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Outdoor Screenings |
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Festival Goers |
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Family Motel |
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Starring Nargis, Asha Jibril, and Sagal Jibril
Family Motel is one of the most important and affecting movies
I've ever taken in. |
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 Absolut Warhola, directed by Stanislaw Mucha, 80 minutes, 2001, Germany. With humor and an affinity for people, Polish born (1970) Stanislaw Mucha traces American pop artist Andy Warhol's family roots back to two small villages in Eastern Europe.
Warhol's eccentric
relatives are proud their connection to him and he has become a legend. Warhol
sent some of his art work to his relatives who didn't really know what to do
with them. "Absolut Warhola" takes us on a journey to the grass roots of the infamous Warhol.
Mucha's other documentaries include "Die
Mitte" (The Center) and
"Mit Bubi heim ins Reich"
("Back Home to the Reich, with Bubi"). |
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El Sol del membrillo (The Quince
Tree aka The Dream of Light) directed by
Victor Erice, 1992, 133 minutes, Spain.
A slow, contemplative study of a painter at work. The Spanish Artist
Antonio Lopez Garcia
plays himself. Filmed with the extreme care only a serious filmmaker could
achieve. Cannes Film Festival, Fipresci Award &
Jury Prize. |
Embrassez Qui Vous Voudrez (See How They Run)
directed by Michel Blanc, who also plays the psychotically jealous husband in
the film. I saw this film at the
Montreal
World Film Festival,
2002. Great
cast, including Charlotte Rampling and Jacques Dutronc. A comedy: instead of a
'ménage a trois' it's more a 'ménage a 13.' |
The Experiment, directed by
Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2001, 120 minutes, Germany. The film is based on a famous
experiment conducted at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California in 1971.
Twenty-four male students participated in a psychological study of the effects
of prison life, guards versus prisoners, and the resulting power struggle. The
study was shut down after six days to avoid impending disaster. |
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Ice Men, directed by Thom
Best, 108 minutes, 2004, Canada.
"The Big Chill" with men. This Canadian drama looks more like an American
film because of its slickness, strong acting, and skilled cinematography. "Ice
Men" is Best's feature directorial debut. He's better known as a Toronto
cinematographer. "Ice Men" focuses on the
relationships of five men spending the weekend together at a cottage. Within a
short period of time, their lives change. Budget for the film was close to $1
million. |
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Laundry directed by Junichi Mori, 2001, 126 minutes, Japan.
This
charming film focuses on a young man who has suffered a brain injury. He meets
his match in a young lady who hasher own problems. Some beautiful photography,
lovely story, great acting.
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León y Olvido, directed by
Xavier Bermúdez, 112 minutes,
2004, Spain. Leon (Guillem Jiménez) is a 20-year-old with Down's syndrome. When his mother dies, his twin sister, Olvido, places him in an institution. This doesn't work out and Leon is given back to Olivido, who would rather get on with her life than babysit her brother. She tires to encourage his independence, but this doesn't always work out as intended. Leon y Olvido is sometimes reminiscent of Marco Bellocchio "Fists in the Pocket" whereby the dysfunctional family begins to destroy itself. Guillem Jiménez, who has Down's syndrome himself, gives a wonderful and believable performance as Leon. And there are some delightful classroom scenes with other Down's syndrome students.
Xavier
Bermúdez was able to convey exactly what he
wanted from his actors, despite the challenges this entailed. |
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Miotte Vue
Par Ruiz, directed by Chilean Raoul Ruiz, 2001, 80 minutes, France.The documentary features the work of French painter Jean Miotte as he creates a work as we watch. His sense of composition is amazing. |
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Sweet Dreams,
directed by
Saso
Podgorsek, 110 minutes, 2001, Slovenia. A coming of age film, circa 1970
Yugoslavia. Filled with humor and charm. Slovene Film Festival, Vesna, Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress. |
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The screenplay for "Laundry" received Sundance/NHK
International Filmmakers Award.
