Calendar
La Libertad
Seattle Premiere
Director in Attendance
Nov 11 - Nov 14, 2009
(Lisandro Alonso, Argentina, 2001, 35mm, 73 min)
The first feature by celebrated Argentine director Lisandro Alonso, La Libertad is a thought-provoking piece of minimalist realism. The actor playing the protagonist, a woodcutter named Misael, had never been to the movies let alone been trained as an actor. He spends his days chopping wood, transporting it, hunting and sleeping.
Fantasma
Seattle Premiere
Director in Attendance
Nov 14, 2009
(Lisandro Alonso, Argentina, 2006, 35mm, 63 min)
A rewarding meta-commentary on his first two films, Lisandro Alonso’s Fantasma functions as a meditation on the themes and characters in La Libertad and Los Muertos. Alonso entices the two leading men from his previous films, Misael and Vargas, to leave their secluded rural homes and wander through the San Martin Theatre in Buenos Aires.
Liverpool
Seattle Premiere Free screening for members on Monday at 7pm; followed by a discussion with program director Adam Sekuler
Director in Attendance Friday & Saturday
Nov 13 - Nov 19, 2009
(Lisandro Alonso, Argentina, 2008, 35mm, 84 min)
A graceful ode to solitude and the existential need for meaning, the story follows a sailor named Farrel on a lonely journey in the southernmost region of Argentina. After traveling the world, Farrel asks the captain if he can leave the ship to see if his mother still lives in their old village.
"Bleak and beautiful, this is the richest of Alonso’s films to date" -The Stranger
Araya
Seattle Premiere
New 35mm Print
Nov 13 - Nov 19, 2009
(Margot Benacerraf, Venezuela / France, 1959, 35mm, 82 min)
This remarkably beautiful documentary about life on the arid peninsula of Araya has won unanimous critical acclaim upon each of its rare screenings over the past five decades. Not until now, however, have audiences had the chance to experience the original version that prompted Jean Renoir to urge Benacerraf: “Above all…don’t cut a single image!” Lyrically capturing the rhythms of a culture over the course of 24 hours, Araya is canonical both as Venezuelan and as feminist Latina cinema.
"Stunningly photographed...[a] work of poeticized ethnography." -Seattle Weekly
Los Muertos
Seattle Premiere
Director in Attendance
Nov 12 - Nov 15, 2009
(Lisandro Alonso, Argentina, 2004, 35mm, 73 min)
After serving thirty years in prison, a grim man named Vargas journeys back through thick jungle and swamp to reunite with the daughter he left behind long ago. A mysterious aura emanates from him, just as it does from the inscrutable depths of the jungle, so that they meld together in a way that blurs the lines of the man’s identity.
Stingray Sam
Writer/Director/Star Cory McAbee IN-PERSON! Seattle premiere
Nov 20, 2009
Cory McCabe USA, 2009, 61 Min
Cory McAbee (Stingray Sam) is best known as the writer, director and lead actor of the award winning film, THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT. His latest STINGRAY SAM is a six-episode musical-western mini-series that takes place in outer space.
Quarterly Film Challenge Screenings: Silence is Golden
Nov 21, 2009
This fall the Northwest Film Forum’s quarterly film challenge asks local filmmakers to stretch their imaginations and create a silent film. Those who participate will be challenged to think back to the early days of film, before characters had a material voice, and create a five-minute short within the constraints of image alone. Participants will be allowed to use music to drive the story, but there must not be a single spoken word uttered, whether that be by a character, a voice-over or an omnipotent presence. Any music should be instrumental only. So forget about talkies kids, silence is golden!
Money Driven Medicine
Nov 22, 2009
(Alex Gibney, 2009, USA, digiBETA, 82 min)
Money-Driven Medicine provides the essential introduction Americans need to become knowledgeable participants in healthcare reform, now and in the years ahead.
Stephanie Maxwell Visual Music
Director in Attendance
Nov 23, 2009
This screening will feature selections from Maxwell’s work from 1984 through her two newest works from 2008, as well as a twelve-minute short documentary about Maxwell’s filmmaking process, with footage of the artist at work.
Pamela Z Live
Co-Presented by University of Washington, Bothell
Nov 24, 2009
Pamela Z will perform an evening of solo works for voice, electronics, and video. This program will combine short, stand-alone pieces with excerpts from many of Ms. Z’s full-evening intermedia performance works – including segments from her latest work-in-progress “Baggage Allowance" - providing a representative survey of an extensive body of work.
The Passion of Anna
Nov 20 - Nov 25, 2009
(Ingmar Bergman, 1969, Sweden, 35mm, 101 min)
On the Swedish island of Fårö, two men and two women struggle to shun their troubled psyches, in turn complicating their relationships with each other. Intercut with revealing interviews with the actors.
The Yes Men Fix the World
Nov 27 - Dec 03, 2009
(Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno, 2008, USA, 35mm, 89 min)
On the anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle, join the Yes Men, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, as they battle the free market mentality with their politically charged hijinks. Their method: select a corporation they don’t like, set up a fake website and wait until they’re invited to speak at an event as a representative of said despised company.
Indigenous Showcase
Sep 12 - Nov 28, 2009
Northwest Film Forum partners with Longhouse Media and National Geographic All Roads Film Project to present a monthly series showcasing emerging talents in indigenous communities. This exciting program shows how Native American and indigenous filmmakers are at the forefront of the industry, successfully establishing a dialogue and creating images that are challenging, changing long established cultural attitudes towards indigenous culture.
Wings of Desire
Nov 30 - Dec 01, 2009
(Wim Wenders, 1988, West Berlin, 35mm, 127 min)
Made in the late 1980’s, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, a feeling of division permeates Wender’s classic Wings Of Desire. Not only is Berlin a city carved in half, but its inhabitants, both human and celestial, are cut off from love and sensation.
Berlin-Schoenhauser Corner
Nov 30 - Dec 01, 2009
(Gerhard Klein, 1957, East Germany, Beta-SP, 79 min)
Corner is set in a post-war but pre-Wall Berlin, in which rebellious teenagers deviate from the state’s socialist ideals in favor of running illegal currency-transaction rackets, fantasizing about fleeing westwards or getting pregnant.
La Danse: Le Ballet de l'Opera de Paris
Sponsored by the Consulate General of France, San Francisco
Dec 04 - Dec 16, 2009
(Fredrick Wiseman, 2009, USA/France, DVCAM, 160 min)
Held over for additional dates!
The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world’s storied ballet companies and Fredrick Wiseman is one of the world’s legendary filmmakers. This documentary combines the two as Wiseman follows the rehearsals and performances of seven ballets.
"Four stars: captures the fleeting beauty of ballet in dozens of miniature portraits, each quietly soaring...It's magical." -Seattle Times
"The documentary is a pleasure to watch because the dancers, even when practicing, when repeating moves and gestures, never lose that aura of body-magic." -The Stranger
"SW Pick: Magnificent...shot in deeply satisfying long takes of gorgeous young men and women starting, stopping, listening, questioning, repeating, perfecting." -Seattle Weekly
Jose Bold presents: Mountain (Film+Music)
Dec 05, 2009
(Jose Bold, 2009, USA. 60mins)
Jose Bold (John Osebold) returns at the end of 2009 with a new December album and film-laden concert. The live show in accompaniment to the 2009 album will feature John Osebold, longtime collaborator Kirk Anderson, unusual and dreamlike filmic elements, and special guests.
Volunteer Meeting
Dec 07, 2009
Current and prospective Film Forum volunteers, please join us for our quarterly all-volunteer meeting on Monday, December 7 at 7pm in the upstairs workshop room. We'll be going over the highlights of the Winter calendar, discussing news and changes at the organization, mixing and socializing over some light snacks, and introducing our new volunteer coordinator, Mr. Brady Rainey.
And Your Love Too (Und deine Liebe auch)
Dec 07 - Dec 08, 2009
(Jürgen Vogel, 1962, East Germany, Beta-SP, 124 min)
Directed by Jürgen Vogel, And Your Love Too is a declaration of love to the city of Berlin and an argument for the building of the Wall.
Yesterday Girl
Dec 07 - Dec 08, 2009
(Alexander Kluge, 1966, West Germany, 16mm, 88 min)
This stunning feature debut by Alexander Kluge launched the movement known as the New German Cinema after the film's triumph at the Venice International Film Festival.
Symposium with Cordula Brown
Dec 09, 2009
At the center of this Symposium on Yesterday Girl [Abschied von Gestern, 1966] is an examination of the beginnings of a new West Germany cinema which tries to establish, at the same time, a continuation of European avant-garde film tradition from before the Nazi regime. Expect an interactive lecture with clippings and lengthy Q&A session.
Soul Nite!
Dec 10, 2009
Join host/curator Peter Lucas and DJs Greasy and David James for a celebration of great Soul music. This installment of Soul Nite focuses on funky performances from the late 60s and early 70s.
True Grit
Please note updated showtimes!
Dec 12 - Dec 13, 2009
(Henry Hathaway, 1969, USA, 35mm, 127 min)
An unusually intimate character study for John Wayne, True Grit showcases John Wayne's ability to convey compassion and gruffness at the same time. A teenager hires Rooster Cogburn (Wayne) to track down her father's killer. Their adventure into the west ends with a memorable final scene that rests among the finest of Wayne showdowns.
Once Upon a Time in the West
Please note updated showtimes!
Dec 12 - Dec 13, 2009
(Sergio Leone, 1968, Italy/United States, 35mm, 175 min)
Only recently made available in the U.S., Leone’s preferred version of his classic western is one of the finest examples both of the western genre and of the Italian director’s impressive filmography. Ennio Morricone’s equally famous score sets the backdrop for stars Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Jr. and Claudia Cardinale to set the screen ablaze.
Holiday High Notes
Dec 13, 2009
(Various directors and countries, 50 min)
This annual concert at Northwest Film Forum is the perfect way to usher in the holiday season with equal parts nostalgia and bright anticipation for the future. Join us as we welcome the renowned Northwest Boychoirs to our cinema to sing in joyful accompaniment to vintage holiday film footage, lending angelic voices and a sophisticated seasonal repertoire as the soundtrack to a cinematic wonderland of silent film Santas, animated elves and giddy children from days gone by.