Calendar
Jean Gentil
Directors in attendance Fri-Sun!
Apr 27 - May 03, 2012
(Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, Mexico/Dominican Republic, 2010, 35mm, 84 min)
Right before Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, husband and wife Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán traveled to the island to shoot Jean Gentil, whose gentleman hero, Jean Remy, loses his job teaching French and must scramble for work in Santo Domingo. The wonder of Jean Gentil is its ability to follow Jean’s every hardship, as well as to stand in the shadow of the earthquake that would strike during production, and yet, in focusing so closely on one man’s actions and reactions, to rise above the grimness of its circumstance.
Les dames du Bois de Boulogne
May 02, 2012
(Robert Bresson, 1945, France, 35mm, 90 min)
Critic David Thomson calls this “a landmark in cinema history.”
The Trial of Joan of Arc
May 03, 2012
(Robert Bresson, 1962, France, 35mm, 65 min)
“Trial seems like a historical document from an era in which cinema doesn’t exist” —Jean Cocteau
Whores' Glory
Apr 27 - May 03, 2012
(Michael Glawogger, Austria, 2011, 35mm/Digital, 110 min)
In 2011, Michael Glawogger completed his trilogy of Globalization Documentaries. The third installment zeroes in on prostitution on three fronts—religion, state, and language—in countries where each variable is different. In the City of Joy in Bangladesh, prostitutes see their services as the only thing keeping men from attacking women in the streets. Sex workers in Thailand hope to supplement their work—viewed as just another industry—with second jobs. And in a city tellingly close to the U.S. border, where the film finally crosses the innermost threshold of the sex industry, Mexican women form a cult around a merciful goddess of death. But anyone who has seen Megacities or Workingman’s Death will recognize the “signature” of Glawogger’s documentary camera: as it invades, it transforms, and startles the audience with scenes of surprising beauty.
BLACK & WHITE: Northwest Film Forum's 11th Annual Gala
May 04, 2012
Come & celebrate the power and greatness of Black & White and independent film at Northwest Film Forum's 11th Annual Gala.
With a new film by award-winning filmmaker Megan Griffiths, a keynote by Tom Skerritt and the who's who of indie cinema in Seattle, you won't want to miss this elegant evening devoted to all things independent.
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
New 35mm print!
Preservation Funded by The Film Foundation and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association
May 05, 2012
(Robert Altman, United States, 1982, 35mm, 109 min)
Robert Altman’s Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean concerns, as the title implies, two Jimmy Deans: the James Dean whose fans flocked to McCarthy, Texas in 1955, where he was filmingGiant; and one fan’s son, Jimmy, who is 20 years old when the fan club reunites in 1975.
Attenberg
Sponsored by TheSunBreak.com
May 04 - May 10, 2012
(Athina Rachel Tsangari, 2010, Greece, 35mm, 95 min)
Part of the new wave of Greek cinema that kicked off with last year’s academy award nominee Dogtooth, Attenberg is an offbeat coming-of-age film. Twenty-three-year old Marina is living in a small factory town by the sea where her once-visionary architect father has returned to die. Finding the human species foreign, she keeps her distance, choosing to observe mankind through Sir David Attenborough’s nature documentaries and the songs of Suicide.
Wanda
New 35mm print!
Preservation Funded by The Film Foundation and GUCCI
May 06, 2012
(Barbara Loden, United States, 1970, 35mm, 102 min)
“Once a woman gains her freedom,” demanded a New York journalist in her review of Wanda, “what can she do with it? The answer…nothing.” Director Barbara Loden, an actress long overshadowed by husband Elia Kazan, dared audiences to confront that question in her depiction of a washed-out single mother in rural Pennsylvania, who takes to the road with an abusive bank robber.
Samuel Beckett’s Film and Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett’s FILM: Preservation Funded by The Film Foundation and administered by the National Film Preservation Foundation
May 07, 2012
(Alan Schneider, United States, 1961/65, DigiBeta/35mm, 140 min)
Seeking a dose and a half of absurdity? You can’t do any better than Samuel Beckett’s Film—his only screenplay, clocking in at 20 minutes long—followed by the television adaptation of Waiting For Godot with Zero Mostel.
Lancelot of the Lake
May 08, 2012
(Robert Bresson, 1974, France, 35mm, 85 min)
“Stunningly beautiful, mesmerizing, exhausting, uplifting, amazing—all the things you could possibly expect from a masterpiece” —Time Out
Four Nights of a Dreamer
New 35mm Print!
May 09, 2012
(Robert Bresson, 1971, France, 35mm, 94 min)
“A movie about the condition of being in love. It is shockingly beautiful…and may well be Bresson’s loveliest film” —New York Times
Une Femme Douce
May 10, 2012
(Robert Bresson, 1969, France, 35mm, 88 min)
Adapted from a Dostoevsky short story.
Framing Pictures
Free!
Jan 13 - Jun 15, 2012
Join us for a monthly discussion with three longtime Seattle film critics (and occasional guest commentators) who have much to say on the subject of cinephilia past, present and future. The conversation includes former Film Comment editor Richard Jameson, Everett Herald/KUOW critic Robert Horton and MSN.com critic Kathleen Murphy.
The Chalice of Sorrow
New 35mm print!
Live score by Lori Goldston and Jessika Kenney
May 11, 2012
(Rex Ingram, United States, 1916, 35mm, 70 min)
In 1916, with only two feature films under his belt, director Rex Ingram moved to Hollywood at the invitation of the budding Universal Film Manufacturing Company—grandfather of Universal Studios—to direct an adaptation of the play that had inspired Puccini’s Tosca. His adaptation, The Chalice of Sorrow, transplants a tragic Roman love triangle to Mexico City, where opera singer Lorelei is pursued by both the city’s ruthless governor and an American artist, her secret fiancé.
Patience, After Sebald
Seattle Premiere!
May 11 - May 17, 2012
(Grant Gee, 2011, United Kingdom, Blu-ray, 82 min)
Following up his documentaries on Radiohead and Joy Division, director Grant Gee turns his lens on author W.G. Sebald. An accolade rather than a biography of the German writer, Patience responds aesthetically to the author's body of work. In a journey through the landscape of the novel The Rings of Saturn, the film, like the book, pieces together an intimate collage of fiction, nonfiction, history and recollection.
MUSIC-CRAFT featuring JIMI HENDRIX, FLEETWOOD MAC, AND THE POLICE
Sponsored by Easy Street Records
May 11, 2012
A 60-minute program of Jimi Hendrix in Germany 1967 and London 1969, Fleetwood Mac in Santa Barbara 1979 and The Police in Germany 1980.
JIMI HENDRIX—1969 Royal Albert Hall
Featuring JIMI HENDRIX, live from Royal Albert Hall in February, 1969!! The FINAL "Experience" band performance featuring early Band of Gypsy's material. Bonus: Clips from 1967.
FLEETWOOD MAC—Rumors and Beyond
A 1976 UNRELEASED Rumors tour documentary; includes footage from Santa Barbara. Quite possibly, the finest performances from the Buckingham/Nicks era. Bonus: Additional Rumor-era live material. Pro-Shot video, soundboard audio.
THE POLICE—January 11, 1980, Germany
When most people think of The Police flexing young musical muscles in their early-80’s heyday, they imagine a sound that’s rough and riotous, yet refined. These intangible trademark qualities are what made The Police legends. It is also what makes this January 1980 show unforgettable.
Eve's Leaves
New 35mm print!
Live Score by Carla Torgenson, John Leighton Beezer, Gerry Amandez and Glenn Slater!
May 12, 2012
(Paul Sloane, United States, 1926, 35mm, 75 min)
Leatrice Joy functions as the heart and soul of this 1926 silent film—one of the first produced by Cecil B. DeMille in his own studio!—though she would slip from the limelight when talking pictures began to take over Hollywood.
The Goose Woman
New 35mm print!
Live score by Paris Hurley!
May 13, 2012
(Clarence Brown, United States, 1925, 35mm, 85 min
Louise Dresser, who would go on to star in another of our features—the documentary series This Is Your Life—heads the cast of this 1925 film based on a murder case in which the primary witness was an unpredictable “pig lady.” Rather than a pig lady, Dresser plays an elderly “goose woman,” an opera star fallen from glory and mother to a neglected illegitimate son.
The Flower of Doom
New 35mm print!
Live Score by Jason Staczek and Ian Moore
May 14, 2012
(Rex Ingram, United States, 1917, 35mm, 70 min)
Though he was given a modest budget for The Flower of Doom, Rex Ingram seized the chance to dig into his favorite setting—the shady urban jungle—which he worked into a Chinatown mystery. Journalist Harvey Pearson is sucked into a den of underground warfare and opium addiction when he sets out to rescue Neva Sacon, a cabaret singer kidnapped by gang lords.
Otter 501
May 18 - May 20, 2012
(Bob Talbot, USA, 2012, Blu-ray, 85 min)
A storm grows, a sea otter is seperated from its mother, and a young woman bound for adventure blows into town. On a wild and windswept beach on beautiful Monterey Bay, lives collide and an entire species' survival gets personal in Otter 501.
Outfest Legacy Project Program
May 18, 2012
(Various directors)
Los Angeles’s Outfest Legacy Project, which is dedicated to rescuing and preserving films about LGBTQ culture and its social significance and impact, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012! This year, Outfest brings you three newly rescued films, landmarks in the history of LGBTQ community and individual consciousness.
Native Land
New 35mm print!
May 19, 2012
(Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand, United States, 1942, 35mm, 80 min)
Native Land, which sought to expose the injustices perpetrated upon Americans by American capitalism, was released shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor to an unwelcoming public. But the archival footage that the film’s directors compiled 75 years ago—footage of union busters and strikebreakers at war with farmers, sharecroppers, and minorities—deserves to be brought back and viewed in light of its renewed relevance.
SRO-Single Room Occupancy
May 17 - May 19, 2012
a new work by Lauren Weedman
Writer, performer and comedian Lauren Weedman takes us to the world of Single Room Occupancy; a place of lawn care, electric guitars, the same dinner every night, old horror movies and sex.
The Forgotten Village
New 35mm print!
May 20, 2012
(Herbert Kline, United States, 1941, 35mm, 67 min)
Westernization vs. Mexican village: not the subject matter you may expect from a 1941 documentary. But in directing The Forgotten Village, which has been called a work of “ethnofiction,” Herbert Kline chose perhaps the greatest screenwriter for the job: John Steinbeck. Working with an entirely nonprofessional cast, Kline brought Western audiences a dramatized account of a Mexican hamlet beset with typhoid fever.
Sleep, My Love
New 35mm print!
May 21, 2012
(Douglas Sirk, United States, 1948, 35mm, 97 min)
Mary Pickford is most famous as an actress, but also produced nearly 40 films! Among them was Sleep, My Love, which stars Claudette Colbert as a socialite whose husband attempts to slowly drive her insane, in hopes of her committing suicide and leaving him her fortune.
Girl Walk // All Day
May 23, 2012
(Jacob Krupnick, USA, 2011, blu-ray, 75min)
A feature-length dance music video and tale of urban exploration follows three dancers across New York City, turning sidewalks, parks and stadiums into an evolving stage as a story of rebellion, love and discovery unfolds. Shot entirely in public spaces and funded by crowd-sourcing, Girl Walk // All Day is set to mashup musician Girl Talk and his All Day album. It’s also an insanely fun love letter to New York.
Hallelujah the Hills
Co-presented by The Sprocket Society
May 23, 2012
(Adolfas Mekas, 1963, USA, 16mm, 82 min)
Adolfas Mekas (Sept. 30, 1925–May 31, 2011) co-founded, with his brother Jonas, the groundbreaking journal Film Culture, co-founded the film department at Bard College, where he taught for decades and made a handful of films that left their mark on the New American Cinema movement. His debut feature, Hallelujah The Hills, is a lighthearted surreal comedy in which two men vie for the love of Vera, played by two different actresses to capture the suitors’ visions of the ideal woman. Simultaneously an art film and a parody of art films, it is packed with references to silent comedy, the French New Wave and even Kurosawa’s samurai films.
3 X 3
Sponsored by Seattle University
May 24, 2012
3X3 features electronic sound and digital projections by up-and-coming Seattle University artists. In the program, three student djs and three student visual artists pair up to create live music and visuals exploring themes of Pacific Northwest culture and our interaction with our environment.
Hit So Hard
Patty Schemel in attendance Friday-Saturday!
May 25 - May 31, 2012
(P. David Ebersole, USA, 2011, Blu-ray, 103 min)
The grunge era is revisited in this biography of Patty Schemel, the openly lesbian rock drummer of Hole. In archetypal fashion, Schemel’s story is of fame, drug abuse and loss, but the film is also a chronicle of Seattle identity. Featuring present-day interviews with Schemel, her retrospective is juxtaposed with never-before-seen “home movies” of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and newly born Frances Bean.
Question One
May 25 - May 31, 2012
(James Nubile and Joseph Fox, 2011, USA, Blu-ray, 108 min)
On May 6th, 2009, Maine became the first state in this country to legislatively grant same-sex couples the right to marry. Seven months later, on November 3rd, 2009, Maine reversed that decision, becoming the thirty-first state in this country to say “no” to gay and lesbian marriage. Question One chronicles the fierce and emotional battle that took place in Maine during that time, a battle whose political symbolism is a bellwether for greater ideological battlefields in American politics, including civil liberties, constitutional safeguards, legal rights and human dignity. Above all, this is a battle that will form a fulcrum in the 2012 elections.
News of the Day and Soundies
New 35mm print!
May 26, 2012
(Various directors, 1914-1967, United States, 35mm/16mm)
In addition to countless newspapers, William Randolph Hearst turned out News of the Day, a series of newsreels keeping the public up to date on world affairs, for over 50 years! Come witness a selection of the newsreels that your grandparents might have watched, produced by the infamous creator of sensationalist yellow journalism.
This is Your Life
New 35mm print!
May 27, 2012
(Various directors, 1952-61, United States, 35mm, 90 min)
Ever wondered where reality TV got its start? It may have been with Ralph Edwards, the host of This Is Your Life, who every week featured a surprise guest—celebrity or unknown—and told his or her compelling life story. Edwards, who would go on to produce the first true reality court show, revealed a more optimistic and inspirational perspective during the ten years of This Is Your Life.