Join the Conversation - Smith Rafael Film Center

JANUARY – MARCH
2015
|
Vol. 17 Issue 1
AT-A-GLANCE
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING
Both foreign and English-language MVFF highlights
return to our screens in several theatrical engagements:
Mr. Turner, Beloved Sisters, Mommy, What We Do in the
Shadows, Magician: The Astonishing Life & Work of Orson
Welles and Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed.
But we’re also excited to offer some noteworthy releases
that are new to the Rafael and CFI, including the Russian
Cannes-award-winner Leviathan and the outrageous
Argentine Oscar-entry Wild Tales, a satire of human
behavior chock-full of surprises.
As for more surprises in the category of coming
attractions, we are happy to be working once again
with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
on two exclusive presentations at the Rafael. This will
be our second edition of Hollywood Home Movies,
featuring never-before-seen footage from the Academy
Film Archive. In addition, Little Annie Rooney, a freshly
restored Mary Pickford classic, will grace our theater on
tinted 35mm film. And for those following Science on
Screen, we continue this ongoing series with two unique
presentations this quarter.
People frequently ask whether or not a particular title
will be coming to the Rafael. Often the answer is simple,
but sometimes not. Our theatrical engagements, for the
most part, are determined by the film’s distributor, which
may or may not let us play the film we want, as well as
by the timing of the movie’s release in the San Francisco
Bay Area. A film might open in theaters one week after
the Festival, but in other cases it could take more than a
year to get to us, if at all. The most frustrating situation
occurs when there are multiple titles available to us that
need to open at the same time. After all, we only have
three screens.
Some of the films in For Your Consideration have
American distributors, but others don’t, and they may
never find one. We have booked films from overseas
distributors, just as we work eagerly and directly with
individual American filmmakers, but it can be riskier
and more expensive when we have the only theatrical
engagement in the country and we’re “winging it,”
creating our own marketing and publicity materials.
2014 SUNDANCE FILM
FESTIVAL SHORTS: LIVE ACTION
January 2 - 8
JANUARY
The first quarter of 2015 brings a host of major foreign
film releases to the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film
Center. In January the Rafael again presents For Your
Consideration, a selection of countries’ submissions to
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Karen
Davis and Janis Plotkin, senior programmers for the Mill
Valley Film Festival, organized this series, with some of
the films having also played at the recent MVFF.
2014 SUNDANCE FILM
FESTIVAL SHORTS: ANIMATION
January 2 - 8
VIVA LA LIBERTA
January 2 - 8
CAPRA CLASSICS
Sundays, January 4 & 11
STATES OF GRACE
Thursday, January 8, 7:00
MR. TURNER
Opens January 9
BELOVED SISTERS
Opens January 9
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
January 9-15
Whether or not we’re working with a distributor, we
strive to provide our audiences with the best films and
viewing experiences we can muster, ensuring that the
Rafael is your first-choice location to see any film.
HUMAN CAPITAL
Opens January 16
~ Richard Peterson
HOLLYWOOD HOME MOVIES
Saturday, January 17, 7:15
Cover photo:James Stewart. Hollywood Home Movies,
January 17. Courtesy of Margaret Herrick Library,
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY
Sunday, January 18, 4:15
OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS
Opens January 30
1. Opening night of This Ain’t No Mouse Music: Richard Peterson of the Rafael, co-director Chris Simon,
and musician Bonnie Raitt.
2. Director J.C. Chandor previewed A Most Violent Year for CFI members, flanked by Mark Fishkin, CFI founder
and executive director, and Zoë Elton, Mill Valley Film Festival director of programming.
3. Israeli actress Nelly Tagar at a screening of Zero Motivation.
4. Rory Kennedy presented her documentary Last Days in Vietnam.
5. Visual effects master – and Rafael retrospective subject – Dennis Muren, surrounded by all shades of
The Force.
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Festival and CFI Education programs throughout the year.
FEBRUARY
MARCH
B e r n ard B oo
Tom my L a u
B r i an Le h m an
Tommy La u
Li s a Le J e u n e
MOMMY
Opens January 30
SCIENCE ON SCREEN:
BEARTREK
Monday, February 2, 7:00
SHE’S BEAUTIFUL
WHEN SHE’S ANGRY
Opens February 6
WHEEL OF THE WORLD
Sunday, February 8, 4:30
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Opens February 20
LEVIATHAN
Opens February 27
HINOKIO
Saturday, February 28, 1:00
Sunday, March 1, 1:00
WILD TALES
Opens March 6
THE RUSSIAN RIVER: ALL RIVERS
Thursday, March 12, 7:00
MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE
& WORK OF ORSON WELLES
Opens March 13
SCIENCE ON SCREEN:
REAL FORENSICS:
WHAT BODIES TELL US
Monday, March 16, 7:00
LIVING IS EASY WITH
EYES CLOSED
Opens March 20
PLEASE NOTE: Programs listed here are subject
to change, including opening dates. Other programs will open that do not appear here.
FOR UP-TO-DATE INFO:
Online at rafaelfilm.org
Sign up for weekly email at rafaelfilm.org
Check daily newspaper
Call 415 454 1222
RAFAEL CALENDAR STAFF
RICHA RD PET ERSON
Director of Programming | Editor
L E A H LOS C H I AVO
Marketing Assistant
DA N Z AST ROW
Rafael General Manager
BRIAN LEHMAN |
COURTNEY BUFFINGTON
Graphics | Layout
SHEL L EY SPICER
Director of Marketing & Publicity
JAN KLINGELHOFER
Program Consultant
MEL A N IE N ICHOL S
Science on Screen
Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invites countries to submit a single film for consideration in the competition category of Foreign
Language Film. This year 83 films have been accepted for competition and, for the twelfth consecutive year, the Smith Rafael Film Center offers a choice
sampling. This is a rare opportunity to view some of the most distinguished works in international cinema, many of which are film festival prizewinners.
Series Programmed by Karen Davis and Janis Plotkin
Living is Easy with Eyes Closed
LIVING IS EASY
WITH EYES CLOSED
(Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados)
Spain
Friday, January 9 | 5:00
Thursday, January 15 | 8:30
Human Capital
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
(Deux jours, une nuit)
Belgium
Friday, January 9 | 7:30
In the Dardenne Brothers’ riveting emotional drama, Marion Cotillard is extraordinary as a working-class Belgian mother
It’s 1966 and Antonio uses Beatles lyrics who returns to work after a medical leave
to teach English in a small school in Spain. to discover her coworkers have voted for
When he discovers that John Lennon is a salary bonus in exchange for her disfilming a movie in Almeria, he sets out missal. She has only one weekend to conto meet him. A hit at the Mill Valley Film vince them to give up their bonuses so
Festival, filmmaker David Trueba’s story that she can keep her job. In French with
of a nowhere man in search of his hero is English subtitles. 95 min.
a complete audience-pleaser: charming,
whimsical, and a definite ticket to ride. In
Spanish with English subtitles. 108 min.
MOMMY
TIMBUKTU
Canada
Saturday, January 10 | 7:45
Mauritania
Sunday, January 11 | 1:00
Winner of the 2014 Cannes Jury Prize,
white-hot enfant-terrible director Xavier
Dolan’s Mommy is the high-energy tale of
an irresistibly dysfunctional triad that includes an emotional train-wreck party-girl
mother, her hyperactive delinquent teenage son and the extremely introverted
neighbor woman who insinuates herself
into their lives. This audacious, visually
compelling film is driven by extraordinary
ensemble performances and masterful direction. In French with English subtitles.
140 min.
Director-co-writer Abderrahmane Sissako’s vibrant, graceful film depicts a community and a family fraying under forced
occupation. Set during the jihadist takeover of northern Mali in 2012, the story focuses on a mild-mannered herdsman who
runs afoul of the rebels when his beloved
cow (affectionately named “GPS”) goes
astray. With stunning cinematography
and quiet moments of humor and ingenuity, Timbuktu pays testament to a singularly humane vision in the face of absurdity. Rated PG-13. In French, Arabic, and
Bambara with English subtitles. 97 min.
HUMAN CAPITAL
The Golden Era
LIAR'S DICE
India
Saturday, January 10 | 2:00
Tuesday, January 13 | 8:00
THE GOLDEN ERA
(Huang jin shi dai)
Hong Kong
Saturday, January 10, 4:15
From the snowbound mountains at India’s Tibetan border to the cosmopolitan
cacophony of Delhi, Geethu Mohandas’
debut feature follows Kamala, a young
mother, and Manya, her toddler daughter
(accompanied by an adorable pet baby
goat), on the road in search of Kamala’s
missing husband. Liar’s Dice offers an insightful, eye-opening vision of contemporary India across a wide spectrum of social, political and cultural conditions, with
love at the heart of the story. In Hindi with
English subtitles. 104 min.
Ann Hui, celebrated filmmaker from the
Hong Kong New Wave, forges a sophisticated biopic of trailblazing female novelist Xiao Hong, who lived through the turbulent times of China’s shift from dynastic
imperial rule to a modern state. Selected
as the closing film of this year’s Venice
Film Festival, it stars actress Wei Tang
(Lust, Caution). In Mandarin with English
subtitles. 177 min.
DUKHTAR
THE LIBERATOR
Pakistan
Sunday, January 11 | 3:15
Tuesday, January 13 | 6:00
Presented with support from the
Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office
- San Francisco
(Libertador)
Venezuela
Sunday, January 11 | 5:20
Thursday, January 15 | 6:00
First-time director Afia Nathaniel packs
road trip, revenge tale and love story
into an unforgettable cinematic experience (and an unapologetically feminist
drama), in which a young mother, who
had been forced in childhood to marry
an older tribal chieftain, kidnaps her own
prepubescent daughter to protect her
from a similar fate. Shot in the disputed
territory between Pakistan and India on
the world’s highest roads, Dukhtar is an
epic that is both timeless and chillingly
current. In Urdu and Pushto with English
subtitles. 93 min.
This lush and epic historic drama charts
the story of revolutionary leader Simon
Bolivar’s impassioned fight for South
American independence from Spain. His
life of love and loss, the political intrigue
and drama following his ascension to
power and his mysterious death reveal
the man behind the legendary figure.
Featuring charismatic Édgar Ramírez as
Bolivar and Danny Huston as his financier.
In Spanish with English subtitles. 119 min.
COWBOYS
THE CIRCLE
LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
Italy
Sunday, January 11 | 7:50
Croatia
Monday, January 12 | 6:00
Iceland
Wednesday, January 14 | 8:15
Winner of all the top Italian film awards,
Paolo Virzi’s languid and stylish ensemble
piece is based on Stephen Amidon’s novel and transposed to northern Italy. Starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Valeria
Golino, it explores the lives of two families
whose destinies intertwine through love
and tragedy and offers a powerful commentary on Italian social class, privilege
and the value of human life in a crucible.
In Italian with English subtitles. 110 min.
This gloriously dark comedy from director Tomislav Mrsic features a well-loved
cinematic scenario: A group of outcasts
come together to put on a show. Downtrodden, depressed, and otherwise not
quite right-in-the-head, this bunch of
mostly lovable misfits live in a Croatian
industrial town where not much is going
on. Part social drama, part farce and all
wacky, it has a denouement that will have
everyone cheering in the aisles. In Croatian with English subtitles. 107 min.
Switzerland
Monday, January 12 | 8:15
Wednesday, January 14 | 6:00
(Il capitale umano)
Presented with support from the
Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco
(Kauboji)
HUMAN CAPITAL PRESENTED
WITH SUPPORT FROM
(Der Kreis)
Zurich, 1958: A shy teacher meets the love
of his life through Der Kreis (The Circle), a
pioneer organization for gay emancipation in Europe. Part love story, part thriller,
and all astonishingly true, this gorgeous
period drama by director Stefan Haupt is
integrated with documentary material to
reveal one of the first modern homophile
societies and a love that endures until today. In German and French with English
subtitles. 102 min.
THE GOLDEN ERA PRESENTED
WITH SUPPORT FROM
(Vonarstræti)
Director Baldvin Z explores the roots of
the 2008 Icelandic economic collapse
with an emotionally-gripping ensemble
piece focusing on the lives of three characters, each leading a double-life, and all
in search of redemption: a gifted poet
haunted by his past, a debt-ridden young
mother making ends meet through illicit ‘moonlighting’ and a former soccer
star-turned-international-banker. In the
‘fishbowl’ of their lives, they navigate the
dark and shark-infested waters, hoping to
survive. In Icelandic with English subtitles.
130 min.
2014 SUNDANCE
LIVE ACTION SHORTS
2014 SUNDANCE
ANIMATED SHORTS
January 2 - 8 | One Week Only!
January 2 - 8 | One Week Only!
This touring program of narrative and non-fiction
shorts from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival includes Afronauts (Frances Bodomo, US), The Cut
(Geneviève Dulude-Decelles, Canada, Short Film
Jury Award: International Fiction), Dawn (Rose McGowan, US), I Think This Is the Closest to How the
Footage Looked (Yuval Hameiri, Israel, Short Film
Jury Award: Non-fiction), I’m a Mitzvah (Ben Berman, US), Love. Love. Love. (Sandhya Daisy Sundaram, Russia, Short Film Special Jury Award: Nonfiction), MeTube: August Sings Carmen “Habanera”
(Daniel Moshel, Austria), and Verbatim (Brett Weiner, US). Program approximately 94 min.
This touring program of animated shorts from 2014
and past editions of the Sundance Film Festival
includes Belly (Julia Pott, UK), It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Don Hertzfeldt, US), Marilyn Myller (Mikey
Please, US/UK), The Obvious Child (Stephen Irwin, UK), Oh Willy… (Marc James Roels & Emma
De Swaef, Belgium/France/Netherlands), Subconscious Password (Chris Landreth, Canada), Voice on
the Line (Kelly Sears, US), and Yearbook (Bernardo
Britto, US, Short Film Jury Award: Animation, Sundance 2014). Program approximately 90 min.
DAWN
BELLY
CAPRA
CLASSICS
Our retrospective of director Frank
Capra comes to a close with two
of his most beloved films, both of
which received Academy Awards
for Best Picture and earned him Oscars for Best Director.
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
Sunday, January 4 | 4:15 | 7:00
Sunday, January 11 | 4:15 | 7:00
Opens Friday, January 2 | One Week Only!
New Digital Restoration!
New Digital Restoration!
Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty) plays a dual role in this darkly comic satire of
Italian politics. Enrico Oliveri is the head of Italy’s opposition party, and his recent
public appearances have been listless and uninspiring. One day, without telling
anyone, he travels to France to play hooky with his ex-girfriend (Valeria Bruni
Tedeschi). Unaware of Enrico’s whereabouts, his adviser (Valerio Mastandrea)
conceals his potentially disastrous disappearance by substituting his twin brother
Giovanni, an author and philosopher who has just been released from an insane
asylum. Needless to say, Giovanni really connects with Enrico’s public. In Italian
with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Roberto Andò. (Italy 2013) 94 min.
Widely regarded as the first screwball
comedy, this Depression-era romance
stars Claudette Colbert as a runaway
heiress who takes to the road with unemployed reporter Clark Gable. Oscars went
to both of them, as well as Best Picture,
Best Director and Best Screenplay. Writer:
Robert Riskin. Director: Frank Capra. (US
1934) 105 min.
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning
play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart,
this romantic screwball comedy received
the Academy Award for Best Picture and
earned Frank Capra his third directing Oscar. Jean Arthur stars with James Stewart,
Lionel Barrymore, and Edward Arnold in
a raucous tale of a very eccentric family. Writer: Robert Riskin. Director: Frank
Capra. (US 1938) 126 min.
VIVA LA LIBERTÀ
Thursday, January 8 | 7:00
IN PERSON:
Filmmakers Helen S. Cohen and Mark Lipman
Film subjects Dr. Grace Dammann and Fu Schroeder
Winner of the Audience Award following its world premiere
at the Mill Valley Film Festival, States of Grace is an intensely
moving documentary centering on Dr. Grace Dammann, a
revered HIV/AIDS physician who survived a near-fatal headon collision during a routine commute across the Golden
Gate Bridge. After Dammann emerges from a coma with her
cognitive abilities intact but her body shattered, her longtime partner Fu Schroeder cares for her and their disabled
teenage daughter as the family embarks on a journey of loss,
resilience and renewal. This special screening coincides with
the scheduled installation of the Moveable Median Barrier on
the Bridge. Editor: Kenji Yamamoto. Directors: Mark Lipman,
Helen S. Cohen. (US 2014) 75 min. plus discussion.
MR. TURNER
BELOVED SISTERS
(DIE GELIEBTEN SCHWESTERN)
Opens Friday, January 9
Opens Friday, January 9
Timothy Spall won Best Actor at Cannes for his mesmerizing portrayal of the
great British painter J.M.W. Turner, in this bracing new work by great British
filmmaker Mike Leigh. Covering Turner’s last quarter-century before his death
in 1851, the film reveals an imperfect man–eccentric, anarchic, frequently uncouth–who was also a giant among artists–uncompromising, revolutionary and
consummate in his craft. More an intimate portrait than a period epic, this visually ravishing film considers Turner’s relationships with lovers, fellow artists and
patrons to explore a complex personality and immortal talent. With Dorothy
Atkinson, Marion Bailey. Camera: Dick Pope. Writer/Director: Mike Leigh. (UK
2014) 149 min.
Germany’s official submission for the Foreign Language Film Academy Award,
this beautifully wrought 18th century story centers on two aristocratic sisters,
the married Caroline (Hannah Herzsprung) and the single Charlotte (Henriette
Confurius), who both fall in love with rebellious poet Friedrich Schiller (Florian
Stetter), who has taken the German Enlightenment and the European literary
world by storm. Charlotte and Schiller marry so that the lovers may pursue their
ménage-à-trois under the guise of convention, but as Caroline proves herself
to be a talented author in her own right, the sisters’ bond and the trio’s fragile
equilibrium are threatened. In German with English subtitles. Writer/Director:
Dominik Graf. (Germany/Austria 2014) 170 min.
HOLLYWOOD HOME MOVIES
Saturday, January 17 | 7:15
$12 (CFI Members $8)
Presented by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and the California Film Institute
Hosted by Lynne Kirste,
Special Collections Curator, Academy Film Archive
&
Randy Haberkamp,
Managing Director, Preservation and Foundation Programs
Live Piano Accompaniment
by Michael Mortilla
Join us for an entertaining evening of rare footage culled by the Academy Film Archive from the private collections of Hollywood stars and
directors. The home movie craze across America extended to Hollywood professionals, who captured not only their families and friends,
but behind-the-scenes activities on their sets as well.
The Academy Film Archive houses a wide variety of such films and will
present a selection of excerpts, including footage of Constance Bennett, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Betty Grable, Celeste Holm, Vivien
Leigh, Jerry Lewis, Victor Mature, Steve McQueen, Esther Ralston, and
Loretta Young. Kirste will also introduce footage from a Hollywood
costume party featuring Marion Davies, Bette Davis, Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard, Harold Lloyd, Jack Oakie, and many others. The program will also include rare behind-the-scenes footage from the set of
Gone with the Wind, as well as clips of the 1967 San Francisco Peace
March. Because home movies are silent by definition, Los Angelesbased musician Michael Mortilla will improvise piano accompaniment.
Approximately 2 hours.
(Please note that this program is entirely different from our
Hollywood Home Movies show presented in December 2013.)
Joan Crawford.. Photo Courtesy of Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
James Stewart. Photo Courtesy of Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
MARY PICKFORD'S
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY
New 35mm Tinted Restoration!
Sunday, January 18 | 4:15
$12 (CFI Members $8)
Presented by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and the California Film Institute
Hosted by Randy Haberkamp,
Managing Director, Preservation and Foundation Programs
Live Piano Accompaniment
by Michael Mortilla
Fresh from its world premiere in Los Angeles, we present the 1925
Mary Pickford classic Little Annie Rooney, fully restored in 35mm by
the Academy Film Archive through the Academy’s partnership with
the Mary Pickford Foundation.
Popularly known as “America’s Sweetheart,” Mary Pickford was an actor, writer, producer- and possibly the most powerful woman in Hollywood- when she cast herself as a tenement spitfire in this silent comedy-tearjerker. Pickford’s fans loved her in juvenile roles, and here she
organizes street urchins to help track down the killer of her policeman
father. Co-starring William Haines and directed by William Beaudine,
Little Annie Rooney was a smash hit and a wonderful showcase for
Pickford’s talents.
Photo Courtesy of Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences
The Academy’s restoration is sourced from a tinted nitrate print from
the Library of Congress and contains some longer scenes, different
camera set-ups, and multiple visual effects not seen in the previously
available black and white version. Film approximately 94 min.
HUMAN CAPITAL
(IL CAPITALI UMANO)
Photo Courtesy of Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences
MOMMY
Opens Friday, January 16
Opens Friday, January 30
Italy’s official submission for Academy consideration in the Foreign Language
Film category, this critically incisive tale of two families colliding during the recent financial crisis is based on American novelist Stephen Amidon’s story but
transposed to Europe. It won a host of David di Donatello Awards, including Best
Film, Screenplay, Actress (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), Supporting Actress (Valeria
Golino) and Supporting Actor (Fabrizio Gifuni). As the social dance unfolds
between the affluent, aloof Bernaschi family and the middle-class, financiallystrapped Ossolas, the value of a human life becomes easily overshadowed by
money and power. With Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Matilde Gioli. In Italian with English subtitles. Director: Paolo Virzi. (Italy 2014) 110 min.
Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes, and Canada’s official submission for the
Foreign Language Film Oscar, this passionate and stylistically bold drama stars
Anne Dorval as Die, a single mom burdened with the full-time custody of her
troubled 15-year-old Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon), who is ADHD and more than
a handful, even for the institutions he’s already served time in. As they struggle
to make ends meet, Kyla (Suzanne Clément), their strangely withdrawn new
neighbor, offers her help, and they face the world together as a trio. The film’s
dynamic style includes changes in the screen’s shape and size. In French with
English subtitles. Writer/Director: Xavier Dolan. (Canada 2014) 140 min.
OSCAR NOMINATED
SHORT FILMS 2015
®
Opens Friday, January 30
The Rafael again participates in the national release of short films nominated for the upcoming Academy Awards. Audiences will have the opportunity to see the nominated Live
Action and Animated shorts prior to the 87th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday,
February 22, 2015. We will also schedule select screenings of the documentary nominees.
While we have no indication of the nominated titles at press time, it‘s likely that several
of the films will have already won awards at international film festivals. Each category will
be screened in a separate program, each requiring separate admission.
BEARTREK
Multimedia Presentation by Chris Morgan
Monday, February 2 | 7:00
Bear ecologist, adventurer, author, filmmaker and TV host Chris Morgan is no
stranger to adventure. Over the last 20 years he has worked as a wildlife researcher, wilderness guide, and environmental educator on every continent
where bears exist. He is also the Executive Director of Wildlife Media, a nonprofit conservation organization. In this special presentation, Morgan will screen
footage from previous expeditions as well as clips from his forthcoming documentary tracing his motorcycle trip across four continents and documenting
inspirational stories of bears and colorful cultures in Borneo, Peru, Alaska and
the Arctic. Presentation approximately 2 hours.
Appropriate for audiences 12 and up.
$12 (CFI members $8)
This program is part of the Rafael’s series Science on Screen, made possible by a grant from
the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
SHE'S BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE'S ANGRY
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Opens Friday, February 6
Opens Friday, February 20
This rousing, provocative documentary resurrects the buried history of the modern women’s movement in America from 1966 to 1971. From the founding of NOW,
with ladies in hats and gloves, to the emergence of more radical factions of women’s liberation, the film focuses on the outrageous, often brilliant women who
founded the movement and doesn’t shy away from controversies over race, sexual preference and leadership. Featuring rich archival footage and interviews with
early feminists Kate Millett, Fran Beal, Rita Mae Brown, and many others, She’s
Beautiful captures the spirit of the time: thrilling, scandalous and often hilarious.
Producers: Mary Dore, Nancy Kennedy. Director: Mary Dore. (US 2014) 92 min.
Winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival
(and a subsequent hit at Mill Valley), this laugh-out-loud mockumentary from the
co-creators of Flight of the Conchords focuses on an endearingly unhip quartet
of vampires, ranging from 183 to 8,000-years-old, who are flat-mates in Wellington, New Zealand. Squabbling over household chores, trying to dress well without
having reflections in the mirror, antagonizing the local werewolves, and dealing
with the rigors of a very strict diet, they prove themselves to be just like us, albeit
undead. This bloody hilarious satire features several Conchords regulars. Writers/
Directors: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi. (New Zealand 2014) 86 min.
WHEEL OF THE WORLD
Filmmaker Vijali Hamilton in Person
Sunday, February 8 | 4:30
Beginning in 1986, when she was inspired by a dream and was prompted to embark on a quest for global peace, artist Vijali Hamilton traveled from one country
to another, leaving behind magnificent environmental stone sculptures as gifts to
the communities in which she lived. Her journey ranged from India, Tibet, China,
Siberia, Japan, and the Middle East, to Senegal, the Andes, and the Amazonian
region of Ecuador. This film charts her artwork as well as her collaborations with
communities on performances and spiritual events that became expressive forums
for voicing their hopes and fears. Film approximately 60 min. plus discussion.
LEVIATHAN
WILD TALES
(RELATOS SALVAJES)
Opens Friday, February 27
Opens Friday, March 6
Winner of Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and Russia’s official selection for the Foreign Language Oscar, this visually monumental film by Andrey
Zvyagintsev (The Return) is set in a small fishing town near the stunning Barents
Sea in Northern Russia. Kolya (Alexeï Serebriakov) lives in a beautiful location
with his young wife Lilya (Elena Liadova) and his son. The corrupt mayor (Roman Madianov) is determined to acquire Kolya’s property, first by trying to buy
him off, but ultimately by any means necessary, in this resonant combination of
thriller, family drama and thinly veiled political parable. In Russian with English
subtitles. Rated R. Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev. (Russia 2014) 141 min.
Voted Best Foreign Language Film by the National Board of Review and Argentina’s official submission for Academy consideration, the brainchild of filmmaker
Damián Szifrón was Cannes’ talk of the town and possibly the most purely entertaining movie in the Competition. This ingenious medley of six different moral
tales, about characters responding to stress with extreme behavior, ranges from
road rage and parking violations to murder and legal corruption, and conveys
both the exhilaration and the hazards of losing control. Its breathless pace and
wit recall the best of Pedro Almodóvar, who, coincidentally, is one of the film’s
producers. In Spanish with English subtitles. Rated R. Writer/Director: Damián
Szifrón. (Argentina/Spain 2014) 122 min.
HINOKIO | SPECIAL FAMILY MATINEES!
Saturday, February 28, 1:00
Sunday, March 1, 1:00
In this ambitious and captivating family feature from Japan, 11 year-old Satoru becomes withdrawn after he loses his mother in a devastating auto accident. His dad,
a famous scientist, creates an advanced remote-controlled robot named Hinokio,
so that Satoru can stay home but still attend school through his robotic surrogate.
Through the eyes of Hinokio, Satoru experiences real-life friendships and his first
true love, a girl named Jun. With Hinokio’s help, Satoru is finally able to re-integrate
himself into society. Special thanks to Kidflix Global. In Japanese with English subtitles. Director: Takahiko Akiyama. (Japan 2005) 111 min
RUSSIAN RIVER: ALL RIVERS
THE VALUE OF AN AMERICAN WATERSHED
Filmmakers in Person:
William Sorensen, Stella Kwiecinski, Nancy Econome
Thursday, March 13, 7:00
This beautifully filmed documentary explores the history of the Russian River as
well as the diverse forces that influence the health of the Russian River watershed,
demonstrating that the problems it currently faces are shared by rivers everywhere.
Interviews in the film include water activist Maude Barlow, biologist Jim Lichatowich, environmental activist Dr. Marty Griffin, Don McEnhill of Russian Riverkeeper,
David Keller of Friends of the Eel River, and many other scientists and individuals from public and private organizations. Associate Producer: Nancy Econome.
Producers: Stella Kwiecinski, William Sorensen. Writer/Director: William Sorensen.
(US 2014) Film 2 hours plus discussion.
MAGICIAN
THE ASTONISHING LIFE & WORK OF ORSON WELLES
LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED
(VIVIR ES FÁCIL CON LOS OJOS CERRADOS)
Opens Friday, March 13
Opens Friday, March 20
Chuck Workman’s skillful and entertaining documentary explores the life and
legend of a great American filmmaker on the eve of his centenary. Child prodigy,
star of stage and screen at 20, and at 25 the director of Citizen Kane, what many
consider the most important movie ever made, Welles lived a life filled with creativity and controversy, romancing some of the world’s most beautiful women,
including Rita Hayworth, and distinguishing himself in multiple arenas of the arts.
Magician features clips from almost every existing Welles film, interviews with
Welles spanning 50 years and input from filmmakers, collaborators and critics
who knew or admired him. Editor/Director: Chuck Workman. (US 2014) 94 min.
Spain’s submission for the Foreign Language Film Oscar, and the big winner of
that country’s Goya Awards, including Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Actor, this charming Mill Valley Film Festival favorite is set in 1966 in Franco’s Spain
and stars Javier Cámara (I’m So Excited) as Antonio, a schoolteacher who uses
Beatles lyrics to teach English. When he learns that John Lennon is in Almeria
shooting a film, Antonio sets out to meet his hero and picks up runaways Belen
(Natalia de Molina) and Juanjo (Armando Espitia) on the way to Almeria and
those Strawberry Fields, in a warm and captivating comedy-drama. In Spanish
with English subtitles. Music: Pat Methany, Charlie Haden. Writer/Director: David
Trueba. (Spain 2014) 108 min.
REAL FORENSICS
WHAT BODIES TELL US
Screening of David and Me
and discussion with Dr. Judy Melinek
Monday, March 16 | 7:00
Forensic pathologist Dr. Judy Melinek will discuss her work in conjunction with a
screening of the new documentary David and Me, directed by Ray Klonsky and
Marc Lamy. The film centers on David McCallum, a convicted murderer who has
spent 29 years in prison, and Ray Klonsky, a young man who joins a dedicated
team of lawyers and activists convinced of David’s innocence and who search
for new evidence that will exonerate him.
Judy Melinek, M.D. is an associate clinical professor at UCSF
Medical Center and a forensic pathologist at the Alameda
County Coroner's Office. She received training at Harvard,
UCLA and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the latter work is the subject of her bestselling
memoir Working Stiff, written with T.J. Mitchell. She has been
consulted as a forensic expert in high-profile legal cases, as
well as for TV’s E.R. and Mythbusters. She has a special interest in the use of forensic science in wrongful conviction
cases. She will follow her talk with a book-signing. Program
approximately 2 hours.
$12 (CFI members $8)
This program is part of the Rafael’s series Science on Screen, made possible by
a grant from the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
THANK YOU
FILMGOERS
D O N O R S
SPONSORS
VOLUNTEERS
CFIMEMBERS
As we welcome a New Year, all of us at the California Film Institute would like to
extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of you.
Your contributions are an integral part of CFI’s success. From year to year, your
involvement furthers CFI's ongoing mission to celebrate and promote film as art
and education. In 2014, your support helped inspire, engage, and transform almost
200,000 people through film.
We look forward to another year of sharing our
passion for film, art, and education with you!
CALIFORNIA
FILM INSTITUTE
MILL VALLEY
FILM FESTIVAL
Learn about year-round sponsorship opportunities with the California Film Institute
through the Smith Rafael Film Center, Mill Valley Film Festival, and CFI Education.
Beau Blanchard
[email protected]
415.526.5836
Contact:
Jamie Ozimek
[email protected]
415.526.5840
C F I B OAR D OF D IR E C TO R S
FOUNDER /
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mark Fishkin
CFI BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Kenneth Broad
(Vice President)
Jim Davis
Douglas Dolton
Michael Dyett
Lynne Hale
Richard J. Idell
(Secretary)
Jessica Igoe
Bruce Katz
Amy Keroes
Jennifer Coslett
MacCready
(President)
Cathy Nourafshan
Jonathan Parker
(Vice President)
Susan Schwartz
Dr. Joel Sklar
(Vice President)
Christopher B. Smith
Jann Stanley
Zach Zeisler
(Treasurer)
Learn about California Film Institute Membership
I NDI VI DUALS AND FOU NDAT I ONS
EMERITUS BOARD
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
SILVER CIRCLE
FAST PASS | MVFF
Ann Brebner
Rita Cahill
Sid Ganis
Gary Meyer
Gordon Radley
Henry Timnick
Christopher B. and
Jeannie Meg Smith
Jennifer Coslett
MacCready
Craves Family
Foundation
Gertrud Parker
INVESTOR CIRCLE
Ann-Eve Hazen Family
Fund
Liz Hume and Jay
Jacobs
Arch & Stella Rowan
Foundation
Brian and Nina Arellanes
Laurie Bautista
Jane Bay
Jill Benioff and Alex
Petrov
Kamala Geroux-Berry
and David Berry
John Brennan and
Stephanie McKown
Inez Brooks-Myers
Marc and Robin Bussin
Joe and Sue
Carlomagno
Nancy and Gary
Carlston
Brian and Marie Collins
Joel and Justine
Coopersmith
Suzette deVogelaere
Stephanie DiMarco
Joanne Dunn
Julie Erickson and Art
Rothstein
Dennis P. Fisco and
Pamela Polite Fisco
Lorrie and Mark Fishkin
Catherine and Peter
Flaxman
Janet Fox
Leonard and Chandra
Gordon
Kenneth and Joan
Gosliner
Lisa Graeber
FOUNDING BOARD
Rita Cahill
Mark Fishkin
Lois Kohl Shore
HONORARY
ADVISORY BOARD
Barbara Boxer
Stewart Boxer
Drusie Davis
Jeff Fisher
Peter Flaxman
Robert Greber
Linda Gruber
Peggy Haas
Michael Klein
Roxanne Klein
KC Lauck
Andrew McGuire
Mary Poland
Eric Schwartz
Michael Schwartz
Skip Whitney
Contact:
Jennie-Marie Adler
[email protected]
415.526.5834
Drusie and Jim Davis,
Drusie Davis Family
Fund
Gruber Family
Foundation
Michael and Susan
Schwartz Fund
PLATINUM CIRCLE
Jim Boyce Trust and
Kris Otis
Ken and Jackie Broad
Family Fund
Margaret E. Haas
The Jay Pritzker
Foundation
Eric Schwartz,
EAS Fund
Lois and Mel Tukman
Christine Zecca
Foundation
GOLD CIRCLE
Alex and Elizabeth Aal
Gail and Doug Dolton
Jessica and Tommy Igoe
Andree and John
Jansheski
Nancy and Rich
Robbins
Saul Zaentz Trust
BRONZE CIRCLE
FAST PASS | CFI
Anonymous
The Allen Family Fund
Beverly Butler
Alice Corning
Sharon A. Fox
Lynne Hale
Katz Family Foundation
Jim Kennedy
Daniel Kenyon and
Michelle Marchetta
Kenyon
Caroline Labé
Fred M. Levin and
Nancy Livingston, The
Shenson Foundation
Karen and Gregg Lund
Whitney Miller
Stephen and Mary
Mizroch
Maggie O’Donnell
Floum
Gordon Radley
Marjorie Swig
Mera Granberg
Carmine and Wendy
Guerro
Larry and Carie
Haimovitch
Jill Hamer
Leslie Hansen
Peggy Harrington
Willa Jefferson-Stokes
Amy Keroes and Jeff
Fisher
Roxanne Klein
Ellen Krantz Weiss
The KT Fund
K.C. and Steve Lauck
Cathie Lee
Cindy and John
McCauley
Catherine and Ted
McKown
Kenneth and Vera
Meislin
Monahan Parker, Inc.
Linda Morgan
Russell and Suki Munsell
Cathy and Robert
Nourafshan
Mark and Dorian Polite
Heidi Richardson and
Michael Dyett
Carolyn Cavalier
Rosenberg, Sanford
Rosenberg, and Media
Research Associates
Karen and Harry
Rosenbluth
Jack and Judy Sherman
Susan and Joel Sklar
Vickie Soulier
Jann Stanley
Elliott and Shayna Stein
Patricia Tanoury
Lucinda Watson and
Ted Bell
Paul Zaentz
Zach and Marlies Zeisler
MAJOR FOUNDATION
SUPPORT
The Bernard Osher
Foundation
Fenwick Foundation
Horace W. Goldsmith
Foundation
Marin Community
Foundation
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
County of Marin
National Endowment
for the Arts
CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE
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JANUARY–MARCH 2015
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ENVIRONMENTAL
YOUTH FORUM
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CHALLENGING AND ENGAGING FILMS, SPEAKERS, ACTIVITIES & EXHIBITS BY LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS.
VISIT CFIEDUCATION.ORG/EYF FOR COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS
FREE ADMISSION FOR SCHOOLS - LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF FREE BUS TRANSPORTATION FOR SCHOOLS IN NEED.
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