An architect builds a house in an alleyway for writer Etgar Keret
Now underway at Anthology Film Archives, a retrospective of Austria’s top subversive “documentary” filmmaker Ulreich Seidl. Featuring several of Seidl’s films, including MODELS and ANIMAL LOVE, in addition to his latest narrative masterpiece IMPORT/EXPORT.
Also playing now at Anthology is Lee Ann Schmitt’s CALIFORNIA COMPANY TOWN, which is not to be missed. In the fashion of James Benning, Schmitt films 16mm landscapes of neglected and abandoned industry towns in California while narrating their stories.
For more info go to: www.anthologyfilmarhcives.org
“[Seidl] is a documentarian in the tradition of Luis Buñuel and Werner Herzog. He’s an artist whose realistic, unsparing films about ‘ordinary’ people leading terrible lives have a whiff of the surreal.” –Michael Wilmington, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The experience of living in a particular place at a particular time, the phenomena of time and space, and the space between ideology and the reality of the spaces we inhabit are central to Schmitt’s essay. - (RM) Rotterdam Film Festival
A festival hit from Cannes and the New York Film Festival, Pablo Larrain’s Tony Manero is now screening at Cinema Village. One of the more chilling and original films out in some time, this one is not to be missed.
Balancing black humor against allegorical indictment of the Pinochet regime’s oppression on narrow stack heels, striking, very offbeat period pic “Tony Manero” follows a psychotic petty criminal into the depths of his crazed obsession with John Travolta’s character in “Saturday Night Fever.” Sophomore feature by Chilean helmer Pablo Larrain (“Fuga”) continually intrigues as tone constantly shifts about, in line with unexpected plot twists. - Leslie Felperin, VARIETY
Distributed by the newly formed Lorber Films - www.lorberhtdigital.com
Head out to Otto’s Shrunken Head this Saturday, June 20 for an exotic, surf-themed night of cinema and music. First up is Duda Leite’s Tikimentary, a documentary about all things tiki, which shows at 7PM. Following the screening is a lineup of surf rock bands, including The Chillers, Thee Icepicks, Bongo Surf, The Octomen, and Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys.
Showing Saturday, June 20 at 7PM at Otto’s Shrunken Head.
Touted as the most extensive Dardenne retrospective ever mounted, Lincoln Center hosts a week of films from the unimitable chroniclers of Belgium’s street culture and society on the fringes. Beyond L’Enfant: The Complete Dardenne Brothers began last night and runs through June 2.
Screenings include Palme d’Or winners L’Enfant (The Child) and Rosetta, as well as exciting and hard to find early documentaries and shorts. Highlighting the series is a conversation between Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne and Kent Jones, tomorrow at 8:30PM at Walter Reade. For more information visit:
www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/dardenne/program.html
Filmmaker Reuben Meltzer’s third annual A Name in White Film Festival is happening this Sunday, May 24 at Millenium Film Workshop. There are two separate programs, one at 2pm and one at 5pm, and both include a separate lineup of local New York filmmakers including Joel Schelmowitz, Karl Mendoca, Reed French, Jeff Curran, Will Lucas, Maura Feeney, Jonah Kruvant, Savros Toumanidis, Tawania Pettus, Adele Ray, Juan David Gonzalez, Paul Gennaro, Morgyanna Roach, and Cullen Gallagher. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Showing Sunday, May 24 at 2pm and 5pm at Millenium Film Workshop.
One of the most anticipated docs of the year, ANDERS ØSTERGAARD’s Burma VJ, is now playing at Film Forum courtesy of Oscilloscope Pictures. Burma VJ has garnered awards and attention from top film festivals including IDFA, DOX, Sundance, SxSW and Hot Docs. Doc follows a courageous group of underground video journalists who risk everything to document 2007 uprising junta uprising in Burma. For more information go to:
www.filmforum.org/films/burma.html
Tonight’s 8PM screening features a Q&A with Featured Buddhist Monks
Venerable U Gawsita, Venerable U Agga Nyana & Venerable Pyinyar Zawta,
Leaders of the 2007 Uprising
Don’t miss the second week of the Con Film Festival at Film Forum that runs through May 21st. Although a few gems have already passed there are still a handful of thrilling bad guy (and bad girl) flicks left to catch.
This Wednesday is a 2 For 1 ticket deal to see Sidney Potier and Tony Curtis escape from a prison van in The Defiant Ones and the classic Cool Hand Luke. Or catch a double-feature on Thursday with Fritz Lang’s You Only Live Once and Marion Gering’s Pick Up.
Check out the full line-up HERE.
Make sure to get out to MoMA for the last week of the Kim Longinotto retrospective and see some of the finest documentaries of the past few decades. “Longinotto is one of the pre-eminent documentary filmmakers working today, renowned for creating extraordinary human portraits and tackling controversial topics with sensitivity and compassion. Longinotto’s films have won international acclaim and dozens of premiere awards at festivals worldwide”(Women Make Movies). SISTERS IN LAW (poigniant and sometimes comedic doc following two extraordinary women in Cameroon fighting for justice) and THE DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET (on female gential mutilation in Kenya) will both be screening again this week amongst others.
Photo: Shinjuku Boys. 1995. Great Britain. Directed by Kim Longinotto, Jano Williams
More information: www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/947
Screenshots is a new montly media and video series. Quickshots, this month’s event, occurs May 15 at The Archive in Brooklyn and is organized by curator Nana Seo and artist Leung Chi Wo, both based out of Hong Kong. The artists featured include: Chow Chun Fai (Hong Kong), David Clarke (Hong Kong), Ise Parkingproject (Malaysia), Yoshiaki Kaihatsu (Tokyo), Kwan Sheung Chi (Hong Kong), Lam Tung Pang (Beijing), Michael Lee Hong Hwee, Willam Phuan & Tan Chee Tat (Singapore), Lee Kit (Hong Kong), Alexia Mellor (Boston), Nam HyoJun (Shanghai), Huong Ngo (New York), Nguyen Quang Huy (Hanoi), Political Art Group (Hong Kong), Qiu Anxiong (Guangzhou), Gilad Ratman (New York) and Doris Wong Wai Yin (Hong Kong).
Shows at Friday, May 15 at 9:30PM at The Archive (49 Bogart Street, Brooklyn).
(image courtesy of kleebversestheworld.blogspot.com)