Cinema Lounge goes to Festivals

By Brian Niemiec

DC sure has its share of film festivals: FilmFestDC, Pan Asian Film Festival, Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the Independent Film Festival, just to name a few. Of course, that is just a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of film festivals held throughout the year all over the world.

On Monday, January 14, Cinema Lounge met in our new home, Borders Books on 14th and F Street, to discuss the ins and outs of attending film festivals both here and abroad. We also had some special guests. A group of about 15 DC area filmmakers decided to join us. They had a different agenda, but more on that later.

Buzzing on the free coffee and cookies provided by Borders, our discussion began with DC area festivals. For FilmFestDC, it was emphasized that you should buy your tickets as early as possible. DC is a big film town and the movies tend to sell out fast. The Pan Asian Film Festival is held at the Freer Gallery and all the films are free, an added bonus for those watching their budget. Drivers were warned that parking around the JCC was difficult for the Jewish Film Festival. Unfortunately, no one in our group attended any of the films in the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, something that we'll have to amend in the future.

With that, the subject switched to film festivals abroad. The Chicago International Film Festival has recently moved the bulk of its showings to the 600 N. Michigan Avenue, on the Magnificent Mile. That makes it one of the more expensive film festivals to attend. The Toronto Film Festival is one of the favorites of festival goers. The Canadians pride themselves on being courteous and cooperative. Still, because of its popularity, plan early. Films and hotels fill fast. The same can be said for the Virginia Film Festival held every October in Charlottesville, VA. Because it coincides with Parents Week at the University of Virginia, hotels fill fast. The Virginia Film Festival is renown for showing both old and new films as well as having a shot-by-shot seminar with Roger Ebert every other year.

The Cannes Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival have become favorites of Hollywood. You'll often find more producers there than movie goers. For those with a taste for the bizarre, a list of unusual film festivals was provided. These included film festivals hosted by Playboy bunnies, another held outdoors while sampling wine and another that expresses the spirit of liberation exemplified by the Black Panther Party.

Our group of filmmakers remained quiet during this portion of the discussion. Upon questioning them, it was discovered that their interest was in possibly creating their own festival to showcase movies by local filmmakers. Luckily, one of our members found instructions on marketing your own film festival on the Internet. Their goal was to steer away from the perception that any festival in DC features political films. The subject grew to the philosophy of filmmaking and what would attract an audience as well as film opportunities in the DC area.

Join us next time for our second annual If We Ran the Oscars. On Monday, February 11, the day before the Academy announce their nominees for the Academy Award, we will sit down and try to guess what they will pick and pick our own favorites. This is one of our more popular sessions. We will meet at 7:00 PM at Borders Books, 600 14th St. NW in the Café Espresso on the second floor. We can't wait to see you there!

The Argentine Film Industry

By Jim McCaskill

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands. At a press conference held at the Rotterdam Film Festival ten Argentine film makers issued a manifesto regarding the economic implosion that threatens to devastate that country's film industry.

Just at the time when Argentina's film are beginning to find an overseas audience that country's economic catastrophe has caused all films in production to shut down. The problem is exacerbated by the new government's reorganization and the failure to set up a Ministry of Culture. It is through this agency's Instituto Nacional de Cine that all films had been funded. Flow of capital from overseas sales had been expected to finance future film.

The film industry had been suppressed during the years of the military dictatorship but when democracy returned in 1983 new film schools were founded that resulted in a new generation of young film makers. This new wave offered a new perspective on reality and film making. At a time when Argentina needs a national discussion and reflection on its future the film industry has been cut out.

Signers of the manifesto included four members of the Proyecto Cine Independente: Lucretia Martel (director of La Cienaga), Ulises Rosell (director of Bonanza), Hernan Musaluppi and Alvaro Urtizberea. Both films had been released in the United States.

The manifesto ends with "The moment of disintegration of the state that we are currently living in is also a moment of potential reintegration of society. Today more that ever Argentina needs the maximum possible discussion and reflection on reality. It is alarming that the Argentine government seems to be planning to reorganize Argentine society while completely bypassing the field of culture."

Peter Greenaway

By Jim McCaskill

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands. Peter Greenaway (director of 52 films including 81/2 Women, Pillow Book, Prospera's Books and The Cook, the Thief His Wife and Her Lover) distributed Proficiency Certificates to graduates of the European Film Institutes graduate program for young European film makers. The programs places these aspirants as sponsored internships with films in production. Among other productions some worked on the Italian/Swiss director Fosco Dubini's The Trip to Kafiristan which was shown in the Rotterdam Film Festival.

Additional information on this program can be found at www.eikk.de and email may be sent to eikk-esp@web.de.

Miike Takashi and Asano Tadanobu in a Press Conference at Rotterdam

By Jim McCaskill

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands. The following is from a press conference held by Miike Takashi, director, and Asano Tadanobu, actor and musician, at the 31st Annual Rotterdam Film Festival. Three years ago his work was featured here in a segment called: "No Cherry Blossoms."

Miike Takashi comes across as an ultra cool individual in his trendy dark glasses, Northern Face jacket, dark joggers and red sneakers. But cool and trendy are not his cup of tea in films. Oceans of blood would be more like it. No sense killing off three or four when you can do hundreds. The last few years has seen several Japanese Splatter Films released in the states. At a press screening of another film the lady sitting beside me described one of Takaski-san's film as "The worst mess I have ever seen."

The man may not make cool and eloquent films but he does work fast. In the past ten years he has made 46 films, seven in 2001. Takashi-san is the first person in the history of the Rotterdam Film Festival to have four films in one year. Not all of the them are truly Splatter Films. Some like, The Happiness of the Katakuris (which received its World Premiere here on 30 January) combine odd musical numbers and he kills off less than a dozen family members. His style of directing is very intense with little wasted time. It is from this fast pace of filming that his films receive their energy.

Tadanobu Asano, the multi-talented actor as he is in a rock band back in Japan and had to hurry back for a weekend gig, has made 27 films, two in 2001: Distance and Ichi the Killer. He said when asked about working with Takashi-san, "He is a prolific director and very comfortable on the set." He has also worked with Hirokazu Koreeda in Distance. "Koreeda-san's work is different; less speed, more care." In this film the actors had only their lines and knew roughly what the other actors might be doing. Might. Often they had no clue and were given the wrong lines in order to mislead them and get that element of surprise. "With Ichi we had a fabulous time on the set." "Takashi-san has a relish to push things as far as possible." "I realize the film looks bloody on screen but the set was a world apart. Very comfortable and calm."

Miike Takashi was asked about reworking Family Game into The Happiness of the Katakuris. He said, "The goal was not to make a twin of the original but to plum the essence of the original. To take the film in a different direction." "There is a lot going on in this book. Something very appealing. There is a lot going on behind his words. He is staring into my soul."

Asano Tadanobu was asked about the comic book style in Electric Dragon and his work with Sogo Ishii."I actually use to be in the same band with him. He knows me and used his knowledge of me to develop the character. Hopefully I am not whacked dragon." "I started in my first band when I began acting. My life would be no fun if I only acted." "The band's music is not limited to that in Electric Dragon.

In Agitator, an actor says, "Life is like a meteor; flare up and be done with it." Takashi-san said, "There was time when you lived life intensely and briefly. I can not live that way. I make my films as a homage to those who do."

When asked about being an actor in his films, Takasi-san said, "It is a win-win situation. I am already on the payroll and it stimulates my directing seeing the set as an actor. I had to kill him off quickly as I felt his pain."

The inevitable question came up as to his films reflecting Japanese life. "For myself, I grew up as other Japanese did, having to repress the darkness that lurks within all of us. Rebellion, violence."

Takasi-san is notorious for changing the scripts. Why are his writers so eager to work with him? "I am not changing a script. A script is a jumping off point. They know that they are suppose to inspire me with their words."

The films of Miike Takasi are not the only Splatter Film at this year's festival. Another one, Suicide Club, outdoes anything as far as blood and guts on the screen. In the opening sequence 50 teenage girls hold hands, chant and hurl them selves under the wheels of an on coming train. In close up. With blood splattering everywhere. Body parts also. And that was only the opening. These films are the antithesis of Classic Greek tragedy where all violence occurred off stage as violence imagined was worse than violence show. Don't you believe that anymore.

"All my films are prayers," Takasi-san says, "for love and peace in the universe. I absorb all violence so only love and peace are left."

Calendar of Events

FILMS

American Film Institute
The AFI continues its series of 1970s Robert Altman films with H.E.A.L.T.H. (1979) on February 11 at 6:30pm and February 12 at 8:30pm; Quintet (1979) on February 11 at 8:30pm and February 13 at 6:30pm; Brewster McCloud (1970) on February 12 at 6:30pm and February 16 at 2:00pm; California Split (1974) on February 13 at 8:45pm and February 16 at 6:15pm; The Long Goodbye (1973) on February 14 at 6:30pm and February 17 at 3:15pm; Thieves Like Us (1974) on February 14 at 8:30pm and February 17 at 1:00pm; M*A*S*H (1970) on February 15 at 6:30pm and February 16 at 8:15pm; Nashville (1975) on February 15 at 8:45pm and February 17 at 7:45pm; and Three Women (1977) on February 16 at 4:00pm and February 17 at 5:30pm. Two films by French director Patrice Chereau, Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998) on February 8 at 6:30pm and 8:45pm; February 9 at 2:00pm, 4:15pm, and 6:30pm; and February 10 at 1:00pm, 3:15pm, and 8:15pm. Queen Margot (1994) is on February 9 at 8:45pm and February 10 at 5:30pm. Finally, there is an week-long run of What Time Is It There? (Tsai Ming-Liang, 2001), from February 1-7, see the website for times.

Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer concludes its films by new Iranian directors in February with Under the Moonlight (Seyyed Reza Mir-Karimi, 2001) on February 1 at 7:00pm and February 3 at 2:00pm; Going By (Iraj Karimi, 2001) on February 15 at 7:00pm and February 17 at 2:00pm; and Unfinished Song (Maziar Miri, 2001) with a short documentary, Tabaki (Bahman Kiarostami, 2001) on February 22 at 7:00pm and February 24 at 2:00pm.

National Gallery of Art
On February 9 at 2:00pm is La Commune Part I (Peter Watkins, 2000) and on February 16 is La Commune Part II (Peter Watkins, 2000), a historical documentary about the Paris Commune, with a documentary about the making of the film, The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins (Geoff Bowie, 2001) on February 17 at 4:00pm. On the weekend of February 23-24 are a series of documentaries: Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty, 1922) on February 23 at 12:30pm; Beauty Will Save the World (Stefan Jarl, 2000) with Obon (Andrej Zdravic, 2001) and Origin (Andrej Zdravic, 2001) on February 23 at 2:00pm; and Wedding of Palo (Knud Rasmussen and Friedrich Dalsheim, 1934) on February 23 at 3:45pm. On February 24 at 4:00pm is The Underground Orchestra (Heddy Honigman, 2000). Other films at the Gallery in February include Speaking of Buñuel (José Luis López-Linares and Javier Rioyo, 2000) on February 2 at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. On February 10 at 4:30pm is Glory (Edward Zwick, 1989) preceded by a 2:00pm lecture about the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment. On February 3 at 5:00pm is Art City (Chris Maybach and Paul Gardner, 2002). Several documentaries about Christo's works include Wrapped Coast and Christo's Valley Curtain on February 6-9 at 12:30pm; Works in Progress on February 13-16 at 12:30pm; Running Fence on February 20, 21, 22, 24 at 12:30pm; Wrapped Walk Ways on February 27 at 12:30, with more continuing in March.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On February 7 at 8:00pm is Chris Marker's Sans Soleil (1982). Note that this is a change from the published schedule.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
On February 20 at 7:00pm is Frida (Paul Leduc, 1983) about the Mexican artist Frida Kaho.

Films on the Hill
On February 13 at 7:00pm is The Fire Brigade (William Nigh, 1926) an early "disaster" movie starring Charles Ray and May McAvoy shown with Wrong Again (Leo McCarey, 1929), a two-reeler with Laurel and Hardy, both films silent, with recorded music accompaniment. On February 20 at 7:00pm is Q Planes (Tim Whelan, 1939), a tongue-in-cheek spy thriller with Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson in an early pairing, shown with two Tex Avery cartoons The Car of the Future (1951) and TV of the Future (1953). On February 22 at 7:30pm is Mata Hari (George Fitzmaurice, 1931) starring Greta Garbo and Ramon Novarro.

Meridian House
On February 21 at 10:00am, T.H.I.S presents the Washington, DC premiere of a new documentary film Voltaire and Jefferson produced by The Voltaire Society of America, about the influence of the French philosopher on the American system of government. A discussion of the film will follow, led by Dr. Laurence Jarvik of Johns Hopkins University. Call 202-232-3002 or e-mail this@meridian.org.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Excerpts from The Arusha Tapes, a compelling film that documents the trials of genocide suspects conducted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, with a panel discussion afterwards is on January 29 at 7pm.

Pickford Theater
The Pickford Theater shows Cinderella (James Kirkwood, 1914) on February 12 at 7:00pm with music accompaniment by Ray Brubacher. On February 26 at 7:00pm is Carmen (Cecil B. DeMille, 1915); and on February 28 at 7:00pm is Burn! (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1969).

Goethe Institute
In conjunction with the Cultural Development Corporation and the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, the Goethe Institute hosts a program showcasing short films by Washington area independent filmmakers. The screenings are preceded by a short German film.

National Geographic Society
On February 15 at 6:30pm is Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (Zacharias Kunuk, 2001), the first film made in the Inuit language with an all-Inuit cast. On February 21 are two Australian films: at 6pm is Amy (1998) and at 8pm is Looking for Alibrandi (2000) both of which won awards in Australia.

French Embassy
Continuing its series of Luis Buñuel films, the French Embassy shows The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (1955) on February 1 at 7:00pm, The Young One (1960) on February 3 at 1:00pm, Belle de Jour (1968) on February 3 at 3:00pm, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) on February 8 at 7:00pm, The Exterminating Angel (1962) on February 9 at 1:00pm, Viridiana (1961) on February 9 at 3:00pm, Simon of the Desert (1965) on February 9 at 5:00pm, Phantom of Liberty (1974) on February 10 at 1:00pm, That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) on February 10 at 3:00pm, and Diary of a Chambermaid (1964) on February 10 at 5:30pm. Call 202-944-6091.

National Museum of Natural History
On February 1 at noon is Ochre and Water (2001) about Namibia's Himba resisting a dam; on February 15 at noon is Nomads of Badakshan (1975) and The Painted Truck (1972), two short documentaries about Afghan culture.

Transafrica Forum JUST ADDED
Los Hijos de Baragua (My Footsteps in Baragua), Gloria Rolando's documentary film about the residents of Baragua in the province of Ciego de Avila in Cuba is on February 28 at 6:30pm. Call 202-797-2301. A discussion will follow the screening.

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January, 2002
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July, 2001
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February, 2001
January, 2001
December,2000
November, 2000