Calendar
Far From Afghanistan
Nov 23, 2013
(John Gianvito, Jon Jost, Minda Martin, Travis Wilkerson, Soon-Mi Yoo, 2012, United States/Afghanistan, 129 min)
On June 7, 2010, the ongoing U.S. war in Afghanistan surpassed Vietnam as the longest war in U.S. history. What do the people of Afghanistan have to show for ten years of war and occupation? Inspired by Chris Marker's 1967 collaborative undertaking, Far From Vietnam, Far From Afghanistan is an activist documentary that strives to contribute to the international effort to redirect American policy away from military and political intervention toward humanitarian and developmental care-giving (if and when requested by the Afghan people).
Far From Vietnam
Special film introduction and post-screening discussion with writer/programmer Philip Wohlstetter!
Nov 23, 2013
(Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, Agnés Varda, 1967, France, DCP, 115 min)
Organized and edited by Chris Marker, Far From Vietnam is an epic 1967 collaboration and essay collage among a handful of cinema’s giants: Jean-Luc Godard, Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Alain Resnais and Agnés Varda. It was made in protest of American military involvement in Vietnam (per Marker's narration: "to affirm, by the exercise of their craft, their solidarity with the Vietnamese people in struggle against aggression").
Punk In Africa
Nov 22 - Nov 24, 2013
(Keith Jones and Deon Maas, 2012, South Africa/Czech Republic/Zimbabwe/Mozambique, 82 min)
Punk music and politics were bedfellows from the beginning: the Sex Pistols’ anthem, “God Save the Queen,” set down a manifesto for angry youth and their power, and though punk’s flame burned quickly, its imprint remained. Punk in Africa tells an unexpected and mostly hidden (even secret and banned) part of the story, the impact that punk had on southern African nations.
À Bientôt, J'espère
Special film introduction and post-screening discussion with writer/programmer Philip Wohlstetter!
Nov 24, 2013
In 1967, Marker and his collaborators (working in a Marxist art collective) put self-representation in the hands of striking workers at a textile factory. The resulting film is a fascinating series of interviews and monologues about the strike, which was an organized rebellion in France in the year before May 1968. The documentary's title is taken from a stirring speech that translates to “see you soon, I hope": a light way to speak to capitalism itself.
To Chris Marker, An Unsent Letter
Nov 25, 2013
(Emiko Omori, 2012, United States, 78 min)
This contemplative essay film is inspired by Chris Marker's signature style, and made as part biography, part tribute to the legendary and ephemeral filmmaker. To Chris Marker is a cinematic love letter, directed by Emmy-award winning cinematographer and filmmaker Emiko Omori, whose credits include Marker's The Owl’s Legacy.
In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter
Nov 25 - Nov 27, 2013
(Tomas Leach, 2012, United Kingdom/United States, 75 min)
Saul Leiter has made a large and unique contribution to photography. One of our greatest street photographers, working in both black and white and color, he worked virtually unknown for 40 years. His high-profile exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1953 could have set his reputation as a pioneer of color photography, but Saul was never driven by the lure of success. Instead he preferred to drink coffee and photograph in his own way, amassing an archive of beautiful work in his New York apartment.
differently, Molussia
Director in attendance!
Nov 27, 2013
(Nicolas Rey, France, 2013, 16mm, 81 min)
Based on fragments from Günther Anders’ novel The Molussian Catacomb, which was written between 1932 and 1936, Nicolas Rey’s captivating nine-part film presents allegorical stories and musings by political prisoners sitting in the pits of an imaginary fascist state called Molussia. Shown in random order whenever it is screened (there are 362,880 potential versions of the film), the film’s nine 16mm reels ruminate on capitalism, imperialism and resistance—accompanied by gritty, unsettling self-processed images of undefined landscapes.
Lenny Cooke
Nov 29 - Dec 05, 2013
(Benny Safdie and Joshua Safdie, 2013, United States, 90 min)
The Safdie brothers are known for their irreverent, naturalistic comedies, but their unique style proves surprisingly well-suited to heartbreaking non-fiction in the new, quintessentially American documentary, Lenny Cooke. In 2001, Lenny Cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats such as LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. A decade later, Lenny has never played a minute in the NBA. The unfulfilled destiny of a man for whom superstardom was just out of reach, this poignant film turns the typical sports documentary on its head.
Soul Poet: A Lou Reed Tribute in Music and Images
Live music from Kinski, The Jesus Rehab, Robert Deeble and Robert Roth! Sponsored by Easy Street Records!
Nov 30, 2013
Join us on November 30 for a night of images and music as we celebrate Lou Reed's music and life. We invite you to take part in this one-night party by sending us links of what you want to see on our screen. With your help, we'll create an unforgettable evening of riotous revelry, fit for a poet-rogue.
Monstrous
A new work by Rebecca Brown World premiere!
Dec 05 - Dec 07, 2013
Rebecca Brown is the author of twelve books of memoirs, collections of stories, plays, and has collaborated on new work around the city, including at On the Boards and on an opera with Michael Katell. With Monstrous, a new piece for Live at the Film Forum, she takes as her touchstone the Romantic writers who pre-date cinema, but whose images and ideas have informed our concept of what is "cinematic": dangerous romance, aesthetic and political revolution, the tearing at old ways of seeing, untimely death, resurrection, natural destruction, beauty and ruins.
At Berkeley
Dec 06 - Dec 12, 2013
(Frederick Wiseman, United States, 2013, 244 min)
Frederick Wiseman’s X-ray portraits of complex worlds like zoos, high schools, emergency rooms and ballet companies have, over 45 years, produced a thrilling and labyrinthine portrait of life as collectively lived in institutional worlds. Now in his 83rd year, Wiseman has turned his gaze on the microcosm of the world that is a large college campus, in At Berkeley.
Next Dance Cinema
Presented in partnership with Velocity Dance Center
Dec 09 - Dec 10, 2013
Next Dance Cinema, our annual partnership with Velocity Dance Center, returns for its 8th year with new dance films from around the world. Categories this year include work made just for film, live work recast for the camera, and innovative work made through animation and new media.
Improvement Club
Dec 13 - Dec 19, 2013
(Dayna Hanson, 2012, United States, DCP, 98 min)
Equal parts musical comedy, dance film and mockumentary, Improvement Club is a delightful new film that traces a Seattle performance group’s attempt to probe the failings of the American Revolution. When the ensemble loses its shot at a New York premiere, their wish for an audience takes them to the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest on what becomes a surreal quest for trust, togetherness and the meaning of artistic struggle.
The Devil is a Woman
Screen Style opening night! Dress and Drink Happy Hour at 5:30pm!
Dec 13, 2013
(Joseph von Sternberg, 1931)
The Devil Is A Woman is the last and most stylized of the Von Sternberg/Dietrich films. Stunning in bright black and white, it’s the story of Concha Perez ("The most daaangerous woman aliiiive" drones Lionel Atwill as a bitter and broken-hearted cast-off, filling in quite nicely for Von Sternberg). Concha begins as a poorly dressed cigarette-maker with curiously impeccable make-up and hair in 1890’s-ish "Spain." Cesar Romero, handsome as a God, plays the gay young patriot enthralled with Concha after seeing her in perhaps the most intriguing Spanish-comb/pom-pom/mantilla combination ever enshrined on film. —Mark Mitchell
Kenneth Anger Shorts
Dec 13, 2013
(Kenneth Anger, various)
Kenneth Anger's ability to dance between the beauty of the beholder and the darkness of the evil is truly visionary. The collaboration of music and clothing will inspire you to seek the unknown and challenge your own talents. His expressionism through storytelling is similar to the expressionism we use when designing jackets. Each garment is designed with an intricate concept and solid craftsmanship, much like Anger’s films, created with significance to detail and inner meanings. —Aykut Ozen and Julianna Vezzetti
Holiday High Notes
Dec 14, 2013
(Various directors and countries, 50 min)
Our annual Holiday High Notes concert at Northwest Film Forum is the perfect way to celebrate the the holiday season (with equal parts nostalgia and bright anticipation for the future). Join us as we welcome the renowned Northwest Boychoir, Apprentices to our cinema to sing in joyful accompaniment to a new collection of vintage and classic holiday film footage. The choir's seasonal repertoire and angelic voices are the the perfect soundtrack to a cinematic wonderland of silent film Santas, animated elves and giddy children from days gone by.
Let's talk about Screen Style
Free event! Dress and Drink Happy Hour at 5:30!
Dec 14, 2013
Join us for an open dialogue about movies, fashion, style, characters and inspiration, led by Seattle Met style editor Laura Cassidy and including the Screen Style guest curators (and you!). RSVP for your free ticket >
Shampoo
Free pre-screening panel discussion at 6:30pm! Sponsored by Cin'atra Gold Filtered Vodka!
Dec 14, 2013
(Hal Ashby, 1975)
A ‘70s take on late ‘60s LA: farce and ridiculousness enacted in tiny dresses, ruffled shirts and big hair. Set in 1968, Shampoo presents the side of sixties fashion that made it to expensive Beverly Hills boutiques and hair salons. Gorgeous women in long bangs, miniskirts, and frosted makeup circle around George, the good-looking hairdresser whose uniform is as calculated and elaborate as theirs: shag haircut, heavy jewelry, unbuttoned shirt, leather jacket. At the end, when the plot drops this polished group into a wild LA party they look, well, overdressed. —Chiyo Ishikawa
Children's Film Festival Seattle DVD Release Party
Special $5 ticket pricing! Free snacks courtesy of Honest Kids, KIND Healthy Snacks and Mighty-O Donuts!
Dec 15, 2013
It's almost time for Children's Film Festival Seattle! Join Northwest Film Forum and KidFlix Global for a best-of-the-fest DVD release party this December, a perfect start to a day of holiday shopping or other seasonal fun with the family. Our party on December 15 includes a 40-minute program of some films on the new disk—a roundup of animated and live-action short films from England, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Russia, Australia and the United States—and free juice boxes, donuts and door prizes, including passes to Northwest Film Forum's 9th edition of Children's Film Festival Seattle, set to take place January 23 through February 2, 2014.
An Education
Dec 15, 2013
(Lone Scherfig, 2009)
Though it was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Actress for newcomer Carey Mulligan, surprisingly few people have seen this sweet film. Based on the memoirs of British journalist Lynn Barber, Jenny (played by Mulligan) is a starry-eyed but self aware high school student in 1961 suburban London. While on a rigid Oxford-bound path, she is disillusioned with the dull life she sees before her. Dreaming of the Parisian drama in her French novels full of art, music, and romance, she is easily swept off her feet into the fast world of a well-dressed older man who leads her into his loud, glamorous world. —Jill and Wayne Donnelly
Framing Pictures
Free event!
Feb 28 - Jul 20, 2014
Join us for a free, lively monthly discussion led by long-time Seattle film critics (and occasional guests) who have much to say on the subject of cinephilia past, present and future. The July conversation includes former Film Comment editor Richard Jameson, Everett Herald/KUOW critic Robert Horton and Bruce Reid.
Holiday Party
Free event!
Dec 20, 2013
Our annual holiday bash gives you the chance to dance it all off, enter into the stiff competition that is our annual Egg Nog Off (judged by Santa) and perhaps meet the cast of your next film. Don't miss Framing Pictures, our free monthly film salon, ahead of the party at 6pm.
Happy Holidays from Northwest Film Forum
Dec 21 - Jan 02, 2014
Happy Holidays from all of us here at Northwest Film Forum! Our cinemas are closed December 21 - January 2, and we look forward to seeing you in 2014 for more great films and classes.