Theatre and Cinema Programme for November and December
Mon 5th November @ 8pm
Italian Theatre Season presents Lo Zì (The Uncle) By Mimmo Mancini & Pasquale Albino di Pasquale
Mimmo Mancini will present the story of two brothers and their struggle to survive in South Italy. We see the life of a person throughout a transformative span of fifty years, from being “crippled” was synonymous with infected wounds and salve, until the present day where new synonyms have been created in order to modify and ignore the problem of the “disabled”. Tickets:£15 (£10 concs)
****
Wednesday 7th November to Sunday 2nd December
Tuesdays to Saturdays: 8.00pm, Sundays: 6.00pm
The Lady of Burma
Written and directed by Richard Shannon
with Liana Mau Tan Gould as Aung San Suu Kyi
****
Monday 12 to Sunday 18 NovemberTête à Tête presents Blind Date
Following the success of Tête à Tête's inaugural festival held this August at Riverside Studios, London's most hip opera company returns to present their latest production, Blind Date.
£12 (£8 concs.) £6 for tickets booked before 22 October
£25 Family Ticket for Sunday matinee (2 adults and up to 4 children aged under 16. Unsuitable for under 5s.)
Pay What You Can on Tuesday 13 November (minimum £1).
****
Monday 19 to Wednesday 21 November @7.00pm
Allah Made Me Funny
The concept of this tour is to make a comprehensive effort to provide effective, significant and appropriate comedy from an Islamic perspective, which is both mainstream and cross-cultural. The idea is to provide an event whereby Muslims and non-Muslims can feel safe, relevant and inclusive through an experience where humour is used to bridge gaps of bias, intolerance and other social ills that are pre and post 9/11 relevant. Tickets £15 (£13 concs.)
****
Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 November @ 8.00pm
Theatralia present
Misterioso: A Journey into the Silence of Thelonious Monk
Recreating the setting of a 50s jazz club, Misterioso explores the magic of jazz through the story of pianist Thelonious Monk, a genius and an outsider, who spent the last seven years of his life in complete silence. Tickets: £15 (£10 concs)
****
Tuesday 27 November to Sunday 2 December @ 7.00pm
Gekidan Kaitaisha
Bye Bye Reflection Widely regarded as Japan's most important physical theatre company, Gekidan Kaitaisha presents a harsh and critical portrayal of war, violence and prejudice inspired by the terrorist attacks of 11 September, and told with uncompromising physicality. Tickets:
Previews on 27 November: £12.50 (£10 concs.)
Weekdays and Sunday: £18 (15 concs.)
Friday and Saturday: £20 (£17 concs.)
****
Mon 10th December @ 8pm
Italian Theatre Season presents I Clitemnestra. The Verdict
By Valeria ParrellaIn this play Parrella rewrites the story of Agamemnon and Clytemenestra and sets it against the backdrop of 1980s Napels when the Camorra and its wars ran through the city. This play presents a classic Clytemnestra: the prototype woman thorn by love for a man. The play is the product of an artistic workshop. Tickets: £15 (£10 concs)
Fri 14 December & Sat 15 December
Ghosts
An adaptation by WAC's third-year students of the seasonal classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Tickets: £6 (£4 concs.
Cinema
Festivals
Saturday 3 November
Colombian Film Day
The Snail’s Strategy 12A 5.00pm
(La Estrategia del Caracol)
(Sergio Cabrera, Colombia, 1993) 116m subtitles
with Gustavo Angarita, Fausto Cabrera, Jairo Camargo
A group of tenants sharing an abandoned old mansion in Bogotá fear that they'll be evicted when the former owner tries to reclaim the building. A lively and effective blend of magic realism and social commentary, this award-winning film is a powerful portrayal of solidarity, freedom and dignity.
Followed by a screen talk with internationally acclaimed director Sergio Cabrera. Part of Colombiage – A Celebration of Contemporary Colombian Culture.
Please note that they will be screening at least one other Colombian feature as part of the Festival but are unable to confirm the titles at this stage. For more information, please contact the Box Office or visit www.colombiage.com.
Thursday 8 November
Made in Prague: The New Czech Cinema
In its 11th year the Czech Film Festival features a selection of the best Czech films of the past two years and includes dramas (“Something Like Happiness”), comedies (“Beauty in Trouble”), a documentary (“Marcela”) as well as feature length animations (“Fimfarum II”, “One Night in One City”), student films and a children’s programmme. The Festival also includes a screening of artist’s film and video at Curzon Soho and the DVD launch of the best Czech film ever, “Marketa Lazarova” at Curzon Mayfair. See www.czechcentre.org.uk for full programme. Organised by the Czech Centre London. [logo]
Double Bill
Lucie is Still in Bed 12 6.30pm
( Jitka Rudolfova, Czech Republic, 2006) 28m subtitles
An intimate portrait of a young woman’s journey through life as a model, a student of documentary filmmaking and an unhappy wife expecting her second child.
plus
One Night in One City 12 7.00pm
(Jan Balej, Czech Republic, 2007) 76m subtitles
A puppet horror movie with plenty of black humour, tales of human loneliness, weird events and the bizarre people that surround us all the time. For those who like Tim Burton or Jan Svankmajer.
Thursday 8 November
Grandhotel 15 8.45pm
(David Ondricek, Czech Republic, 2006) 95m subtitles
The infamous and architecturally splendid Jested Grand Hotel serves as a backdrop to the lives of Vlasta Fleischman, repairman and amateur meteorologist and Ilja, a beautiful kleptomaniac maid, characters who wile away the days, consumed by dreams and schemes.
The film will be followed by a Q & A with director and producer David Ondricek.
Friday 9 November
Maksym Kozak 15 6.30pm
( Radek Pluhar, Czech Republic, 2005) 5m
Animated videoclip of the music group “Ahmed ma hlad”.
plus
Indian and the Nurse 15 6.35pm
(Dan Wlodarzyk, Czech Republic, 2006) 90m subtitles
A masterful tale of subcultures colliding in modern Czech society. A young man obsessed with Native American Indians falls for a young Romany nurse. Their relationship faces prejudice and aversions as well as atavistic tribal solidarity.
Friday 9 November
The Bead 15 8.25pm
(Marie Dvorakova, FAMU, 2006) 15m subtitles
The dreams and reality in the life of a working girl.
plus
Something Like Happiness 15 8.40pm( Bohdan Slama, Czech Republic, 2005) 102m subtitles
The intertwining stories of three friends trying to find their place in life. When Dasa is confined to a hospital, Monika and Tonik take charge of her two children and attempt a new life together.
Saturday 10 November
Meat on the Plate 15 4.15pm
( Jitka Rudolfova, Czech Republic, 2004) 10m
Three women waiting in three flats.
plus
Marcela 15 4.25pm
(Helena Trestikova, Czech Republic, 2006) 82m subtitles documentary
Individual in narrative, this is the intimate documentary of a woman’s turbulent life from her wedding day via divorce to the tragic loss of her daughter which also mirrors the transformations in Czech society over the last quarter of a century.
Saturday 10 November
Carnival of the Animals 18 6.15pm
( Michaela Pavlatova, Czech Republic, 2006) 10m subtitles
An animated erotic fantasy with music. This playful celebration of eroticism, men and women is presented in a light, exaggerated and humorous form based on music by Camille Saint-Saens.
plus
It’s Gonna Get Worse … 18 6.25pm
( Petr Nikolaev, Czech Republic, 2007) 84m subtitles
A bold portrait of youth adrift in 70s Czechoslovakia. Based upon a banned cult novel, this is an underground conspiracy film, with characters whose lives centre on music, drinking and dodging the military draft in the communist regime.
Saturday 10 November
Adam and Eve 15 8.10pm
( Klara Hajkova, Czech Republic, Zlin, 2006) 4m
Animated film about love which gives life to mankind.
plus
Beauty in Trouble 15 8.15pm
(Jan Hrebejk, Czech Republic, 2006) 110m subtitles
A masterful multi-character drama centred on young mother Marcela who lost everything in the 2002 floods that swept through Prague and who must now choose between two men: her undeserving but beloved husband, and an affable, well situated elderly foreigner.
Sunday 11 November
Let’s Come and Play & Disco Party For Under 5’s 2.00pm
(Bretislav Pojar, Czechoslovakia, 1960 – 1975) 68’m In Czech only
Beloved animated heroes ‘Bears’ playing out their stories - naughty kittens, and four boys discovering wonders in a hidden ‘Garden’ offer imaginary follies and games to the smallest audiences in this tribute to Bretislav Pojar. Followed by children’s disco. All tickets: £3.00. Adults unaccompanied by children will not be admitted.
Sunday 11 November
Little Fairy Tales PG 5.30pm
(Kristina Dufkova, Czech Republic, 2006) 5m
A charming animated film using children’s drawings and narration.
plus
Fimfarum II PG 5.35pm
(Aurel Klimt/Bretislav Pojar/Jan Balej/Vlasta Pospisilova, Czech Republic, 2006) 90m subtitles
In this sequel to successful “Fimfarum”, four animators of different generations provide adaptations of Werich’s stories ‘for small kids and clever adults’ using original, beautiful and sometimes grotesque puppet animations for all to enjoy.
Sunday 11 November
From the Lives of Mothers 15 7.35pm
(Kristina Dufkova, FAMU, 2005) 8m subtitles
About a reckless offspring and its caring mother.
plus
Little Girl Blue 15 7.45pm(Alice Nellis, Czech Republic/Slovakia 2007) 95m subtitles
An emotional drama which takes place over one day in the life of a ‘happy’ married woman in which everything changes completely. An acting comeback for violinist and singer Iva Bittova directed by the San Sebastian Prize winner Alice Nellis.
Friday 16 November
Italian Film Festival UK 2007
Night Bus 12A 6.45pm
(Notturno Bus)
(Davide Marengo, Italy, 2007) 104m subtitles
With Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Valerio Mastandrea, Ennio Fantastichni
Mastandrea stars as Franz, a bus driver with a passion for poker and a dreary life that seems to provide him with very little excitement. Then he meets Mezzogiorno's Leila, a woman who might have chosen trouble as her middle name.
Friday 16 November
Napoleon and Me 12A 8.50pm
(Io E Napoleone)
( Paolo Virzi, Italy, 2006) 104m subtitles
With Monica Bellucci, Elio Germano, Daniel Auteuil
Napoleon's exile on the Italian island of Elba is seen through the eyes of a young teacher who reviles the former emperor (played by Auteuil), but must serve as his librarian in this light-hearted costume drama that's as fast-paced as an operetta and spiked with Tuscan humour.
Saturday 17 November
Shorts 15 3.00pm
Carla’s Child - (Il bambino di Carla)
(Emanuela Rossi, Italy, 2007) 26m subtitles
With Antonio Palmese, Annamaria Teresa Ricci, Giorgia Mari
Antonio, aged 20, is as handsome as a male model. He lives with Carla, 50, who is poor, overweight and careless. The young man is almost paralysed by his circumstances and is scared of everything. Carla does not care and professes her love for him. Then Antonio
falls in love with a young woman.
Plus
End of the Line -
(Fine Corsa)
(Alessandro Celli, Italy, 2007) 12m subtitles
with Nicolas Latini, Andrea Capocchia, Daniele Deias
Four adolescent boys take the train in to the city for an evening out. In an escalation of intolerance and violence, the ride quickly degenerates in to a trip on the dark side.
Plus
The Eyes of Christ - (Gli Occhi di Cristo)
( Luigi Barbieri, Italy, 2006) 15m subtitles
With Giovanni Bencivenga, Paolo Coletta, Fabio de Caro
Giovanni is a priest who lives a life full of love and certainties. He lives in a modest house with his sister Anna, devoting his life to his fellow man. Then one day a man walks into Giovanni's church and confesses to murdering two women. The priest cannot tell anyone about it, as the secret of the confession forbids him to reveal the atrocity, so he has no other option but to hold the secret inside himself.
Plus
Glasspiel
( Enrico Tacovoni, Italy, 2006) 3m subtitles
Two waiters challenge each other in a musical duel with wine glasses.
Plus
The Substitute - (Il supplente)
(Andrew Jublin, Italy, 2006) 15m subtitles
With Arianna dal Buono, Andrea Jublin, Valentino Campitelli
Why does the supply teacher behave in a strange manner? Find out in this comedy about the teen world and the existential confusion of grown-ups. The film deals with nostalgia for youth and the virtues of courage and suggests it is never too late to break away from the humdrum.
plus
Unfiltered Southerners (Meridionali senza filtro)
(Michele Bia, Italy, 2006) 20m subtitles
With Franco Ferrante, Nicola Giustino, Francesco Lorusso
On a grey November day, three men travel on the country road from Puglia to Basilicata. Fajele, the elder brother, is set to marry a girl from a nearby town. His guests include his younger brother Nicola and his father who’s 70 and suffers a heart condition. The omens are not promising.
Plus
Waiting (Dopodomani)
( Duccio Chiarini, Italy, 2006) 27m subtitles
With Sergio Forconi, Corso Codecasa, Evita Ciri
Abandoned in town by their families four old people await the end of the summer inside a fire brigade house. Around them, in the still atmosphere of an August in town, little stories of loneliness, betrayals and unemployment unfold.
Approximate running time: 104m
Saturday 17 November
The Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio 12 7.00pm
(L'Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio)
( Agostino Ferrente, Italy, 2006) 93m subtitles documentary
The joyous story of a neighbourhood orchestra bringing together thirty foreign musicians living in Rome. The film captures their five year struggle to make the dream a reality and tells the individual stories of musicians from Tunisia, India, Africa, Cuba and beyond. An uplifting, unforgettable true life story.
Saturday 17 November
The Missing Star 12A 8.55pm
(La Stella che non c'e)
(Gianni Amelio, Italy, 2006) 103m subtitles
With Sergio Castellitto, Tai Ling, Angelo Costabile
Castellitto stars as Vincenzo, a Naples engineer who ventures to rural China prompted by his concerns over the safety of a blast furnace. Aided by translator Lia Hua (Ling) he embarks on a stubborn, obsessive quest that takes him deeper into the country and becomes more about the tentative relationship between them than reaching his goal.
Sunday 18 November
One Out of Two 15 3.00pm
(Uno su due)
(Eugenio Cappuccio, Italy, 2006) 100m subtitles
With Fabio Volo, Anita Caprioli, Giuseppe Battiston
Lorenzo (Volo) has a successful life and career, and he’s just about to embark on a business deal that should make him an enormously wealthy man when he faints on the sidewalk. In hospital he can only relate to his hospital roommate, a truck driver, who seems to understand Lorenzo better than he ever understood himself.
Sunday 18 November
Primo Levi's Journey 15 5.00pm
(La strada di Levi)
( Davide Ferrario, Italy, 2006) 91m subtitles documentary
When Levi was liberated from Auschwitz in 1945 his journey to Turin took more than a year. Here Ferrario contrasts what Levi would have seen with the present day issues of prejudice and nationalism. The film emerges as a provocative confrontation with contemporary European identity and a moving testimony to the power of Levi's life and work.
Sunday 18 November
As the Shadow 15 7.00pm
(Come l'ombra)
(Marina Spada, Italy, 2006) 87m subtitles
With Anita Kravos, Karolina Dafne Porcari, Paolo Pierobon
Claudia, a single bored Milan travel agent in her thirties, takes evening classes in Russian and tries to get to know her teacher Boris from Kiev. Here Spada creates an utterly compelling drama that casts a fascinating light on the relationship between East and West.
Night Bus 12A 8.50pm
(Notturno Bus)
(Davide Marengo, Italy, 2007) 104m subtitles
Please see Friday 16 November for synopsis.
Monday 19 November
Excellent Cadavers 18 7.00pm
(In un altro Paese)
(Marco Turco, Italy, 2005) 92m subtitles documentary
With Alexander Stille, Letizia Battaglia, Giuseppe Ayala
A powerful, mind-boggling documentary, based on the eponymous book by Alexander Stille, about the Sicilian Mafia and the heroic prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino who brought hundreds of criminals to trial beginning in the 1980s until they themselves were murdered in 1992.
The Lark Farm 15 8.55pm
(La Masseria delle allodole)
(Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Italy, 2006) 122m subtitles
With Paz Vega, Arsinee Khanjian, Tcheky Karyo
The Taviani brothers have crafted a deeply felt adaptation of the Antonia Arslan novel on the Armenian genocide of 1915 which teases out the human emotions of sweeping historical events that remain intensely controversial more than ninety years later. “The Lark Farm” is a timely, thought-provoking examination of a holocaust that history has chosen to forget.
Tuesday 20 November
The Lark Farm 15 6.30pm
(La Masseria delle allodole)
(Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Italy, 2006) 122m subtitles
Please see Monday 19 November for synopsis.
Manual of Love 2 15 8.55pm
(Manuale d'amore 2)
( Giovanni Veronesi, Italy, 2007) 120m subtitles
With Riccardo Scamarcio, Barbora Bobulova, Monica Bellucci
Following the exceptional success of the original “ Manual of Love”, director Giovanni Veronesi does an encore, in the form of four new episodes featuring a stellar cast. The link between all four “chapters” is a radio broadcast hosted by DJ Fulvio on the topic of love.
Wednesday 21 November
The True Legend of Tony Vilar 12 6.45pm
(La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar)
(Giuseppe Gagliardi, Italy, 2006) 93m subtitles
With Peppe Voltarelli, Christian Mantis, Dario de Luca
Using a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary style this half-true, half-imagined tale is based on the story of real-life singer Tony Vilar. Born in Italy he later moved to Argentina and became one of the most popular crooners in 1960s Latin America before mysteriously disappearing. A whimsical road trip film made with a great deal of light-hearted imagination, “ The True Legend of Tony Vilar” is a prime example of the dynamism coming out of southern Italy.
Saturn in Opposition 15 8.40pm
(Saturno Contro)
( Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2006) 113m subtitles
With Pier Francesco Favino, Stefano Accorsi, Margherita Buy
Dynamic Lorenzo and his partner, the successful writer Davide happily spend their time with a circle of intimates. Ozpetek, always the brilliant group portrait artist, brings his characters masterfully towards a critical moment when they're forced to cast off their stiffened masks to return to the very essence of the friendship that unites them.
Thursday 22 November
Caravaggio 18 6.00pm
(Angelo Longoni, Italy, 2007) 180m subtitles
With Alessio Boni, Paolo Briguglia, Elena Sofia Ricci
“ Caravaggio” depicts a portrait of a constantly conflicted and flawed artist trying to do what he was placed on this earth to do. Director Longoni sets up a complex and revealing interplay between the artist and his era. The film is sprawling, ambitious and stunning.
The Night Before the Exams 12A 9.20pm
(Notte prima degli esami oggi)
( Fausto Brizzi, Italy, 2006) 100m subtitles
With Cristiana Capotondi, Giorgio Faletti, Sarah Maestri
A comedy about preparing for the final exams that will mark the end of high school and adolescence for a group of young people in Rome in 1980. Instead of studying Luca and his friends end up getting mixed up in a series of funny mishaps.
Friday 23 November
Salvatore - This is Life PG 7.00pm
(Salvatore-Questa e la vita)
(Gian Paolo Cugno, Italy, 2006) 90m subtitles
With Enrico Lo Verso, Galatea Ranzi, Alessandro Mallia
An unashamed heart-warmer with a stellar cast which tells the tale of a young Sicilian orphan determined to accept the responsibility and care for his family. However, his greatest struggle comes when a well-meaning social worker decides that he would be better off in an orphanage.
Friday 23 November
My Best Enemy 15 8.50pm
(Il Mio Miglior Nemico)
(Carlo Verdone, Italy, 2006) 115m subtitles
With Silvio Muccino, Ana Caterina Morariu, Agnese Nano
Achille De Bellis (Verdone) seems to have everything a man could desire: a beautiful home, a sound marriage and an excellent professional position. However, as his silver wedding anniversary draws near, every certainty in his life is overturned when he meets a 23-year-old good-for-nothing called Orfeo (Muccino).
Saturday 24 November
1860 12 7.30pm
(Alessandro Blasetti, Italy, 1934) 72m subtitles
With Giuseppe Gulino, Aida Bellia, Gianfranco Giachetti
The date of the title, "1860", is considered by many, even to this day, as the forerunner of the long season of Italian neo-realism. The Sicilian patriots, who had retreated into the mountains, awaited the arrival of Garibaldi's troops to free the island from Bourbon rule.
Desert Roses 15 9.00pm
(Le Rose del deserto)
(Mario Monicelli, Italy, 2006) 102m subtitles
With Michele Placido, Alessandro Haber, Giorgio Pasotti
For his new film Monicelli returns to one of his favourite themes, the absurdity of war. During the Second World War, an Italian medical unit waits in the Libyan desert for what they are sure will be their victorious march into British-controlled Egypt.
Sunday 25 November
Simply Beautiful 12 4.00pm
(Bellissime)
(Giovanna Gagliard, Italy, 2005) 180m subtitles
“Bellissime” is a collection of film, photographs, songs and female voices which cover the role of women in the major historical events of the 20 th century, a century which from the 1970s to today often shows the woman as the protagonists.
My Best Enemy 15 7.30pm
(Il Mio Miglior Nemico)
(Carlo Verdone, Italy, 2006) 115m subtitles
Please see Friday 23 November for synopsis.
Friday 30 November
London International Dancefilm Festival 2007
The LIDFF will show a number of new, short dancefilms in each session afternoon and evening in between the main features. The final programme of Dancefilm Shorts will be published on the website:
http://www.londondancefilmfest.com from 25 October 2007
Programme 1
Dancefilm Shorts 7.00pm
and
Mats Ek U - A filmed conversation with the master choreographer about his approach to dancefilm.
and
Smoke U - (Mats Ek, Sweden, 1995)
A couple embody the journey of every human being through the phases of innocence, longing, conflict and loss in a universe which might have come straight from the imagination of Magritte. One of the most influential dancefilms of the last 20 years.
and Dancefilm Shorts and UK Premiere
The Rain U - ( Pontus Lidberg, Sweden, 2007)
Special Jury Mention at The Gothenberg Film Festival 2007
One of the most visually arresting and emotionally charged dancefilms ever to reach the screen “The Rain” breaks new ground in the dancefilm genre and is testimony to how small budgets can still make great films.
and UK Premiere
Car Men U - (Jiri Kylian/Boris Paval Conen, Holland, 2006)
Jiri Kylian, renowned choreographer and director of Nederlands Dans Theatre uses the surreal landscape of a disused coalmine in the Czech Republic and the power, danger and eroticism of the car to set his exploration of the themes of love, lust, betrayal and empowerment.
Saturday 1 December
Programme 2
Dancefilm Shorts 3.00pm and UK Premiere
Breathe Me PG - (Carmen Rosenstraten, USA, 2006)
A poetic web of meanings and hoped-for outcomes illuminates this intense and beautifully filmed dancefilm essay by the renowned USA based dancemaker and teacher.
and World Premiere
Hopscotch U - (Greta Jorgensen, USA, 2006)
Bringing together movement and murals, the San-Francisco based dancefilm maker sythesises the beautiful painted and inventive wall-art and graffiti environments of the San Francisco Mission District and the improvisations of dancer Nol Simeone.
and Live Talk
USA based dancefilm makers Carmen Rozenstraten and Greta Jorgensen live in a Q&A in the Riverside Cinema during the LIDFF afternoon film showings on Saturday 1 st December, to discuss their individual approaches to the making of dancefilm and insights into finding low-budget solutions to the challenges of making expensive looking films. They will be joined by Russell Wilcox, dancefilm maker and special effects videographer to share tips on green screen and video editing tips for student dancefilm makers.
and
A Simple Man PG - (Dame Gillian Lynne, UK, 1987)
Director/Choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne persuades the late Christopher Gable and Moira Shearer (“The Red Shoes”) to give luminous performances as painter LS Lowry and his mother in this video based dancefilm of the life of one of the greatest UK painters of the 20 th century.
Programme 3
Dancefilm Shorts 7.00pm and Live Talk
Developing a critical language for Dancefilm – (speakers tba)
and UK Premiere
The Rain PG - ( Pontus Lidberg, Sweden, 2007)
Please see Friday 30 November for synopsis.
and UK Premiere
Car Men U - (Jiri Kylian/Boris Paval Conen, Holland, 2006)
Please see Friday 30 November for synopsis.
and
Falling Down Stairs U - (Mark Morris/Barbara Willis Sweete, USA, 1997)
Playing Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 Yo Yo Ma works with choreographer Mark Morris to fashion a perfect synthesis of music and movement. A rare treat for music, film and dance fans alike.
Sunday 2 December
Programme 4 - Dancefilm Shorts 4.30pm and Live Talk
Music Rights Clearances and Funding Dancefilm – (speakers tba)
and
Petit Mort PG - (Thomas Mann/Jiri Kylian, Holland, 1996)
The “Petit Mort” is how the French allude to the climax of lovemaking. This filmed performance by his company, Nederlands Dance Theatre, remains unsurpassed as an audio-visual experience of beautifully restrained eroticism, the potency of dance to communicate feelings beyond the scope of words and a level of dance technique and bravura that really must be seen on a big screen.
and Live Talk - Pontus Lidberg - On framing and editing choices and Dancefilm Shorts
and
Solo U - (Tom Balogh/William Forsythe, Germany, 1995)
There a very few films of the great William Forsythe dancing. In Solo, he is brilliantly captured against a stark background as he attempts to break his body free from the conscious ties that bind and reach a place of mental peace.
and
Falling Down Stairs U - (Barbara Willis Sweete, USA, 1997)
See Saturday 1 December for synopsis.
Programme 5 - Dancefilm Shorts 7.00pm and UK Premiere
Old & Door PG - (Mats Ek, Sweden, 1991)
Mats Ek’s exploration of age and mortality. This powerful dancefilm is unusually cast featuring Ek’s mother the renowned choreographer Birgitt Cullberg.
and
Pontus Lidberg – Making Rain
(Sandy Strallen, UK, 2007) documentary
A documentary about the challenges of making dancefilm.
and UK Premiere
Car Men U - (Jiri Kylian/Boris Paval Conen, Holland, 2006)
Please see Friday 30 November for synopsis.
and UK Premiere
The Rain PG - ( Pontus Lidberg, Sweden, 2007)
Please see Saturday 1 December for synopsis
Tickets: £7.50 (£6.50 conc.) - Friday 7.00pm session
£ 7.50 (£6.50 conc.) - single session Saturday and Sunday
£12.00 (£10.00 conc.) - 2 session Day Pass on Saturday and Sunday
£20.00 - 3 day Festival Pass
Thursday 1 November
The Animals Film 15 7.30pm - (Victor Schonfeld/Myriam Alaux, UK, 1981) 136m documentary
Shockingly relevant to today, this film caused huge shockwaves and received worldwide critical acclaim when first released. Narrated by Julie Christie this is the film that put the modern animal rights movement on the international agenda. There will be a Q & A with Victor Schonfeld after the screening.
Friday 2 November
James Mangold Double Bill
Walk the Line 12A 6.15pm - (James Mangold, USA, 2005) 135m
With Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin. A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash’s life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis.
Plus
3 :10 to Yuma 15 8.50pm - (James Mangold, USA, 2007) 122m
With Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster. “In Arizona in the late 1800s infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) and his vicious gang have plagued the Southern railroad. When Wade is captured, civil war veteran Dan Evans (Bale), a struggling rancher, volunteers to deliver him alive to the 3:10 to Yuma, a train that will take the killer to trial. On the train the two very different men earn each other’s respect.” – Lionsgate
Saturday 3 November
Colombian Film Festival
Sunday 4 November
La Dolce Vita 15 2.30pm - (The Sweet Life)
(Federico Fellini, 1960) 174m
With Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Yvonne Furneau. A series of nights and mornings along the Via Veneto in Rome as seen through the eyes of a jaded society reporter named Marcello (Mastroianni). Marcello wants to quit his job as a gossip columnist and become a novelist, but he never seems to be able to concentrate long enough to make any progress on his serious writings.
The Blue Book PG 7.15pm
(Gagik Karagheuzian, UK/Turkey/Norway, 2007) 80m documentary
The story of one man’s mission to prove the authenticity of a book, written ninety years ago and his efforts to bring about the political acceptance of a Genocide forgotten by the world, but still raw in the meaning of its people. There will be a Q & A after the screening.
Monday 5 November
James Mangold Double Bill
Walk the Line 12A 6.15pm - (James Mangold, USA, 2005) 135m
Plus
3:10 to Yuma (15) 8.50pm - (James Mangold, USA, 2007) 122m
Please see Friday 2 November for synopses.
Tuesday 6 November
Romanian Double Bill
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu 15 6.00pm - ( Cristi Puiu, Romania, 2005) 153m sub-titles
With Ion Fiscuteanu, Luminita Gheorghiu, Gabriel Spahiu. Suffering from pains in his head and stomach 63-year-old Mr. Lazarescu calls for an ambulance. But he is shuttled from pillar to post, growing weaker in the face of the medical profession’s bureaucracy and inefficiency. Puiu transcends this grim subject matter with a good deal of humour. An unexpected gem.
Plus
12:08 East of Bucharest 15 8.55pm - ( Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania, 2006) 89m subtitles
With Mircea Andreescu, Teodor Corban, Ion Sapdaru. Sixteen years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas a local television station in Bucharest has invited several guests to share their moments of alleged Revolution heroism.
Wednesday 7 November
Joe Wright Double Bill
Pride and Prejudice U 6.20pm - (Joe Wright, UK, 2005) 125m
With Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Donald Sutherland. Based on Jane Austen’s novel about the five Bennett sisters whose lives are turned upside down when a wealthy young man (Mr. Bingley) and his best friend (Mr. Darcy) arrive in town.
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Atonement 15 8.45pm - (Joe Wright, UK, 2007) 112m
With Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Ramola Garai. Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister’s (Knightley) lover (McAvoy) of a crime he did not commit. Based on a novel by Ian McEwan and handled with a great deal of skill.
Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 November
Made in Prague: The New Czech Cinema
Monday 12 November
Cuban Classics – Single Bill
Lucia 15 7.30pm (Humberto Solas, Cuba, 1969) 161m sub-titles
“Easily the finest film to come out of Cuba in the 60s. Solas’ powerful triptych depicts three stages in his country’s – and his countrywomen’s – struggle for liberation. Using a different idiom and visual style for each era, he manages without any political simplifications to bring the historical process palpably and humanely to life.” – Time Out
Tuesday 13 November
Michelangelo Antonioni Tribute Double Bill
Zabriskie Point 15 6.30pm (Michelangelo Antonioni, USA, 1970) 110m
With Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin, Bill Garaway. Antonioni’s first American feature film. A surreal examination of discussion and rebellion in American society seen through the eyes of one of its children – an anthropology student and a dropout.
Plus
The Passenger PG 8.40pm (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy, 1975) 119m
With Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Ian Hendry. A haunting, suspenseful and subtle study of psychological and spiritual disenchantment, Jack Nicholson excels as the journalist who exchanges identity with a man he finds dead in his hotel. (Jason Wood)
Wednesday 14 and 15 Thursday November
Michael Winterbottom Double Bill
In this World 15 7.00pm (Michael Winterbottom, UK, 2002) 89m
Winterbottom was inspired by the anti-immigrant xenophobia and the smug dismissal of economic migrants in the run up to a previous General Election. The film follows the journey of two men from the Peshawar Camp on the Palestine-Afghanistan border to London. Quite simply brilliant.
Plus
A Mighty Heart 15 8.50pm
(Michael Winterbottom, UK, 2007) 107m
With Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Archie Panjabi. The film is based on a true story. Angelina Jolie stars as Mariane Pearl, the widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002. Winterbottom’s film centres on the frantic activities leading up to his execution.
Friday 16 to Sunday 25 November
Italian Film Festival UK 2007
Monday 26 November
Evening – Ingmar Bergman Tribute Single Bill
Fanny and Alexander 15 7.30pm (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1982) 188m sub-titles
The warmth, humour and compassion of this wonderful turn-of-the-century family saga makes this one of Bergman’s most accessible films. It takes us on a magical mystery tour of a child’s life.
Tuesday 27 November
Once in a Lifetime 15 7.00pm (John Dower, USA, 2006) 97m
“During New York’s 70s a group of larger than life executives brought together the world’s biggest soccer stars (Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff amongst others) to create the New York Cosmos.” – Pathe Films
Plus
In the Hands of the Gods 15 9.00pm (Gabe Turner/Benjamin Turner, UK, 2007) 106m
With Sami Hall Bassam, Mikey Fisher, Jeremy Lynch. An engaging narrative documentary which follows five football freestylers busking their way from Britain to Argentina to meet their hero, Maradona. Nothing goes as planned. Warmly recommended.
Wednesday 28 November
Eagle vs Shark 15 7.00pm ( Taika Cohen, New Zealand, 2007) 93m
With Loren Horsley, Jermaine Clement, Brian Sergent. Two socially awkward misfits try to find love through revenge on high school bullies, burgers and video games.
plus
Rocket Science 15 8.55pm (Jeffrey Blitz, USA, 2007) 101m
With Reece Thompson, Dionne Ardain, Anna Kendrick. Looking to answers to life’s big questions, a stuttering boy joins his high school debate team. From the director of the documentary “Spellbound”. A quirky, coming-of-age story.
Thursday 29 November
The Simpsons Movie PG 7.00pm (David Silverman, USA, 2007) 87m
Voices by Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Harry Shearer. Successful translation of the television series to the big screen. After Homer pollutes the town’s water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome and the Simpsons family are declared fugitives.
Plus
Death Proof 18 8.50pm (Quentin Tarantino, USA, 2002) 113m
With Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito. Two separate groups of women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his “death proof” car to execute his murderous plans. Deliberately designed to look like a low-grade B-flick from the 50s this is Tarantino’s homage to chick-driven action films.
Friday 30 November to Sunday 2 December
London International Dancefilm Festival 2007
November 2, 2007
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