September/October 2014 Cinematheque schedule

[Press release from the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

 

The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque’s September-October schedule is packed with special guests and great films. Among the highlights:

 

(1)    A personal appearance by film director John Waters on Saturday, September 27. Waters will present his one-man show “This Filthy World: Filthier and Dirtier” starting at 7:30 pm. A Q&A and book signing will follow the performance.

(2)    Nine classic movies made by Japan’s master filmmaker Kenji Mizoguchi during the 1950s. These will screen, one per week, between September 6 and November 1 in the series “Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade.”

(3)    Three recent features directed by rising Brit auteur Joanna Hogg, all starring Tom Hiddleston. They will premiere locally between September 25 and 28 in the short series “Whole Hogg.”

(4)    Five offbeat cult films by veteran Hollywood director and screenwriter, Vernon Zimmerman, who will appear in person on October 24 and 25.

(5)    The first Cleveland showing of 22 new films from around the world, including Sundance award winner FISHING WITHOUT NETS, produced by Cleveland’s Think Media Studios.

 

Complete details follow. Unless noted, all showings and events will take place in the Aitken Auditorium of the Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Boulevard in University Circle, and admission to each film is $9; Cinematheque members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $7. A second film on the same day generally costs an additional $7. Tickets to all programs, with the exception of the John Waters event, must be purchased at the door, cash/check only. (Sellouts are not a problem.) Free parking for filmgoers is available in the adjacent CIA lot, off of East Boulevard. For further information, call John Ewing or Tim Harry at (216) 421-7450, email cinema@cia.edu, or visit www.cia.edu/cinematheque. Cinematheque programs are supported by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.

 

This is the start of the Cinematheque’s 29^th, and last, year in its longtime home, Aitken Auditorium. During the summer of 2015 it will move to a new auditorium inside the Cleveland Institute of Art’s new Gund Building, which is going up at 11610 Euclid Avenue in the Uptown District. The Cinematheque has dubbed its final, celebratory year on East Boulevard “29 Skidoo.”

 

SEPTEMBER 4-7

 

Thursday, September 4, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, September 7, at 8:45 pm

MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN

DAST-NEVESHTEHAA NEMISOOSAND

Iran, 2013, Mohammad Rasoulof

Despite being banned from filmmaking for 20 years (along with his countryman Jafar Panahi; see 10/26), Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has secretly shot this angry new thriller, based on real events, about the lengths to which the Islamic state will go to silence dissidents. These include kidnaping, torture, and murder. “Easily the most daring and politically provocative film yet to emerge from Iran.” –RogerEbert.com. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 125 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Thursday, September 4, at 9:10 pm &

Sunday, September 7, at 6:30 pm

WITCHING AND BITCHING

LAS BRUJAS DE ZUGARRAMURDI

Spain/France, 2013, Álex de la Iglesia

Winner of eight Goya Awards (Spain’s Oscars), the new horror-comedy from the director of Day of the Beast and El Crimen Perfecto tells of a gang of fleeing jewel thieves who run right into a coven of cannibalistic witches. “A major achievement in sunny wretchedness, Álex de la Iglesia's splatter-comedy projectile pukes its outrages at you with a gusto recalling the early days of those (sadly) reformed upchuckers Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson.” –Village Voice. Adults only! Cleveland theatrical premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 112 min. www.ifcfilms.com/films/witching-and-bitching

 

Friday, September 5, at 7:00 pm

NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY

NORTE, HANGGANAN NG KASAYSAYAN

Philippines, 2013, Lav Diaz

Rhapsodically received at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, this Filipino epic (inspired by Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment) is a four-hour drama in which an embittered Luzon law student commits a double murder that has many repercussions. The first is that an innocent family man is arrested for the crime. “Five stars (highest rating)…You'd have to go back to Edward Yang's Yi Yi to find another movie that approaches a marathon-length running time yet still makes you wish it were twice as long.” –Time Out New York. “The work of a director as fascinated by decency as by ugliness.” –The NY Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 250 min. Special admission $12; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $10; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. www.cinemaguild.com/norte/

 

Saturday, September 6, at 5:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

THE LIFE OF OHARU

SAIKAKU ICHIDAI ONNA

Japan, 1952, Kenji Mizoguchi

We begin our Mizoguchi retrospective with the film that the director himself regarded as his masterpiece. It’s a beautifully photographed period piece that charts the step-by-step downfall of a 17^th-century woman (Kinuyo Tanaka, Mizoguchi’s favorite actress) from court woman to common prostitute. With Toshiro Mifune. “Perhaps the finest film made in any country about the oppression of women.” –Joan Mellen. Subtitles. 35mm. 136 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, September 6, at 7:40 pm

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

Nigeria/UK, 2013, Biyi Bandele

Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) and Thandie Newton star in this epic film version of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, about two UK-educated sisters who return to Nigeria in the mid-1960s and get caught up in the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War (aka the Biafran War). “A well-acted, finely wrought epic.” –The NY Times. Cleveland theatrical premiere. In English. Blu-ray. 111 min. www.montereymedia.com

 

Saturday, September 6, at 9:45 pm &

Sunday, September 7, at 4:15 pm

THE GERMAN DOCTOR

WAKOLDA

Argentina/Spain/Norway/France, 2013, Lucia Puenzo

Argentina’s submission for this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film is a historical thriller set in 1960 Patagonia, where notorious Nazi death camp doctor Josef Mengele hides out in a hotel run by a German couple and befriends their 12-year-old daughter. “A true-life horror story about the helpful, soft-spoken monster in our midst.” – Bob Mondello, NPR. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 93 min. www.samuelgoldwynfilms.com/

 

Sunday, September 7, at 6:30 pm

WITCHING AND BITCHING

See 9/4 at 9:10 for description

 

Sunday, September 7, at 8:45 pm

MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN

See 9/4 at 6:45 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 11-14

 

Thursday, September 11, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, September 12, at 9:20 pm

A COFFEE IN BERLIN

OH BOY

Germany, 2012, Jan Ole Gerster

Winner of six Lolas (German Oscars) including Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Score, this slacker comedy chronicles a day in the life of a twenty-something German college dropout as he tries to reconnect with life. The movie’s droll, laid-back humor and charm, and its b&w camerawork, recall early Jarmusch, while the jazz score evokes Woody Allen. “Manages to make an entertaining story out of nothing in particular.” –The Washington Post. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 83 min. www.musicboxfilms.com

 

Thursday, September 11, at 8:30 pm &

Friday, September 12, at 7:30 pm

THE AMAZING CATFISH

LOS INSÓLITOS PECES GATO

Mexico/France, 2013, Caludia Sainte-Luce

In this affecting family drama shown at this year’s Cleveland Int’l Film Festival, a twenty-something supermarket clerk moves into a household with four children to help their ailing single mother. Shot by the great Agnès Godard, known for her work with Claire Denis.  “An enormously affecting portrait of a family in crisis that dares to hope.” –The L.A. Times. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 89 min. www.strandreleasing.com

 

Friday, September 12, at 9:20 pm

A COFFEE IN BERLIN

See 9/11 at 6:45 for description

 

Saturday, September 13, at 5:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

UGETSU

UGETSU MONOGATARI

Japan, 1953, Kenji Mizoguchi

Mizoguchi’s most celebrated film is an atmospheric samurai drama and ghost story in which two peasants living in war-torn 16^th-century Japan leave their homes hoping to profit from the conflict. This haunting movie subtly conveys the illusory nature of ambition and desire. With Machiko Kyō and Kinuyo Tanaka; cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa. “Simultaneously realistic, allegorical and supernatural, Ugetsu is the most stylistically perfect of all Mizoguchi’s work, and many critics consider it the greatest Japanese film ever made.” –David L. Cook. Subtitles. 35mm. 96 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.

 

Saturday, September 13, at 7:00 pm &

Sunday, September 14, at 8:35 pm

World War I + 100

THE GREEN ROOM

LA CHAMBRE VERTE

France, 1978, François Truffaut

This little known Truffaut movie, inspired by three Henry James stories, is one of the director’s most unusual, personal, and moving films. Set in France ten years after the end of WWI, the movie stars Truffaut as a grieving, reclusive, widowed journalist who maintains a private shrine to his late wife and fallen friends. But when he invites a similarly bereft, death-obsessed young woman (Nathalie Baye) to help him with his sanctuary, complications arise. Haunting and unforgettable. Subtitles. 35mm. 94 min. www.thefilmdesk.com This film supported by a generous grant from Maison Française de Cleveland.

 

Saturday, September 13, at 8:55 pm &

Sunday, September 14, at 6:30 pm

WE ARE THE BEST!

VI ÄR BÄST!

Sweden/Denmark, 2013, Lukas Moodysson

Lukas Moodysson’s first film in four years marks a triumphant return to form for the director of Show Me Love, Together, and Lilya 4-Ever. Set in 1982 Stockholm, this delightful coming-of-age movie follows three misfit teens who form an all-girl punk band, thus breaching an all-male realm. Has a 97% “fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes.com! Subtitles. Blu-ray. 102 min. www.magpictures.com/wearethebest/

 

Sunday, September 14, at 4:15 pm

BREASTMILK

USA, 2014, Dana Ben-Ari

The promise and pitfalls of breastfeeding, and the social and psychological challenges facing nursing mothers, are explored frankly in this acclaimed new documentary. “Gently affecting and insightful...An inspiring labor of love.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 85 min.

 

Sunday, September 14, at 6:30 pm

WE ARE THE BEST!

See 9/13 at 8:55 for description

 

Sunday, September 14, at 8:35 pm

THE GREEN ROOM

See 9/13 at 7:00 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 18-21

 

Thursday, September 18, at 6:45 pm

DOUBLE PLAY: JAMES BENNING AND RICHARD LINKLATER

France/Portugal/USA, 2014, Gabe Klinger

Longtime friends and fellow filmmakers Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Before Sunrise, Slacker) and experimentalist James Benning (Landscape Suicide, One Way Boogie Woogie) talk about their craft, their careers, and their shared love of baseball in this easy-going, disarming new documentary. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 70 min. www.filmbuff.com This program supported by the Charles Lang Bergengren Memorial Film Fund.

 

Thursday, September 18, at 8:15 pm &

Friday, September 19, at 9:20 pm

HELI

Mexico/Netherlands/Germany/France, 2013, Amat Escalante

One of the most honored Latin American films of 2013 (it won the Best Director prize at Cannes and was also Mexico’s submission for this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) focuses on a poor, hardworking Mexican family that runs afoul of both a vicious drug cartel and the corrupt local police. Director Escalante is a disciple of Carlos Reygadas. “A stunning piece of filmmaking.” –The L.A. Times. No one under 18 admitted! Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 105 min. www.helithefilm.com/en/

 

Friday, September 19, at 7:30 pm

IVORY TOWER

USA, 2014, Andrew Rossi

With tuition skyrocketing and student loan debt topping a trillion dollars, is college still worth the expense? That’s the question posed by this acclaimed, provocative documentary that surveys academia today—from online coursework to universities that are more like country clubs than schools. Blu-ray. 90 min. www.takepart.com/ivorytower

 

Friday, September 19, at 9:20 pm

HELI

See 9/18 at 8:15 for description

 

Saturday, September 20, at 5:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

A GEISHA

aka GION FESTIVAL MUSIC

GION BAYASHI

Japan, 1953, Kenji Mizoguchi

In Mizoguchi’s reworking of his 1936 masterpiece Sisters of the Gion, an elderly geisha trains a self-centered young girl in the art of “entertaining,” while also trying to steer her clear of the profession’s more sordid realities. Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa. Imported 35mm print! Subtitles. 85 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Photo © 1953 Kadokawa Pictures.

 

Saturday, September 20, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, September 21, at 8:20 pm

POLICEMAN

HA-SHOTER

Israel, 2011, Nadav Lapid

Nominated for seven Israeli Academy Awards (including Best Film, Director, Actor, and Screenplay) and a major prizewinner at film festivals worldwide, this galvanizing thriller follows a cop who is a member of a close-knit, elite, Israeli anti-terrorist unit who must suddenly wrap his head around the reality of Jewish (not Arab) terrorists fomenting chaos and class warfare. “Critics’ pick…An electrifying feature directing debut.” –The NY Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 105 min. www.policemanthemovie.com

 

Saturday, September 20, at 8:50 pm &

Sunday, September 21, at 6:30 pm

In Odorama!

POLYESTER

USA, 1981, John Waters

The first movie shot in “Odorama” (free scratch and sniff cards will be handed out to ticket buyers), John Waters’ “scentsational” bad-taste comedy stars Divine as Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw. Francine—who has a philandering pornographer husband, a pregnant daughter, and a fetishist son who may be the “Baltimore foot stomper”—is understandably at the end of her rope. But hope arrives in the form of a handsome, Corvette-driving hunk (Tab Hunter). With Edith Massey, Mink Stole, and Stiv Bators. 35mm. 86 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Shown as part of “Scalarama—A Celebration of Cinema,” which takes place during September at multiple venues across the UK and around the world. Visit scalarama.com for more info. John Waters’ 1988 film Hairspray shows at 7:30 pm on 9/22 at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are $6, and Cinematheque members who show their card at the concession stand receive a free 32-oz. popcorn. John Waters appears in person at the Cnematheque on 9/27.

 

Sunday, September 21, at 4:00 pm

Paul Mazursky, 1930-2014

NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE

USA, 1976, Paul Mazursky

A Jewish kid from Brooklyn (Lenny Baker) moves to 1953 Greenwich Village to try to break into acting. Paul Mazursky’s semi-autobiographical dramedy teems with Beat Era NYC detail (coffee bars, Actors Studio classes, etc.). With Shelley Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, et al. 35mm color print from the Twentieth Century Fox studio archive! 111 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Thanks to Caitlin Robertson.

 

Sunday, September 21, at 6:30 pm

POLYESTER (in Odorama)

See 9/20 at 8:50 for description

 

Sunday, September 21, at 8:20 pm

POLICEMAN

See 9/20 at 6:45 for description

 

SEPTEMBER 25-28

 

Thursday, September 25, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, September 28, at 8:45 pm

Whole Hogg

EXHIBITION

UK, 2014, Joanna Hogg

Tom Hiddleston is one of the stars of the most recent film by Joanna Hogg, a rising Brit filmmaker whose three features were all released in NYC in June. Viv Albertine (of the punk band the Slits) and Liam Gillick (a prominent conceptual artist) play a couple of fiftyish London creatives whose stale marriage is further destabilized when they decide to sell the modernist house where they have lived and worked for two decades. This sleek, austere domicile with large windows and sliding panels is both a comfort and an irritant to them; will vacating it be the final straw in their flagging relationship, or is the soulless structure itself triggering their alienation? “Challenging, sensual, brilliant film-making.” –The Guardian. Adults only! Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 104 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Thursday, September 25, at 8:50 pm &

Friday, September 26, at 7:30 pm

Whole Hogg

UNRELATED

UK, 2007, Joanna Hogg

Tom Hiddleston made his big-screen debut in this acute and impressive first feature by Brit up-and-comer Joanna Hogg. The film focuses on Anna, a childless 40-year-old British woman who goes on vacation in Tuscany with her longtime friend Verena, who is married with a brood of teenagers. But tensions arise between the two women when Anna hangs out more with the teens than with the adults. “A tremendously accomplished, subtle and supremely confident feature.” –The Guardian. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 100 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Friday, September 26, at 9:30 pm &

Sunday, September 28, at 6:30 pm

Whole Hogg

ARCHIPELAGO

UK, 2010, Joanna Hogg

Joanna Hogg's highly acclaimed second feature, like her first (Unrelated, see previous blurb), features Tom Hiddleston and tells of a tension-filled holiday. This time the location is one of the Isles of Scilly, off Britain's Cornish coast, where two members of an upper-middle-class family wish bon voyage to a third who's leaving for a year in Africa. But mostly they fight and fall apart as buried anger and other repressed emotions surface. “A beautifully distilled and literally still work that lingers in the mind long after its conclusion.” –Variety. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 114 min. www.kinolorber.com

 

Saturday, September 27, at 7:30 pm

A Special Event!

John Waters in Person!

THIS FILTHY WORLD: FILTHIER AND DIRTIER

John Waters, the Baltimore underground filmmaker (Pink Flamingos) turned American cultural icon, appears in person to present his unique one-man show that has delighted audiences around the world. Waters’ “vaudeville act” (as he calls it) is a 75-minute monologue in which the man whom William Burroughs once called “the Pope of Trash” dissects his checkered film career and unusual tastes. Listen and laugh as the outré auteur with the pencil mustache details his early negative artistic influences—from true crime and exploitation films to lunatic fashions—and explores the extremities of the contemporary art world. Waters’ talk will be followed by a Q&A, then by a book signing. (Copies of his new tome Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America will be sold onsite by Mac’s Backs.) Note that This Filthy World: Filthier and Dirtier is a completely updated presentation of Waters’ one-man show This Filthy World, which is available on DVD. No one under 18 admitted! Cleveland premiere! Approx. 90 min. Special admission $40; Cinematheque members, CIA I.D. holders $30; age 25 & under (at the door after 6 pm on 9/27 only, if seats remain) $25; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. No reserved seats. Advance $40 & $30 tickets available at johnwaters.brownpapertickets.com. Photo by Greg Gorman.

 

Sunday, September 28, at 3:45 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

SANSHO THE BAILIFF

SANSHO DAYU

Japan, 1954, Kenji Mizoguchi

Critic Robin Wood once called this sublime Mizoguchi drama “the greatest movie I have ever seen.” An aristocratic family living in 11^th-century Japan is broken up, exiled, and sold into slavery. Over many years, the family members struggle to reunite. This deeply moving drama of great formal beauty advocates for empathy, justice, and mercy. Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa. Subtitles. 35mm. 123 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Please use Bellflower Road entrance to CIA parking lot for this showing.

 

Sunday, September 28, at 6:30 pm

ARCHIPELAGO

See 9/26 at 9:30 for description

 

Sunday, September 28, at 8:45 pm

EXHIBITION

See 9/25 at 6:45 for description

 

OCTOBER 2-5

 

Thursday, October 2, at 6:45 pm &

Friday, October 3, at 9:30 pm

50^th Anniversary!

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

PER UN PUGNO DI DOLLARI

Italy/W. Germany/Spain, 1964, Sergio Leone

Clint Eastwood debuted as the surly, laconic, lethal “man with no name” in Sergio Leone’s first spaghetti Western, a stylish remake of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai classic Yojimbo. Eastwood’s amoral gunslinger shrewdly plays two rival gangs off against each other in a deadly feud. Music by Ennio Morricone. 35mm color & scope print In English. 96 min.

 

Thursday, October 2, at 8:45 pm &

Friday, October 3, at 7:30 pm

ME AND YOU

IO E TE

Italy, 2012, Bernardo Bertolucci

The first film in nine years (and first Italian-language film in 32 years!) from the great Italian director of The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, and The Last Emperor tells of a lonely, pimply, geeky 14-year-old boy who wants to get some time away from his parents and peers. So during a week that he is supposed to be on a skiing trip with his school, he hides out in his family's basement. But soon he is joined by his 25-year-old half-sister, a junkie who wants to lick her heroin habit. “Critics’ Pick…Beautifully made…A meditation on the transformative possibilities of a relationship.” –The NY Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 97 min. www.emergingpictures.com/series/cinema-made-in-italy/

 

Friday, October 3, at 9:30 pm

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

See 10/2 at 6:45 for description

 

Saturday, October 4, at 5:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

A WOMAN OF RUMOR

UWASA NO ONNA

Japan, 1954, Kenji Mizoguchi

Kinuyo Tanaka, in her 15^th and final role for Mizoguchi, plays a geisha house owner in 1950s Kyoto who is distressed to realize that her doctor lover prefers her respectable daughter to herself. Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa. Imported 35mm print! Subtitles. 84 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Photo © 1954 Kadokawa Pictures.

 

Saturday, October 4, at 6:45 pm &

Sunday, October 5, at 4:15 pm

WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO

USA/Spain, 2013, Lydia Smith

In this inspiring and picturesque new documentary, international pilgrims aged 3 to 73 attempt the 500-mile trek along the El Camino de Santiago from southern France to the shrine of St. James in Galicia, Spain.  This arduous (though scenic) journey began over a thousand years ago as a religious procession. Now hikers from all over the world walk it for a variety of personal/spiritual reasons. The film introduces us to six of them. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 84 min. caminodocumentary.org

 

Saturday, October 4, at 8:30 pm &

Sunday, October 5, at 8:25 pm

BOUND BY FLESH

USA, 2012, Leslie Zemeckis

The new documentary from the director of Behind the Burly Q relates the incredible true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton (Freaks, Chained for Life). The sisters rose to superstardom as sideshow attractions at the beginning of the 20^th century and became the highest paid act in vaudeville during the 1930s and 1940s. But they were so exploited by their managers that they had to sue for their freedom. “A masterful movie, certain to touch the hearts of all audiences.” –The Hollywood Reporter. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 95 min. www.boundbyflesh.com/

 

Sunday, October 5, at 4:15 pm

WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO

See 10/4 at 6:45 for description

 

Sunday, October 5, at 6:30 pm

VIC + FLO SAW A BEAR

VIC ET FLO ONT VU UN OURS

Canada, 2013, Denis Côté

Lesbian ex-cons Victoria and Florence resume their relationship when Vic is paroled from prison and moves to a remote small town in the Quebec woods. But the rural setting proves anything but idyllic: Vic’s elderly uncle (whom she cares for) is a mute, bearded paraplegic; suspicious strangers visit their cabin; and nature itself is pregnant with menace. This droll, oddball comedy/thriller is the most acclaimed and accomplished narrative feature yet from Denis Côté (Curling, Bestiaire), a Quebec film critic turned director who has become a favorite on the film festival circuit. Adults only! Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 95 min. www.kimstim.com

 

Sunday, October 5, at 8:25 pm

BOUND BY FLESH

See 10/4 at 8:30 for description

 

OCTOBER 9-12

 

Thursday, October 9, at 6:45 pm &

Saturday, October 11, at 9:35 pm

THE EMPTY HOURS

LAS HORAS MUERTAS

Spain/France/Mexico, 2013, Aarón Fernández Lesur

While managing his uncle’s rent-by-the-hour motel in a remote part of Veracruz, Mexico, 17-year-old Sebastián gets to know Miranda, a regular customer whose lover is always late to arrive. This languid, delicate, sensuous coming-of-age film showed in this year’s Cleveland Int’l Film Festival. “Critics' Pick…Like a mental vacation from the noise and bombast of the summer blockbuster...A delight.” –The NY Times. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 101 min. www.strandreleasing.com

 

Thursday, October 9, at 8:45 pm &

Friday, October 10, at 7:15 pm

CANNIBAL

CANIBAL

Spain/Romania/Russia/France, 2013, Manuel Martín Cuenca

In this dark, stylish, stunningly lensed romance, a refined Spanish tailor who is also a serial killer and a connoisseur of human flesh (most of the violence is offscreen) finds himself falling in love with the woman who is his next victim. “A beautifully composed character study...Both chilling and moving.” –The Hollywood Reporter. Adults only! Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 116 min. www.filmmovement.com

 

Friday, October 10, at 9:30 pm &

Saturday, October 11, at 7:05 pm

FISHING WITHOUT NETS

USA/Kenya/Somalia, 2014, Cutler Hodierne

The first feature film produced by Cleveland’s Think Media Studios won the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Shot in East Africa with a cast of Somali non-actors, the film is a mesmerizing mix of action-thriller and art film in which a desperate young Somali fisherman reluctantly joins a band of pirates in order to support his family. Fishing Without Nets follows in the wake of A Hijacking and Captain Phillips, but is the first Somali pirate drama to tells its story from the bandits’ point of view. “An accomplished feature debut.” –Variety. “Sundance’s most beautiful film.” –The Wrap. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 109 min. fishingwithoutnets.vice.com/

 

Saturday, October 11, at 5:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

CRUCIFIED LOVERS

CHIKAMATSU MONOGATARI

aka A TALE FROM CHIKAMATSU

Japan, 1954, Kenji Mizoguchi

Mizoguchi’s exquisite, heartbreaking adaptation of a 17^th-century puppet theatre play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (Japan’s Shakespeare) tells of two illicit lovers who flee their wrathful society, but later return to face the music.  Masterfully photographed by Kazuo Miyagawa, this movie is ranked by some Japanese critics as the director’s best. Imported 35mm print! Subtitles. 102 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Photo © 1954 Kadokawa Pictures.

 

Saturday, October 11, at 7:05 pm

FISHING WITHOUT NETS

See 10/10 at 9:30 for description

 

Saturday, October 11, at 9:35 pm

THE EMPTY HOURS

See 10/9 at 6:45 for description

 

Sunday, October 12, at 3:30 pm

NYMPHOMANIAC, VOLUME I: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT

Denmark/Germany/France/Belgium/UK, 2013, Lars von Trier

Earlier this year Lars von Trier’s latest provocation Nymphomaniac—a self-proclaimed “porno epic” in two parts—was released to North American theatres (including the Cinematheque). But this four-hour movie was actually an abridged version of von Trier’s original (and intended) film, which ran five-and-a-half hours. This afternoon and evening you can see that unexpurgated director’s cut in a marathon screening divided by a dinner break. So what has been restored to this longer version? Well, since the film is an eyebrow-raising account of one woman’s sexually active life, there is more sex, and more explicit sex. There are also more jokes, more head-scratching anomalies, and more development of the characters played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Shia LeBoeuf, Christian Slater, and Uma Thurman—and (in Volume II) Jamie Bell and Willem Dafoe. No one under 18 admitted! Cleveland theatrical premiere. In English. Blu-ray. Approx. 150 min. (Volume I); approx. 180 min. (Volume II). www.magpictures.com  Special admission to either part of Nymphomaniac is $12; Cinematheque members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25-18 $9. Buy tickets to both parts at the same time and pay only $4 for Volume II. No passes, twofers, or radio winners. See next blurb.

 

Sunday, October 12, at 7:00 pm

NYMPHOMANIAC, VOLUME II: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT

See 10/12 at 3:30 for description

 

OCTOBER 16-19

 

Thursday, October 16, at 7:00 pm

Special Screening & Book Signing

Rob Spadoni introduces

CLEO FROM 5 TO 7

CLÉO DE 5 À 7

France/Italy, 1961, Agnès Varda

Robert (Rob) Spadoni is a film scholar and associate professor at Case Western Reserve University, where he teaches various film courses. He has also just written a new book, A Pocket Guide to Analyzing Films (University of California Press, 2014). Tonight Rob will introduce a classic French film and sell and sign copies of his new book after the screening. Cleo from 5 to 7, a masterpiece by the only woman director associated with the French New Wave, is also one of the great “real-time” movies. In it, a French nightclub singer finds the pleasures and realities of Parisian life heightened during the two hours she waits for a cancer diagnosis. Michel Legrand did the music. Look for Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina in the silent comedy that Cleo watches. Subtitles. 35mm. 90 min.

 

Friday, October 17, at 7:30 pm &

Sunday, October 19, at 8:15 pm

GABRIELLE

Canada, 2013, Louise Archambault

Canada's official entry for last year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film is a brave, groundbreaking movie about a young French-Canadian woman with Williams syndrome who sings in a choir of mentally challenged adults. Gabrielle seeks a sexual relationship with her developmentally disabled boyfriend, a fellow choir member, but their families and social workers are not supportive. From the producers of Incendies and Monsieur Lazhar. “Charming...Hard to resist.” –The L.A. Times. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 104 min. www.facebook.com/GabrielleLeFilm

 

Friday, October 17, at 9:35 pm &

Sunday, October 19, at 6:30 pm

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

USA, 2014, Joe Swanberg

Anna Kendrick and Lena Dunham star in the new film by indie stalwart Joe Swanberg—a clash-of-lifestyles dramedy  in which a selfish, single young woman foments discord when she moves in with her married filmmaker brother, his novelist wife, and their two-year-old son. “Critics’ Pick…A quiet, serious comedy about marriage, parenthood and the everyday strains of bringing up a rambunctious toddler while struggling to sustain a creative life.” –The NY Times. Cleveland theatrical premiere. Blu-ray. 82 min. www.magpictures.com/happychristmas/

 

Saturday, October 18, at 5:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade

PRINCESS YANG KWEI-FEI

YÔKIHI

Japan/Hong Kong, 1955, Kenji Mizoguchi

Mizoguchi’s first color film has been called “the most beautiful film ever made” (Fabiano Canosa). In 8^th-century China, the Emperor’s love for a servant girl leads to tragedy. With Machiko Kyō and Masayuki Mori. Imported 35mm print! Subtitles. 98 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Photo © 1955 Kadokawa Pictures.

 

Saturday, October 18, at 7:00 pm

NORMAN McLAREN CENTENNIAL SALUTE

Canada, 1940-68, Norman McLaren et al.

Though born in Scotland 100 years ago, Norman McLaren (1914-1987) was one of Canada's—and the world’s—most important and innovative animators. In a 40+ year career at the National Film Board of Canada, he won countless international awards, including an Oscar. McLaren was a pioneer in various types of animation—from painting on film and hand-drawn soundtracks to abstract film, visual music, and pixilation. All of these will be represented in the ten short films showing tonight. Program includes: Dots (1940); Hen Hop (1942); Boogie-Doodle (1948); Begone Dull Care (1949, co-directed by Evelyn Lambart); the Oscar-winning Neighbours (1952); Blinkity Blank (1955); Opening Speech (1960); Lines: Vertical (1960, co-directed by Evelyn Lambart); Lines: Horizontal  (1962, co-directed by Evelyn Lambart); and Pas de deux (1968). DVD. Total 64 min. Thanks to Jane Gutteridge, NFBC, Toronto.

 

Saturday, October 18, at 8:30 pm &

Sunday, October 19, at 4:15 pm

MARIUS

France, 2013, Daniel Auteuil

French actor/director Daniel Auteuil (Jean de Florette) follows up his crowd-pleasing 2011 film The Well-Digger’s Daughter with another remake of a play (and film) by the great French writer Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974). This time Auteuil turns to Pagnol’s celebrated Marseille Trilogy (Marius, Fanny, César), one of the great achievements of 1930s French cinema. Marius, the first part (part two shows next week), introduces us to the trilogy's four main characters. César (Auteuil) is the colorful, comic owner of a waterfront saloon. Marius, his grown son, works at his dad’s bar but dreams of becoming a sailor. Fanny is a local seafood seller whom Marius has long loved silently. And Panisse is a wealthy factory owner, more than twice Marius’ age, who also loves Fanny but is more open and pro-active about it. What happens to these four is both entertaining and enthralling. “Utterly delightful...A reminder once more of why we love French films.” –Film Journal Int’l. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 93 min. www.kinolorber.com  This film supported by a generous grant from Maison Française de Cleveland. Part two of the trilogy, Fanny, shows next weekend.

 

Sunday, October 19, at 6:30 pm

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

See 10/17 at 9:35 for description

 

Sunday, October 19, at 8:15 pm

GABRIELLE

See 10/17 at 7:30 for description

 

OCTOBER 23-27

 

Thursday, October 23, at 7:00 pm

Mizoguchi’s Greatest Decade!

TALES OF THE TAIRA CLAN

SHIN HEIKE MONOGATARI

aka TAIRA CLAN SAGA

Japan, 1955, Kenji Mizoguchi

Mizoguchi’s sumptuous samurai saga (one of only two films he made in color) is set in feudal 12^th-century Japan, where three factions (the samurai, the clerics, and the court) vie for control. Lavish sets, elaborate costumes, lush cinematography (by Kazuo Miyagawa), and armies of extras. “Arguably Mizoguchi’s best and the best of all films.” –Ian Cameron. Imported 16mm print! Subtitles. 108 min. Special admission $10; members, CIA I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $8; no passes, twofers, or radio winners. Shown in CIA’s Ohio Bell Auditorium; ticket seller will direct you. Photo © 1955 Kadokawa Pictures.

 

NO EARLY FILM FRI., 10/24

 

Friday, October 24, at 9:15 pm

The Films of Vernon Zimmerman

Filmmaker in Person!

UNHOLY ROLLERS

USA, 1972, Vernon Zimmerman

Playboy's 1970 Playmate of the Year Claudia Jennings plays a tough broad who barges into the rough-and-tumble world of female roller derby in this rude, raunchy, action-packed B movie, the second feature by writer/director Vernon Zimmerman. Produced by Roger Corman. Zimmerman will answer audience questions after the screening. 35mm. 88 min. Preceded at 9:15 by Zimmerman's 27-min. To L.A….with Lust (1961, 16mm), an offbeat comedy with Taylor Mead.

 

Saturday, October 25, at 5:00 pm &

Sunday, October 26, at 4:00 pm

FANNY

France, 2013, Daniel Auteuil

The second part of Daniel Auteuil's reboot of Marcel Pagnol's beloved Marseille Trilogy continues the interconnected love story of César, Marius, Fanny, and Panisse begun in Marius (see 10/18 at 8:30). To tell more would spoil the surprises—not only in this movie but also in the first installment. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 102 min. www.kinolorber.com  Part three of Auteuil's trilogy, César, has not yet been made, but watch for it.

 

Saturday, October 25, at 7:00 pm

The Films of Vernon Zimmerman

Filmmaker in Person!

DEADHEAD MILES

USA, 1971/1982, Vernon Zimmerman

Terrence Malick wrote the script for Vernon Zimmerman's feature-length directorial debut, a wacky road comedy (and quintessential seventies movie) in which a man (Alan Arkin) hijacks an 18-wheeler in the East, picks up a hitchhiker, and heads west across America. Along the way he has a series of funny, bizarre adventures. Filmed in 1971 but shelved by Paramount until 1982 (when it received a few festival bookings), Deadhead Miles has a great supporting cast (Hector Elizondo, Charles Durning, Loretta Swit, et al.) and features cameos by George Raft, Ida Lupino, and John Milius. Zimmerman will answer audience questions after the screening. Cleveland theatrical premiere. DVD. 93 min. Preceded at 7:00 by Zimmerman's 26-min. Lemon Hearts (1962, 16mm), a comedy fantasy set amid some of San Francisco's now-demolished Victorian homes and starring Taylor Mead in 11 roles. “An early classic of Beat-era filmmaking.” -Wheeler Winston Dixon.

 

Saturday, October 25, at 9:45 pm

The Films of Vernon Zimmerman

Filmmaker in Person!

FADE TO BLACK

USA, 1980, Vernon Zimmerman

A lonely, anxiety-ridden film geek (Dennis Christopher) becomes a serial killer who dispatches his victims in the style and manner of his big-screen idols (Dracula, the Mummy, Norman Bates, et al.). Vernon Zimmerman's movie-savvy slasher film has become an international cult hit. With Mickey Rourke. Zimmerman will answer audience questions after the screening. Adults only!  DVD. 102 min.

 

Sunday, October 26, at 4:00 pm

FANNY

See 10/25 at 5:00 for description

 

Sunday, October 26, at 6:30 pm &

Monday, October 27, at 6:45 pm

WRINKLES

ARRUGAS

Spain, 2011, Ignacio Ferreras

This poignant animated film focuses on Emilio and Miguel, two elderly gentleman living in an old age home. Emilio is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so shrewd, mischievous Miguel does what he can to keep his friend from being moved to the facility's dreaded "assisted living" floor. Based on an acclaimed graphic novel. “A genuine crowd pleaser deserving of the widest possible exposure...One of the most accomplished Spanish films, from any genre, of recent years.” –The Hollywood Reporter. Cleveland premiere. Blu-ray. 89 min. www.gkidsfilms.com  On Sunday we will show the English-language version with voices by Martin Sheen, Matthew Modine, and George Coe. On Monday we will show the original Spanish version with English subtitles.

 

Sunday, October 26, at 8:20 pm &

Monday, October 27, at 8:35 pm

CLOSED CURTAIN

PARDÉ

Iran, 2013, Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi

The second feature film shot secretly by Iranian film master Jafar Panahi since the Iranian government banned him from making movies for 20 years is more complex and subversive than the first (2011’s This Is Not a Film). Set and shot inside his beachfront villa on the Caspian Sea, Panahi's new movie follows a paranoid screenwriter (co-director Partovi) whose cloistered life with his illicit dog is disturbed by various interlopers. A mischievous, Pirandellian entertainment. “Critics’ Pick…An allegory, dark but not despairing, of the creative spirit under political pressure, and of the ways the imagination can be both a refuge and a place of confinement.” –The NY Times. “Five stars (highest rating)...Masterful.” –Time Out New York. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. Blu-ray. 106 min. www.variancefilms.com

 

Monday, October 27, at 6:45 pm

WRINKLES

See 10/26 at 6:30 for description

 

Monday, October 27, at 8:35 pm

CLOSED CURTAIN

See 10/26 at 8:20 for description