mellydoll

Indian films and the Second Baptist Church

In Nov/Dec on November 29, 2009 at 21:30

MassArt Film Society

Wednesday, November 18, 2009. 8pm

Apologies

by Anne Charlette Robertson

“Serious films and a video diary.”

Apologies

Artist Residence Diary

MY Cat My Garden and 911

Spirit of 76

Going To Work

http://massartfilmsociety.blogspot.com/2009/11/december-2-2009.html

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Meher Baba Film Archive International

14 VIDEO FILMS FOR STREAMING

The Awakener

“1967 Indian newsreel documentary with original commentary of Meher Baba in India. Beautiful black and white footage of Baba late in his life. An excellent short video.”

and others!

http://www.meherbabafilm.com/filminfo.html

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Folkstreams

In the Rapture

by Indiana University AV Center, 1976

“A religious drama staged by members of the Second Baptist Church in Bloomington, Indiana.”

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,204

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Cinémathèque Royale (Belgium)

Through December 12, 2009

Ein Augenblick, Freiheit (Pour Un Instant, La Liberté)

by Arash T. Riahi, 2008

“Deux enfants kurdes d’Iran fuient le pays avec leur cousin plus âgé pour rejoindre leurs parents qui vivent en Suisse. Passant en Turquie, ils y sont bloqués dans l’attente d’un hypothétique visa et patientent tout en découvrant d’autres réfugiés venus d’Iran, chacun avec son histoire, ses espoirs et ses peurs… Le film fait se croiser ces destins incertains sur un mode à la fois grave, tendre et pimenté de traits d’humour. Une odyssée de l’exil très attachante.”

“Two Kurdish children from Iran flee the country with their older cousin to join their parents who live in Switzerland. Passing through Turkey, while they are detained waiting of a hypothetical visa discover other refugees, each one with their own history, hopes and fears. The film crosses dubious destinies in a fashion at the same time serious, tender and with dashes of humor. A very touching odyssey of the exile.”

http://www.cinematek.be/?node=17&event_id=401421600

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Monsters!

In Nov/Dec on November 24, 2009 at 20:08

Cinémathèque Suisse

Epidemic

by Lars von Trier, 1987

Wednesday, November 25, 2009. 6:30pm

“Im Laboratorium des Doktor von Trier: zurück zur Magie des Kinos, c’est le titre d’un documentaire d’A. Forst sur le cinéaste. Epidemic est l’un des laboratoires du Danois, en terme de production déjà (low budget comme défi). Double fond (16 mm / 35 mm), double jeu (Lars dans les deux). Et l’horreur absolue: un scénario qui s’efface de l’ordinateur.”

“A film director and a script writer (performed by Lars von Trier and Niels Vørsel themselves) write a screenplay, in which an epidemic spreads about the whole world. Like the protagonist they do not notice, that a real epidemic is developing around them.” -IMDb

http://tinyurl.com/yzdr7fb

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Pacific Film Archive

Watching the Unwatchable: Films Confront Torture

In progress, through February

“To accompany the presentation of Fernando Botero’s paintings and drawings in response to the prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, now on view in the BAM galleries, we have selected a number of films that also address torture. Directors as varied as Alain Resnais, Otto Preminger, Rithy Panh, Andy Warhol, and Errol Morris have taken up this challenge, drawing on narrative imaginings and historical research. Some of their films are concerned with issues of justice and accountability, while others explore the psychological ramifications of torture for victims or perpetrators. Many of the films are damning documents—revealing specific historical instances of abuse, or political positions and power relationships that lead to torture. Only occasionally in these films is torture graphically depicted; rather, it is recalled, suggested stylistically, or reenacted from a distance, yet the memory of abuses and humiliations haunts both fictional characters and actual survivors. Forcefully and skillfully, these films encourage us to think and feel deeply about a dark subject. When the unthinkable happens, we must watch the unwatchable.

Films of related interest are offered in several other PFA series this season, including Muriel and Night and Fog, by Alain Resnais; The Round-Up, by Miklós Jancsó; and Otto Preminger’s Saint Joan. Watching the Unwatchable continues in January and February 2010.”

http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/torture

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National Audiovisual Archive (Finland)

Saturday, November 28, 2009. 5pm

DERNIER MAQUIS

Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, 2008

“Ranskan siirtolaistaustaisista nykyohjaajista omaleimaisimpia ja näkemyksellisimpiä on Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche. Cahiers du Cinéma -lehti ei epäröi viitata hänen yhteydessään esim. Godardiin ja Renoiriin tai Fassbinderiin. Hänen kolmas pitkä elokuvansa Dernier maquis käsittelee arkaluontoista aihetta: islamin harjoittamisen ja työmaailman välisiä suhteita. Alun perin Ameur-Zaïmeche oli ajatellut kuvata ylipäätään ihmisten elämää hallitsevia koneistoja – esimerkiksi koululaitosta tai sairaalalaitosta. Mutta koska islam on hänen oman kulttuurinsa ydinaluetta, hän päätyi miettimään, miten valtaapitävät käyttävät uskontoa ja tämän tarinan puitteissa nimenomaan islamia manipulointivälineenä.

Dernier maquis sijoittuu Pariisin lähistölle, teollisuusalueelle jossa on vain polttoainesäiliöitä ja kanaali ja jonka ylitse pyyhkäisee aika ajoin lentokoneita. Tämänkaltaiseen miljööseen päätyvät lukemattomat niistä, jotka ovat uhmanneet autiomaan taipaleita ja valtamerta päästäkseen raatamaan nälkäpalkalla Eurooppaan. Teollisuusalue itsessään nousi ohjaajan silmissä yhdeksi päähenkilöksi, se on kuin antiikinaikainen teatteri, jonka hän täytti tuhansilla punaisilla siirtolavoilla. Näistä jatkuvasti liikkeessä olevista lavoista tuli myös niin esteettisesti kuin symbolisesti yksi elokuvan päämotiiveista. Ne ovat aivan oleellisia tavaroiden kuljettamisessa, mutta muutoin vain arvotonta puutavaraa…

Näyttelijöiden joukossa työläiset ovat aitoja työläisiä, jotka ovat peräisin Pohjois-Afrikan maista tai Saharan eteläpuolisesta Afrikasta. Mekaanikot kuuluvat Ameur-Zaïmechen muissakin elokuvissa esiintyneiden ammattinäyttelijöiden joukkoon. Imaami on oikea imaami, samoin rukoukseen kutsuja – muessin. Ohjaaja näyttelee itse Maoksi kutsutun pomon roolin. Pitääkseen paremmin hyppysissään työläisensä tämä Mao perustaa heidän käyttöönsä oman moskeijan, oman turvapaikan vieraan kulttuurin keskelle. Mutta omaa etuaan ajavana pomona hän valitsee myös imaamin – mikä on täysin vastoin perinnettä. Osassa työvoimaa tämä saa aikaan kapinaliikkeen. Ameur-Zaïmeche käsittelee taitavasti näitä työnjohdon ja työläisten välisiä ristiriitoja, mutta myös Afrikan eri alueilta peräisin olevien ihmisten kulttuurisia eroja. Hän avaa ikkunan yhteen tämän hetken Ranskaan – ja tekee sen voimallisilla kuvilla, silmiin painuvilla väreillä.” – Eri lähteistä, mm. Cahiers du Cinéma, octobre 2008. Satu Laaksonen

“Talk of living wages and religious observances upsets the delicate accord between the boss of a run-down truck yard and his workers in this visually arresting take on the French-Algerian immigrant experience.” -IMDb

http://www.kava.fi/esitys/dernier-maquis/2760/year/2009/month/11/week/48

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Media Burn Independent Video Archive

This Week In Joe’s Basement, episode 46: Destroy All Monsters!

“Air Dates: June 1, 8, 1992. The show opens with a tribute to the L.A. (race) riots, as an unruly mob overruns the basement, snatching everything in sight, including the chair and Joe.

Then, phone conversations with viewers. Even with nothing to feed them, callers to This Week in Joe’s Basement were always good for a few laughs. The crew honors several requests, including Velveeta Cheese sculpting, Toe Flossing with women’s underwear, and This Week in Joe’s Bathtub.

To cap things off, three guys in a public men’s bathroom suddenly start dancing.”

http://www.mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?&uid=5464&PHPSESSID=271982a1f86570fc1c69bdb3e52033e4

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A whole post dedicated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

In Nov/Dec on November 18, 2009 at 13:39

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Starting tonight, November 18, 2009. 5:10pm

Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives

by Rob Epstein, 1978

“The first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity—made by gay filmmakers—startled audiences across the country when it appeared in movie theaters and on TV in 1978. The film brought mainstream attention to gay rights issues and became an icon of the emerging movement of the 1970s. The 26 interview subjects want desperately to be part of society as they grapple to understand why they have to fight for approval. The original film negative was recently restored, and we’re proud to present the re-mastered 35 mm print.”

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Saturday, November 21, 2009.  10:30am

Little Fugitive

by Morris Engel and Ray Ashley, 1953

“Seven-year-old Joey is tricked into thinking that he killed his older brother, Lennie. Joey runs away from his Brooklyn neighborhood to take refuge in Coney Island, where he spends his days collecting deposits for bottles, going on the rides, and sleeping under the boardwalk. A ride operator tricks Joey into giving him his address, and the proprietor calls his home and alerts Lennie, who comes and searches for his little brother. Critically acclaimed, the film became a major influence on the French New Wave, and Francois Truffaut cited it as his inspiration for The 400 Blows. Nominated at the Academy Awards in 1954 (Best Writing, Motion Picture Story), and received the Silver Lion from the Venice Film Festival in 1953.”

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Starting tonight, Wednesday, November 18, 2009. 8pm

Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)

by Hitoshi Matsumoto, 2007

“A ‘bizarre send-up of classic monster movies’ (Sacha Howells, film.com), cameras follow Daisato, a hero who grows to the size of a skyscraper after he is blasted with volts of electricity. As he goes about his daily routine, a voice-over prompts his ruminations on cats. While his monster-fighting predecessors were seen as saviors, Daisato is thought of as a noisy nuisance who destroys buildings. A mockery of kaiju—Japanese ’strange beast’ movies—Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) uses juvenile humor to portray the sad existence of Daisato.”

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Starts  Saturday,  November 21, 2009. 3pm

Crime or Punishment

by Kera, 2009

“In this black comedy, an unsuccessful pin-up girl steals a magazine featuring her photo from a convenience store. After she’s caught in the act, her penance requires her to act as police chief for a day. Naturally, that’s the day a multitude of things go wrong: murder, robbery, and car accidents. ‘Almost too wacky for words…this comedy…tosses conventional morality into a blender and hits the “high” button’ (Mark Schilling, Japan Times).”

http://www.mfa.org/calendar/sub.asp?key=12&subkey=1