October 9-18
Arabian Sights 2009
The 14th annual Arabian Sights Film Festival kicks off Friday, October 9 to present 13 diverse selections of the newest, boldest, and most inspiring films from today’s Arab world. Running through Sunday, October 18, the Festival features films from 7 Arab countries including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
The Arabian Sights Film Festival showcases films that demonstrate the range and commitment of directors who invariably manage to tell moving stories while exploring issues facing their region. The Arabian Sights Audience Award will be awarded to the film voted the most popular by the audience. All films in this series are Washington, DC premieres and have English subtitles.
Highlights include London River, winner of a Special Jury Prize and Best Actor (Sotigui Kouyaté) at the Berlin International Film Festival. Starring award-winning actress, Brenda Blethyn, London River is directed by world-renowned Franco-Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb. Masquerades was Algeria’s submission to the 2009 Academy Awards and won Best Film at the Dubai International Film Festival. The second screening of Masquerades will be followed by a reception, co-sponsored by the Embassy of Algeria, at the National Geographic Society.
From Morocco, A Fiance for Yasmina swept the Malaga Spanish Awards including Best Film, Best Actress, and the Audience Award. Fawzeya's Secret Recipe, from acclaimed Egyptian filmmaker Magdi Ahmed Ali, who will be present for Q&As, won Best Actress at Abu Dhabi Film Festival and features veteran belly dancer Nagwa Fouad. French film, Welcome, winner of two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, was a French box-office hit and stars leading actor Vincent Lindon. The Long Night from Syria won the prized Best Film award at Italy’s Taormina Film Festival.
Also featured: Back by popular demand, Egypt’s Hassan and Morcos, stars Omar Sharif in this Filmfest DC hit; from Iraq, the documentary Open Shutters Iraq looks at contemporary Iraq through a female lens; Yemen’s first locally produced film, The Losing Bet; Morocco’s comedic hit, Number One; and Laila's Birthday, from prolific and award-winning Palestinian filmmaker, Rashid Masharawi.
Confirmed talent scheduled to present and discuss their films at the Festival, include (in chronological order): Iraqi documentary filmmaker Maysoon Pachachi with her film Open Shutters Iraq on Friday, October 9 at 9:00 and Saturday October 10 at 9:00 p.m. at Landmark's E Street Cinema. Acclaimed Egyptian director Magdi Ahmed Ali with his film Fawzeya's Secret Recipe on Thursday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Landmark's E Street Cinema and Friday, October 16 at 9:00 p.m. at the National Geographic Society.
Special Events during the Festival include: Saturday, October 17 at 8:30 p.m. The Embassy of Algeria co-sponsors a reception following the screening of Masquerades at the National Geographic Society. Tickets are $15 for the screening and reception.
Tickets for 2009 Arabian Sights Film Festival are $10.00 per person for each screening, unless otherwise noted. A Festival Pass is available for 10 tickets for a discounted rate of $85. This package does not include the October 17 screening of Masquerades and reception. Tickets may be purchased online through the Festival web site until midnight the day before the show; tickets also available at the theater starting one hour before the first show. Cash or check sales only at the theater. For more information call 202-234-3456 or visit the website.
Screenings will be held at Landmark's E Street Cinema (555 11th Street, NW, Metro Center or Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro) and The National Geographic Society (1600 M Street, NW, Farragut North. Free parking available in the National Geographic Society garage).
The full schedule of films and film images are available online at the website with a downloadable PDF of the full program.
Q&A with Director Shane Meadows on Somers Town
By Ron Gordner & James McCaskill, DC Film Society Members
Somers Town is currently playing at Landmark's E Street Cinema. This Q&A with the director and actors was taken at a screening during the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2008.
Tomo (Thomas Turgoose, who starred in This Is England also directed by Shane Meadows, 2006) has just turned 16 and been released from social care. He runs away to London from a difficult life in the Midlands. Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant, lives with his father who drinks with his friends most evenings after working on a construction site. Marek is a keen photographer, quiet and sensitive--he is not comfortable in his father's world.
Somers Town was awarded the Michael Powell Award, the highest award given by the 2008 Edinburgh IFF. Turgoose and Jagiello shared Tribeca's Best Actor in Narrative Feature Film award.
Shot in black and white in contemporary central London, the council housing Phoenix Court, Somers Town shows that in alienating urban environs and fractured family relationships, redemption is found through friendship. The screenplay by Paul Fraser started life as an idea by London advertising agency, Mother, as a project using fiction to examine the changes caused by the regeneration of the area around Kings Cross and St Pancras train stations in central London. With the relocation of the Eurostar International terminus to the newly renovated St Pancras Station of the edge of Somers Town, Eurostar decided to produce the film and celebrate this period of transition.
When Shane Meadows came on board as director, his particular working method laid the ground work for an expanded story that would use improvised performances grown organically out of an intensive rehearsal timetable, as well as the written script that in turn evolved throughout this process. During this time, Fraser's short film script developed into a full length story. All the locations chosen were within a few hundred yards of one another, with local people acting as extras and all of the interior locations being found within the community.
Present at the Q&A were director Shane Meadows and several actors including Piotr Jagiello, Thomas Turgoose and Elisa Lasowski, and the producers.
Question: After your last film This is England, many thought that Thomas was an alter ego for you. Is this true in Somers Town also?
Shane Meadows: Yeah, the resemblance between Tomo and what I looked like at his age was mind blowing when I first met him. A few of us that worked on This is England said we wanted to make sure that we didn’t use Tomo and abuse him as a child actor as we have seen others do when they get a kid from--should I say the wrong side of the tracks. In other words, they can be shown the light and then after the filming have the door shut in their faces. Tomo is an amazing actor, and I stand by him. Anything that came up that he was right for, he would have a chance at it. This story called for a 15 or 16 year old kid who had run away from Nottingham. He couldn’t have been more perfect for it. The lovely thing about this film, is that it is the first film I’ve made without writing it. Paul Fraser wrote the script. But when I read it, I wanted to collaborate with Paul. This script really sang to me. I did improvise a little, as I do in all my films; but if you read the script, you will find I remained quite true to it. The relationships of the two boys and the girl, the boys and the Dad, and the boys meeting the woman later all pay tribute to Paul’s great writing.
Q: So if you end up with this sense of responsibility to some of your actors, aren’t you going to end up with a lot of people to look out for?
Shane Meadows: Yeah, I may have to have a film like Ben Hur, just so I can have a huge battle scene and mass execution. No, I really do love to work with the same people again. It’s like I got a thrill in finding Piotr. We looked all over for this kid in England. When we went to Poland, we interviewed kids and I believe the Holy One just leads me in the right direction to the right one. I don’t like to use CVs and tapes for casting purposes. And Tomo is the best indication of that. We searched all over England in drama groups and then found him in a little room in Grimsby. It’s like it was meant to be sometimes.
Q: You saved yourself all those drama school fees, that’s good. Piotr, did you know any of Shane Meadow’s other films?
Piotr Jagiello: Actually not, honestly. But I watched This is England with Tomo and I really liked it.
Q: And Elisa, how did you come to the movie?
Elisa Lasowski: I was cast by a casting director in London and we met two or three times.
Q: And was it as much fun on the set as it looks on the film?
EL: Yes, it was a lot of fun. I could be just as silly and immature as they were.
Q: I see that the film was partially sponsored by EUROSTAR, and I wondered how that affected your creative process.
Shane Meadows: Well it frightened me to death when I was first told about the project. I worked with BBC Films, Film Council, and others, obviously all in the business of making films. I couldn’t quite put me together with EUROSTAR and then I met the guys from Mother and Gregg Nugent from EUROSTAR, and he was really literate and after talking to them it was apparent I had carte blanche to cast who I wanted, do want I wanted with the script and editing. They already had enough of the glossy stuff about the link to the Channel in place. It was really the freest I have ever been on a film. I thought initially we would have to have the kids or everybody going on the Channel train, and it was none of that at all. Ken Loach and Stephen Frears and others have gone into Nottingham and filmed before the places have changed. So this was a bit of a throw back to that kind of film making. Once I had the freedom, I didn’t see this as a commercial film at all. I did include some scenes of the boys going to Paris on the train to see the girl, but they would have to do that anyway.
Q: How do you rate this film to your others? And did you shoot in black and white to capture the overall beauty of England or to make it more believable?
Shane Meadows: I thought about that when viewing this film. Your films are like your children, so when someone says, which is your favorite? It is virtually impossible to pick one over the other. All I can say about Somers Town is that I am as proud of it as my other films, and what I like about it is that after making This is England I really felt confident now to sit back with the camera and let the actors act, rather than running around with the camera, wheely devices, and trying to figure out whether to put the camera here or here. In this film it was more going back in the room with a longer lens and letting the actors perform. So in that manner, the film means a lot to me, because it allowed me to be really simplistic in the way I approached it. In terms of the black and white projection, I went down to London and started filming locations and the colors of the clashing architectural styles of modern buildings next to buildings from the 30s and it looked appalling to me. I tried to think of a recent film about downtown London that showed the areas and buildings well and couldn’t think of any. Looking at the wide eclectic styles in Somers Town now you see a wide array of bricks and scaffolding and you’re not really looking at the characters. So I had all the images transferred into black and white, and suddenly it was a eureka moment that absolutely this has to be in black and white. Otherwise it’s just not going to be the film it’s meant to be. It was accidental: I had meant to make a color film but for artistic reasons it wouldn’t have looked like the same place.
Q: This is England was a beautiful but also political film. Given the status of immigration in England, to what degree would you consider this film as a political film or was it just a very personal film for you?
Shane Meadows: Obviously the script came to me from someone else. If there is anything political in it, it was from my feeling that if you went down to the people in the pubs and on the street there was this feeling that they couldn’t get jobs because of the Polish immigrants. My uncle is in the construction business and says that some of the hardest workers he has had are from the Polish people. They have an amazing work ethic, versus sometimes the guy in the pub saying I can’t work because I have glass back, etc. You jump to the conclusion that the father came to England just to work but the truth is that he came because he had a broken heart and his wife is still in Poland. I loved that and the duality of the story and was getting ticked off by the attitude I was seeing in the pubs.
Q: I had a question about your self production or how the film is being handled since there seems to be little outside interference.
Shane Meadows: I will let my producer Barnaby address that.
Barnaby Spurrier: Because the film was pre-financed by EUROSTAR it did give Shane more freedom than he has had on other projects. There was no collaborative of financiers and trying to get them on board. But the distribution will be handled like any other film, Optimum is distributing it in England and it will be picked up by others overseas. So it does have an integrity that Shane could do what he wanted, but in every other respect it is like any other movie.
Q: In the beginning you spoke about this film coming from a short story and being shot over 8 days. What was the short story and what did it evolved into? Did you start to film a short story or a short film?
Barnaby Spurrier: The original script was about 26 pages long which roughly would equate to a half-hour film. So we originally thought it may be a 30-40 minute film, but when we got 8 minutes of shooting from the first half page of script, we realized we had something longer and more substantial on our hands. Also because Shane does do so much improvisation and working with the actors, it evolved into a longer film. The basic story and arc of the film was there, but more story grew from the shooting on locations.
Q: To the cast: what was the most important thing you learned from making the film and from working with Shane?
Kate Dickie: I love Shane’s amazing trust in his actors. You weren’t questioned about your ability, you just enjoyed your scenes and like Tomo said, he is very trusting, a good time, laid back, and was fun to do.
Elisa Lasowski: He is very trusting and a good friend and uncle and it was interesting to let go and trust the director.
Thomas Turgoose: It was the best 10 days of my life. To get to work with Shane again after doing This is England was amazing. As soon as my agent said Shane was interested in me doing this film, I just said yes, definitely.
Perry Benson: It’s great to work with Shane. It’s a bit like doing jazz or scat. He gives you the backbone of the script and then you add the rest together.
In a written statement about the film, Shane Meadows said: "During the last year or so travelling from Nottingham to London by train, it was amazing watching the changes happening around the St Pancras area and the idea of making a short film that was set in this period of transition was immediately attractive. It was the first film I have make in London and I wanted to try and capture both the familiarity and the strangeness of the place. In a funny way it has also become a much more cosmopolitan production than my previous work, with a cast from Poland, France and the UK and an Argentinian DoP. It's an exciting prospect to take all of these elements and produce a piece of work that stays true to the philosophy and method of working that I have developed in all my previous films. The fact that what was conceived as a short film has evolved into a longer piece has made the whole thing a really rewarding experience."
The Cinema Lounge
The next meeting of the Cinema Lounge will be on Monday, October 12 at 7:00pm. Our topic is "Cult Films."
The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the second Monday of every month at 7:00pm at Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop). You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Daniel R. Vovak, ghostwriter with Greenwich Creations.
Last month at Cinema Lounge
On September 14, 2009, the attendees of the Cinema Lounge discussed "Spring/Summer movie review and Fall/Winter movie preview." The meeting began with some questions about Shutter Island (2010). Why was it pushed back to February? Is there an anti-Martin Scorsese movement brewing? He wasn't working with Paramount much before. The conclusion was that many of his other movies have been pushed back, so this is following a similar trend.
One of the men in the group commented that in Star Trek (2009) the women's roles were weak and the new Kirk was too young. A unique comment was: "Spock's mommy bites the big one." There have been 11 films within the series, which is impressive.
District 9 (2009) had many previously-used elements in it, though they were nicely compiled into a suspenseful movie. It certainly beat expectations and is worth watching.
The bro-mance genre has run its course with I Love You, Man (2009). My Life in Ruins (2009) was nothing more than a repackage of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). The script for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) was bad. In The Proposal, Sandra Bullock played the same character as she does in every movie. Easy Virtue (2008) was a great movie, especially with the music of Cole Porter. My Sister's Keeper (2009) was good, though the book was much better. Regardless, it didn't make sense that it was released in summer, since it seems like more of a December picture. Up (2009) had natural emotion in it. The first five minutes were better than most whole movies. Many people liked Julie & Julia (2009), though they thought that either Amy Adams was miscast for the movie (as Julie) or that her performance was just dominated by Meryl Streep. 500 Days of Summer (2009) was sweet, charming, and intelligent. Inglourious Basterds (2009) was good, but not a movie for everyone. 9 (2009) was released on September 9, 2009 and was pretty good, and a nice surprise. The Hangover (2009) was okay, but it's better to watch when drunk because it doesn't make much sense if you're sober. Moon (2009) was well acted, especially for a low budget film.
There was a also long discussion about a change in the Academy rules that, now, Oscar picks will be ranked from "one to ten" by voters. In addition, there will now be ten nominees, instead of five. Under the old system (with five nominees), voters simply chose one film, with the winner simply being the top pick for everyone. With the new method, weight will also be given to voters' second and third picks. Under the old system, the best-picture prize conceivably could have gone to a film with barely 10-percent of the vote.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
The 20th Annual Latin American Film Festival continues until October 12. More than 30 films will be screened from Latin America plus Spain and Portugal and several special guests are expected to make appearances with their films. Titles remaining in October include Beyond Ipanema: Brazilian Waves in Global Music attended by special guest Adriana Bosch on October 3 and filmmaker Beco Dranoff on October 8; That's It from Brazil attended by the 21-year-old producer Julia Ramil; Just Walking, the closing night film from Spain, and many others.
The DC Labor Filmfest 2009 (October 13-19) focuses on new and old films about work and workers from the American office to the far-flung facgtories of the global economy. The opening night film Manufactured Landscapes will be attended by director Jennifer Baichwal and is timed to conincide with the Corcoran's new exhibit of Edward Burtynsky's photographs. Other titles include Frozen River and Tokyo Sonata among the newer films and Wild Boys of the Road, Heroes for Sale and The Grapes of Wrath among the older classics. Check the website for the full schedule.
The second "Noir City DC" (October 24-November 4) is a series devoted to film noir and includes Slightly Scarlet, Ace in he Hole, Gun Crazy, Wicked as They Come, Alias Nick Beal, The Big Combo, Shakedown, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Out of the Pst, Night Editor, The Killers, and Hollow Triumph.
Halloween films at the AFI include Nosferatu and a mini-series of werewolf films: An American Werewolf in London, The Wolfman, The Werewolf of London and Wolfen.
The AFI also participates in the 19th annual Reel Affirmations film festival (October 17-22) and the 4th annual Washington, DC International Horror Film Festival. Other special events include Act of God with director Jennifer Baichwal in person on October 12 and Second Skin, a documentary about computer gamers on October 20. See the website for dates and times.
Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer takes part in the 6th annual US-ASEAN Film Festival, focusing on the countries of Southeast Asia. Two films remain in October: Adela (Adolfo Alix, 2008) from the Philippines on October 16 at 7:00pm and The Moon at the Bottom of the Well (Nguyen Vinh Son, 2008) from Vietnam.
The 2009 DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival takes place at the Freer and other venues October 1-20. Titles at the Freer are Operation Babylist (Tammy Nguyen Lee, 2009) on October 4 at 12:00 noon, Project Kashmir (Senain Kheshgi and Geeta V. Patel, 2008) on October 4 at 2:00pm, Li Tong (Liu Nian, 2009) on October 9 at 7:00pm, Manilatown is in the Heart (Curtis Choy, 2008) on October 10 at 12:00 noon and You Don't Know Jack (Jeff Adachi, 2009) on October 10 at 2:00pm.
"Bringing the World Home: The Global Film Initiative" begins in October with Opera Jawa (Garin Nugroho,) from Indonesia on October 23 at 7:00pm and The Bet Collector (Jeffrey Jeturian, 2006) from Korea on October 25 at 2:00pm. More in November.
On October 22 at 7:00pm is The Glass House (Hamid Rahmanian, 2008), a documentary about four Iranian teenagers. The director and producer are scheduled to attend.
National Gallery of Art
"New Films from Hungary" includes selections from the Magyar Filmszemle. On October 3 at 2:00pm is Prank (Peter Gardos, 2008); on October 3 at 4:00pm is Iszka's Journey (Csaba Bollok, 2007); on October 10 at 12:30pm is Miss Universe of 1929 (Peter Forgacs, 2006); on October 10 at 2:30pm is White Palms (Szabolcs Hajdu, 2006) preceded by the short film 411-Z (Daniel Erdelyi, 2007); on October 11 at 4:30pm is Overnight (Ferenc Torok, 2008) preceded by the short film Urlicht (Diana Groo, 2006); on October 17 at 4:00pm is Man from London (Bela Tarr, 2007); and on October 24 at 4:30pm is Delta (Kornel Mundruczo, 2008).
"The Silesian Trilogy" is a tribute to the region of Silesia directed by native Silesian Kazimierz Kutz who will be attend the first show. On October 18 at 4:30pm is Salt of the Black Earth (1969); on October 24 at 2:00pm is Pearl in the Crown (1972); and on October 25 at 4:30pm is The Beads of One Rosary (1979).
"Brit Noir" begins October 30 and continues into November. On October 30 at 3:30pm is The October Man (Roy Baker, 1947); and on October 31 at 3:30pm is On the Night of the Fire (Brian Desmond Hurst, 1939) shown with They Drive By Night (Arthur Woods, 1938). More next month.
Special events at the Gallery include the Washington premiere of The Korean Wedding Chest (2008) with director Ulrike Ottinger in person on October 4 at 4:30pm and Tiber (2008) on October 29 and 30 at 12:30pm, with director Catia Ott present to introduce the film on October 31 at 1:00pm.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On October 22 at 8:00pm is Un jour Pina a demande (Chantal Akerman, 2009), a portrait of virtuoso dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. On October 29 at 8:00pm is The Beast Stalker (Dante Lam, 2008), a crime drama from Hong Kong.
National Museum of African Art
On October 23 at 7:00pm is The Forgotten Root (Raphel Rebollar, 2001), a documentary about the "forgotten root" of Africans who were brought to Mexico as slaves or who arrived as escaped slaves from the US. On October 24 at 1:00pm are two short documentares The Third Root (2001) and Africanias. Both programs are part of the Afro-Mexican Film series and director Raphel Rebollar will be present for discussion both days.
National Museum of the American Indian
On October 9 at 7:00pm is La Mission (2009) followed by a discussion with filmmakers Peter and Benjamin Bratt. Reservations are required 202-633-6695.
National Portrait Gallery
Mexican actress Dolores del Rio is the subject of this "Reel Portraits" in a double feature--one of her Mexican films shown with one of her American films. On October 10 at 2:00pm is Maria Candelaria (Emilio Fernandez, 1943) and on October 10 at 5:00pm is Flying Down to Rio (Thornton Freeland, 1933). Charles Ramírez Berg, author of Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, and Resistance, introduces both films and hosts a Q&A session following each screening.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
On October 8 at 6:30pm is The Gay Divorcee (Mark Sandrich, 1934) to accompany the exhibition "1934: A New Deal for Artists."
On October 22 at 6:30pm is "Chris Marker: The Mysterious Screen," a program of short films including Tokyo Days (1998), Prime Time n the Camps (1993) and Bestiaire (1985-1990).
On October 29 at 6:30pm is "William Wiley: Filmworks," a program of short experimental films including The Great Blondino (1966), Plastic Haircut (1963), and Man's Nature (1971). The program will be introduced by curator John Hanhardt who will answer questions after the show.
Washington Jewish Community Center
As part of the DC Labor Film Festival is At Home in Utopia (Michal Goldman, 2008), a documentary about Jewish immigrant garment workers in the 1920s.
On October 18 at noon, as part in "Reel Affirmations" is City of Borders (Yun Suh, 2009), a documentary about a gay bar in Jerusalem patronized by both Jews and Muslims.
On October 19 at 7:30pm is Adam Resurrected (Paul Schrader, 2008), based on the novel by Yoram Kaniuk and starring Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe. A discussion will take place after the film with Pamela S. Nadell, professor at American University.
On October 25 at 3:00pm is Copyright Criminals (Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod, 2009), a documentary about hip-hop performers and record company lawyers.
Goethe Institute
On October 1 at 6:30pm is The Miracle of Leipzig (Sebastian Dehnhardt and Mattias Schmidt, 2009) followed by a discussion with one of the protagonists, a Leipig-based civil rights activist, the producer and one of the directors.
A new series "Wende Flicks: Last Films from East Germany" runs from October 5-November 30 and includes feature films and documentaries about the Wende, the peacful revolution in Germany 20 years ago. On October 5 at 6:30pm is The Mistake (Heiner Carow, 1991) which will be introduced by Barton Byg, professor of film and German studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. On October 8 at 6:30pm is Silent Country (Andreas Dresen, 1992); on October 19 at 6:30pm is The Architects (Peter Kahane, 1990); and on October 26 at 6:30pm is The Tango Player (Roland Graf, 1991). More in November.
National Geographic Society
The "All Roads Film Project" (October 2-3) is dedicated to providing a platform for indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture storytellers around the wold to create and showcase films. On October 2 at 7:00pm is El Ragalo de la Pachamama (Toshifumi Matsushita, 2008), about salt workers in Bolivia. On October 3 at 2:00pm is The Fall of Womenland (Xiaodan He, 2009), a documentary about the matriarchal Mosuo people, a minority in southwest China. On October 3 at 4:30pm is Before Tomorrow(Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu, 2008), set around 1840 before many Inuits had met white people. On October 3 at 7:00pm is Barking Water (Sterlin Harjo, 2009).
French Embassy
On October 14 at 7:00pm is Eden is West (Costa-Gavras, 2009), about illegal immigrants.
The Japan Information and Culture Center
On October 21 at 6:30pm is Love and Honor (Yoji Yamada) a samurai movie about a food-taster. Reservations are required.
National Archives
On October 22 at noon is the program "From the Vaults: The Struggle for Civil Rights," short films including The March and Japanese-Americans (1945) about contributions of the Nisei troops during World War II. On October 15 at 7:00pm is a 70th anniversary screening of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939). On October 17 at noon is Big (Penny Marshall, 1988) as part of the Archives' "Big" exhibition.
The Avalon
As part of the "Czech Lions" series is Tobruk (Vaclav Marhoul, 2008) on October 14 at 8:00pm. La Belle Personne (The Beautiful Person, Christophe Honoré, 2008), this month's French Cinematheque film is on October 21 at 8:00pm, and is based on the classic novel "La Princesse de Clèves" by Marie-Madeleine de La Fayette and stars Louis Garrel and Léa Seydoux.
Anacostia Community Museum
On October 6 at 7:00pm is The Migration of Black Writers (Jacques Goldstein and Blaise N'Djehoya, 1997), a documentary about black writer expatriates who lived in Paris in the late 1940s through the late 1960s. A discussion follows the film.
Embassy of Austria
On October 13 at 7:30pm is Jump! (Joshua Sinclair, 2007), a true story of photographer Philippe Halsmann whose father died while on a hiking trip and, because of his Jewish heritage, finds himself wrongly accused of murder. With Patrick Swayze as the lawyer. RSVP required: 202-895-6776.
Smithsonian Associates
Wild Ocean 3D IMAX (2008) with Q&A takes place on October 1 at 8:00pm. This documentary voyages to South Africa along the KwaZulu Natal Wild Coast to see whales and sharks during their annual migration. Andy Dehart, Director of Biological Programs for the National Aquarium will lead the discussion and Q&A.
FILM FESTIVALS
