gotta say no.
OUT OF THE PAST AND OFF THE SHELVES
  • Atonement (Focus)
    Based on the book. A young girl falsely accuses her older sister’s boyfriend of a crime. The boy gets sent to jail and then from jail to World War. Really? Meanwhile the older sister’s love continues and the younger sister writes a book about it all. Really? Can a book make everything right?
  • The Kite Runner (Paramount Vantage)
    Again based on the book. Separated in their youth, a young man returns to his homeland in Afghanistan from California to save his childhood friend. He finds things radically different and must find his friend’s son to save him instead.
  • The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Miramax)
    This trailer was more than a little bit confusing and somewhat scary. It seems the story is about a man who was paralyzed from a stroke and how he copes.
  • There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)
    Paul T. Anderson directs and Daniel Day Lewis stars in this movie about a Texas oil magnate as he develops his empire. This period piece reminded many in the audience of a certain HBO show, Deadwood.
  • The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (Sony)
    Brian Cox and Emily Watson star in this fairy tale about a boy who finds an egg and hatches the Loch Ness Monster. This cute clip easily won category favorite.
  • Youth Without Youth (Sony Classics)
    If there were a vote, this clip would have won the overall “What?” of the night. Several images are shown through the clip and an audio track plays saying “We are running out of time.” One screen says the film is directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Hope the film is better than the trailer.
AND FINALLY, THE MOVIE THAT DARES TELL THE TRUTH OF THE DEMON BARBER OF GEORGIA AVENUE (AND OTHER MUSICALS OF QUESTIONABLE PROVENANCE)
  • Enchanted (Disney)
    Amy Adams, James Marsden, and “McDreamy” Patrick Dempsey star in this creative fairy tale. Adams plays Princess Giselle the standard Disney princess who is thrown from the cartoon world into modern day New York by the evil Queen Narissa played by Susan Sarandon. Humorous moments in the clip include Giselle cleaning house using animals and Prince Edward trying to sing a Disney style song in the middle of the city. Of course, this trailer got the best of category vote.
  • I’m Not There (Weinstein)
    The film is a biopic of Bob Dylan sort of. Dylan is shown through different stages of his life by different actors including a dead-on portrayal by Cate Blanchett. The clip failed to impress. But in the discussion afterward , someone indicated that although Dylan’s music is featured in the movie, none of the characters in the movie are named Bob Dylan. There are possibilities here.
  • Walk Hard (Sony)
    From the people who brought you Talledega Nights and Superbad, John C. Reilly is Dewey Cox, a Johnny Cash meets Ricky Bobby-like musician. Upon seeing this clip, I wondered how different a career Reilly might have had if he had won the Oscar for Chicago back in 2003.


The 4th Annual Reykjavik International Film Festival

By Anita Glick, DC Film Society Member

The 4th Annual Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) was held September 27-October 7, 2007. It was an immense local success, offering 80 films from more than 30 countries on 5 continents. The festival was attended by over 20,000 people, approximately 7% of Iceland’s population. 84% of available seats were filled during the festival’s eleven days. Almost every film was accompanied by a guest.

The program was divided into several sections including: New Visions; Open Sea, Documentaries; Human Rights: Iraq; Horizon: Spain; Icelandic Panorama; Spotlights on David Ondricek, Aki Kaurismaki, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Hanna Schygulla; Midnight Movies; and Children’s Films.

Films awards were presented in several categories. RIFF’s Discovery of the Year was awarded The Golden Puffin (the festival's logo); New Visions are first or second features by directors emerging on the international scene and include the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), Church of Iceland and the Amnesty International Honorary award. Additionally there were panel discussions, workshops and master classes.

The world premiere of Sigur Ros - Heima, a concert documentary on the popular Icelandic group by Dean DeBlois, opened the Festival. It chronicles two weeks in 2006 when Sigur Ros played its ethereal, atmospheric music during free, unannounced concerts in far-flung corners of Iceland. The audience reaction to the concert footage, interviews with band members and shots of Icelandic landscape was mixed.

Iska's Journey by Hungarian Director Csaba Bollok received the Discovery of the Year< Award. It tells the tale of young Iska who is living in poverty, begging for food and trading scrap metal for money that goes straight into buying booze for her violent parents. She is taken off the streets and put into care at a children’s shelter, where she makes a good friend. The two of them fantasize about running away to the ocean. The audience is pulled into the world of this mesmerizing young girl. She is tricked and placed on a boat, the destination is unknown. Likely she will be sold into forced prostitution.

The Audience Award went to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis biopic Control directed by Anton Corbijn, a former fashion and celebrity photographer. The black-and-white film was a tribute to the memory of Joy Division (Manchester scene of the 1970’s) and Ian Curtis, the unhappy, pill-popper wracked by depression and intensifying epilepsy who committed suicide at the age of 23. Curtis stated “I never meant for it to grow like this, I have no control.” Control also won Special Mention for Best First Feature.

The Danish debut feature The Art of Crying by Peter Schønau Fog was awarded both The International Federation of Film Critics, (FIPRESCI) and the Church of Iceland award. The film deals delicately with issues that often are kept quiet and presents them with respect, understanding and sympathy. The film takes place in Denmark, circa 1970 and tells the story of an 11 year old boy and his dysfunctional family and the boy's way of dealing with his father molesting his older sister. The Art of Crying raises awareness of the fragility of life and moves the audience.

The Amnesty International honorary award went to El Ejido, the Law of Profit, a documentary on immigrant workers in Southern Spain by Jawad Rhalib (Belgium). The film shows how modern slavery still exists with workers who have no rights living on next to nothing so we can get our food cheaply.

Several live music events were incorporated in the festival. German thespian-cabaret artiste Hanna Schygulla, recipient of the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, performed songs that have had an impact on her life. American indie-rockers Danielson performed live in conjunction with a screening of J. L. Aronson's (United States) documentary Danielson: A Family Movie. Danielson is made up of family member and friends; their music has an outwardly Christian theme. Jonathan King’s (New Zealand) Black Sheep and David Arquette’s (United States) The Tripper made up The Midnight Movies. The event was kicked off with a concert where music from 16 classic horror films (1971-2005) was performed live while excerpts of each film were screened.

"I am most proud of the variety of films presented in our New Visions category," said festival director Hronn Marinosdottir. "This year, 15 new directors from 13 countries show their films, all premium examples of how many things there are yet to explore in cinema."

New Visions titles competing for Discovery of the Year included:

  • Have You Another Apple? director Arpad Bogdan’s (Iran) surreal, social commentary, fantasy fairy tale;
  • Help Me Eros, Lee Kang-Shen’s (Taiwan) story about loneliness and dissatisfaction, told with an innovative visual style and great emotional depth;
  • The Band's Visit, like an Egyptian Little Miss Sunshine with sharp visual humor directed by Eran Kolirin (Israel/France);
  • Faces of a Fig Tree, a fantasy and offbeat family drama directorial debut by Japanese actress Kaori Momoi (Japan);
  • Control, biopic of Ian Curtis of Joy Division directed by Anton Corbijn (United Kingdom), won Special Mention For Best First Feature;
  • Happy New Life a film about an orphan, now grown up, who desires to belong but has no connection to people by Arpad Bogdan (Hungary);
  • Iska's Journey, the very haunting dark film by Csaba Bollock (Hungary) and winner of the Discovery of the Year Award;
  • The Trap, a modern day film noir set in post Milosevic Serbia; by Srdjan Golubovic (Serbia/Germany/Hungary);
  • Roming, the European premier of Jiri Vejdelek’s (Czech Republic/Romania/Slovakia) slapstick comedy, madcap road movie with a deeper message;
  • Our Private Lives, Denis Cote’s (Canada) low budget look into complexities of a virtual flirt (over the internet) becoming real;
  • The Art of Crying, dark subject matter and winner of the FIPRESCI and the Church of Iceland award by Peter Schonau Fog (Denmark);
  • Japan Japan, Lior Shamriz’s (Israel) gay-themed film poses questions regarding an urban society during a time of globalization;
  • Pink, a young man, who has trouble growing up, has only one steadfast part of his life, his dog, from Alexander Voulgaris (Greece);
  • Shotgun Stories, Jeff Nichol’s (U.S.) modern minimalist tale of revenge, obligation and honor set in Southeast Arkansas;
  • XXY, Lucia Puenzo’s (Argentina/France/Spain) film based on a case of a child born with a case of “genital ambiguity.”

Oscar Nominations for Best Foreign Language Film 2007 shown at the festival included:
  • The Art of Crying (Denmark),
  • The Edge of Heaven (Germany),
  • 4 Months, 3 Week, and 2 Days (Romania), and
  • XXY, (Argentina/France/Spain).

I traveled with
Talk Cinema which operates in 13 cities across the country. Independent and foreign films are previewed before their release and followed by an audience discussion. Two seasons (fall and spring) consist of seven films each and are held locally at the AFI Silver Theater.

For 15 years, small groups of film lovers – our group was 40 people - have traveled to film festivals in Locarno, Switzerland, Montreal and Toronto, Canada, Palm Springs, California and more. The trip was led by critic Harlan Jacobson, a 30 year industry veteran and regular contributor to USA Today, Film Comment and WFUV-FM radio. It was a great group: friendly, interesting, generous, flexible and--considering the weather--really great sports.

Our group was provided an insider’s access to all films. We all studied the festival program and with input from Harlan selected our films. With our ‘Festival Pass’ we could get tickets ahead of time and if we were willing to wait in line, we were always able to see our first choice. All films were subtitled in English. Most films were attended by either the director, an actor, or the screenwriter who discussed the film with the audience.

Our hotel was amazing. Hotel Holt is a small (40 rooms), intimate, first-class hotel, only blocks from the main shopping street and center of town. It is within walking distance to all three film venues. Hotel Holt represents the largest privately owned art collection in Iceland. All rooms, lounges, and hallways are adorned with original Icelandic art. I was fortunate to have been given a tour by Eirikur Ingi Friogeirsson, the hotel manager since 1986. The hotel’s Gallery Restaurant, is one of the most renowned in Iceland.

RIFF’s reputation has spread considerably over the past 3 years and the number of international guests has multiplied. Representatives from prestigious media such as Variety, The Guardian and IndieWIRE attended the festival. The program has also grown to incorporate a number of masterclasses, symposiums and panel discussions – and even a few concerts too.

There were three types of tickets available:
  • Single ticket - $15
  • Discount ticket (8 screenings) - $75
  • Festival pass - $100
  • Concerts (Hanna Schedule and Danielson) - $41 each

During my 9 day stay, it rained all day every day, but that never affected our sightseeing excursions, film activities, special events, exploring on our own or shopping. In spite of the weather we saw the ‘best of the best’ of Reykjavik:
  • Gullfoss Falls, (Iceland’s national treasure” the most powerful waterfall in all of Europe
  • Boat tour on the dramatic iceberg-filled Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon at the base of Iceland’s largest glacier
  • Geysir the “great geyser”, largest of many hot springs
  • Volcanoes and lava fields giving way to mountain passes
  • Walking on the edge of geologically-rich Thingvelir National Park
  • Visiting the Blue Lagoon – a geothermal lake in the middle of a lava field surrounded by mountains, with temperatures near 102 degrees
  • Private reception at Hotel, receive brief overview and orientation, film guides and badges
  • Daily Talk Cinema breakfast sessions, reviewing screening times and locations
  • Dinner at the restaurant of the world famous chef and Icelandic TV personality Sigga Hall at Hotel Odinsve and the Hotel Holt's wonderful Gallery Restaurant
  • Fascinating architecture, numerous museums including the newly renovated National Museum, and galleries/art museums
  • A panorama view of the city from Hallgrimm Church.

A special highlight of the trip was attending the presentation of the Festival's Creative Excellence award to Finnish film director Aki Kaurismaki. The festival screened his “Finland-trilogy” consisting of Drifting Clouds (1996), The Man Without a Past (2002) and Lights In the Dark (2006). The presentation was held at the summer home of Iceland’s President, Olafur Ragnar Gumsson. Imagine shaking hands with the President (of any country) and entering their residence with no metal detectors.

Films I Thought Were Excellent:
  • The Edge of Heaven from Fatih Akin (Germany/Turkey) and Germany's entry for best foreign language film. Surprisingly, it does not yet have a U.S. distributor. Akin addresses current social, religious, and political issues in this film. An expertly crafted human drama feels like a documentary unfolding with all the wonders and flaws of humanity. Two intersecting stories – a father and son and a mother and daughter with communication problems unfold. The cinematography in Germany and Istanbul is beautiful. The wonderful Hanna Schygulla plays the mother, a role with a great character development.
  • XXY is Lucia Puenzo’s (Argentina/France/Spain) directorial debut. It is a fascinating film, based on a Canadian case of a child born with “genital ambiguity” and given a botched circumcision. Raised as a girl, but identifying more as a male, a teenager tries to make sense of her life and gender. It is also Argentina’s entry for Oscar’s best foreign language film.
  • Empties is the latest collaboration between director Jan Sverak (Czech Republic) and his actor/screen writer father, Zdenek Sverak. An aging high school literature professor finds that things have changed too much for youth to appreciate literature and quits his teaching position. His wife tries to cope with his being home while he finds a part-time job in a supermarket, managing the empty bottle returns. A comedy about a man who must face old age, like it or not.
  • The Band's Visit is a poignant film where characters force themselves into endearingly awkward situations. An Egyptian band, dressed in absurd uniforms, arrive at a small Israeli town, only to discover that they've reached the wrong destination and must depend on strangers for the night. The visual humor is sharp and precise. The director Eran Kolirin (Israel) hired Arab Israelis for the band members and had them trained in the Egyptian dialect. It had been the Israeli choice for their foreign film nominee, but was challenged because of the amount of English language used.
  • Iska's Journey (see above)
  • Control (see above)

Films I thought were good:
  • The Art of Crying (see above)
  • Grand Hotel, an offbeat comedy revolving around strong characters living or working at the hotel
  • Happy New Life, not a happy film
  • Metamorphosis, sex change operations in China
  • Iraq in Fragments divided into 3 parts illustrating life in a war-ridden country
  • The Trap (see above)


Films I thought were fair:
  • Savage Grace, based on an actual event and a true American tragedy,
  • Sigur Ros – Heima (see above)


Film I Found Disappointing:
  • The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories, a film by Audrey Paounov, (Bulgaria). I did not ‘get it’ or enjoy this film about the inhabitants of a town inhabited by gigantic stinging mosquitoes.


Film I would have MOST liked to have seen:
  • 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Cristian Mungiu's (Romania) Palme d’Or Winner Cannes 2007. The film is the first in a planned series entitled "Tales From the Golden Age." It tells the story of an underground abortion during the final days of communist rule. A dormmate tries to line up a hotel-room abortion for her best friend. The dialogue is spare and there is no music. Each scene is a single take.

Three of director David Ondricek’s films which have enjoyed audience popularity and critical acclaim were screened. Loners, One Hand Can’t Clap and Grandhotel each blend humor and social comment. Additionally, Ondricek hosted a masterclass speaking about filmmaking and answered questions with the audience.

The iconic German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder was one of the most important auteurs of German cinema. Marking the 25th anniversary of his death, his work was celebrated by the screening of his so called “German-trilogy” Éffi Briest (1974), The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), Veronika Voss (1982), and The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972). The way in which women dealt with the trauma of World War II and its aftermath is the theme of all three films.

German film critic Hans Gunthur Pflaum hosted a symposium on Fassbinder’s life and his work. Pflaum presented an amazing and educating lecture about Éffi Briest (1974). He analyzed and scrutinized it, shedding new light on the classic film. I thought he was fantastic!

The screening program also included the world premier of Andres Rubio's (Spain) documentary Campillo, Yes I Do, about a rural village popular for gay weddings where everyone is welcome. This film shows how easy it is to adapt to and accept change.

The 2008 Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) will take place from September 25th to October 5th. Iceland is an island about the size of Kentucky. Reykjavik, (the capital) is 5 hours from Washington, and the world's northernmost capital.

Visit the website.



Adam's Rib Goes After the Black Bird

By Adam Spector, DC Film Society Member

I recently visited San Francisco, the setting of many classic films. When I learned of a restaurant labeled 'The Home of the Maltese Falcon' I had to see it for myself. Find out what happened in my
new Adam's Rib column.



The Kite Runner: Q&A with Actor Khalid Abdalla

On November 8 Loew's Georgetown Theater hosted a preview of the much-anticipated The Kite Runner based on the hugely popular novel by Khaled Hosseini. Actor Khalid Abdalla who plays Amir as an adult was present to talk about the film and answer questions. DC Film Society's Director Michael Kyrioglou moderated the discussion.

Michael Kyrioglou: How long ago was the film shot?
Khalid Abdalla: We finished filming December 23 of last year.

MK: Did you read the book before getting the part?
KA: No, but I have read it 6 or 7 times since the audition.

MK: Wasn't the book optioned by the producers before it was published?
KA: Yes.

MK: Where in China was it filmed?
KA: In Kashgar which is in western China's Xinjiang Province. It is a mostly Muslim province about 4 or 5 hours drive from the border of Afghanistan. It has a similar landscape and culture and the language is close to Turkish and Farsi.

MK: Did you start filming there?
KA: Yes. We did the Afghan parts there, then the studio parts, then two weeks in San Francisco.

MK: Your language skills are impressive. How did you learn Dari for the film?
KA: I studied Dari intensely for 4 or 5 hours a day for a month. I spent a month in Afghanistan; I went anywhere referenced in the book and ate food mentioned in the book. I traveled through the Salang Pass and Bamiyan where the Buddhist statutes used to be. It's absolutely beautiful; light filters through the trees in the arid mountains. Learning Dari was not as difficult as it sounds. The vocabulary is 40-50 percent Arabic in origin. It's like Spanish and English. Dari has a simpler grammar with no gender or verb agreement. I'm British-Egyptian and I already knew the Arabic sounds, so it was easy to imitate Dari, whereas it would have been more difficult for a Dari speaker to do Arabic. Arabic has the Dari sounds but Dari doesn't have all the Arabic sounds.

MK: Was the travel in Afghanistan dangerous?
KA: It was safe enough to be worth the risk. I didn't go to the real troublespots. Kabul is relatively secure and parts of the north are relatively safe. My driver was with me. The last night I was there a bomb went off 1-1/2 miles away. Also there are lots of land mines, you must be careful when walking around. My time there was absolutely crucial; it would have been absurd not to go there. By being there I built my sense of familiarity, love and nostalgia needed to develop my character. I was born in Scotland but aspects of my background fit in for understanding the character: ways of living, certain gestures, understanding the serving class. I grew up in a bicultural house, similar to Amir.

MK: Is most of the cast Afghan?
KA: Almost everyone is Afghan. The major non-Afghan characters are me, Homayoun Ershadi (Iranian)who plays my father and Saïd Taghmaoui (Moroccan) who plays the driver.

MK: The final scene is pivotal.
KA: It is a moving scene. The story is about the betrayal of friendship and fatherhood. Growing up you want your father to be proud of you. That's pivotal in those terms, understanding and feeling what it means. The director Marc Forster was sensitive to the story; we were on the same page.

Q: Are the children in any danger?
KA: They are still there. Part of delay in releasing the film was waiting for them to finish school. Then they were moved out. I learned to fly kites with them in Kabul. Any concerns about their safety have to be taken seriously. After release of the film we will see if they are in danger. The film is being screened by Afghans here. One person said, "Thank you, I feel represented; you shared my culture." An American soldier said same thing. It's so extraordinary about the movie. At root it's a beautiful story. It's a human story, not political violence. Afghanistan lost one million people; there are so many negative associations with Afghanistan. So it's beautiful to be part of something like meeting people through stories and food, not bombs.

Q: How did you film in Kashgar?
KA: We were a group from 26 countries and had 4 to 6 languages to translate on the set. There was some tension between the Chinese and crew. The Uighur are a minority there. They can't teach their language in school. If they pray in the mosque they can lose their membership in the Communist Party. The stadium scenes had to be continually delayed. The authorities didn't like so many people congregating in one place. They were going to ship in people from many places so we ended up shooting it north of Beijing. But things worked out well. It was a beautiful experience. Everyone came together to tell the story.We had a wonderful time in Kashgar. It was a real pleasure.

MK: Did they intend to use so much Dari?
KA: Early on there were discussions about that. Marc said he wanted to do it in Dari. He didn't want the kids flying kites and speaking English. It was a crucial choice. When you make that decision you have to cast certain people. Casting was done anywhere with a big Afghan community.

Q: What about the role of women in Afghanistan?
KA: The situation in Afghanistan is different now. Fifty percent of the women wear the burqua and five percent wear the hijab. It's something that you are very aware of and it is sad. It's interesting to see people dealing with it--flirting in a burqua which is a beautiful blue drape. I was in the market and women flirted with me through the burqua; it was amazing, I'd never experienced that. Afghanistan is a country without infrastructure. You might get 6 hours of electricity a day or you might get it from a generator. Water is from a pump. Infrastructure is needed but you need an infrastructure to build one. You need roads. The legal system doesn't work properly. The central government can't enact their laws. Customs then take precedence. That altered my sense of things I would see. They have a hard time but there are women MPs in parliament. The mayor of Bamiyan (the main Hazara province) is a woman. The only scene when it's prominent is the stadium [public stoning] scene.

Q: What was the father's job?
KA: There is more about that in the book. He's a trader and his class is higher. One thing not said explicitly is that he is Pashtun or ruling class. Afghanistan has 19 different ethnicities with cross border loyalties and ties. Pashtuns are not the majority but they are the kings and ruling class. The Hazaras are traditionally the serving class. Amir has a best friend who is a servant which plays with the dynamics of the story.

Q: How involved was Khaled Hosseini in the film?
KA: Huge support. He was extensively involved in adapting the screenplay with David Benioff. He came on the set when we were in Kashgar and San Francisco.

The Kite Runner opens December 14.



The 51st London Film Festival

By James McCaskill, DC Film Society Member

London is a great city to visit at anytime and the October London Film Festival makes it even more special. It is amazing that so many directors and stars attend, coming as it does fast on the heels of the Venice and Toronto film festivals and essentially at the same time as the Rome festival with its large cash awards. But show up they did. The 51st London Film Festival Opening Night Gala had the acclaimed Eastern Promises with director David Cronenberg and stars Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl in attendance.

There was quite a list of notables making the red carpet: Halle Berry and director Susanne Bier along with producer Sam Mendes came for Things We Lost in the Fire; Todd Haynes along with stars Ben Whishaw and Charlotte Gainsbourg and producer Christine Vachon were there for I'm Not There. Lust, Caution brought out Ang Lee and newcomer Tang Wei. John Cusack and director James C. Strouse came for Grace is Gone. Enchanted brought Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and director Kevin Lima for the UK premiere.

Several World Premieres brought out a number of stars: Marc Evans, Livia Firth and Colin Firth were there for In Prison My Whole Life, Tom Cruise, Meryl Street, Andrew Garfield and Michael Pena showed up for Lions for Lambs along with actor/director Robert Redford and producer Paula Wagner.

Other stars who lit up the red carpet were Laura Linney (The Savages), Wes Anderson (Interview), Anita Pallenberg, James Fox and Samantha Morton (Harmony Korine), Nick Broomfield (Battle for Haitha), Kim Longinotto (Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go), Richard Attenborough (Closing the Ring), and Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane).

International directors also came for their films: Julio Medem (Chaotic Ana), Jan Sverak (Empties), Brian de Palma (Redacted), Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis), Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light), Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), and Salvatore Maira (Valzer).

The Winners Are

There is no audience award, rather juries give 3 special awards. The top award, The Sutherland Trophy went to Persepolis (Marjane Setapi, France, 2007). The Sutherland Trophy is given to the most original and imaginative first feature film. In awarding the trophy the jury said of the film, "An astonishing and courageous film which captures a universal story with real style, irreverent, fresh, witty and also heartbreaking. Persepolis is certainly a deserving winner of this year's award. Last year the award went to Red Road.

The 10th FIPRESCI International Critics Award winner was Unrelated (Joanna Hogg, UK, 2007). Unrelated is a refreshing, original debut feature that is a bold and brutally honest portrait of a woman of a certain age, and a comment on middle class sensibilities that is capable of misleading the viewer at every turn. Lola won in 2006, Man Push Cart in 2005.

The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award winner was Sarah Gavron, director of Brick Lane. This award is given to celebrate and support new and emerging UK Film talent who have shown great skill and imagination in bringing originality and verve to filmmaking.

Recommended films from Toronto that were at London

Many of the films that Ron Gordner and I liked in
Toronto were top films in London as well. Alexandra, Alexander Sokurov (Russia); The Band’s Visit, E. Kolirin, (Israel); The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Julian Schnabel, (France); Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg, (Canada/U.K.); The Edge of Heaven, Fatih Akin, (Germany/ Turkey); Empties, Jan Sverak, (Czech Republic/U.K.); 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, Cristian Mungiu, (Romania), winner of the Golden Palm at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival; 4 months... is scheduled for a late December opening in the DC area. Jar City, Baltasar Kormakur, (Iceland), Best Film at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival; Lust, Caution, Ang Lee (Taiwan), winner at the Venice Film Festival; No Country for Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen, (United States); Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, (France) (Persepolis is scheduled for a Christmas Day opening at E Street); Secret Sunshine, Lee Chang-dong, (South Korea); and La Zona, Rodrigo Pla, (Spain/Mexico).

Synopsis of My Top Films

Must See

  • Andres and Me (Andrea Adriatico, Italy, 2007). An enigmatic and genuinely intriguing mystery about a political speechwriter who has suddenly disappeared without a trace. In my interview with the director he told me that "The film begins with a man sitting in a car, door closed and the film closes with a man sitting in a car with the door opening. In real time the film is only several seconds. The film is his memory of events with the ever present rain providing continuity and the soundtrack for the film. Rain is also a symbolic element. My country has a moral qustion in politics. Ten years ago there was a movement called Clean Hands which destroyed the political balance so the entire movie moves around the idea of clean politics. My films are well accepted in North America." (His most recent film was Il Vento di Sera, The Wind in the Evening.)
  • Cargo 200 (Alexei Balabanov, Russia, 2007). The most controversial Russian film of the year, a disturbing study of a police officer and his kidnapping of a young girl during the final decade of the Soviet Union. The action in this thriller is very intense.
  • Garage (Lennie Abrahamson, Ireland, 2007). Shows the complexity and value of a marginal character. There is something about the gentleness and slight absurdity of the characters in this moving film.
  • Night Train (China/Hong Kong/USA/France 2007). A powerful underground feature from Diao Yinan, the director of Uniform--a woman court bailiff finds that dating men can be the most dangerous game. The female lead appears ordinary but has an extraordinarily rich world inside her.
  • The Trap (Srdan Golubovic, Serbia/Germany/Hungary, 2006). The Trap is a film about a man who must choose between the life and death of his own child. It is a story about the moral dilemma of a man who can only save his son's life by killing someone else.
Excellent

  • Caramel (Nadine Labaki, France/Lebanon, 2007). Five women meet reguarly in a beauty salon where their relationship mirrors modern Beirut. Their intimate and liberated conversations revolve around men, sex and motherhood, between haircuts and sugar waxing with caramel.
  • Heartbeat Detective (Nicholas Klotz, France, 2007). In my interview with the director he told me that the film is "Not about the business world. It is a film that shuns contemporary time." Simon is a psychologist in the Human Resource department of a petrochemical corporation. When management gets him to investigate one of the factory's executives, Simon's perception goes disturbingly chaotic and cloudy. The experience affects his body, his mind, his personal life and his sensibility.
  • With Your Permission (Paprika Steen, Denmark, 2007). A comedy mixed with pathos, slapstick, opera and a wee touch of Bergman. Steen's dark comedy has an ordinary petty official, two mechanics and one violent yet enchanting woman at the center of a rotation.
Film That Won't Get To Your Neighborhood Cinema

In every festival I see several films, mostly small independent international films, that are worth seeing but never get distribution. One of the films from London that sadly fits that category is Redemption (Kunie Afolayan, Nigeria, 2006). I had an opportunity to talk with him after an Industry Screening and he told me that like many of these small independent films it was financed by family and friends on a shoestring budget. The film had to be stopped several times when he ran out of money. Afolayan wanted to show not only the diverse geography of Nigeria but also its many cultural groups. It has over 100 dialects. "I wanted to tell our story about our country the way it is with a story that would appeal to all," he told me. This is his first film. To prepare for this career he took acting classes in London for film and stage. "I did a short course and went back home and founded Golden Effects, my production company," Afolayan continued. "The film has not been released in Nigeria but may go straight to DVD to raise enough funds to make a second film. I cast the film by holding an Open Call. My best friend is not a professional actor but I cast him as the lead and gave him some training." Redemption was shot in many locations in his home country. "While shooting in the North we had to move crew, actors and gear. We ran out of cash, had to come back home, raise money and then go back. The religious ritual you see in the film was one I created from parts of the many religions in Nigeria. It has elements from Christanity, Islam and traditional. Whatever you believe will save you. The film was in a festival in Los Angeles but submission came too late to be in competition." Afolayan continues, "I wanted to present my part of Africa the way it is. The nurse's lecture in the film is important for a Nigerian audience to know about what a pregnant woman should do."

Film You May Never See at Your Neighborhood Cinema

A lot of the films in major film festivals never get picked up for distribution. Actually this one has been nabbed by Think Film International so there is a chance it may hit some screens in the DC area. The film is Zoo (Robinson Devor, US, 2007). Why won't this documentary show? Zoo tells the story of a seemingly average businessman whose secret sexual life led to his shocking death. Directed by veteran filmmaker Robinson Devor (Woman Chaser, Police Beat), the film explores the ensuing media coverage and public outcry that uncovered a secret community of apparently upstanding citizens who share this extreme and exotic appetite, revealing the enormous gulf between what we appear to be and who we really are. This film was inspired by the events that led up to and followed the Enumclaw horse incident of 2005. What was that incident? Kenneth Pinyan died from a perforated colon caused by having sex with an Arabian stallion.

Visit the London Film Festival website.



Juno: Q&A with Writer Diablo Cody and Actress Ellen Page

At a preview screening of Juno on November 13 at Landmark's E Street Cinema, audience members had the opportunity to talk with writer Diablo Cody and actress Ellen Page. Michael Kyrioglou, DC Film Society Director, moderated.

Michael Kyrioglou: The story was really wonderful and incredibly funny. Where did it come from?
Diablo Cody: It came totally from a place of greed! This is my first screenplay. I wrote the screenplay unfettered by expectations; I wrote a movie I wanted to see. I tried to find hilarity in awkward situations, in uptight yuppies.

MK: Have you always been writing?
DC: I wrote a book [Candy Girl] but never a screenplay.

MK: The producer found you in an unusual way.
DC: I had a blog that I wrote on every day. He read it and e-mailed me, "You should write a movie." I said, "bullshit!"

MK: Did he throw you the idea?
DC: No. A few months later I called him and said I have a screenplay about a pregnant teenager. He said, "Oh, it sounds great." I think he was worried that it would be deranged.

MK: How did you [Ellen Page] get involved?
Ellen Page: I first read the script while I was in 12th grade in Nova Scotia, Canada. I was floored. It was best thing I ever read. I adored the character. I became obsessed. I fell so in love with character. This has to happen! Get me the role!

MK: Did you audition for the part?
EP: I was shooting a completely different movie and [director] Jason Reitman met me at my trailer when I was making the other movie.

MK: Did this happen after Hard Candy?
EP: Yes. After Hard Candy was made it gave me access to films like this.

Question: Are you similar to your character Juno?
EP: I always get asked that question. In some ways I am.

Q: Is Michael Cera as awkward in real life?
EP: Michael Cera is the sweetest pea in the pod. He is so talented. I was a fan of his and got to make out with him and have a sex scene with him.

Q: A compliment on the dialogue in the film. You make up your own slang. Where did that come from? DC: I felt no pressure in writing the screenplay; I had nothing to lose. I just did something crazy. It was not studied or conscious. I always had my own vernacular.
EP: I had a different language with my friends when I was 16. It was genuine.
MK: I agree and would also throw in Clueless. It connected with youth at the time; it wasn't forced.

Q: Did Jason Reitman encourage your continued involvement after the film started?
DC: This is my favorite question. Most writers are not encouraged to participate. There is often tension between writer and director. Jason Reitman is generous and collaborative. I was "allowed" on set and encouraged to be there. He is a supercool dude.

MK: How set in stone was the screenplay?
DC: What was shot is extremely true to the screenplay. I was amazed at how many people came together to make the movie.

Q: How do you go from stripping [Candy Girl] to writing?
DC: It was weird. Juno was the catalyst for all the cool stuff that happened to me.
MK: Having written a blog, then a book and a screenplay, are you drifting toward a novel next?
DC: I want to write more movies.

Q: Do you prefer working on large or small productions?
EP: Juno and X-Men are different. X-Men was awesome, with three crews going at once. That was a wonderful experience. As an actor it is nice to be in a film where people care about script.

Q: What was your favorite scene?
DC: Juno and her dad go to the yuppies' house and have a culture clash.
EP: I love the scene where Jennifer says, "I hate to interrupt your jam session" and the scene in the abortion clinic with the receptionist.

Q: The songs are musical references. Where did they come from?
EP: The first time I met with Jason he asked what music my character would listen to. I said the Moldy Peaches. I freaked out when I met the musicians. I love Moldy Peaches.
DC: I had written glam bands into the script. I love the Moldy Peaches stuff better than glam rock. I didn't know about the legality of putting licensed music into the script.

Q: Did you have particular actors in mind?
DC: No, I didn't think it would be produced. Sometimes I would picture someone in a scene.

Q: How did you prepare for being a pregnant person?
EP: I bought "Pregnancy for Dummies." I watched Michael Winterbottom's movie Wonderland. And Jennifer Garner had just had a baby.

Q: How closely did the scenes match your screenplay?
DC: Most of the characters are taken from my own life, scavanged from the midwest which is where I am from. The characters look identical to how I imagined it.

Juno is scheduled to hit our local screens on December 14.



We Need to Hear From YOU

We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.



Calendar of Events

FILMS

American Film Institute Silver Theater
The series "Rialto Classics," originated by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, brings classic foreign films to an American audience. Titles include The Third Man, Mouchette, Mafioso, Au Hasard Balthazar, Rififi, Army of Shadows, Bob Le Flambeur and many more that are part of anyone's film education.

"A Man Vanishes: The Legacy of Shohei Imamura," a retrospective at the AFI and the Freer, concludes in December with The Ballad of Narayama, Vengeance is Mind, The Pornographers, Endless Desire, The Eel and Warm Water Under a Red Bridge. More Shohei Imamura films can be seen at the Freer, see below.

"Monty Python at the Movies" is a short four-film series from the legendary comedy troupe. You can see Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life, and And Now for Something Completely Different.

For the holiday season is A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Freer Gallery of Art
"A Man Vanishes: The Legacy of Shohei Imamura" is a retrospective at the AFI and Freer. This series concludes in December with Stolen Desire, Black Rain, Eijanaika, Dr. Akagi and The Profound Desire of the Gods. On December 9 at 1:00pm is a panel discussion "The World is Cruel When It's Changing: Edo, Imamura and Eijanaika." Panelists James Quandt, Joan Mellen, and Gerald Figal will discuss Imamura's perspective on Japanese cinema and the history and traditional culture of his native land. The discussion is followed by a screening of Eijanaika. More Imamura films can be seen this month at the AFI, see above.

National Gallery of Art
"Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania" concludes in December with The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, California Dreamin', The Great Communist Bank Robbery, The Way I Spent the End of the World, The Reenactment, Occident, The Rest is Silence and a program of short films.

On December 9 at 2:00pm is a lecture and film screening. Author Philip Lopate's topic is "In Search of the Essay Film" which will be followed by two essay films Night and Fog and Nobody's Business.

Other special events include The Strange Madame X (Jean Gremillion, 1959) on December 22 at 2:30pm, introduced by critic Jay Carr. On December 23 at 2:00pm and Decemb er 27 and 28 at 1:00pm is Fully Awake: Black Mountain College (2007) about the college's influential role in the development of American art.

National Portrait Gallery
In conjunction with the exhibit on Katharine Hepburn, "One Life--Kate: A Centennial Celebration," is a screening of Little Women (George Cukor, 1933) on December 13 at 7:0pm. A conversation with Hepburn's niece, Katharine Houghton who appeared with her aunt in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, will follow the film screening.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
On December 4 at 12:00 noon is Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Akerman, 1975). As part of the "Sisters in Cinema" series is Drylongso (Cauleen Smith, 1998) on December 12 at 7:00pm. Experimental filmmaker Yvonne Rainer's Lives of Performers (1972), about a group of dancers preparing to perform, will be shown on December 13 at noon.

Films on the Hill
On December 8 at 7:00pm is James Whale's acclaimed but rarely seen film One More River (1934), a scathing attack on the puritanical British divorce laws of the time. Starring Colin Clive and Diana Wynyard and based on John Galsworthy's final novel of his "Forsythe Saga" series.

Washington Jewish Community Center
See the Film Festivals section.

Goethe Institute
American-born singer Dean Reed is the subject of a four-film series "The Red Elvis: Dean Reed in Film." On December 3 at 6:30pm is Blood Brothers (Werner Wallroth, 1975) introduced by Professor Peter Rollberg. On December 10 at 6:30pm is The Red Elvis (Leopold Grun, 2007) and on December 17 at 6:30pm is Sing, Cowboy, Sing (Dean Reed, 1981); one more film in January. Dean Reed (1938-1986) stayed in Argentina after a successful South American tour where he hosted his own television show. After being expelled from that country in 1966, he settled in East Germany where he wrote and performed in 20 films, produced 13 records and gave numerous concerts.

French Embassy
On December 14 at 7:00pm is I Do (Eric Lartigau, 2007) starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bernadette Lafont and Alain Chabat. All three actors received nominations for France's Cesar award.

National Archives
The "Presidential Film Favorites" series concludes in December with It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946), a favorite film of former president Ronald Reagan.

A short (35 minute) version of John Ford's December 7th will be shown on December 4 at 11:00am.

National Museum of Natural History
On December 7 at noon is a film and lecture "Hidden Landscapes: Memory, Myth and Archeology: Early Native American History in the Northeast." Filmmaker Ted Timreck discusses his new work exploring the accomplishments of Native American cultures in New England and the Canadian Maritimes.

The Avalon
As part of the "French Cinematheque" series on December 19 at 8:00pm is Zim and Co. (Pierre Jolivet, 2005) starring the director's son, newcomer Adrien Jolivet who was nominated for the Cesar award as Best Promising Actor.

On December 12 at 8:00pm is December's "Czech Lions" film, Fimfarum (Aurel Klimt and Vlasta Pospisilova, 2002), a series of five fairytailes based on the book of the same name by Jan Werich.

Two Turkish films are scheduled in December. On December 6 at 8:00pm is Beynelmilel and on December 16 at 8:00pm is Ice Cream, I Scream, Turkey's official selection for the 79th Academy Awards. Check the website for more information.

Smithsonian Associates
An advance screening of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007), winner of the Best Director at Cannes, is on December 11 at 7:30pm. The film is based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir Le scaphandre et le papillon.



FILM FESTIVALS

The Washington Jewish Film Festival
The 18th Annual Washington Jewish Film Festival begins November 29 and runs through December 9. Features, documentaries and short films from around the world will be shown. Two official submissions for the Foreign Language Academy Award are among the films to be shown--The Year My Parents Went on Vacation from Brazil and Beaufort from Israel.



FILM COURSES

Washington Center for Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalytic Takes on the Cinema 2007-2008 Narrative Disorder: Psychoanalysis and Postmodern Film. These films make use of postmodern forms to represent internal struggles with death and loss, love and creative work. Postmodern films confront us with the challenges of interpreting disordered narratives which, like patients' stories, move back and forth in time, leave puzzling gaps, make mysterious juxtapositions. There are a total of seven films in the series, meeting once a month starting in October 2007 and ending in April 2008.

For December the film is Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster, 2006); the group will meet on December 14 at 7:30pm. The location is 6912 Ayr Lane, Bethesda, Maryland at 7:30pm. Sandie Friedman, PhD, is course coordinator. Continuing Education credit is available and DC Film Society members receive the member rate of $250 for the course. The non-credit fee for the course is $175. For more information visit the website or call 202-237-1854.



Previous Storyboards

November, 2007
October, 2007
September, 2007
August, 2007
July, 2007
June, 2007
May, 2007
April, 2007
March, 2007
February, 2007
January, 2007


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