FALL 2012
events O CTO B ER
N ove m ber
Monday, October 1 at 7pm Temple MFA Screening
Thursday, November 1 – Saturday, November 3 Richard Lester at 80
Tuesday, October 2 at 8pm Ars Nova Workshop Willem Breuker Kollektief Friday, October 5 at 7pm Shirley Clarke Ornette: Made in America Saturday, October 6 at 7pm Shirley Clarke The Connection Wednesday, October 10 at 7pm Archive Fever! 4.0 Home Movie Day 10th Anniversary Special Screening Thursday, October 11 at 7pm Robinson in Ruins Friday, October 12 at 7pm The Cinema is Jonas Mekas Walden (Diaries, Notes and Sketches) Saturday, October 13 at 7pm The Janus Collection The Gold Rush Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm Portraits (Technology) Abendland Thursday, October 18 at 7pm Motion Pictures Dance on Film - Martha Graham Friday, October 26 at 10pm Halloween Celebration Saturday, October 27 at 12pm – Sunday, October 28 at 12pm Exhumed Films 24 Hour Horror-thon Part 6
Thursday, November 1 at 7pm The Knack… and How to Get It Friday, November 2 at 7pm How I Won the War Saturday, November 3 at 5pm A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Saturday, November 3 at 8pm The Bed-Sitting Room Wednesday, November 7 at 7pm Portraits (Person) Jean Gentil Thursday, November 8 – Sunday, Novembers 11 + Friday, November 16 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Tuesday, November 13 at 6pm Diwali Celebration Wednesday, November 14 at 7pm End to End: Framing the GFC Arbeit/Hard Times and Culture: Part One, Vienna fin de siècle Thursday, November 15 at 7pm Motion Pictures: Two Films by Michael Rubbo I Hate to Lose (Je deteste perdre)/ Persistent and Finagling Saturday, November 17 at 7pm The Janus Collection Stranger Than Paradise Wednesday, November 28 at 7pm Beauty is Embarrassing
Thursday, November 29 – Sunday, December 2 New Authors of Italian Cinema – 2012 Edition
D ece m ber Saturday, December 1 at 2pm United in Anger: A History of Act Up Wednesday, December 5 at 7pm Portrait (Place) It’s the Earth Not the Moon Friday, December 7 at 7pm Secret Cinema Son of Trailer Trash Saturday, December 8 at 7pm The Janus Collection Weekend Wednesday, December 12 at 7pm Archive Fever! 4.0 Patience (After Sebald) Thursday, December 13 at 7pm In Memoriam: Chris Marker, Cinéaste (1921–2012) Friday, December 14 at 6pm Holiday Party Friday, December 14 at 8pm Ars Nova Workshop Double-Bill Frode Gjerstad Trio/ Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s The Young Mothers Saturday, December 15 at 8pm Exhumed Films Diabolical Double Feature
VISUAL ART Friday, August 31 - Friday, December 12 Opening reception Wednesday, September 19 from 6pm – 7:30pm East Gallery The Woman Represented West Gallery InLiquid Art: Amanda Stevenson Lupke’s Faces of a New China
tickets/box office: Tickets are available at www.ihousephilly.org + 215.387.5125 IHP’s Box Office is now open from 1pm – 8pm, Tuesday – Saturday. Purchase your tickets in person or with IHP over the phone during these hours and save the processing fee. Cover: Weekend
Dear Readers,
Another summer is behind us! By the time this magazine hits the presses, we at IHP will have chalked up numerous wonderful events, and welcomed hundreds of people from the Philadelphia community. Looking back on the past couple of months, we remembered the rocket’s red glare at our Independence Day BBQ celebration, followed by a screening of slap-stick favorite Mon Oncle and a French wine tasting in honor of Bastille Day. August brought many evenings under the stars including two free sci-fi cult classics, as well as the opportunity to host the Fishtown and West Philly Beer Runners for what was one heck of a party, costumes and all. We learned how to toast in several languages that night thanks to residents, board members, and staff: Skol! 萬壽無 疆! Prost! Na zdorovie! We are also thrilled to unveil our new logo – it is an iconic and modern twist on the familiar I-H-P, and comes in a variety of colors. Our marvelous designer has been hard at work sprucing up our printed materials, including this very magazine. And that’s not all…stay tuned for a new website (in 2013), and make sure you continue to visit us regularly – we’re freshening up our interior and planning a permanent archival exhibition of life at IHP since 1910, to be unveiled early next year.
table of contents 3 RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT 5 FILM SPOTLIGHT: Beauty is Embarrassing 6 DIRECTOR SpotLight: Michael Rubbo 7 Director SpotLight: Jonas Mekas 8 Programs 11 October 16 November 22 December
As always, we want to remind you that your membership and support are essential and an incredibly valued part of our community. This year, we’ve redesigned and simplified our membership levels to make your life easier and more fun, and September saw the launch of our Annual Campaign. Please take this opportunity to make a lasting and impactful contribution, so we can continue to provide a positive, engaging and culturally stimulating environment for the people that call IHP home, the staff that run the show, and the members and public that visit for the events and atmosphere uniquely found here. On that note, head over to page 30 for details, and enjoy the selection of programs we’ve put together for you over the next few months! The Knack (pg 16)
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resident s p otli g h t For over 100 years, residents from all over the world have come to IHP to find a home-away-from-home in the city of Philadelphia. What may come as a surprise is the breadth of experiences and responsibilities that they take on while here! It’s hard enough to adjust to culture shock when you first arrive in a new country, let alone excel in that country’s education system and economy. This is where IHP steps in to provide a supportive environment for our residents, which helps them reach their full potential in whatever they are trying to achieve. This past summer, we were spoiled for choice when trying to decide which resident to feature in this issue, so instead we thought we’d give you a peek at a few stories. Julie Avrillier
Having travelled to Philadelphia from France to work as a Food Research Intern at the Monell Chemical Senses Center located just around the corner from IHP, Julie is never far from a sensory overload! Julie’s primary focus while here is to participate in The Thirst Amelioration Study – a fancy way of saying that she is looking into which of the traits commonly used in beverages (temperature, carbonation, acidity, etc) relieves thirst the best. Throughout the study, Julie has been analyzing how subjects who have been deprived of liquid overnight are satiated after drinking a fixed volume of specific beverages with one of these traits. Julie came to IHP in early June upon an enthusiastic recommendation from a friend. To date, she has thoroughly enjoyed her time here at IHP and said, “living at IHouse is an amazing and crazy experience! I have met a lot of people from different nationalities and there are often events organized that have allowed me to make very fantastic friends!” Julie is living at IHP until the end of October – we wish her luck with completing her studies! ihousephilly.org
Dawn HAY
We are lucky to have the stylish and upbeat Dawn, who comes to us from Washington DC, where she was born and raised. A woman with interests divided between community organizing, politics, and fashion, and degrees to support them all, Dawn is working in Philadelphia on President Obama’s re-election campaign and is also completing an MBA in Marketing. On the campaign trail, her main focus is the research and execution of strategies that “engage, mobilize and activate various constituent groups,” primarily concentrating her efforts on African Americans, women and people of faith. Dawn chose to live at IHP because of the “cool benefit” of being able to “attend artistic events and classes”, as well as its proximity to UPenn. “IHP has been a good fit because I am able to live in a diverse and high energy area, but still have a tranquil environment if needed. It is also close enough to Center City for fun activities downtown, but removed enough to feel the comforts of a neighborhood.” When Dawn is not studying, campaigning, or shopping, you can find her trying out different restaurants in the city. Her current fave: Hip City Veg.
Marcus Mårdh
Also staying at IHP is Marcus; a blonde-haired, blue-eyed native Swede, a killer on the squash courts, and our favorite intern! In the spring of 2012, Marcus finished off his university studies and was on the lookout for new and exciting endeavors. This search led him to the city of Philadelphia, where he is currently working as an intern for the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, as well as interning and living at International House Philadelphia. Marcus arrived in early June and will be kicking around Philadelphia for six months. As he shared with us, “Staying at IHP is not only very convenient for me, but it also gives me a great opportunity to meet new friends and learn about foreign cultures, all under one roof. IHP is really a unique place in that aspect! To work and live abroad is an experience of a lifetime and an offer I just could not turn down… so far it really has proven to be a great experience.” With these kind words in mind, we here at IHP can only wish him the best of luck in the future! Stay tuned for more Resident Features!
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F I L M s p otli g h t
Beauty is Embarrassing Wayne White is a southern dude living in the Hollywood Hills, doing his own thing, and making money doing it. Described by Mark Mothersbaugh as a ‘founding father’ of Pop Art’s current generation, he is an unsung hero in the art world. Wayne seamlessly, and with a helping heap of humor, bridges the gap between the East and West Coast scenes – bringing art to the movies, movies to art, and mixing in music to boot. Not to leave out the written word: his tongue-in-cheek personality is splashed all over his biography, Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve. In October, IHP will be screening the Philadelphia premiere of the happy, good-vibes biopic Beauty is Embarrassing – featuring Wayne White as his delightful self. It has a broad enough appeal to lure both the high-falutin’ and punk-rock arthouse crowds, as well as anyone with interests ranging from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse to the Smashing Pumpkins or papier-mâché. In the words of director Neil Berkley, the documentary is a “funny, touching, whimsical, light-hearted romp through Hollywood, the South and a fantasy land called Wayne’s mind.”
Beauty is Embarrassing takes an up-close-and-personal look at White’s life, relationships, and funny paintings that pair thrift-store landscapes with messages spelled out in huge, 3-D letters – a no-boundaries approach to the creative process, making a cultural impact far beyond the art galleries that represent him. The film takes the audience on a Southern-drawled journey that details his background and family life – one that enjoys surprisingly refreshing emotional normalcy in which loving parents express pride in White’s unusual means of success. This normal family dynamic weaves its way into White’s stable hipster-ish adult life with his wife Mimi Pond (who penned the first full-length Simpsons episode) and two children. If you’re still not convinced, we urge you to watch the trailer for Beauty is Embarrassing (check our blog!) Whether or not you have ever heard of Wayne White before, you’ll be wide-eyed, smiling and singing songs of joy after the 3 minutes, guaranteed. For more info see page 21.
D I R E C T O R s p otli g h t Rubbo is a native Australian that made his way from one end of the British Commonwealth to the other, working for 20 years as a documentary film director at the National Film Board of Canada before heading back home ‘down under.’ Since his birth in 1938, he has written and directed over 50 documentary and fiction films, many of which are held in institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and various film schools around the world. He is nothing short of prolific and continues to direct and add films to his evergrowing body of work.
Michael Rubbo
Everyone knows Michael Moore: the scruffy, verbose documentary filmmaker who puts a personalized spin on his non-fiction subjects; think Dude, Where’s My Country, Fahrenheit 911, and Bowling for Columbine. What you might not know is that he did not pioneer that ‘walk and talk’ style of documentary filmmaking. Meet Michael Rubbo: as the Director of the wonderful Toronto International Film Festival, Piers Handling, summarized, “Michael Rubbo did not invent the subjective, personal documentary, which has since been popularized by Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield, but he was one of its first and bravest advocates.”
A few years ago, several NFB/ONF films were donated to IHP. Two of which two were by Michael Rubbo. Thus, this November, we are delighted to be sharing these Rubbo treasures with our audience. The Rubbo selections sincerely and intimately address Québécois life, culture and politics in 1970s Montreal. I Hate to Lose (Je déteste perdre) chronicles the unfolding of a controversial election campaign, while Persistent and Finagling depicts members of the group STOP (Society to Overcome Pollution) and their resolve to do something about air pollution from local factories. The messages and passions portrayed and discussed in these films, or documentaries akin to personal journals, still speak strongly to contemporary audiences, while also function well as historical documents. As part of our Rubbo feature, we are honored to have Dave Jones of Drexel University make an introduction to Michael Rubbo’s work and his place in the history of cinema. (Dave Jones is an esteemed expert in every sense of the word.) With a doctoral degree in communication research from Stanford, he has led various departments at Drexel since 1978 and was named a Distinguished Professor in 2000. An author of two books on documentary film, he also has writing, directing and/or producing credits with such organizations as the National Film Board of Canada, Film Australia, WNET-TV (PBS-New York), CBS-TV, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Dutch National Television. In addition, several of his films have won national or international awards. One only needs to look at his credentials to see the overlap between his career and that of Michael Rubbo’s. It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dave Jones to IHP this fall and introduce you to Michael Rubbo! For more info see page 19. 6
D I R E C T O R s p otli g h t
The CinEma is Jonas Mekas ihousephilly.org
Jonas Mekas (born 1922) emigrated from Lithuania to New York following WWII and became a pivotal figure in American independent film. Shortly after settling in Brooklyn, he bought a Bolex camera and began recording film diaries of his daily life. These diaries have been shaped into undoubtedly the most mesmerizing personal documentaries (a genre he invented) that have ever been made. The National Film Preservation Board selected his 1972 film Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania for the National Film Registry in 2006. More than just a filmmaker, Mekas founded the Film-makers Cooperative, a film distribution cooperative that currently holds the world’s largest collection of experimental film and video works. Soon after, Mekas (along with Stan Brakhage, P. Adams Sitney and Peter Kubelka) founded Anthology Film Archives, an organization with the purpose of exhibiting and preserving artist’s film and video. He has been honored across the world for this and other work, including extensive writing on film and his Lithuanian-language poetry. We are excited to present the films of Jonas Mekas in Philadelphia for the first time in many years, with one screening this fall, one screening this winter, and a spring weekend of screenings and panel discussion where Jonas Mekas will join us to discuss his life and work, along with other scholars and filmmakers.
PROGRAMS ARCHIVE FEVER! 4.0
Central to our visual culture, the archive is a repository for any personal memories, shared histories, objects and documents through which we revisit the history of our time. In this series, we explore the myriad ways in which the archive, archival and found materials are central to the works of film and video artists who are discovering the dynamic possibilities within archives. Wednesday, October 10 at 7pm Home Movie Day 10th Anniversary Special Screening Wednesday, December 12 at 7pm Patience (After Sebald)
Portraiture is perhaps the longest-standing tradition in art-making. The ability of a single artist to capture the essence of a subject in a representational form has been the foundation of artistic practice through the ages. How does the notion of portraiture translate to the medium of the moving image? Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests are excellent examples of film portraits in the most literal sense, but there are myriad ways in which filmmakers can construct a portrait. We present a selection of film portraits that we hope will further demonstrate the ability of moving images to craft unique and powerful reflections on people and places. Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm Abendland
EXHUMED FILMS
Formed in 1997, Exhumed Films was created to provide a theatrical venue for a much beloved art form that had all but disappeared in the 1990s and is in further decline in the early 21st Century: the cult horror movie. Saturday, October 27 at 12pm – Sunday, October 28 at 12pm 24 Hour Horror-thon Part 6
Wednesday, November 7 at 7pm Jean Gentil Wednesday, December 5 at 7pm It’s the Earth Not the Moon
REELBLACK
Reelblack promotes discoveries and rediscoveries in African-American films.
Saturday, December 15 at 8pm Chrismas Movie Madness
Tuesday, December 11 at 7pm
THE JANUS COLLECTION
Truly one of our national treasures, Janus Films is a vital part of American film culture. IHP continues the Janus Collection with titles from their library, all in brand new or restored 35mm prints. Saturday, October 13 at 7pm The Gold Rush
Portraits (Singular visions)
Saturday, November 17 at 7pm Stranger Than Paradise
Saturday, December 8 at 7pm Weekend
Scribe Video Center Producers’ Forum
The Producers’ Forum in-person screening series is a lecture discussion program, that allows Scribe to invite important nationally and internationally recognized media makers to Philadelphia to share their work and talk about their process of creating. Tuesday, November 6 at 7pm
Secret Cinema
Languages
Our Language Program offers the opportunity to study a foreign language or improve English conversation skills. At our friendly and affordable sessions, the small class setting will allow you to quickly learn how to communicate clearly outside of the classroom and enhance skills that assist with future goals. For more information or to register, call 215.895.6592.
For 20 years Secret Cinema has been the area’s premiere floating repertory cinema series, bringing hundreds of unique programs to nightclubs, bars, coffee houses, museums, open fields, colleges, art galleries, bookstores, and sometimes even theaters and film festivals. Friday, December 7 at 7pm Son of Trailer Trash
Monday, September 24 - Tuesday, December 11 Fall Language Programs
MOTION PICTUREs
Motion Pictures is a monthly series that focuses on different movements in film culture such as science fiction, city symphonies and New German Cinema. It previously featured the films of Georges Méliès, John Ford, Preston Sturges, and Andrei Tarkovsky. Thursday, October 18 at 7pm Dance on Film - Martha Graham
Thursday, November 15 at 7pm Two Films by Michael Rubbo
Unless noted, all IHP screenings are free admission for IHP members; $7 students + seniors; $9 general admission.
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OCTOBER TEMPLE MFA SCREENING Monday, October 1 at 7pm Join us for a public screening of films made by graduates of Temple University’s Film and Media Arts MFA program. This event reinforces the importance of independent filmmakers, their continued education, and the organizations that support them.
Ars Nova Workshop
Willem Breuker Kollektief Tuesday, October 2 at 8pm Ars Nova Workshop is pleased to announce this incredibly rare performance by the Willem Breuker Kollektief. The Dutch composer Breuker died in 2010, and his will stated that this 10-piece ensemble (founded in 1974) tour only one more time following his death. For this final U.S. tour, the Kollektief presents an overview of compositions written by Breuker since 1965, including pieces that have never previously been performed. The Dutch composer, multi-reedist and bandleader Willem Breuker’s “jump-cut style and theatrical panache made him a contrarian hero of European jazz,” writes The New York Times. Born in Amsterdam, Breuker was a member of the Globe Unity Orchestra alongside Peter Brötzmann, Manfred Schoof and Alexander von Schlippenbach, and in 1967, he co-founded the Instant Composers Pool with fellow Dutch experimental musicians Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg.
Shirley Clarke
Ornette: Made in America Friday, October 5 at 7pm dir. Shirley Clarke, US, 1985, 35mm, 85 mins, color
Ornette: Made In America captures Ornette Coleman’s evolution over three decades. Returning home to Fort Worth, Texas in 1983 as a famed performer and composer, documentary footage, dramatic scenes, and some of the first music videostyle segments ever made chronicle his boyhood in segregated Texas and his subsequent emergence as an American cultural pioneer and world-class icon. Amongst those who contribute to the film include William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez and John Rockwell. Please stay after the film for a cocktail reception.
Shirley Clarke
In 1974, the same year Breuker founded the BVHaast record label to elevate the work of Dutch jazz musicians, he founded the Kollektief. The 10-piece ensemble became a platform for mixing jazz and improvised music with Dutch music theater. Breuker composed over 500 works, and is considered an authority on the composer Kurt Weill. Often classified as a “madcap,” Breuker was celebrated as a postmodern composer unafraid to combine high and low culture, and to take extreme musical risks. Frans Vermeerssen, saxophone • Hermine Deurloo, saxophone Marten van Noorden, saxophone • Andy Altenfelder, trumpet George Pancraz, trumpet • Andy Bruce, trombone Bernard Hunnekink, trombone • Henk de Jonge, piano Arjen Gorter, bass • Rob Verdurmen, drums $15 general admission. Available in advance at www.arsnovaworkshop.org or at the door (cash only).
Ornette: Made in America
THe CONNECTION
The Connection Saturday, October 6 at 7pm dir. Shirley Clarke, US, 1962, 35mm, 102 mins, b/w
Archive Fever! 4.0
Home Movie Day 10th Anniversary Special Screening Wednesday, October 10 at 7pm In October 2012, cities and towns around the globe will participate in the 10th annual observance of Home Movie Day, an open screening event launched by archivists at the Center for Home Movies to promote the preservation of amateur film. Since 2003, home movie enthusiasts at local venues worldwide have issued a public call to bring their home movies to share with a community audience in a day-long celebration of amateur filmmaking and home movie preservation. The enduring success of Home Movie Day lies in the thrill of uncovering original film footage of places, people and events — both familiar and strange — that may have rested unseen in household closets for decades. In 2012, Dwight Swanson of the Center for Home Movies invited the programmers of IHP as well as other Philadelphia and nation wide community theaters, cinematheques, micro-cinemas, and similar venues to help them mark Home Movie Day’s 10th anniversary this October by programming one or more titles listed on their “Home Movie Movies” selection list. See the complete list at their website at www.centerforhomemovies.org/ our-projects/homemoviemovies. All these 14 titles listed are new
American independent filmmaker Shirley Clarke adapted this controversial play about a group of drug addicts, some of whom are also jazz musicians, waiting for their drug connection. Clarke’s first feature draws from both Cinéma Vérité and the French New Wave to create a captivating and gritty vision of the beat era. Featuring music by jazz composer Freddie Redd, The Connection is a major achievement from one of the most important and tragically overlooked directors of American cinema. The Connection is the first release of Project Shirley, a four-year mission by Milestone Films to explore the life and work of Shirley Clarke by partnering with archives around the world to bring out the best versions of her films. The Connection was preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding by the Film Foundation.
Home Movie Day 10
groundbreaking documentaries classified as home movies and were produced within the first ten years of Home Movie Day Celebrations. Miss Universe 1929: Lisl Goldarbeiter. A Queen in Wien dir. Péter Forgács, Hungary/Netherlands/ Austria, 2006, DigiBeta, 70 min, b/w
Miss Universe 1929 ihousephilly.org
Lisl Goldarbeiter’s cousin, amateur filmmaker Marci Tenczer, came from Szeged, Hungary. He studied in Vienna, where he saved his money to buy a camera and film to pursue his passion for making films. It is through him that this bittersweet twentieth-century Austro-Hungarian story has come down to us. Lisl, who grew up in Vienna in modest circumstances, first won the title of Miss Austria in 1929 at the Austrian beauty contest, finishing ahead of 600 other contestants. She finished second at the Miss Europe beauty contest in Paris, where the first Hungarian beauty queen, Böske Simon won. That year, the beauty queens of the world set sail to the United States to compete against the American beauties in Texas. This is where Lisl was voted the first Miss Universe by a unanimous decision of the jury! Lisl, now suddenly world famous, received various invitations and an offer from Hollywood, and her company was sought by many celebrities. She traveled extensively and, having rejected numerous suitors, finally
married Fritz Spielmann, heir to a silk necktie fortune in Vienna. Marci Tenczer faithfully recorded it all on film. These golden years in Vienna came to an end when Hitler’s Germany annexed Austria. They lost nearly everything in the war, and their trials under the Nazi regime began. “The reason why I wanted to collect home movies was the distorted, censored and destroyed past, and the inconsistent continuity of traditions and history. Let’s say it was more a psycho-historical imprint I was looking for than the regular observing of the past, or a sentimental journey. My terrain is the non-official visual imprint of my culture and I soon realized this image collection might represent something new and fill some of the gaps of the vast, destroyed and lost past.” — Péter Forgács, Art Margins El Perro Negro: Stories from the Spanish Civil War dir. Péter Forgács, Hungary/France/Netherlands, 2005, DigiBeta, 84 min, b/w
El Perro Negro takes a cliché-breaking view of the Spanish Civil War through a mesmerizing found footage collage. The saga begins in 1929 with the talented amateur filmmaker Joan Salvans, son of a wealthy Catalan industrialist, of Terrassa. The Salvans were the object of admiration as one of the most successful wool manufacturers of Catalonia but also of hatred by the emerging anarchists and socialist trade unionists. On July 24, 1936, six days after the Civil War broke out; a militant anarchist group led by ‘Pedro el Cruel’ kills Joan Salvans, filmmaker, and his father Francesco Salvans. A cyclist, not far from their house, finds their bodies. Just about the same time as when Joan’s life unfortunately ends, a new saga of the other young clandestine filmmaker, Ernesto Noriega, picks up the story line to guide us through his adventures. He is arrested and almost executed, but luckily survives and secretly films the prison on his way to Madrid. The twentieth century saw an unprecedented vitality of the Spanish spirit, but also an unpredictably sharp conflict between old and new, developed North and feudal South. What drove the anarchist ‘Pedro el Cruel’ to murder Salvans? And why did the Spanish army revolt against the Republic? While searching for answers, we travel through Spain’s chaotic decade with the images and stories of several amateur filmmakers and their memories focusing on all sides of the front like Republicans, anarchists,
Communists, and the foreigner Brits, Germans, Italians, and Americans, who fought on both sides. Robinson in Ruins Thursday, October 11 at 7pm dir. Patrick Keiller, UK, 2010, video, 101 mins, color
Robinson in Ruins is the third of Patrick Keiller’s feature-length essay films in which we join the fictional protagonist Robinson on a Sebaldian journey through the English countryside. Here, Vanessa Redgrave assumes the role of former lover and narrator, offering new evidence of Robinson’s most recent investigations. Upon being released from prison, Robinson is confronted with a world that has suffered war, economic collapse, and environmental crisis and sets out to find a cure. Wending his way through the landscape of southern England, we are told of Robinson’s often profound musings, weaving together agriculture, philosophy, politics, architecture, and history. As Brian Dillon wrote in The Guardian, “Before Keiller’s (Robinson’s) gaze, the English countryside is a monument to itself, and ripe for revolutionary appropriation.” Organized in conjunction with Jeremy Deller: Joy in People at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. ICA thanks The Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation and The Spiegel Fund to Support Contemporary Culture and Visual Arts. Free admission.
The Cinema is Jonas Mekas
Walden (Diaries, Notes and Sketches) Friday, October 12 at 7pm dir. Jonas Mekas, US, 1969, 16mm, 180 mins, color
Walden is an early major work by Jonas Mekas, the first complete diary film ever made. Mekas continually shot his life with the manifesto: “I make home movies—therefore, I live! I live—therefore, I make home movies!” These home movies contain astonishing footage: a visit to Timothy Leary at Millbrook; performances by the Velvet Underground; and appearances by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Stan Brakhage, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Smith, Hans Richter, P. Adams Sitney, Andy Warhol, Nico and many more.
WALDEN
“Since 1950 I have been keeping a film diary. I have been walking around with my Bolex and reacting to the immediate reality: situations, friends, New York, seasons of the year. On some days I shot ten frames, on others ten seconds, still on others ten minutes. Or I shot nothing. When one writes diaries, it’s a retrospective process: you sit down, you look back at your day, and you write it all down. To keep a film (camera) diary, is to react (with your camera) immediately, now, this instant: either you get it now, or you don’t get it at all. All footage that you’ll see in the Diaries is exactly as it came out from the camera: there was no way of achieving it in the editing room without destroying its form and content. “Walden contains materials from the years 1965-69, strung together in chronological order. For the soundtrack I used some of the sounds that I collected during the same period: voices, subways, much street noise, bits of Chopin (I am a romantic), and other significant and insignificant sounds.”– Jonas Mekas 12
The Janus Collection
The Gold Rush Saturday, October 13 at 7pm dir. Charlie Chaplin, USA, 1925, 35mm, 72 minutes, b/w
Charlie Chaplin’s comedic masterwork—which charts a prospector’s search for fortune in the Klondike and his discovery of romance (with the beautiful Georgia Hale)— forever cemented the iconic status of Chaplin and his Little Tramp character. Shot partly on location in the Sierra Nevadas and featuring such timeless gags as the dance of the dinner rolls and the meal of boiled shoe leather, The Gold Rush is an indelible work of heartwarming hilarity. We present a new restoration of the original 1925 silent film. Please join us after the film for a reception.
Portraits (Technology)
Abendland Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm dir. Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Austria, 2011, 35mm, 90mins, color, German w/ English subtitles
Some things can be seen more clearly at night: Abendland, Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s new feature film, undertakes a long, associative journey, surveying Europe by night in terms of its many different facets. Pulsating society of service providers and prosperity, bulwark of security and exclusion, urban civilization, hedonistic temple of earthly delights, inspired and weighed down at the same time by its history, traditions and highly developed culture. Night work, obliviousness to the surrounding world, noise and silence, a Babel of languages and translation problems, one’s first steps in life, disease, death and desperate attempts to cross borders: All this is revealed by Geyrhalter’s camerawork and in Wolfgang Widerhofer’s careful editing, which produce an essay film with powerful images about a continent and the principle of the Western world, Abendland. At times, it seems to be on the verge of breathing its last breath. Once in Europa is the title of a 1987 tale by novelist and essayist John Berger which examines the unjustness of being born into certain conditions. A similar motivation may have driven Nikolaus Geyrhalter and the resolute gaze he directs at present-day life in this unjust Europe: a love of humanity that grows stronger through distance. Some things can be seen more clearly at night.
Motion Pictures
Dance on Film - Martha Graham Thursday, October 18 at 7pm dir. Nathan Kroll, USA, 1959, video, 93 minutes, b/w
One of the great artistic forces of the twentieth century, performer, choreographer, and teacher Martha Graham influenced dance worldwide. Criterion presents a sampling of her stunning craft, all collaborations with television arts-programming pioneer Nathan Kroll. A Dancer’s World (1957), narrated by Graham herself, is a glimpse into her class work and methodology. Appalachian Spring (1958) and Night Journey (1961) are two complete Graham ballets, the first a celebration of the American pioneer spirit, scored by Aaron Copland, the second a powerfully physical rendering of the Oedipus myth. These are signature Graham works and tributes to the art of the human body.
Dance on Film Martha Graham
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Halloween Celebration Friday, October 26 at 10pm A Scare of a Halloween Treat – Boo! Come celebrate Halloween with the best of the best spookiest, scariest costumes in Philadelphia. International House Philadelphia celebrates its annual Halloween Party, with fun, food, DJ, dancing, and costume prizes awarded starting at mid-night. This event brings Residents, Members, and Guests of IHP together each year. $5 IHP Residents; $8 IHP Members; $10 guests and general admission.
Exhumed FILMS
24 Hour Horror-thon Part 666 Saturday, October 27 at 12pm – Sunday, October 28 at 12pm International House Philadelphia and Exhumed Films proudly present the sixth annual 24 Hour Horror-thon: a full 24 hour marathon of nonstop horror mayhem! Screenings begin at noon on Saturday and go straight through until noon on Sunday. As always, the lineup of films is being kept secret--people who come to the show will only find out what the features are as they unspool onto the screen. The show will be a combination of some of the biggest horror titles of the last 30 years mixed with some really rare gems. Plus, we’ll run tons of classic trailers, shorts, and other oddities. Can you stay awake for the entire 24 hours? Who will survive, and what will be left of them? Be here on October 27th to find out!
ihousephilly.org
RICHARD LESTER
NOVEMBER The Knack… and How to Get It Thursday, November 1 at 7pm dir. Richard Lester, UK, 1965, 35mm, 85 mins, black and white
Introduced by film critic Sam Adams. The Knack… and How to Get It is one of the most enduring portraits of Swinging London. Winner of the Palme d’Or (a tremendous feat for a comedy) at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival, the film portrays a kooky love triangle between the sheepish, paranoid schoolteacher Colin (Michael Crawford), the cool ladies’ man Tolen (Ray Brooks) and Nancy (Rita Tushingham), fresh off the bus from small town England. With sumptuous black and white cinematography from David Watkin, a groovy score by John Barry and the uncredited screen debuts of mod beauties Jane Birkin, Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, The Knack is one of Lester’s visually stunning and wildly fun films. How I Won the War Friday, November 2 at 7pm dir. Richard Lester, UK, 1967, 35mm, 109 mins, color
RICHARD LESTER AT 80
Thursday, November 1 – Saturday, November 3 Richard Lester (born 1932 in Philadelphia) has had a very diverse career. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in clinical psychology before he was 20 years old, Lester began working in radio and television. Moving to London in the mid-1950s, his small-screen success continued with A Show Called Fred and a television adaptation of the popular radio program The Goon Show. Both programs featured rising comedy superstars Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan and forecasted Lester’s eventual status as a comedy auteur. With an eye for the dazzling and a keen sense of physical humor, his films are often imbued with absurd, surrealist gags and quick cutting between scenes. Through a career with multiple phases—The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night and Help! in the 1960s, action-adventure films like The Three Musketeers in the 1970s, Superman II and III in the 1980s—Lester enjoyed critical and commercial success. Unofficially retired from filmmaking for the past 20 years, Richard Lester’s influence is still widely felt in many corners of the film world. IHP salutes the iconic filmmaker with a look back to some of his most-loved comedies from the 1960s.
Black comedy punctuates Lester’s look at World War II, based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Ryan. Starring Michael Crawford as the inept British Army Lieutenant Earnest Goodbody and John Lennon as Musketeer Gripweed, How I Won the War follows the 4th Musketeers along their bumbling misadventures. “[How I Won the War] follows a bizarre structure, beginning in the middle, flashing back, proceeding past the point of the framing structure into uncharted terrain, and continually interrupting itself with cinematic tropes like an audience in a cinema watching the film (the auditorium is mostly empty!) and a wholly allegorical EnglandGermany cricket match with Hitler as scorer. Madness reigns. Along the way, characters step forward to address the audience (Lennon’s speculation on Why We Fight, delivered as he sits dying from a battlefield wound, made his wife Cynthia cry: she said that this was just how Lennon would look when he died), slain soldiers are replaced by anonymous soldiers dyed from head to foot the color of the battle they were slain in (for each battle is color-coded) and the theme from Lawrence of Arabia invades the soundtrack at inopportune moments. Lester is using every trick in his book to interrupt the action and destroy the narrative, rather than help them along.” - David Cairns, Britmovie 16
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Saturday, November 3 at 5pm dir. Richard Lester, UK, 1966, 35mm, 99 mins, color
Lester’s adaptation of the popular Broadway musical has Zero Mostel and Jack Guilford reprise their roles as Pseudolus the slave and his master Hysterium. Inspired by the farces of ancient Roman playwright Plautus and with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum boasts an ensemble cast and features the last screen role of film legend Buster Keaton. “The film unravels as a series of interrelated blackout sketches, punctuated by outrageous one-liners, as when Mr. Mostel, offered a bottle of wine, asks, “Was One a good year?” Or when a transient Roman general orders a “sit-down orgy for 14,” or when, at that orgy, Mr. Lester, in a series of quick shots, shows us how to attack a hardboiled egg. (Peel off the shell after crushing it between two lovely midriffs, then slice it by pushing it through a lyre.) A funny but inevitably sad note is struck by the appearance of the late Buster Keaton, as a myopic old man searching for his children, stolen years ago by pirates. He literally runs through the film as a sight gag. A Funny Thing, however, is a fitting vehicle for the departure of a fine old clown.” – Vincent Canby, New York Times, October 17, 1966
The Bed-Sitting Room The Bed-Sitting Room Saturday, November 3 at 8pm dir. Richard Lester, UK, 1969, 35mm, 90 mins, color
Set in London on the anniversary of a nuclear war that lasted two minutes and twenty-eight seconds, The Bed-Sitting Room is Lester’s most absurd film. Filled with surreal settings and yet another ensemble cast (Rita Tushingham, Dudley Moore, Spike Milligan and Peter Cook, billed in order of height), the film tells the story of the survivors of the war including a family continually riding a tube train, a man who spends all his time looking at old films without a projector and a single male nurse known as the “National Health Service.”
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
“In 1968, United Artists gave Richard Lester a million-dollar budget and a free rein, out of which he made what must have been the most noncommercial film he could imagine. Lester, not too surprisingly, didn’t work again for five years, but this 1969 feature is one of his best efforts, a remarkably sharp and deadly satire.” – Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Jean Gentil
Portraits (Person)
Jean Gentil Wednesday, November 7 at 7pm dir. Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán. Dominican Republic/Mexico/ Germany, 2010, 35mm, 84 min. color, in Spanish and Haitian Creole with English subtitles.
Special thanks to Adam Sekuler (Northwest Film Forum). Based on the life of a real man named Jean Remy Gentil, a Haitian immigrant living in Santo Domingo who got to know Guzman when she took Haitian Creole lessons with him, the film is the result of the director’s desire to explore the experiences of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic. Jean is an educated and devout man, forced like many others to leave Haiti to look for work in the Dominican Republic. Having failed to find work in Santo Domingo, he sets out into the incredibly lush countryside, only to find himself pushed further into loneliness and desperation. Directors Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán (Cochochi,) create an intimate portrait of a quiet man searching for a better life. With stunning landscape photography and naturalistic performances, this gentle film makes a strong impression.
Special Jury Mention, 2010 Venice Film Festival; Special Jury Award for Originality and Innovation, 2010 Thessaloniki Film Festival. Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Select dates from Thursday, November 8 – Sunday, November 11 + Friday, November 16 The first event of its kind in Philadelphia: a film festival celebrating and elevating the Asian American experience. In 4 years, PAAFF is proud to have presented dozens of culturally relevant film programs to a broad and diverse audience. Visit www.phillyasianfilmfest.org for full schedule and film listings. Diwali Celebration Tuesday, November 13 at 6pm Be a part of our Indian Cultural Festival when International House Philadelphia brings together various colors, candles, and lights, with traditional food, music, and dance, in observance of Diwali! Every year, Residents and Members attend this event, bringing this big celebration in India to our home in Philadelphia. Free IHP Residents; $8 IHP Members; $10 guests and general admission.
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End to End: Framing the European financial Crisis
Wednesday, November 14 at 7pm Just over a decade into the 21st century and one has the pervasive feeling that we’ve been here before. The ebb and flow of the global economic systems that push and pull against the arenas of cultural production is a dizzying déjà vu. As we are now in the midst of another great global recession, it becomes crucial to reflect on the intertwined history of economic empires as they rise and fall and the social and cultural sectors that respond to their inevitable shifts. Duncan Campbell’s Arbeit and Juan Downey’s Hard Times and Culture: Part One, Vienna fin de siècle are two such reflections, each capturing a piece in the puzzle of Europe’s economic folly--cautionary tales of the post-Gilded Age.
ARBEIT
Organized in conjunction with Jeremy Deller: Joy in People at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.
Motion Pictures: Two Films by Michael Rubbo
ICA thanks The Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation and The Spiegel Fund to Support Contemporary Culture and Visual Arts.
From the IHP collection of NFB films, introduced by Professor Dave Jones of Drexel University
Arbeit dir. Duncan Campbell, UK, 2011, video, 39 mins
Comprised almost entirely of still photographs, Campbell’s Arbeit is, on the surface, a portrait of German economist Hans Tietmeyer. Tietmeyer, former head of Deutsche Bundesbank and chief architect of the Euro, is both brought into focus and obscured, allowing for a more nuanced investigation into recent events leading up to Europe’s economic decline. Campbell’s film captures the elusive historical facts as they continue to inform a very uncertain future. Hard Times and Culture: Part One, Vienna fin de siècle dir. Juan Downey, US, 1990, video, 35 mins
Hard Times and Culture, Downey’s last tape, was to be the first part of a series on the nexus of cultural creativity and economic, political and social forces. Downey subjectively documents periods in which economic hardships coincided with intensified creative output in the fine arts, literature and culture at large. Part One, Vienna fin de siècle focuses on the Austro-Hungarian Empire one hundred years ago, when its decline interlocked closely with the emergence of modernism in the arts and psychoanalysis. Downey frames this program on Vienna with references to contemporary New York. – EAI Free admission. ihousephilly.org
Thursday, November 15 at 7pm
I Hate to Lose (Je déteste perdre) dir. Michael Rubbo, Canada, 1977, 16mm, 57 mins, color
Filmed in the predominately Anglophone, upper-middle class Montreal riding of Westmount during the months preceding Quebec’s history making election of November 15, 1976. I Hate to Lose documents a play within a play, a brisk, natural drama that sparkles with humor. The camera follows closely behind leading local political contenders George Springate, Nick Auf der Maur and Harold “Shorty” Fairhead, chronicling the unfolding of an election campaign on the local hosting, and gleaning retrospective insights into Anglo-phone neglect of Parti Québécois’s swelling popularity. Persistent and Finagling dir. Michael Rubbo, Canada, 1971, 16mm, 57 mins, color
The growing resolve of a group of Montreal women, members of STOP (Society To Overcome Pollution), to do something about air pollution by factories in the city led to a campaign to focus public attention on the problem. Despite rebuffs of every kind, they persisted until they were able to bring newspapers, radio and television to bear on their fight. What they accomplished, and how they went about it, will interest urban audiences
The Janus Collection
Stranger Than Paradise Saturday, November 17 at 7pm dir. Jim Jarmusch, USA, 1984, 89 mins, b/w
Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie (John Lurie), his pal Eddie (Richard Edson), and visiting sixteen-year-old cousin Eva (Eszter Balint) always manage to make the least of any situation, whether aimlessly traversing the drab interiors and environs of New York City, Cleveland, or an anonymous Florida suburb. With its delicate humor and dramatic nonchalance, Jim Jarmusch’s one-of-akind minimalist masterpiece, Stranger than Paradise, forever transformed the landscape of American independent cinema.
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Beauty is Embarrassing Wednesday, November 28 at 7pm dir. Neil Berkeley, US, 2012, video, 87 mins, color
The affable and outspoken Wayne White reflects on his journey as a young painter/cartoonist from Tennessee to designer/puppeteer on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse to internationally successful artist. Interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh, Gary Panter and Paul Reubens expand on the eclectic creativity and “anything goes” spirit behind White’s art. Beauty is Embarrassing is a wild ride through the creative process.
New Authors of Italian Cinema – 2012 Edition
Thursday, November 29 – Sunday, December 2 New Authors of Italian Cinema, 2012 Edition, is co-presented with Penn Cinema Studies Program and Center for Italian Studies, in collaboration with the Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia and N.I.C.E. New Italian Cinema Events. The series aims to promote Italian Cinema abroad. Feature films, which have been chosen from the best made by up-and-coming Italian film directors, will be presented at International House for the Philadelphia stage. The 2012 Edition presents ten young and talented Italian filmmakers. The festival brings to the viewing public those new efforts on the part of Italy’s growing pool of talented filmmakers who are defined, not by the political position, nor by their aesthetic, but by their fresh spirit of independence. Their dynamic cinematic productivity ventures into unaccustomed fields of content, narrative form and production to present unforgettable visualizations. Visit www.ihousephilly.org for more information of films.
DECEMBER United in Anger: A History of Act Up Saturday, December 1 at 2pm dir. Jim Hubbard, US, 2012, video, 93 mins, color
United In Anger: A History Of Act Up is a unique feature-length documentary about Act Up (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), a diverse group of people that came together to change the world and save each other’s lives. The film takes the viewer through the planning and execution of exhilarating major actions with additional information about the historic events that forced the U.S. government and mainstream media to deal with the AIDS crisis. United In Anger reveals the group’s complex culture while also exploring the profound grief, sexiness, and incredible energy of Act Up. Distributed for World AIDS Day/Day With(out) Art 2012 by Visual AIDS. Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving a legacy, because AIDS is not over.
Portrait (Place)
It’s the Earth Not the Moon Wednesday, December 5 at 7pm dir. Gonçalo Tocha, Portugal, 2011, digi-beta, 185 mins, color, Portuguese w/ English subtitles
A cameraman and a soundman arrive in Corvo in 2007, the smallest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Corvo is a large rock, 6km high and 4km long, with the crater of a volcano and a single tiny village of 440 people. Gradually, this small filming crew is accepted by the island’s population as its new inhabitants, two people to add to a civilization almost 500 years old, whose history is hardly discernible, such is the lack of records and written memories. Shot at a vertiginous pace throughout a few years, self produced between arrivals, departures and coming backs, It’s the Earth not the Moon develops as the logbook of a ship, and turns out as a patchwork of discoveries and experiences which follow the contemporary life of a civilization isolated in the middle of the sea. A long Atlantic film odyssey, divided in 14 chapters, that combines anthropological records, literature, lost archives, mythological and autobiographical stories.
The Secret Cinema
Friday, December 7 at 8pm Son of Trailer Trash (First showing in 10 years!) 35mm
Like the original Trailer Trash program (seen at IHP last February), this 100%-different program is a non-stop orgy of rare, original preview “trailers” advertising some of the Secret Cinema’s favorite films of the 1960s and ‘70s—exploitation, sexploitation, science-fiction, bikers, horror, rock musicals, beach movies, and unclassifiable movies. All will be shown from archival 35mm prints (with several in true, IB Technicolor) on the big screen, along with vintage drive-in messages, theater commercials and date strips, from the 1950s and beyond. Chesty Anderson, U.S. Navy dir. Ed Forsyth, US, 1976, 16mm
Shari Eubanks (Supervixens) plays the titular Anderson, seeking revenge for the garbage-chopper murder of her sister. With the aid of Rosanne Katon (Ebony, Ivory and Jade) and some other kung-fu capable WAVES, they track down the sleazy mobsters responsible and wage battle. Along the way there are cat fights in undies, wah-wah funk-filled bars, midgets, dumb jokes, and characters named “Pucker” and “Baby.” Chesty Anderson, U.S. Navy plays like a drive-in version of Charlie’s Angels cast by Russ Meyer, sprinkled with the obligatory nudity and profanity that formula suggests. The incredible lineup of talent also includes Fred Willard, Dyanne Thorne (Ilsa, The Bitch of Buchenwald), Nell Carter, Uschi Digart, Scatman Crothers, and most memorably, Timothy Agoglia Carey (The World’s Greatest Sinner) as scary henchman “Vincent the Terrible.” $5 IHP members; $7 students & seniors; $9 general admission
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The Janus Collection
Weekend Saturday, December 8 at 7pm dir. Jean Luc Godard, 1967, France, 35mm, 105min, color, French w/ English subtitles
In a nine-minute close shot, Mireille Darc, clad in bra and panties, recounts matter-of-factly to her lover her spur of the moment three-way with a stranger and his wife. Then she’s off with her own husband — boorish, chain-smoking, hornriding Jean Yanne — to lock down their share of the inheritance, on the world’s longest, most hellish weekend trip, starting off with the screen’s greatest traffic jam, with, to the accompaniment of incessant car horns, Raoul Coutard’s camera tracking along a hilarious succession of set piece tableaus for nearly a full reel. And there’s the numerous bouts of road rage; the endless progression of wrecked autos; the carjacking; the sheep guesting from Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel; Jean-Pierre Léaud orating as Revolutionary leader St. Just and then singing into a roadside phone; the triple 360-degree pan-dolly around a country courtyard as screenwriter Paul Gégauff pounds out Mozart on a Bechstein; the incineration of Emily Brontë; the Marxist guerrillas; the buckets of fake blood. Viciously biting anti-capitalism, anti-bourgeois, anti-consumerism, black comedy, this was Godard’s kiss-off to his first great decade of filmmaking. Please join us after the film for a reception.
ihousephilly.org
Archive Fever! 4.0
Patience (After Sebald) Wednesday, December 12 at 7pm dir. Grant Gee, UK, 2011, video, 89 min, b/w
A richly textured essay film on landscape, art, history, life and loss, Patience (After Sebald) offers a unique exploration of the work and influence of internationally acclaimed writer W.G. Sebald (1944 – 2001). Born in Wertach im Allgau, Germany in 1944, W.G. Sebald studied German language and literature in Freiburg, Switzerland and Manchester, England. In 1966 he took up a position as an assistant lecturer at the University of Manchester, and settled permanently in England in 1970. It was at the University of East Anglia, where he was working as a Professor of European Literature, that Sebald at the age of 46 completed his first book,
Vertigo. It went on to receive generous praise and notice. But it wasn’t until the publication of his second book, The Emigrants in 1992, a winner of numerous major prizes, that Sebald was propelled to the heights of international acclaim. Sebald followed up these works with the equally revered and awarded The Rings of Saturn and Austerlitz. He died in an automobile accident in Norfolk, England, near his home in Norwich in East Anglia, England, on December 14, 2001. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the most important post-War European authors, and his work has proved decisively influential on many artists, writers and filmmakers. Directed by the Grierson Award winning director of Joy Division and the Radiohead documentary Meeting People is Easy, Patience is the first film on this important and vital writer. The film is structured around a walk through coastal East Anglia, the same path followed by Sebald in his ground-breaking book, The Rings of Saturn, and includes contributions from major writers, artists and
PAT I E N C E (AFTER SEBALD)
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In Memoriam: Chris Marker, CinÉaste (1921–2012) filmmakers, including Adam Philips, Robert Macfarlane, Rick Moody and Tacita Dean.
In Memoriam: Chris Marker, CinÉaste (1921–2012) Thursday, December 13 at 7pm
Filmmaker Chris Marker has passed away one day after his ninetyfirst birthday. Marker (born Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve) was one of the world’s most highly regarded and experimental figures in cinema. His classic fiction film and best-known work, La Jetée, was made in 1962; his first feature-length documentary was produced a decade before. Marker’s documentary work includes profiles of the artists Matta and Christo, and film directors Tarkovsky and Kurosawa. Marker’s film works make deliberate use of a restricted visual palette, adopting the techniques of cinema’s silent era, using dissolves, subtitles and montage effects. In the 1990s, he began working with new technologies, reworking
elements from his earlier film and television for the video installation Zapping Zones (1992). Marker’s video works range from idiosyncratic documentaries to poetic meditations. Among his most recent projects are an interactive CD-ROM entitled Immemory (1998) and the feature film Level Five. Writes Bill Horrigan, curator at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio: “Although Marker is widely regarded as one of the few indispensable, inimitable figures of post-World War II international cinema, it becomes clear that, for him, cinema is simply one expressive domain, one ‘zone’ and perhaps, at that, an interim or intermediate one. Having recently written, ‘I betrayed Gutenberg for McLuhan a long time ago,’ the genuinely self-critical Marker continues to experiment with new technological frontiers...” Workspace Marker: An Exhibition of Immemory Chris Marker, Experimental CD-ROM. 1998. Platform: CD-ROM for MacOS and Windows PC Editions du Centre Pompidou (Paris)
“In our moments of megalomaniacal daydreaming, we tend to view our memory as a kind of History Book: we have won and lost battles, found and lost whole empires. At the very least we are characters from a classic novel (‘my life is such a novel!’). A more modest and perhaps more fruitful approach would be to consider the fragments of memory in terms of geography. In every life, we would find continents, islands, deserts, swamps, overpopulated territories and terrae incognitae. From this memory we can draw the map, extract images with more ease (and truth) than do stories and legends. That the subject of this memory is found to be a photographer or a filmmaker does not imply that his memory is more interesting than that of any passing gentleman (or moreover, than that of the lady), but simply that he has left traces with which one can work, and contours to help draw up the map….. ….My working thesis was that every somewhat extensive memory is more structured than it seems -- that photos taken apparently at random, postcards chosen following momentary whims, begin given a certain accumulation to sketch an itinerary, to map the imaginary land that stretches out inside of us….
….’The art of memory’ is a very ancient discipline, fallen (that takes the cake!) into oblivion as the divorce between physiology and psychology came to pass. Certain antique authors had a more functional vision of the twists and turns of the mind, and it is Filippo Gesualdo, in his Plutosofia (1592) who proposes an image of memory in terms of ‘branching’ that is perfectly “softwary”, [softwarian?] if I dare use this adjective.” – Chris Marker
A Marker-thon of short films by Chris Marker Remembrance of Things to Come
Chris Marker’s Bestiary: Six Short Films about Animals Animals in Chris Marker’s films often function as cultural or political metaphors (“A cat is never on the side of power,” Marker has explained). In this anthology of short films, however, Marker avoids the commercial cinema’s tendency to anthropomorphize animals in favor of a simple celebration of their exotic beauty, primal nature and mystery. Cat Listening to Music
dir. Chris Marker & Yannick Bellon, France, 2001, video, 48 mins, b/w
dir. Chris Marker, France, video, 2006, 3 mins, color
Chris Marker, master of the cinema-essay, is joined by Yannick Bellon, daughter of photographer Denise Bellon, whose images from the period of 1935-1955 are the backbone of this rumination of the photographer’s life as well as the beginning of the modern age, the history of Surrealism, the atrocities of WWII, and Marker’s love of cats, women, Paris and much more. “A small masterpiece of montage, Remembrance of Things to Come is from moment to moment reminiscent of Resnais, Ivens, even Kubrick, but in its deployment of still photographs (as in La Jetée), its theme of history and memory, its subject-skipping montage and rapid shuttle of wit and philosophy, Remembrance is pure, marvelous Marker”. – James Quandt
An Owl is an Owl is an Owl dir. Chris Marker, France, video, 2006, 3 mins, color
Zoo Piece dir. Chris Marker, France, video, 2006, 3 mins, color
Bullfight in Okinawa dir. Chris Marker, France, video, 2006, 5 mins, color
Slon Tango dir. Chris Marker, France, video, 2006, 5 mins, color
Three Cheers for the Whale dir. Chris Marker, France, video, 1972, 30mins, color
Remembrance Of Things To Come
Chronicles the history of mankind’s relationship with the largest and most majestic of marine mammals, and graphically exposes their slaughter by the fishing industry. Chris Marker’s co-director, Mario Ruspoli (1925-1986), descendant of an aristocratic Italian family, had been a journalist, painter, and ethnologist before discovering his vocation as a documentary filmmaker. In the sixties he became one of the founders-along with Jean Rouch, Edgar Morin, and Chris Marker-of the “direct cinema” movement, pioneering in the use of new lightweight cameras and synchronous sound recording equipment. Ruspoli’s eclectic filmography includes documentaries on medical, scientific, anthropological and historical subjects.
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The Koumiko Mystery
...A Valparaiso
dir. Chris Marker, France, 16mm, 1967, 54 mins, color
dir. Joris Ivens, France/Chile, 1962, video, 34 mins, b/w and color, w/ English subtitles
Set against the backdrop of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the film becomes a microcosmic encapsulation of the romance between subject and object, between filmmaker and filmed. Koumiko Muraoka, a young woman whom Marker claimed to have picked out of the stands, is painted as an elusive Godardian nymphet for whom pop culture and philosophy exist on the same level. Marker’s approach is kaleidoscopic, impatient, frequently digressing into narrated history lessons or seeming tangents, but always returning to Koumiko, who remains as tantalizingly impenetrable to Marker as Tokyo itself. It’s worth noting that in French, the word “Mystery” precedes Koumiko’s name, since such mysteries as are even defined are not about her so much as they are her, and she is them. The Koumiko Mystery remains somewhat impenetrable itself, but it’s possible to love it without fully understanding it. La Jetée dir. Chris Marker, France, 1962, 16mm, 28 mins, b/w, French w/ English subtitles
Constructed almost entirely from still photos, La Jetée tells the story of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel. In a devastated Paris in the aftermath of WWIII, the few surviving humans begin researching time travel, hoping to send someone back to the pre-war world for food, supplies and maybe a solution to their dire position. One man is haunted by a vague childhood memory that will prove fateful. Print courtesy of Paul Lewis.
La Jetée ihousephilly.org
In 1962 Joris Ivens was invited to Chile for teaching and filmmaking. Together with students he made ...A Valparaiso, one of his most poetic films. Contrasting the prestigious history of the seaport with the present, the film sketches a portrait of the city, built on 42 hills, with its wealth and poverty, its daily life on the streets, the stairs, and the rack railways and in the bars. Although the port has lost its importance, the rich past is still present in the impoverished city. The film echoes this ambiguous situation in its dialectical poetic style, interweaving the daily life reality (of 1963) with the history of the city and changing from black and white to color, finally leaving us with hopeful perspective for the children who are playing on the stairs and hills of this beautiful town. Commentary text by Chris Marker. Coming Soon in January 2013…. Part II of the In Memoriam: Chris Marker, Cineaste (1921–2012) “Curated by Marker” In this series, we will investigate Chris Marker’s most loved and supported films by his contemporaries and others. The series will be hosted by Sam Diiorio, Assistant Professor - 20th Century Literature, French Literature and Film, Hunter College in NYC.
Frode Gjerstad Trio Holiday Party Friday, December 14 at 6pm It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Celebrate holidays from around the world with our IHP friends; including residents, members, and guests, singing and sharing the joy of the season. Our holiday gathering will culminate with the traditional lighting of the holiday tree, holiday treats, drink, and seasonal music. Free IHP Residents; $8 IHP Members; $10 guests and general admission.
Ars Nova Workshop
Friday, December 14 at 8pm Ars Nova Workshop is pleased to present a double-bill featuring ensembles led by prominent Norwegian voices: Frode Gjerstad’s allNorwegian trio and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s ‘The Young Mothers’ Frode Gjerstad Trio A powerful force on the Norwegian free-jazz scene, Gjerstad has worked with Evan Parker, Borah Bergman, Peter Brötzmann, Sabir Mateen, William Parker, Derek Bailey and Han Bennink. In 1984, Gjerstad founded the Circulasione Totale Orchestra, a large ensemble with rotating personnel that have included leading experimental musicians such as Louis Moholo-Moholo and Lasse Marhaug. Frode Gjerstad, saxophone + trumpet • Jon Rune Strøm, bass • Paal Nilssen-Love, drums
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s The Young Mothers The Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, who has worked with Ken Vandermark, Peter Kowald and Evan Parker, has built a strong reputation in his native country and on the Chicago scene. He has also been a member of numerous powerhouse ensembles, including Atomic, Scorch Trio, The Thing and Dave Rempis Percussion Quartet. Upon relocating to Austin, Texas in 2009, Håker Flaten soon after formed the Young Mothers, an ensemble featuring four young musicians from Austin and the Chicago drummer Frank Rosaly. Jawaad Taylor, trumpet + electronics + vocals • Jason Jackson, saxophones • Jonathan Horne, guitar • Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, bass • Stefan Gonzalez, drums + vibraphone • Frank Rosaly, drums
EXHUMED FILMS
Diabolical Double Feature Saturday, December 15 at 8pm Now in its 15th season of programming, Exhumed Films is an independent film cooperative dedicated to the screening of classic horror, cult, and sci-fi films in the Philadelphia area. IHP and Exhumed have partnered for a series of double feature screenings to run throughout 2012-2013. Whether the movies are gruesome or goofy, repulsive or ridiculous, you can be sure that an Exhumed Films double feature is an event not to be missed! Visit www.exhumedfilms.com for information on upcoming screenings. 28
Become a Member at IHP! As a member supported organization, IHP depends upon member contributions to present our signature contemporary arts and cultural programs, and to continue providing a warm and welcoming environment for the thousands of people who come from around the world and call IHP home year after year. Please help IHP continue to serve our century-long mission by becoming a member today!
Flip back through the pages of this magazine, look at all the events taking place at IHP, and consider the variety of subjects covered, the ensuing conversations and dialogue inspired by them, and the way in which this unique programming engages the local and international community. It only happens at International House Philadelphia.
We’ve simplified our Membership Levels and Benefits! Individual Member: $60 annually • Young Friend: $50 annually • Student: $35 annually With your membership, you will receive free admission to most IHP films in International House’s Ibrahim Theater, as well as free and discounted admission to concerts, language classes and other events and programs presented at IHP. To discover the full benefits of IHP Membership, please call 215.387.5142, or visit our website: www.ihousephilly.org/membership.
Join today!
Beyond Membership - Support our Annual Fund! You can make an even bigger impact on the cultural landscape of the Philadelphia region through the support of one of our Annual Funds. You choose how to direct your gift to one of three specific program areas: Residential Life, Arts & Humanities, and the Area of Greatest Need. By making a tax-deductible contribution to IHP Annual Fund you take an active role in supporting the vital resources and services that are integral to the success of International House, and you help us to serve our Residents, Members, and the Philadelphia Community for Generations to come. Make a difference in the lives of others that will be felt around the world. Support our Annual Fund! The Arts + Humanities Fund The arts and humanities are an avenue for cultural, political, and social understanding. Through live performance, film, visual arts, and languages, your support allows IHP to present programs and events that successfully unite contemporary and emerging forms with classical traditions. Residential Life Fund Support our philosophy of educating outside of the classroom and help IHP’s residents discover the Greater Philadelphia and global communities by contributing to the Residential Life Fund. Area of Greatest Need Your support of International House Philadelphia maintains a diverse and welcoming community for scholars from around the world and broadens the horizons of IHP Residents and the Philadelphia community through a wide range of Arts, Humanities, and Leadership Programs. When you give an unrestricted gift, IHP is able to direct your commitment to a budgeted area where there is the most need. IHP’s Members and Donors are integral to maintaining the important cultural exchange at International House through the Arts, Humanities, and Residential Programs. Please use the enclosed envelope found in the back to give today.
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International House Philadelphia:
A Unique Location for Your Next Event or Meeting! Whether you are planning a business conference, an intimate soiree, an executive meeting, or a large social event, International House Philadelphia has the space and services to meet your needs and make your event a success. Located in the heart of Philadelphia’s University City, IHP has over 8,500 square feet of available space with the capacity to meet the needs of groups as small as 10, or as large as 600. IHP’s Ibrahim Theater The Ibrahim Theater is a fully-equipped, multipurpose theater facility. Featuring a state-of-the-art concert sound-system, we can accommodate a variety of music presentations from small acoustic ensembles to fully amplified 10+ piece bands. The Ibrahim Theater is ideal for film and video screenings, with the capability to project 16mm and 35mm film as well as most video formats including DigiBeta, BetaSP, DVD, Blu-ray and miniDV. Additional devices can be incorporated into our system. There is also access from the stage, which is perfect for PowerPoint lectures and other visual presentations. Our lighting system is equipped with a digital lighting board. With a knowledgeable staff able to assist you, we can provide a complete package for most events. South America Room At almost 2,000 square feet, with a capacity of up to 150, South America is our most versatile space with a great view and an outdoor balcony. It is ideal for large seminars and classes, as well as receptions. Australia Lounge A uniquely designed atrium space, the Australia Lounge is an attractive setting for receptions, breakfasts, and as a breakout space for conferences, accommodating up to 100 for stand-up events and 50 for a seated gathering or meeting. Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America Rooms These rooms, which accommodate 10 to 60 people, are ideal for small board meetings, seminars, retreats, classes and conference breakout space. The Asia and Africa Rooms can be combined to form a larger meeting space. To inquire about hosting your event in IHP’s Ibrahim Theater or any of our other wonderful event spaces, please email events@ihphilly.org or call 215.895.6539.
ihousephilly.org
Great reasons to live at ihp • Free admission to IHP events • Convenient location • 24-hour security staff • Computer lab with web access • Resident cafÉ on premises • Leadership development programs • tv lounge + recreation center • discounted gYM membership • long And short term housing • laundry facilities & utilities included If you are a student, scholar, or professional trainee looking for an apartment or room in Philadelphia, consider International House. IHP is a multicultural residential center, and a source of distinctive arts and cultural programming. We are a warm and friendly living environment; a home to over 800 people from as many as 95 different countries around the world annually, including the US, who attend area colleges and universities. As a resident of International House, you’ll not only enjoy the privacy and quiet of our apartments and single rooms, you’ll also develop relationships while making friends with others from around the world, and become part of a unique community where all cultures are celebrated and shared. Our residents also enjoy the benefits of IHP membership, and get free admission and access to films, concerts, cultural events, art exhibits, leadership seminars, executive networking events and more throughout the year. Inquire today and start enjoying life at the intersection of Philadelphia and the World! housing@ihphilly.org, 215.895.6540, www.ihousephilly.org/student-housing
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Language Programs
Our Language Program offers the opportunity to study a foreign language or improve English conversation skills. At our friendly and affordable sessions, the small class setting will allow you to quickly learn how to communicate clearly outside of the classroom and enhance skills that assist with future goals. To learn more, contact us at 215.895.6592 or languages@ihphilly.org and visit www.ihousephilly.org
getting here
International House Philadelphia is located at 3701 Chestnut Street, in the University City neighborhood, one block south of Market Street and one block north of Walnut Street. Public Transportation: It’s a short walk from either of the Green Line’s 36th Street stops or the Market-Frankford El’s 34th Street stop. From Center City, take the 21 bus west on Walnut Street to 37th Street. From West Philly, take the 21 bus east on Chestnut to 37th. Parking: It’s easy to park in University City! Discounted parking for International House patrons is available at the Science Center Parking Garage, 3665 Market Street. A special rate of $5 per vehicle, effective after 4pm until 7am, Monday through Friday plus all day Saturday & Sunday. Please bring your parking stub to IHP’s Front Desk to be stamped when attending events. Plenty of street parking, free after 8pm, is available on Chestnut and Market Streets and throughout the neighborhood. Contact Us: General Information 215.387.5125 or info@ihphilly.org
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Staff
Executive Office Tanya Steinberg, Executive Director Clara Fomich, Office Manager ARTS + Programs Robert Cargni Mitchell, Film Program Curator & Projectionist Jesse Pires, Programs Curator Jesse Kudler, Production Manager Herb Shellenberger, Programs Office Manager Wendy Hyatt, Conference Center Manager Barbara Warnock, Language Program Manager Admissions + Resident Services Glenn D. Martin, Admissions & Residence Life Director Marlon Patton, Cashier & Front Desk Manager Edwin Garcia, Admissions Coordinator Emily Martin, Admissions Coordinator Jeff Bourgeois, Residence Life Associate Director Yun Joon Park, Front Desk Coordinator Institutional Advancement Thomasina R. Tafur, Corporate Relations Manager Lauren Fenimore, Foundations Research Manager Jessamyn Falcone, Development Services Manager William Parker, Marketing & Communications Director Justin Miller, Graphic Designer Sasha Dages, Marketing & Communications Manager Building Services & Operations Carole A. Parker, Building Operations & Services Director Lina Yankelevich, Finance & HR Director Angela Bachman, Finance Manager Building Operations Raj Persad, Building Operations & Services Manager Ronald Persaud, Building Operations Staff Amar Persad, Building Operations Staff Kodzo David Gasonu, Building Operations Staff Alexander Rivkin, Information Systems & Technology Manager Moshe Caspi, Security Services & Systems Manager Larry Moore, Lead Security Guard Althelson Towns, Lead Housekeeper Deborah Sara Houda, Customer Service & Housekeeping Manager Housekeeping, MAINTENANCE + SECURITY Reginald Brown Vipin Maxwell Vipin Maxwell Phillip Carter Ronald Smith Lulzim Myrtaj Moifee Dorley Robert Wooten Amar Persad Marie Berthe Johnson Lulzim Myrtaj Christina Rivera Yefim Klurfeld Henry C. Koffi Ronald Smith Sylvie Hoeto Anthony NoahMarie Linda Stanton Christina Rivera Berthe Johnson Robert Wooten Linda Stanton Henry Koffi Ronald Persaud Melvin Caranda Yefim Klurfeld
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Nonprofit. Org. US Postage PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 5335
3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
IHP is an independent, member supported non-profit.
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International House Philadelphia is a multicultural residential center, a source of distinctive programming, and the embodiment of an ideal. It has a critical threefold mission: to maintain a diverse and welcoming community for scholars from around the world, while introducing them to the American experience; to broaden the horizons of its Residents and the larger community through high quality international arts and humanities programs; and to encourage cooperation and respect among the peoples of all nations. www.ihousephilly.org
International House Philadelphia:
THE NEXUS BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL CULTURE AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
The generous support of our Members, Friends and Benefactors allows International House Philadelphia to continue the tradition of offering lifelong learning through the Arts, Culture and Humanities to an increasing number of people each year.
Adroitent, Inc., Ahmad & Zaffarese Llc, All State Abstract Inc., Alpin W Cameron Foundation, Bartlett Foundation, Berkadia, Chestnut Hill Health Care, Citizens Charitable Foundation, Comcast Corporation, Dole Fresh Fruit Co, Electriplast Corp, Epam Systems, Inc., Exude Benefits Group, Inc., Fox Chase Cancer Centre, Friends Of The Japanese House And Garden, Gawthrop Greenwood, Pc, Greater Philadelphia Chinese Restaurant Association, Gupta Foundation, Hp Health Partners, I-Lead Inc., Ing Financial Partners, Interfaith Center Of Greater Philadelphia, International House Harrisburg, International House, New York, Jacoby Donner Pc, John Wiley & Sons Inc., Lincoln University, Nmci Group, Inc., Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Music Project, Premier Urology Associates, Progressive Business Publications, Prometrics, Inc., Qlicktech Inc, Reed Smith Llp, Russian Speaking Professionals Network, Saks Incorporated, Sam And Charles Foundation, San Diego Foundation, Scandinavian American Business Forum, University Of Pennsylvania, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., World Affairs Council Of Philadelphia We are also thankful for the support of our in-kind donors and the many generous members and annual donors.