The Flat: Q&A with Writer/Director Arnon Goldfinger
By Annette Graham, DC Film Society Member
At a preview screening of The Flat at Landmark's E Street Cinema on October 18, writer/director Arnon Goldfinger was present to answer questions. The Flat is a documentary about the director's surprising discoveries when clearing out his grandmother's flat. From the website: "The flat on the third floor of a Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv was where my grandparents lived since they immigrated to Palestine in the 1930's. Were it not for the view from the windows, one might have thought that the flat was in Berlin. When my grandmother passed away at the age of 98 we were called to the flat to clear out what was left. Objects, pictures, letters and documents awaited us, revealing traces of a troubled and unknown past."
Arnon Goldfinger: The film was being shown at the Jerusalem Film Festival a year ago and something strange and surprising happened with it. Because the film was a co-production which means that it was produced in Israel and Germany together, one of the rules of this kind of joint venture of production is that you must do the whole post-production in Germany. Because of that no one in Israel could see the film before its first screening in Israel. Even people from the festival only watch a very-first version in order to decide if they will screen it in the festival. And of course when the film arrived in Israel it was stuck in the customs. When we screened it the first time, surprisingly something very very strange happened in the festival. Each Israeli film that had the opportunity to be screened was screened twice. Both of the screenings [of The Flat]--and no one knew what the film was about--were sold out. Nobody could explain why. Because of what happened, there was pressure to release the film, but we had no places to do it. We started to screen it in only two places in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and without really realizing it, was key for the distribution in Israel. There were so few screenings in only two places and it was again sold out. So all the other places wanted to screen it. It was a matter of complete luck. I asked people, "Why did you come to the see the film?" Many people told me they liked the idea because not long ago they also had to empty out a flat. That's how it all started. The film is still running in Israel after more than a year. I think what happens is that when people come a second time to see the film, they come with their parents, and feel that the film may start a discussion in their family. The first screening in Berlin was June 11 which the birthday of my grandmother. We screened it the first time in Berlin 104 years after she was born in Berlin. My mother was also at the screening, it was a kind of victory to screen this film in Berlin, in Germany. Three days later it was released in German cinemas and was surprisingly successful, still running for three months. And on September 20, we got a special award there, the "The German Art cinemas Guild Award for Best documentary in German cinemas for 2012." And September 20 was the day my grandmother died. I don't believe in those things, but I think it's a strange destiny of the film. When I started the film I didn't know what it was going to be about or where it would take people.
Audience Question: What made you want to start filming with the cleaning out of the grandmother's flat?
Arnon Goldfinger: This flat, I know it by heart. I visited it during my childhood and later on I moved to Tel Aviv and was visiting it every week or two. The first time my mother called us and asked what should we do with the flat. I just felt an urge to take my camera and film it. I knew immediately that it was a world that was going to disappear. I just felt I wanted to document it for the family, I didn't know. I had an idea to make a short film. I thought to myself what can you learn about people's lives from the stuff they leave behind? I had the idea to make a 20 minute documentary only with the stuff left in the flat. Then one day on the street I met a friend of mine, a cinematographer, and she asked me what I'm doing. I told her and she said, "It's fantastic. If you want, I could help you. Because last year I didn't work, I had the baby. Now I'm taking him to kindergarten so between 8am and 4pm I'm with you." With this work, you aren't in the flat all day long. So we doubled the team and for me it was an opportunity to share my ideas with someone. After two months she told me, "You have funny moments, you have enough for your family archive, but to be honest, it's a film about nothing. Nothing is happening here. It's time to say goodbye." I don't why, I just didn't want to stop filming. I told her, "No, there will be something." Then we started to find things, but I still wasn't sure that this was the film. At that time in Israel every year there is something they call a pitching conference. About fifty documentary filmmakers get a chance to pitch their film in seven minutes. The foundation invites people from all over, mainly Europe, and they can buy your idea. The director of this foundation heard I'm making a film, and liked my previous film. I told her I'm coming but next year. I had no film yet. She said, "You don't understand. You have to do it now." For the first time I have to think what my film is about. The day arrived. I pitched the film, completely another film of course, and suddenly the commissioner of ARTE TV, which are the biggest investors in Europe for documentary filmmaking, stood and said "I want this film." I was so frightened. I had nothing. It took two years to sign a contract. But the next day a foundation in Israel called me and said, "We want this film." That was the first money I raised. What am I going to do? When the time came to screen this film, about four years later, this guy that wanted the film, I told him, it's another film; there have been some developments. He watched the film, it was 2.5 hours long. He didn't mention anything about the change in the film. We went to lunch and I asked him, "How do you take this new version?" He said, "I bought a film about one family that lived in Tel Aviv. I bought a film about a generation gap, what can you learn about people's lives by what they left behind. And this is the film you showed me today."
Audience Question: Is there anything edited out that you wish had been in the film?
Arnon Goldfinger: We captured 160 hours for a 1.5 hour film. There were many scenes but step by step the editor pushed them out. I think she was right in the end. There was the scene where my mother and I visited the flat of my grandparents in Berlin. They lived in an area which was very bourgeoise but since they lived there the flat has changed. It was big at the time. The guy that lived there was a professor of physics. When he heard that we were coming he found the original plans of the flat. He showed us how they rearranged everything. My mother and I looked at the plans. You could learn that my grandparents lived in an eight room apartment, with space for a nanny and cook. When I asked my mother, "Did you have a nanny?" "Of course, who do you think raised me?" When we looked at the flat, it's not comparable to the one in Tel Aviv. This is the life they had to move from. This is what they left behind.
Audience Question: Has von Mildenstein's daughter seen the film and what is her reaction?
Arnon Goldfinger: She has seen the film because It was released in Germany. Before it was released, we screened it for her. It was a very intimate screening, only her, her husband, the German producer and me. I was very frightened. But I would say they accepted the film, and didn't ask for any change. It was very noble and kind of them. Her husband really liked the film. For me it was assurance that he really didn't like her father (everyone laughs) and she told me something very interesting, "Arnon, as you may understand, this is difficult for me, I understand why you decided to do this in order to tell your story." It was kind of a way for her to say, "OK, this is your story, I have my own story." I was thankful for that.
The Flat opens in DC on November 2.
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival
By Ron Gordner, DC Film Society Member
Excited fans at the Toronto International Film Festival. Photo from the TIFF website.
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held from September 6-16, 2012 and again included an additional second Sunday of screenings this year. Only a few films from major studios or highly anticipated indie films this year did not see the need to spend advertising at festivals for films like Lincoln; Life of Pi; Skyfall; Flight; Les Miserables, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, Promised Land, and The Hobbit: An Unexepected Journey. The success of last year’s Oscar winning film The Artist, which was well received at TIFF 2012 but was not the Audience Award winner, may have influenced more films coming on the festival circuit. Major stars, major directors and major films all come to Toronto. As part of TIFF2012, 289 feature films and 83 shorts (20 more features than last year), from more than 72 countries, including a record 146 world premieres, and many other international and North American premieres, are chosen from over 3,000 films submitted. TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and the innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. TIFF has a large economic impact on Canada, Ontario and Toronto since it brings in over $170 million Canadian dollars annually and currently employs more than 100 full time staff, 500 part time and seasonal staff and over 2,000 volunteers. The use of volunteers at TIFF really maintains the festival’s reputation as one of the best organized film festivals and one of the largest festivals still geared somewhat to public screenings unlike the Cannes Festival.
Crowds line up at the theater. Photo from the TIFF website.
TIFF has sections or categories of films and also has some art installations. Sections this year were: Gala Presentations, Masters, Special Presentations, TIFF for free (some free films publicly screened outdoors and a free additional screening of the Audience Award winner on the last Sunday), Discovery (first and second time filmmakers), Real to Reel (documentaries), Vanguard, City to City (this year’s selection was several films about the city of Mumbai), Mavericks (engaging, on-stage discussions with cutting edge and established filmmakers), Contemporary World Cinema, Canadian Programming, Canada Open Vault (retrospective films), Short Cuts Canada, Visions (filmmakers who challenge our notions of mainstream cinema), Wavelengths (avant garde cinema), Future Projections (cinema meets visual arts with moving image projects throughout the city of Toronto), and their famous Midnight Madness section (primarily horror and black comedy films screening at Midnight with usually an appreciative and rowdy crowd). The Wavelengths category described as: daring, visionary, and autonomous voices held many festgoers interest this year with films like Tabu, Mekong Hotel (from Thailand's auteur Apichatpon Weerasethakul), Post Tenebrux Lux (from Mexican visionary Carlos Reygadas), Three Sisters (from Chinese documentarian Wang Bing), Bestiare (from Quebec director Denis Cote, a zoo documentary), and Leviathan (a French-directed documentary that provides a bird's eye surreal view of being on a ship shot off the New Bedford, Massachusetts coast and providing a gripping portrait and battle of man, ship, nature, the sea and sealife).
With the opening of the Lightbox two years ago and the press screenings now being shown at the Scotia Theaters owntown instead of the Varsity theaters near Yorkville, the festival has all but moved to the downtown Queen Street area of trendy restaurants, bars, and CityTv. The Cumberland Cinemas (now closed), Varsity theaters, and Royal Ontario Museum were not used as screening venues this year, leaving only Isabel Bader theater as screening centers in Yonge and Bloor Streets area and the somewhat nearby Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in the Spadina area used this year. Last year you could elect to stay all day at the Scotia cinemas which also have several small fast food restaurants within the multiplex building.
TIFF2012 was the second year since the almost one year old finished Bell Lightbox theaters in its building complex were used for many screenings. Four of the theatres were used for TIFF screenings this year, the largest of which held 1200 seats. The facility shows first run independent and foreign language films, much like our AFI Silver theatre and also handles many Cinematheque Ontario screenings. The ground floor now also houses an exhibit area: TIFF Bell Lightbox's HSBC Gallery. A large interactive exhibition: Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style is an exhibit of the James Bond films and the design and style of the world's most famous secret agent. The exhibit will be on display from from late October 2012 until January 20, 2013 as the second stop on an international exhibit tour that began at the Barbican in London. Learn more about it here.
TIFF has become a major market and sales stop for films to North America. There is a small market at the Venice Festival but it is really Toronto where they are primarily sold. Nearly 30 films were bought at or just after the festival this year. Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, announced an impressive list of film sales resulting from participation at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. As the festival ended this year, U.S. sales confirmed for key acquisitions include: Beyond the Pines, Writers, Emperor, Thanks for Sharing, What Maisie Knew, Still, Something in the Air, The Brass Teapot, Imogene, Stories We Tell, Much Ado About Nothing, The End of Time, John Dies at the End, Byzantium, Dangerous Liaisons, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and Love Marilyn.
I thought the selections this year were one of the best years since I have attended the festival. I viewed only 2-3 films that could be described as mediocre of about 50 films seen. Scheduling was a bit of a pain this year since they had five mornings with either only one or no screenings until about 11 a.m. or noon. So I did see two Midnight Madness films: The Bay and John Dies in the End. Many of the films this year had a theme or sidestory that dealt with people overcoming disabilities like The Sessions and Rust and Bone and many films that were biopics or recreated some actual event in docudramas such as The Sapphires, Hannah Arendt, A Royal Affair, Hijacking, Kon Tiki, The Deep, Argo, Sessions, and The Last Supper. I also noted a resurgence in excellent Scandinavian (including Icelandic) films or co-productions. The Danish, Norweigian, Swedish, and Icelandic films particularly this year were gripping narrative thrillers or docudramas or told poignant stories that represented personal human endeavors and shone a light on societal trends and mores. More Scandinavian films seem have been remade for U.S. audiences without the subtitles and American casts, not always with good results.
TIFF did not have the usual 50 ticket pass this year. You had to buy a variety of passes including 10 packs and all the usual sent-in forms were replaced with online chosing of tickets based on a window period of time provided by TIFF to schedule your films. You had one hour to complete the task. The online system had been piloted to small groups of individuals the past two years of TIFF but went totally online this year. The system worked well and there were no requirements for second choices as in past years online or in the program scheduling books. Only higher TIFF memberships were given better window periods to chose films, so having your schedule planned ahead of time on paper or on a file was necessary, but also needed to be flexible since many choices had already gone to off-sales status. When you get to the festival some tickets are released each morning of the screenings at 7 am and people try to queue up at the main box office to exchange vouchers or buy tickets, or if you don't have vouchers you can try to buy them online or through the phone. Your place in line may determine if you can buy a ticket for that day or if you may have to take your chances in the rush lines. I was lucky that one ticket for Amour (off-sale for sometime) was released as I got to the ticket agent's computer. I rushed one film, The Hunt and was the last one to get into the screening.
Film festival attendees study their options. Photo from the TIFF website.
MUST SEE FILMS: (I did include some excellent films at TIFF2012 already seen closely before or after TIFF in DC previews and a few have already opened now in DC such as Argo, Looper, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower). Some additional films not discussed here that reliable sources on the street or in reviews also said were excellent are: The Art of Killing, Kon Tiki, Blancanieves, My Marilyn, and No.
Amour (Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany, 2012). The Palm d'Or winner at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, this is a poignant tale of an elderly husband, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) caring for his loving wife, Anne (Emmanuele Riva) after she has suffered a stroke. Many things in their Parisienne apartment, social calendar, and daily routines soon change. Isabelle Huppert plays their adult daughter, Eva who must also come to grips with what is happening to her parents as a dedicated, loving couple and each parent individually with their physical and mental health declining. A very different departure for Haneke who has directed the varied films: Funny Games, La Pianiste, Cache, and The White Ribbon. This is Austria's 2013 Oscar nominee for best foreign language film and may well be in the final five competitors or win. It should be released in DC just before Christmas 2012.
Argo (Ben Affleck, U.S., 2012). Already in DC theaters and expecting many Oscar nominations, Ben Affleck's suspense drama is based on the recently U.S. declassified event when six Americans hiding in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran, Iran in 1979 were rescued while 53 other American Embassy staff were still held hostage. Another "truth is stranger than fiction" tale of creating a fake film under production to scout locations in Iran with six guess-who as his crew. Although we know the outcome, it is still very tense and unexpected things do happen. Another example like Clint Eastwood of talented actors becoming talented directors.
Beyond the Hills (Cristian Mungiu, Romania/France, 2012). Director of the popular 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, this time tells the story of one young woman visiting another orphaned friend who has joined an Orthodox monastery. Which is more dangerous or explosive, impressing orthodox beliefs onto a freethinking being or one that may be considered possessed, versus freethinking and unrecognized passionate love and tension amid a devout religious community? This is Romania's 2013 Oscar nominee for best foreign language film.
Call Girl (Mikael Marcimain, Sweden/Ireland/Norway/Finland, 2012). The first feature film from Marcimain is again based on true events that brought down the Swedish Social Democratic government in the 1970s due to government ministers frequenting prostitutes and the scandal that school girls were involved. Pernilla August plays a hard boiled Heidi Fleiss-like madam who adds some teenagers from the juvenile detention centers to her stable. A few tough teenage girls soon get caught up in something they can't handle or escape.
The Deep (actor/writer/director Baltasar Kormakur, Iceland/Norway, 2012). Director of the popular films 101 Reykjavik, Jar City, and Contraband which was the American remake of the film he acted in called Reykjavic/Rotterdam). The film recounts the actual story in 1984 of fisherman Gulli who is the lone survivor when his boat is overturned in the frigid Icelandic waters off Westmann Islands. This is Iceland's 2013 Oscar nominee for best foreign language film.
Fill the Void (Rama Burnstein, Israel, 2012). Burnstein's first feature film is set within an Orthodox Jewish family living in Tel Aviv and the youngest daughter Shira has mixed emotions about her upcoming arranged marriage. A rare window into this culture and its faith, traditions, and family values. A young woman must chose to follow her family's wishes or her own heart. The film won the Golden Lion award for Hada sYaron as best actress at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.
Hannah Arendt (Margarethe von Trotta, Germany, 2012). von Trotta picks another strong feminine biopic to film. This time it is Hanna Arendt, played beautifully by Barbara Sukowa as the German-Jewish philosopher and theorist who creates great controversy when she covers the Adolph Eichmann trial in Jerusalem in 1961 for the New Yorker and reports that Eichman was not evil but followed orders or supported the "banality of evil" concept that does not show diabolical intent but an ignorance of the consequences of actions taken. Sukowa brings many nuances to the intellect and character who was also once a student and lover of Heidegger.
Hijacking (Tobias Lindholm, Denmark, 2012). A documentary style suspenseful feature thriller that seems torn from the headlines about a Danish freighter and crew captured by Somali pirates and held for ransom. Excellent cinematography and acting recreate the claustrophobic quarters on the ship and the intense company boardroom where the ethics of bargaining, money, and lives have to be balanced with the growing concerns of the crew and their families.
The Hunt (Thomas Vinteberg, Denmark, 2012). Beloved by his students, fellow teachers, and the community, elementary teacher Lucas (played by Cannes best actor Mads Mikkelsen) is suddenly accused of sexual misconduct with a young girl in his class, Klara, who is also the daughter of his best friend. The once mild-mannered Lucas, a valued member of his hunting club and community, quickly becomes the target of outraged parents and vigilantees. Does anyone believe his innocence? A film that will cause great controversy and discussion.
Laurence Anyways (Xavier Dolan, Canada, 2012). Dolan's first feature film was I Killed My Mother; this time has a fascinating story about handsome Laurence (Melvil Poupaud) who has a punk girlfriend Fred, but decides he wants to become a woman. Can their relationship still stand these changes and can his parents accept him? The film spans several years and examines the choices made and not made in Laurence and Fred's lives. The film won best Canadian narrative film.
Looper (Rian Johnson, U.S., 2012). Looper has already played locally in theaters and is a time bending tale of Joe Simmons, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as a looper in 2047 who loops time as a hit man, until he is instructed to kill himself (now played by Bruce Willis) from the future who is hurled into 2047 to be executed. Emily Blunt plays the self-reliant mother on a farm and Jeff Daniels the hard nosed boss who won't allow even the best looper to escape his fate. A thrilling chase and sci-fi film not to be missed.
Lore (Cate Shortland, Australia/United Kingdom/Germany, 2012). Director of the popular first film Somersault starring Abbie Cornish, Lore is a different twist on the usual post-World War II German stories. Lore is the 14 year old daughter of a Nazi soldier and as the war is ending she must try to take her 4 smaller siblings somehow safely to find her grandmother's home, at least 900 kilometers away. A stunning film about guilt, forgiveness and survival. Lore can be seen in November at the AFI European Union (EU) Film Showcase.
Pieta (Kim Ki-duk, South Korea, 2012). Auteur filmmaker Ki-duk who made the wonderful 3-Iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring, this time has another bold risky emotional film about an unfeeling brutal debt collector (orphaned as a child) and a mysterious woman who shows up and claims to be his mother and ask for forgiveness for abandoning him as a baby. A raw emotional rollercoaster ride based on guilt, brutality, forgiveness reflects Michelangelo's great masterpiece La Pieta. This is South Korea's Oscar nomination submission and also was the best picture Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival in September.
Quartet (Dustin Hoffman, United Kingdom, 2012). Academy award winning actor Hoffman's first directorial debut film is excellent with a screenplay by Ronald Harwood about a retirement home for artists that includes three members of a famous opera quartet played by Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, and Tom Courtenay and who are soon joined by the grand fourth member of their quartet, Jean played by Maggie Smith. Jean is not happy to have to enter the home and is no mood to resurrect the famous quartet for a charity Verdi performance to save their residence. Light, sweet, but also a very emotional film that should do well at the box office. Many of the smaller parts are played by other senior British, American and Canadian musicians, singers and performers who are wonderfully shown at the end of the film with acknowledgement to their talents. Quartet will also be shown at the AFI EU Film Showcase in November and should appear in DC theaters around New Year's or early January 2013. (We have notes from a Press Conference which will be in the January 2013 Storyboard).
A Royal Affair (Nikolaj Arcel, Denmark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany, 2012). A costume drama that is based on the wild true story of spoiled King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) who marries young Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander, also in this year's Anna Karenina) but he would rather spend his time being silly or in the company of prostitutes. The bored young queen soon finds the attention of the handsome physician Stuensee (Mads Mikkelsen) and the pair try to guide the King and Denmark out of the Dark Ages and into the Age of Enlightenment and public reform. Some of the court scene antics are reminiscent of the films Amadeus or The Madness of King George. This is Denmark's Oscar nominee for best foreign language film and should be in DC theaters in early or mid November 2012.
Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard, France/Belgium, 2012). Winner of the 2012 BFI London Film Festival's Star of London best feature and Audiard's first feature film after his Grand Prix-winning The Prophet at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. A tour-de-force film and acting by Marion Cotillard (who should receive a best actress Oscar nomination) and Matthias Schoenaerts from Bullhead. An emotionally charged film about individual survival and the relationship dynamics of two damaged individuals: Stephanie, a trainer of killer whales at a Sea World-like park and Ali, a bruising nightclub bouncer and sometimes boxer who has his young son with him but doesn't have the time or money to properly care for a child. A wonderful score and soundtrack mixes Alexandre Desplat's score with current hits from Katy Perry and others. A wide ranging contrast of emotions, and contrast and marriage of brutality with tenderness and vulnerability. Rust and Bone can be seen in early November at AFI's EU Film Showcase and in DC theaters around Thanksgiving.
The Sessions (Ben Lewin, U.S., 2012). Another film based on true events of Mark O'Brien, a man in an iron lung due to polio, who speaks to his priest and others and wants to experience sexual fulfillment. John Hawkes as O'Brien gives a multi-layered performance with just his head and facial changes. Helen Hunt is also very good as the sex surrogate, and William H. Macy as the priest. This may have many Oscar nominations including Hawkes for best lead actor. This film opens in November, also check the recent Storyboard Q&A on this film also.
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, U.S., 2012). Another heavy Oscar nomination favorite and it just beat out Argo at TIFF this year for the Audience favorite film, which carries some weight in some past years when Oscar winning films like The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire were TIFF Audience winners. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper play the leads as relationship- and mentally-damaged young people trying to recover. Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver play Pat's (Cooper's) parents. This film has comedy, drama, gambling, jogging, football and dancing. A film that rather than hide our quirks and differences embraces them whole heartedly. The film opens in DC just before Thanksgiving.
Zaytoun (Eran Riklis, United Kingdom/Israel/France, 2012). Another winning film from the director of The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree, and Human Resources Management. This time he tackles a story of the 1982 war between Lebanon and Israel, a captured Israeli fighter pilot Yoni (Stephen Dorff who studied the dialect), and a 12 year old Palestinian boy, Fahed who is armed with a rifle and who hates the soldier. A road trip requiring camaraderie and trust to get Fahed to see his ancestral home ensues. Zaytoun is an Arabic word meaning "olive" and provides a multi-layered story that involves trust, forgiveness, peace, home, and a small potted olive tree that Fehad has promised his father will eventually be planted at their original Palestinian home.
VERY GOOD FILMS:
Clandestine Childhood (Benjamin Avila, Argentina/Spain/Brazil, 2012). Based on the director's own experiences as a child, in 1979 12 year old Juan returned secretly with his parents to Argentina after years of political exile. Friends and the new school seem fine but he must be on guard at all times to conceal his famiily's real identity. A suspenseful story that makes one think about the freedoms we take for granted. This film is Argentina's submission for Oscar best foreign language film and showed at September's AFI Latin America Film Festival.
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China, 2012). Another version of "Dangerous Liaisons," this time in 1930's Shanghai, China before the Japanese invasion. Zhang Ziyi plays the innocent Du Yufen caught in the spider's web of the gangster Xie Yifan and a wild nightclub singer (Cecilia Cheung). Extremely lush sets and costumes make this a pleasure to watch, but appear sometimes to be too perfectly orchestrated to be real.
The End of the Watch (David Ayer, U.S., 2011). This has already played in DC theaters and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as police partners and friends dealing with the daily danger and grind of police work. The actors actually went through about 5 months of police training to make their parts and actions authentic looking. The gritty and fast camera work make this tough to watch at first but then it becomes a rollercoaster ride of thrills and emotions.
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India, 2012). A gala film that played briefly at Rio AMC theaters in Gaithersburg in October, this is a tale that begins in what seems like domestic bliss for Shashi in Pune, India. It becomes a film about a woman's self confidence, limited independence, and being appreciated. She goes to New York City ahead of her family to help her niece plan her wedding and at the same time to secretly learn English. Some Bollywood is mixed into the wedding and an awareness of immigrants desires to assimilate are strongly portrayed.
Everyday (Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom, 2012). The versatile Winterbottom this time tackles what is a simple story of a family where the mother (Shirley Henderson) and her four children go through their daily routines but also visit her husand/their father in a local prison until he is released. A quietly compelling film that was shot over 5 years using an actual family of siblings that really demonstrates the willpower of the mother to keep her family unit together.
In the House (Francois Ozon, France, 2012). An adaption of the Spanish play "The Boy in the Last Row" by Juan Mayorga is adapted to a French school where the teacher Germain (Fabrice Luchini) becomes fascinated with the writing style and content of a student's essays. Kristin Scott-Thomas plays his wife who works in a strange art gallery and becomes involved in reading the essays also that include the lives of his classmates and eventually his teachers. What initially seems like a light comedy becomes more of a psychological and suspenseful thriller. In the House won best film or Golden Seashell at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival.
A Late Quartet (Yaron Zilberman, U.S., 2012). Recently screened also and it will open in November in DC, a fugue quartet (played by Christopher Walken, Mark Ivanir, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Catherine Keener) must decide the future of the quartet and also how various relationships will continue or not. Imogen Poots plays the young daugher of Hoffman and Keener. The film and music and relationships have movements throughout the movie and discordant or sour notes to overcome.
The Last Supper (Lu Chuan, China, 2012). Director of City of Life and Death, has an historical epic about the fall of China's Qin Dynasty in the 3rd centrury BC, with lush scenery and costumes. Three powerful ambitious men, once allies, vie to become the next leader or emperor. Lu spent a great deal of time researching texts and the history of costumes and weaponry to make the film as authentic as possible.
Like Someone in Love (Abbas Kiarostami, Japan/France, 2102). Famous Iranian director Kiarostami makes a film in Japan that weaves a tale of truths and lies involving an elderly professor and translator, a cab ride, a call girl and her dangerous boyfriend. Much of the film is shot in moving vehicles and the professor's apartment or interiors. The release of only some facts is paramount in balancing truth and untruth in these stories and the gray areas of right, wrong, and being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Penance (Kyoshi Kurosawa, Japan, 2012). Clocking in at 270 minutes with one intermission, Penance is a crime drama in five chapters about the death of schoolgirl years after the crime, involving guilt and vengeance. A quietly boiling thriller and whodunit with many twists and revelations.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky, 2012). Already out in DC theaters, a film about how all the outsiders find one other and survive school in Pittsburgh 1991. Another film celebrating differences starring Emma Watson (from Harry Potter films) and her stepbrother, Patrick (Ezra Miller from We Need to Talk about Kevin) who discover a new wallflower Charlie (Logan Lerman) and help him survive high school.
The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, Australia, 2012). Based on a true story, four Koori girls (three sisters and a cousin) are accepted to go to Vietnam to entertain the troops as a singing group. An uneven film at times, but still an inspiring account of how the Aboriginal singers with an affable manager Dave (Chris O'Dowd) form a group and win their way to Vietnam. It includes the racial prejudice faced by the Aboriginees at the time with their own individual hopes, dreams, loves and challenges. Like some other films this year, don't leave before the credits which will show you the real women the film is based on and what they have accomplished.
Tabu (Miguel Gomes, Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France, 2012). Part of the Wavelengths section at TIFF, this black and white film was a real surprise. It is reminscent of F.W. Murnau and Robert Flaherty 1930s-looking films and is divided into two parts. The first part: "Paradise Lost" is filmed on 35mm film and set in the present with dialog, the flashback or second part of the film is called "paradis" and is shot in grainy Super 16mm to give a feeling and look of Portugal's colonial history in Africa and little or no dialog and provides a story that recalls Out of Africa. A recurring theme or symbol involves a crocodile.
White Elephant (Pablo Trapero, Argentina/Spain, 2012). Trapero completes a trio of films about the underclass in Buenos Aires (including his 2 earlier films: Lion's Den and Carancho) with a film about two Catholic priests (Ricardo Darin and Jeremy Renner) trying to save a large building originally planned as a hospital in the slums. They also help the poor people with the help of a social worker (Martina Gusman) against the police, politics, and sometimes even the Church to try and better their lives with social change.
GOOD FILMS:
Byzantium (Neil Jordan, United Kingdom/Ireland, 2012). A little like Jordan's An Interview with a Vampire, Byzantium is a story of vampires involving Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and her "sister" Clara (Gemma Atherton) at a British seaside town who befriend the goofy but harmless Daniel Mays, who has just inherited a rundown hotel called the Byzantium. An interesting method of creating new vampires and a male dominated vampire world are only some of the nuances in this over the top fun horror film.
Gone Fishing (Carlos Sorin, Argentina, 2012). The director of Bonbon: El Perro has a new quiet film that returns to his favorite landscapes in Patagonia with a middle aged visitor from Buenos Aires who wants to go shark fishing and find his estranged adult daughter. This is a road trip where Marco makes new friends, faces new and old challenges, and where Patagonia also becomes a character.
The Holy Quaternity (Jan Hrebejk, Czech Republic, 2012). The director of famous films like Divided We Fall and Shameless helms a film that seems like a comedy but has drama and warmth, about two couples who live next to each other and are best friends, and their children are best friends or dating. The adult couples decide to go on a tropical vacation and take their friendship one step further by swapping mates during the vacation. A film that may cause much discussion, but the audience in the screening I attended was left speechless by the concepts presented.
In Another Country (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2012). Always interesting films about male female relationships, Sang-soo's latest film has three parts, each with French actress Isabelle Huppert playing a different role as a filmmaker, married middle-class woman, and as a divorced woman all experiencing some kind of isolation or longing.
In the Fog (Sergei Loznitsa, Germany/Russia/Belarus/Netherlands/Latvia, 2012). From the director of My Joy comes a story from World War II in a dreamy forest with fog. A mild railway worker Sushenya is chided by the partisans and interrogated by the Nazis and is trapped when no one believes his loyalties of any kind as he is taken on a fateful journey into the woods.
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thornton, U.S./Russia, 2012). It's 1969 in Alabama and Jim Caldwell, the family progenitor (Robert Duval) finds out his ex-wife has died in England and wants to be buried back home. His adult sons are hippy Kevin Bacon, oddball Billy Bob Thornton, and uptight Robert Patrick, and a daughter and her family who descend on the family home to greet the mother's British family. The Brits includes her second husband John Hurt and his grown daughter and son. This is a hoot but has some poignant dramatic moments also as the Alabama and British families meet, clash, and resolve their differences.
The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, U.S., 2012). A film highly lauded by many critics has fine Oscar worthing acting from Joaquin Phoenix as a very troubled and alcoholic World War II soldier and veteran, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic founder of a new faith (it may be L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology are the rumors), and Amy Adams as Dodd's wife. The cinematography and acting are first rate but is there a narrative thread weaving together some meaningful story?
Midnight's Children (Deepa Mehta, Canada/United Kingdom, 2012). The film is based on Salman Rushdie's magical realist novel of the same name where in 1947 the night India was independent from England, two children are born, one rich and one poor and they are destined to live the fate of the other's life. A bit over the top at times, and needs to be taken as a fable. Children born at this time are called Midnight's children and have some telpathic powers. It is a somewhat epic tale that carries the children to adulthood.
Our Little Differences (Sylvie Michel, Germany, 2012). A fertiltity specialist and his cleaning lady share some moments when their children go out with a group and her daughter is suddenly missing. The parents have very different cultural and family values. They both review their parenting and other life skills and discuss their differences.
The Patience Stone (Atiq Rahimi, Afghanistan, 2012). This film is also Afghanistan's submission to Oscar's best foreign language nominees. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the patience stone refers to telling all your worries to the stone and it will set you free. This is about a young woman and her two children in a small war-torn village sitting with her injured husband who is in a coma. What would a Muslim wife tell her husband given the opportunity and how can she survive on her own skills?
Ship of Theseus (Anand Ghandi, India, 2012). The film was slow at first but then became very interesting and wove three stories about organ transplants and how the recipients felt into one story. The title comes from the saying, if every single piece of the Ship of Theseus is replaced, would it still be the same ship? So we have three stories of people who need an organ transplant of some kind: a devout monk who has ethical issues, an entitled female fimmaker who has lost her sight, and stockbroker who needs a kidney transplant.
Therese Desqueryoux (Claude Miller, France, 2012). The last film from auteur Claude Miller who died soon after making it is based on a French novel of a rich landed gentry family in southwest France and the intermarriage of children and lands. Audrey Tautou plays the lead of the patrician daughter who must play her role as the dutiful wife but sees in her young sister-in law and her affair with a handsome stranger the passionate love she has never known.
Twice Born (Sergio Castellitto, Italy/Spain, 2012). Actor/director Castelitto makes his second film about Gemma (Penelope Cruz) a woman who returns years later to Sarajevo with her teenage son but it also brings back many flashback memories of her American photographer lover and the war. As her son finds new friends and places, Gemma just finds more memories encountered when she sees familiar settings and people.
Watchtower (Pelin Esmeer, Turkey,/Germany/France, 2012). Nihat, who lost his wife and child in a driving accident, takes a job as a fire warden in a remote mountain area and Seher returns home from college pregnant. Rejected by her family, she finds herself as a cook at a roadside cafe at the foot of the quiet mountain also. Events bring the two characters together and the film also addresses the silence that women must keep in society.
DISAPPOINTING:
NONE TO really AVOID this year, but a few that were DISAPPOINTING compared to their reviews or hype:
Cloud Atlas (Lana Wachowski, Tom Twyker, Andy Wachowski, Germany, 2012). Possibly still in theaters this monumental task of filming a book with 6 stories for different time periods was problematic from the start and is a strange mix of spectacular visuals (like those in the Matrix series) and some confounding narratives that don't quite connect. Some of the stories such as the 1932 Belgian story of a composer helped by a musician and the modernistic tale of a futuristic Korea with robotic clones are fascinating, while others like the most modern story with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry and a strange language (true, true) that needed subtitles seemed like SNL skits and did not evenly thread together with other plots.
Kinshasa Kids (Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Belgium, 2012). Hyped by festival co-director Cameron Bailey as a documentary-like film of the wonder of music and life in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital and mentioned with the wonderful documentary Benda Bilili, I had high hopes for this film which was ok but rarely had the spark of the formerly mentioned film. The director created the narrative from a mixture of stories he heard from street kids, but I felt that the film looked too staged and had trouble developing meaningful characters.
Other Reviews and Awards
A criticWire survey of top film critics and bloggers selected their favorite films at TIFF2012 as:
Best Narrative Features: (1) The Master; (2) Silver Linings Playbook; (3) The Place Beyond the Pines; (4) Frances Ha; (5) Argo; (6) Spring Breakers; (7) Amour; (8) Tabu; (9) The Impossible; and (10) The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Best Documentaries: (1) Stories We Tell; (2) Leviathan; (3) The Act of Killing; (4) Room 237; (5) The Gatekeepers; (6) The Central Park Five; (7) Bestiare; (8) West of Memphis; (9) Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners; and (10) Three Sisters.
Note that some films like The Master make both the best films and most disappointing film lists. See the additional listings also including best lead and supporting performances from the criticWire@Toronto poll of input from 40 critics.
THE OFFICIAL AWARDS
The SKYY Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film
This award went to Antiviral directed by Brandon Cronenberg and Blackbird directed by Jason Buxton (TIE)
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian Feature Film went to Laurence Anyways directed by Xavier Dolan and carries a cash award of $30,000.
Award for Best Canadian Short Film
The best Canadian short film was given to Keep a Modest Head directed by Deco Dawson
The International Federation of Film Critics Awards (FIPRESCI PRIZES)
The Festival welcomed an international FIPRESCI jury for the 20th consecutive year. The jury members consist of jury president Diego Batlle (Argentina), Carmen Gray (United Kingdom), Freddie Wong Kwok-Shiu (Hong Kong), Sam Adams (United States), Pascal Grenier (Canada) and John Semley (Canada).
The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for the Discovery programme was awarded to Sweden's Call Girl directed by Mikael Marcimain.
The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations was awarded to France's Francois Ozon for In the House.
Blackberry People's Choice Award
The Blackberry's People's Choice Award is voted on by Festival audiences. This year’s award went to Silver Linings Playbook directed by David O. Russell. Runners-up were: Argo directed by Ben Affleck and Zaytoun directed by Eran Riklis
Blackberry People’s Choice Documentary Award
The Documentary Award goes to Artifact directed by Bartholomew Cubbins. Runners-up: Storm Surfers 3D directed by Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan, and Revolution directed by Rob Stewart.
Blackberry People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
The Blackberry People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to Seven Psychopaths directed by Martin McDonagh. Runners-up: The Bay directed by Barry Levinson and John Dies at the End directed by Don Coscarelli.
NETPAC Award For Best Asian Film:
The Land of Hope directed by Sion Sono.
You can find more information about TIFF at their website.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
The 25th edition of the AFI European Union Film Showcase runs from November 9-20. More than 40 films from members of the European Union will be shown, including award-winners, international festival favorites, local box-office hits and debut works by promising new talents, plus many countries' official Oscar submissions for Best Foreign Language Film. A few titles are: Quartet (the opening night film), Shadow Dancer from Ireland, Germany's Oscar pick Barbara, the highly anticipated Rust and Bone from France, Cannes Grand Prix winner Reality from Italy, and the closing night film Renoir. Passes are available.
"The Festival of New Spanish Cinema" (November 1-8) begins with Sleep Tight with director Jaume Balagueró in person at the November 1 show. Other titles include Iceberg, The Double Steps, Madrid 1987, Wilaya, Carmine or Blow Up and No Rest for the Wicked.
"Alien: Retrospective" (November 2-7) offers up all the Alien films including Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection and Prometheus.
Ernie Kovacs is the subject of two programs on November 3 and 4, of his pioneering TV work.
"Halloween on Screen" concludes in November with Possession (1981).
The "Kids Euro Festival 2012" runs from October 17-November 13. Titles in November include Tales of the Night from France, The Blue Tiger from Czech Republic, The Ice Dragon from Sweden, and The Rabbi's Cat from France.
The opera on film for November is Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" performed by Opera Australia and Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" performed by Teatro Regio di Torino.
The ballet on film for November is Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" performed by the Royal Ballet of London on November 4 and 5.
Freer Gallery of Art
The "First China Onscreen Biennial" is a collection of new and classic Chinese films. On November 2 at 7:00pm is Double Xposure (Li Yu, 2012, preceded by a short film Shanghai Strangers (Joan Chen, 2012). On November 4 at 2:00pm is The Ditch (Wang Bing, 2010) and on November 11 at 2:00pm is The Red Detachment of Women (Fu Jie and Pan Wenzhan, 1970).
A series of films by Ang Lee starts with Lust, Caution (2007) with more in December.
"Flower of the Steppes: A Festival of Kazakh Cinema" is a joint program with the Goethe Institute. On November 18 at 2:00pm is Letters to an Angel (Ermek Shinarbaev, 2009) with the director present and a reception following the film.
National Gallery of Art
"Shostakovich and the Cinema" concludes in November with Testimony (Tony Palmer, 1988) on November 3 at 3:30pm and Song of the Rivers (Joris Ivens and others, 1954) on November 4 at 4:00pm. The films features scores by Dmitri Shostakovich, presented in association with PostClassical Ensemble's Interpreting Shostakovich festival. All films have discussions.
"Chris Marker: A Tribute" is a two-part homage to the French director (1921-2012). On November 11 at 4:30pm is A Bientot, J'Espere (1968), followed by The Case of the Grinning Cat (2004) and Cat Listening to Music (1990). On November 23 at 3:00pm is Sans Soleil (1982) preceded by La Jetee (1962).
"From Tinguely to Pipilotti Rist--Swiss Artists on Film" is a series of new documentary works by contemporary artists. On November 23 at 1:00pm is Tinguely (Thomas Thumena, 2011) and on November 25 at 2:00pm is Urs Fischer (Iwan Schumacher, 2010). More in December.
"Werner Schroeter in Italy" is a two part series of the director's early films. On November 24 at 4:00pm is Palermo or Wolfsburg (1980) and on November 25 at 4:30pm is The Kingdom of Naples (1978) with an introduction by Roy Grundman.
There are two cine-concerts this month. On November 10 at 2:00pm is "Alice Guy-Blaché, Transatlantic Sites of Cinema Nouveau" with music accompaniment by Kim and Kathryn Kluge. (See also below for a symposium on Alice Guy-Blaché). On November 24 at 1:00pm is Kindred of the Dust (Raoul Walsh, 1922) with Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton on piano and voice.
Other special events for November are Vaclav Havel's Leaving (2011) on November 17 at 2:00pm, Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present (Matthew Akers, 2011) on November 17 at 4:00pm and November 18 at 4:30pm, and The Woodmans (C. Scott Willis, 2010) preceded by The Fancy (Elizabeth Subrin, 2000) on November 28, 29 and 30 at 12:30pm.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On November 8 at 7:00pm is Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (Allison Klayman, 2012) with the director present to discuss the film and answer questions.
National Museum of the American Indian
The Cave (Helen Haig-Brown, 2009) and On the Ice (Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, 2008), both short films, are shown daily through November at 12:30pm and 3:30pm.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
On November 17 at 1:00pm is Gone With the Wind (1939) starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
Washington Jewish Community Center
On November 11 at 3:30pm is Solar Mamas (Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim, 2012), about a Jordanian woman who attends India's Barefoot College to learn engineering skills.
On November 30 at 7:30pm is "An Evening With Agnieszka Holland," a screening of Europa Europa (1990), based on Solomon Perel's autobiography about his experiences during WWII and followed by an on-stage discussion with Agnieszka Holland and Aviva Kempner.
Goethe Institute
On November 5 at 6:30pm is Esterhazy (Izabela Plucinska, 2009) shown with Rabbit à la Berlin (Bartosz Konopka, 2009), both award-winning films, shown as part of the series "Berlin: City of Reinvention."
On November 9 at 7:30pm is The Gift to Stalin (Rustem Abdrashev, 2008), on November 9 at 9:30pm is Night and Fog (Alain Resnais, 1955). On November 19 at 6:30pm is The Island President (Jon Shenk, 2011), part of a series on climate and culture.
Films by Werner Schroeter are shown at the Goethe Institute and the National Gallery of Art. On November 12 at 6:30pm is Mondo Lux (Elfi Mikesch, 2011), a documentary about Werner Schroeter. On November 26 at 6:30pm is Salome, a staging of Oscar Wilde's tragedy. More in December.
National Geographic Society
Several films in the Kids Euro series are shown at National Geographic. Check the website.
French Embassy
On November 8 at 7:00pm is a program of short films by pioneering director Alice Guy-Blache. See also the films at the National Gallery of Art and the lecture program at the University of Maryland.
The Japan Information and Culture Center
A rescheduled show of Hayabusa (Yukihiko Tsutsumi, 2011) is on November 2 at 6:00pm. On November 28 at 6:30pm is Wanko: The Story of Me, My Family and My Dog (Isamu Nakae, 2011).
The National Theatre
Films starring Judy Garland will be shown during October and November. On November 5 at 6:30pm is Summer Stock (1950); on November 19 at 6:30pm is In the Good Old Summertime (1949) and on November 26 at 6:30pm is Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).
Arlington Arts and Artisphere
On November 29 at 8:00pm is the DC Premiere of The Big Easy Express, a cinematic musical journey directed by Emmett Malloy.
National Archives
On November 7 at 7:00pm is The Negro Soldier (Frank Capra, 1944) and Let There Be Light (John Huston, 1946), both WWII documentaries by major Hollywood directors. On November 9 at noon is The Negro Soldier (1944). On November 15 at 7:30pm is the short documentary Profiles in Service: It Takes a Nation, followed by a panel discussion. On November 16 at noon is Let There Be Light (John Huston, 1946).
West End Cinema
On November 26 at 7:00pm is a one-time show of Big Boys Gone Bananas (Fredrik Gertten, 2011), a documentary about the Dole fruit company's use of a US-banned pesticide on banana plantations in Nicaragua. Filmmaker Fredrik Gertten will be present for a panel Q&A.
Interamerican Development Bank
On November 8 at 6:30pm is the DC premiere of Rio de Oro (Pablo Aldrete, 2010).
The Avalon
This month's Greek film, The Mountain in Front (Vasilis Douros, 2008), is on November 7 at 8:00pm. The "Czech Lions" film for November is The Rules of Lying (Robert Sedlacek, 2006) on November 14 at 8:00pm. The French Cinematheque film is All Together (Stephane Robelin, 2011) on November 20 at 8:00pm and the November film for "Reel Israel" is Room 514 (Sharon Bar-Ziv, 2012) on November 28 at 8:00pm.
Anacostia Community Museum
On November 20 at 7:00pm is Our Nation's River: A System on the Edge about the Potomac River. Filmmaker Alexandra Cousteau will discuss water and conservation after the film.
The Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital
In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first publication of Grimm’s Fairy Tales in 1812, the Goethe-Institut, in cooperation with Hill Center, presents ten new family-friendly fairy tale film adaptations originally produced for German public television. On November 4 at 2:00pm is "Rapunzel." On November 11 at 2:00pm is "Snow White." On November 18 at 2:00pm is "The Valiant Little Tailor." More in December.
Alden Theater
"Classics of the Silent Screen" is a new series of films from the silent era with accompaniment by Ben Model. On November 14 at 7:30pm is "Silent Stocking Stuffers," a program of short comedies including Snub Pollard in The Courtship of Miles Sandwich (1923) and Good Cheer (1926) with the Our Gang kids. Film historian Bruce Lawton will introduce the program and Ben Model provides musical accompaniment.
On November 17 at 8:00pm is a program of short animated films from the 1910s and 1920s with French gypsy jazz music by the Hot Club of San Francisco.
The "Morning Movies" series on November 7 at 10:00am is North By Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959).
University of Maryland, Hoff Theater
On November 9, starting at 9:00am is a day-long symposium on the life and work of Alice Guy-Blaché (1896-1920), pioneering filmmaker and the first woman to own and run her own studio. The symposium is open to the public but registration is requested. See the website for full details. On November 10 at 2:00pm is a cine-concert of films shown at the National Gallery of Art with live music accompaniment by Kim and Kathryn Kluge.
Reel Affirmations XTra
On October 19 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm is Bear City II at the Carnegie Institute of Science, 1530 P Street NW. Reel Affirmations Xtra is a once-a-month screening; series passes are available.
Bloombar
On November 13 at 7:00pm is The Journey of Cape Verde (Guenny K. Pires, 2004), an award-winning documentary.
Busboys and Poets
On November 15 at 6:30pm is Hydraulic Fracking at the Hyattsville location.
Alliance Francais
On November 16 at 7:00pm is Black Venus (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2010), about a slave woman who was exhibited in a sideshow as "The Hottentot Venus."
Filmmakers for Conservation
American University's Center for Environmental Filmmaking And Filmmakers for Conservation Present the 8th Annual Fall 2012 Film Series held at Wechsler Theater, 3rd Floor, Mary Graydon Center, American University 4400, Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. On November 6 at 7:00pm is "Classroom in the Wild" Film Screening" followed by a Q&A. On November 13 at 7:00pm is "National Geographics's Television Film War Elephants," with David Hamlin showing clips from the film War Elephants and discussing the stories behind the film. More in December.
George Mason University
On November 14 at 6:30pm is Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (Alison Klayman, 2012), a documentary about the Chinese artist whose work can be seen until February at the Hirshhorn Museum. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Hasan Elahi, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Maryland.
On November 17 at 6:00pm is The Waiting Room (Peter Nicks), a documentary about what happens in the Emergency Room at Oakland's Highland Hospital. A discussion with the filmmaker will follow the screening moderated by the Washington Post's Ann Hornaday.
On November 4 at 7:00pm is Voices from El-Sayed (Oded Adomi Leshem), an award-winning Israeli film about the village of El-Sayed in the Negev desert that has a high proportion of deaf people.
The Phillips Collection
A film screening is part of a celebration of French artist Xavier Veilhan's art exhibit which includes music, gallery talks and food. The film Furtivo is shown at 6:30pm.
FILM FESTIVALS
A preview screening of The Loneliest Planet was held at the West End theatre in London in October 2011 as part of last year's BFI London Film Festival. The Loneliest Planet is based on the short story by Tom Bissell and adapted and filmed by American director Julia Loktev (shown in photo at left) and it is a U.S./Germany coproduction. Nica (Hani Furstenburg) and her fiance Alex (Gael Garcia Bernal) are backpacking in the Caucasus mountains in Georgia and a single event may change how they view each other and their relationship. The film opens Friday November 2nd, 2012 at the Landmark E Street theater. (Spoiler Alert--questions and answers provide some of the plot surprises.)