Calendar
Septembers
Nov 19 - Nov 20, 2008
(Carles Bosch, Spain, 2007, DigiBeta, 100 min)
For the incarcerated participants of the 2005 Festival of Song, singing love songs is not merely entertainment. It is also a poignant reminder of the people they left behind. Carles Bosch, director of the Oscar–nominated Balseros, follows four men and four women in prison.
Le Chant des Oiseaux
Nov 19 - Nov 20, 2008
(Albert Serra, Spain, 2008, 35mm, 98 min)
Have you ever thought of the Three Kings’ relationship to one another while they traversed the world’s deserts in search of Christ? Albert Serra, whose previous film Honor de Cavalleria/Quixotic was named “one of the best 10 films of 2008” by Cahiers du Cinéma, is back with a film even more beautiful and crazy than his debut.
Solitary Fragments
Nov 18 - Nov 19, 2008
The beautifully nuanced performances of both Sonia Almarcha and Petra Martínez, as well as director Rosales’ keen ability to portray isolation and beauty in the apparently mundane world, makes Solitary Fragments a supreme delicacy not to be missed. Having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard section, the film swept three Goyas (Spanish Cinema Awards), including Best Picture and Best Director. Adela lives a quiet life in rural Spain with her son Miguelito. Hoping for more from life, she moves with her son to Madrid, where they share an apartment with a couple, Ines and Carlos. Stylish yet thoughtful and far from melodrama, the film takes you by the hand towards an ending difficult to forget.
The Flaming Lips' CHRISTMAS ON MARS: A Fantastical Film Freakout
Sponsored by the Vera Project
Nov 21 - Nov 22, 2008
(Wayne Coyne, Brad Beesley & George Salisbury, USA, 2008, 35mm, 82 min)
Psychedelic rock band the Flaming Lips' Christmas on Mars: A
Fantastical Film Freakout is a glorious science fiction film marking
the directorial debut of the Lips' visionary frontman Wayne Coyne.
Seven years in the making, Christmas on Mars features original music by the Flaming Lips, with acting performances by all band members, and many others from their Oklahoma City-based team.
Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press
Sponsored by ACLU of Washington
ACLU-moderated panel discussion after 7pm show on 11/22
Nov 21 - Nov 26, 2008
(Daniel O’Connor, Neil Ortenberg, USA, 2007, BetaSP, 97 min)
Although it is likely you’ve never heard of Barney Rosset, he is one of the most influential cultural figures of the 20th century. Through his imprint Grove Press and his magazine Evergreen Review, Rosset fought tooth and nail (often before state and federal supreme courts) for the American right to read the works of Samuel Beckett Henry Miller, Jean Genet, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Harold Pinter, D H Lawrence, Alain Robbe–Grillet, Amiri Baraka and many other “enemies of morality."
"Humanity did just fine and was probably better off for the torch Barney Rosset carried with grace, guts and good humor." -Seattle Times
The Sprocket Society’s Secret Sunday Matinee
Oct 05 - Nov 23, 2008
This fall, NWFF revives the classic weekend matinee! Every Sunday afternoon, thrill to a new cliffhanger episode of Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, perhaps the greatest movie serial ever made! PLUS a different classic (or just fun) feature every week!
Frontrunners
Nov 28 - Dec 03, 2008
(Caroline Suh, USA, 2008, Beta-SP, 80 min)
Grueling primaries, televised debates, newspaper endorsements, tense runoffs, questions of experience, charges of influence peddling and considerable schmoozing... We're not recalling the last two years of presidential politics; welcome to election season at Stuyvesant, NYC's public high school for gifted students.
"3 1/2 Stars: Wildly entertaining. A glorious study of democracy" -Seattle Times
Left Field Revival
Dec 02, 2008
What is your animal: A night of Big Bands, Short Films, Poetry Games and Dancing Mammals. A benefit for Left Field Revival.
NWFF Annual Holiday Party
Dec 04, 2008
Free! The film community is coming out for some holiday cheer. Join us for dancing, camaraderie and the second annual building-wide eggnog competition.
Great Speeches From a Dying World
Sponsored by Real Change Newspaper and KBCS 91.3 FM
Dec 05 - Dec 11, 2008
(Linas Phillips, USA, 2008, DigiBeta, 92 min)
Finding that homeless people seem to be invisible to the rest of society, director Linas Phillips (Walking To Werner) set out to familiarize himself with 12 people who were living on the streets of Seattle.
"I would not on any account miss Linas Phillips' Great Speeches From A Dying World at Northwest Film Forum" -Regina Hackett, Seattle PI
"A moving portrait of homelessness that's honest, respectful, heartbreaking yet warmhearted, and brimming with humanity." -Seattle Times
Vesna
Dec 05, 2008
(Frantisek Cáp, Yugoslavia, 1953, 35mm, 93 min)
One of the best loved of all Slovenian films—the national film award is actually called the Vesna in the film’s honor—this surprisingly gentle college comedy was a huge hit that helped put Slovenia’s newly founded film studio Triglav Film on the cinematic map.
Karma Yoga at NWFF
Dec 06, 2008
Treat yourself and Northwest Film Forum right during the holiday season. 8 Limbs Yoga Centers and Maygen McGrew are bringing yoga out of the studio and into alternative urban spaces through their Karma Yoga Series.
Dance In The Rain
Dec 06, 2008
(Bostjan Hladnik, Yugoslavia, 1961, 35mm, 100 min)
With its frequent shifts of point of view and jumbled time frame, Dance in the Rain (Ples v dezju) was one of the first films to introduce to Yugoslavia the new, modernist approaches to cinematic storytelling that were then emerging across Europe.
Paper Planes
Dec 07, 2008
(Matjaz Klopcic, Yugoslavia, 1967, 35mm, 80 min)
Beautifully acted by its two leads, Paper Planes (Na papirnatih avionih) is a delicate, quietly observed meditation on modern relationships that became an instant classic with both critics and audiences.
46th Ann Arbor Film Festival Touring Program
Dec 09, 2008
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is internationally recognized as a premiere showcase for creative, inspiring and influential films of all types: avant-garde and experimental, story-based narratives, documentaries and animation. As the longest-running film festival of its kind in North America, the AAFF is steeped in a rich tradition of groundbreaking cinema.
Work In Progress: Calamari Union
Dec 10, 2008
Richard Lefebvre’s long awaited re-make of Aki Kaurismaki’s Calamari Union, an ultra-hip absurdist comedy that brought Kaurismäki’s trademark blend of deadpan humor, idiosyncratic irony, mannered minimalism and compelling humanism to the fore, is screened here as a work in progress. Seventeen men named Frank walk from Georgetown to Ballard in hope of finding a better life. Most of them die on the way.
Next Dance Cinema Northwest
Dec 11, 2008
Velocity Dance Center brings Next Dance Cinema to NWFF for the first time. This is the third year of this showcase of dance films from Pacific Northwest artists. This year’s selection of independent dance films was curated by Karn Junkinsmith and the evening promises to enchant and engage audiences of dance lovers and film lovers alike.
Raft Of The Medusa
Dec 12, 2008
(Karpo Acimovic-Godina, Yugoslavia, 1980, 35mm, 101min)
Karpo Godina, one of Yugoslavia’s most talented cinematographers, moved to directing with this wry look at the arrival of the aesthetic revolution in the just-founded “Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes”—soon to be known as Yugoslavia.
Virtual JFK
Sponsored by KBCS 91.3 FM
Dec 12 - Dec 18, 2008
(Koji Masutani, USA, 2008, DigiBeta, 82 min)
Special Guests. Virtual JFK rethinks the legendary 1,000-day presidency, selecting from more than 250 hours of archival material some of the brightest, funniest moments from the Kennedy press conferences as well as some of the scariest ones, when the Cold War threatened to turn hot. The "800-pound gorilla" in the room is, of course, George W. Bush and his war in Iraq.
"Captivating...meticulous and wholly engrossing...The character study and narrative elements are particularly engaging as they resonate to present-day events." -Seattle Times
Idle Running
Dec 13, 2008
(Janez Burger, Slovenia, 1999, 35mm, 90 min)
Taking a page from the Jim Jarmusch notebook, first-time director Janez Burger elicits winning performances from his young cast and resourcefully fashions a quirky and mature low-budget movie about the consequences of avoiding life.
Holiday High Notes
Dec 14, 2008
The old meets the new in this rollicking and not-so-silent film holiday tradition, now in its third year at Northwest Film Forum. Don't miss Seattle's renowned Northwest Boychoirs as they sing in joyful accompaniment to holiday film footage, including vintage animation.
Sweet Dreams
Dec 14, 2008
(Saso Podgorsek, Slovenia, 2001, 35mm, 110 min)
A rich, revealing chronicle of an era, Saso Podgorsek's second film charts Egon’s attempt to find his own way among his family, hippies, schoolmates, teachers, Communists and dissidents.
Fresh French Shorts
Dec 16, 2008
Tonight's program of recent short films, co-selected and presented with the Alliance Française de Portland, includes an eclectic selection of narrative, documentary and animated international prizewinners and a few fresh surprises.