March 2022

Posted March 1, 2022.

Contents

  • Membership Reopens
  • The Cinema Lounge ONLINE
  • Who You Gonna Call? Adam's Rib Looks Back at the Career of Ivan Reitman
  • The 51st IFFR International Film Festival Rotterdam
  • We Need to Hear From You
  • Calendar of Events

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    Membership Reopens

    Membership is finally open again. And it's made simpler. Just $25 for one and $35 for two memberships, no physical cards, and with a more logical year end: December. Former and current members have already been notified. Visit our membership page for more information and to sign up.


    The Cinema Lounge

    On Monday, March 21 at 7:00pm please join the Cinema Lounge, the DC Film Society's monthly film discussion group. We will be online again.

    TOPIC: Who Will Win the Oscars?

    In January we picked the nominees. Now it's time to pick the winners for Picture, Director, the acting, and the screenplay categories. Does Will Smith get his long-awaited Oscar? Will West Side Story's Ariana DeBose win for the same role that Rita Moreno won for 60 years ago? Picture and Actress look wide open. What will be the biggest surprise? Who are we rooting for, and who should have been nominated instead?

    Please RSVP to atspector@hotmail.com and you'll get the Zoom link 1-2 days before the discussion.

    The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 7:00pm at     Teaism in Penn Quarter, 400 8th St., NW in Washington, DC (closest Metro stop is Archives, also near Metro Center and Gallery Place). NOTE: We will meet in the downstairs area. WE ARE MEETING ONLINE THIS MONTH. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.


    Who You Gonna Call? Adam's Rib Looks Back at the Career of Ivan Reitman

    Ivan Reitman, who died on February 12, directed the first two Ghostbusters. I had not thought about Reitman much recently. His filmography since the mid-90s paled next to his work from the prior 20 years. But after his passing, I reflected on Ivan Reiman’s work, and rediscovered his talents. He helped transform John Belushi and Bill Murray from TV stars into movie stars. Later, he uncovered Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gift for comedy. As performers, Murray and Schwarzenegger come from two different planets, but Reitman thrived with both. He also made his mark both as a director and a producer. I offer my tribute in my new Adam's Rib column.


    The 51st IFFR International Film Festival Rotterdam

    by Ron Gordner, DC Film Society Member

    The 51st edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam this year was initially planned to be a mix of mostly physical screenings and some virtual offerings, but new pandemic issues made it into a smaller virtual festival like many other film festivals and was held January 26 - February 14, 2022 with a later expanded edition in the year. Although most of the IFFR Pro networking and special press and industry presentations were virtual they were coordinated and of value to varied film professionals. Continued sharing of filmmaking experiences during the pandemic and marketing as at other festivals were discussed. The Omicron COVID-19 issues and lockdowns in the Netherlands required a change to a virtual festival of a smaller curated selection of films. The IFFR 2022 Official Selection included 217 films available to 2,221 press and industry guests via Festival Scope pro. IFFR Pro Days also welcomed over 1500 guests with 86 countries represented and also hosted an online roundtable at the Berlinale festival in February 2022.


    Vanja Kaludjercic continued her sophomore year as the director of the IFFR festival. She has a great deal of film and industry experience internationally and from within the Dutch film industry. She commented: “It is heartwarming to feel the continued support of filmmakers, industry members, partners and audiences in the face of ongoing uncertainties…” The festival has also supported more women in key directing and other filmmaking roles. Four women directors from the Tiger competition this year discussed the importance of having women telling their unique stories and highlight contemporary personal, local and global issues.

    Rotterdam is home to 350,000 admissions and around 3,000 industry attendees in a typical pre-pandemic year. IFFR continues to target the global art-house cinema development, production and marketing; particularly from Asia and developing countries.

    The Hubert Bals Fund historically has dedicated supporting filmmakers from developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other areas of the Middle East and Eastern Europe from various entry points: script development to post-production for unique voices with different artistic visions needed to be seen.

    The coveted     Tiger Competition this year included 14 titles. Check the link for the titles, background and jury.

    The VPRO Big Screen Competition this year included 9 premiere titles.

    The Limelight selections for 2022 includes 6 films chosen for their avant-garde or cinematic highlights.

    The opening film Please Baby Please was the recent work of American director Amanda Kramer and seven other of her retrospective films were also highlighted.

    IFFR Big Talks can also be viewed online with the following guests: Amanda Kramer, Mathieu Amalric, Rachel Lang, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, and director Joachim Trier and actress Renata Reinsve with Norway’s Best International Feature Oscar Submission The Worst Person in the World.

    IFFR 2022 also selects new film projects for the CineMart co-production market to support from around the world. Deadline for submissions is March 1st. Past funded projects ranged in variety and from countries such as Brazil, Iran, Ukraine, Ethiopia and Ecuador.


    IFFR AWARDS:

    The top Tiger Award including 40,000 Euros was presented to Paraguayan director Paz Encina for the film EAMI, a poetic and political film on the plight of indigenous tribes such as the Paraguayan Ayoreo-Totobiegosode and also environmental harm of deforestation to indigenous people, wildlife, flora and fauna.

    The Special Jury Award was presented to French director Morgane Dziurla-Petit for Excess Will Save Us and Chinese director Gao Linyang for To Love Again who also was presented the FIPRESCI Award. To Love Again deals with an elderly Chinese couple (both on their second marriage) and daily routines, and fear of loneliness. The closing night film was the classic Dragon Inn by King Hu.

    The Audience Award went to Italian director Gabrielle Mainetti for the very inventive Freaks Out.

    The Ammodo Tiger Shorts Awards were presented to Pedro Neves Marques from Portugal for Becoming Male in the Middle Ages; Iranian director Maryam Tafakory for Nazarbazi; and to U.S. directors Bayley Sweitzer and Adam Khalil for First Bite. The jury also nominated the short Becoming a Male in the Middle Ages for the European Film Awards short film category.

    For cinematography, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom received the third given Robby Muller Award for an “image maker” visual artist in the name of a famous Dutch cinematographer.

    IFFR 2022 had a good number of excellent documentaries this year, along with inventive and new feature and short films.


    MUST SEE FILMS:

  • As in Heaven (Tea Lindburg; Denmark; 2021). 14 year old Lise lives on a farm in rural Denmark in the late 19th century. She is the oldest of a large family and her mother is expecting again. The film covers how one day and night can vastly change her plans and future.


    Photo from the IFFR website

  • Blue Island (Tze Woon Chan; Hong Kong; 2022). Although China promised Hong Kong would maintain a separate status until 2047 those promises have been altered. This documentary visits protester groups and individuals from the late 1960s, 1980s and present day and shows some have the same determination while others have become part of the establishment. Many of the current protesters are shown at the end of the film with captions saying imprisoned for many months or years and still awaiting trial.

  • Hit the Road (Panah Panahi; Iran; 2021). Debut directing film from the son of Jafar Panahi is a mulitple award winner on the film festival circuit. Family road trip into rural Iran with an injured father, supportive mother, chaotic and sometimes annoying young son and older brother that slowly unravels into family and political issues. This film can be seen at the AFI in April.

  • Ida Lupino: Gentlemen & Miss Lupino (Clara and Julia Kuperberg; France; 2021). A documentary on the fascinating Ida Lupino who was the main female director of the 1950s and 1960s in Hollywood. She survived and made her own independent and noir films despite the film studio patriarchy.

  • Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music (T.J.Parsell; U.S.; 2021). Fascinating documentary about several lesbian songwriters who have created some of Country Music’s biggest hits. Some are also singers but many were shunned by Nashville or radio stations and survived mainly as songwriters.

  • Singing in the Wilderness (Dongnan Chen; China; 2021). A revealing documentary about the Miao Christian choir in rural mountainous China who were suddenly thrown into the national limelight and how the choir and two of its members' lives were changed by fame, politics, travel, and family issues.

  • The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier; Norway/France/Sweden/ Denmark; 2021). Multiple award winner and the submission for Norway for Oscar Best International Film which has made the short list of five films. Renate Reinsve plays a young woman who in four years traverses varied career and love choices and self introspection. It is currently playing at some metro DMV area theatres.


    VERY GOOD FILMS:

  • Daryn’s Gym (Brett Michael Innes; South Africa; 2022). A comedy about a small generational gym versus the new big modern elite gym just opening up across the street.

  • EAMI (Paz Encina; Paraguay/U.S./Germany/Netherlands/ Argentina/France/Mexico; 2022). Tiger winner. A poetic, visual experience of the invasion of the Paraguayan Chaco area by settlers and deforestation, making the the Ayoreo Totobiegosode people leave their once forested homes.

  • Freaks Out (Gabrielle Mainetti; Italy/Belgium; 2021). Four circus attractions who have their own secret powers work in a small traveling carnaval in Nazi occupied Rome in 1943. Franz (Franz Rogowski) takes over the circus after pushing the Jewish leader Israel out and tries to capture the fleeing foursome and find and harnass their powers for his own and Hitler’s plans. This is a very Fellini-like creative take on the Marvel or superheroes brand of films. It was also the IFFR 2022 Audience Award winner.


    Photo from the IFFR website

  • I Get Knocked Down (Dunstan Bruce and Sophie Robinson; United Kingdom; 2022). Bruce at 59 questions what is going on in the world and has some history and catch up with members of his Chumbawamba rock band that played from 1982 to 2012. The continued success of their song I Get Knocked Down but I Get Up Again is also discussed.

  • Malik (Mahesh Narayanan; India; 2021). Freddy is a recently released juvenile offender who goes back to his village and his gang wants him to kill his paternal uncle who is the local smuggler and gangster lord. Also available on Amazon Prime.

  • Yamabuki (Juichiro Yamasaki; Japan; 2022). Yamabuki is a teenager and daughter of a policeman who is not happy with her protests about the local quarry and environmental health. The lives of some of the quarry workers are also woven into the story.


    GOOD FILMS:

  • AKA (URF) (Geetika Narang Abbasi; India; 2022). An interesting documentary on three people who work as famous Bollywood actor lookalikes.

  • Anatomy of Time (Jakrawal Nithamrong; Thailand/France/Netherlands/ Singapore; 2021). A story of a young woman Meam is shown in her youth and later in old age in intermittent present and flashback sequences. It deals with her memories, the choices she made in choosing a military commander over her other lover, and how it also layers the changing politics in Thai history.

  • The Assault (Adhikhan Yerzhanov; Kazakhstan/Russia; 2022). Odd film seen as black comedy of a serious situation of a masked group of intruders taking over a number of children in a rural secondary school and the local school officials and village members who gather an assault team to save the day.

  • A Human Position (Anders Emblem; Norway; 2022). Astra is a young journalist who is working on a story about abuse and injustices in the workplace but also it seeps into her personal life.

  • Italo-Disco: Sparkling Sounds of the 80s (Alessandro Melazzini; Italy/Germany; 2021). An interesting documentary about the Italo-Disco music craze of the 1980s and if it may be making a comeback.

  • Kim Min-Young of the Report Card (South Korea; 2021). Jeonghee is still living at home and working at a job with her father. She decides to visit her old high school friend Mingyoung who is in college and has a more pragmatic vision of where her future lies.

  • Neptune Frost (Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams; U.S./Rwanda; 2021). To be seen for the creative visual filming and sonic musical sounds more than a non linear tale of an intersex hacker and others. It will also screen at the AFI's African Film Festival in March as the Opening Night film.

  • Stand By Me (Tamara Dondurey; Russia; 2022). Kira is a successful architect planning the modernization of Moscow, but at 30 she may no longer be able to live life with her ideal choice with new conflicts and challenges.

    For more information on the continuing IFFR festival see the website.


    We Need to Hear From YOU

    We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.


    Calendar of Events

    FILMS

    We list in-person films and events. Many other locations are still closed or online. Note that some locations require proof of vaccination and masks for entry.

     American Film Institute Silver Theater
    The 16th annual Capital Irish Film Festival takes place March 3-6, celebrating Irish identity, culture and artistry. The Opening Night film is Redemption of a Rogue and the Closing Night film is Where's the Craic?. Ireland's Oscar pick Foscadh is also included. Some films have special guests attending for Q&A. A festival pass is available.

    The 18th New African Film Festival (March 18-31) features recent films from African countries. The Opening Night film is Neptune Frost from Rwanda. Egypt's Oscar pick Souad and Chad's Oscar pick Lingui are shown and many films have special guests attending. A festival pass is available.

    "Festival of Films from Iran" (February 4-April 27) is an annual series of the latest films from Iran and selected classics which this year includes retrospectives dedicated to Shahram Mokri and Asghar Farhadi. Films in March are Ballad of a White Cow, The Night, There Is No Evil, and Zalava. More in April.

    The AFI's popular annual series "A Second Look" is back (January 28-April 14) with another chance to see some of 2021's acclaimed film releases, some of which didn't play in theaters. Frilms for March are Belle, Drive My Car, Dune, House of Gucci, King Richard, The Lost Daughter, Ailey, Julia and The Sparks Brothers. More in April.

    "Paul Thomas Anderson Retrospective" (January 29-April 11). Feature films of Paul Thomas Anderson continue in March with The Master. More in April.

    Special events include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), and the re-scheduled Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.

    French Embassy
    On March 1 at 7:00pm is Les Rendez-vous d'Anna (Chantal Akerman, 1978).

    Angelika Film Center Mosaic
    "Angelika Classics" are on the first Monday of each month at 7:00pm. On March 7 is Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981).

    "Sci-Fi Fest" films are on the third Monday of each month at 7:00pm. On March 21 is StarTrek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982).


    FILM FESTIVALS

    The New African Film Festival
    The 18th New African Film Festival (March 18-31) features recent films from African countries. The Opening Night film is Neptune Frost from Rwanda. Egypt's Oscar pick Souad and Chad's Oscar pick Lingui are shown and many films have special guests attending. A festival pass is available. Location: AFI's Silver Theater.

    The DC Independent Film Forum
    Forty-four independent features and shorts are shown March 3-6. A few titles: Adam and the Water, Bootyology, Sons of the Sea and Soul of a Beast. All features are paired with live forums, workshops, and other events. Location: Landmark's E Street Cinema. A pass is available.

    The 16th Capital Irish Film Festival
    The 16th annual Capital Irish Film Festival takes place March 3-6, celebrating Irish identity, culture and artistry. The Opening Night film is Redemption of a Rogue and the Closing Night film is Where's the Craic?. Ireland's Oscar pick Foscadh is also included. Some films have special guests attending for Q&A. A festival pass is available. Location: AFI's Silver Theater.


    Previous Storyboards

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021

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