SmithRafael Film Center Quarterly - Q1.19 by CAFILM

J A N U A R Y

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M A R C H

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Vol. 20 Issue 4

AT-A-GLANCE

From the

DIRECTOR of PROGRAMMING It’s difficult to believe that the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center will be 20 years old this April. This is especially difficult for me to acknowledge, since I’ve been here the entire time! (So has Dan Zastrow, the Rafael’s general manager, as well as our executive director Mark Fishkin.) I feel pretty much the same as I did at the Rafael’s opening, although you might want to tell me that my ascent onto the theater’s stage has slowed down substantially over the years. (If that’s true, don’t tell me!)

VALENTINE’S SPECIAL Roger Livesey & Wendy Hiller in I Know Where I’m Going! February 14 & 17

CF I B OA R D O F D I R E CTO R S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER

Mark Fishkin BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Maida Lynn Kenneth Broad (Vice President) Lynne Hale Richard J. Idell (Secretary) Daniel Kenyon Amy Keroes Jennifer Coslett MacCready Kurt Mobley Cathy Nourafshan

(President)

Maggie O’Donnell Jonathan Parker (Vice President) Susan Schwartz Dr. Joel Sklar (Vice President) Jann Stanley Steve Weinswig Zach Zeisler (Treasurer)

Christopher B. Smith Henry Timnick

EMERITUS BOARD

Barbara Boxer Stewart Boxer Drusie Davis Jeff Fisher Peter Flaxman

Rita Cahill Sid Ganis Bruce Katz Gary Meyer Gordon Radley

Robert Greber Linda Gruber Peggy Haas Jessica Igoe Michael Klein Roxanne Klein KC Lauck Andrew McGuire Mary Poland Eric Schwartz Michael Schwartz Skip Whitney

FOUNDING BOARD

Rita Cahill Mark Fishkin Lois Kohl Shore ADVISORY BOARD

RAFAEL QUARTERLY STAFF R I C H A R D P E T E R S ON Director of Programming | Editor

SHEL L EY SPICER Director of Marketing & Publicity

L EAH L OSCHIAVO Marketing Coordinator

D A N Z A S T R OW Rafael General Manager

JAN KL INGEL HOF ER Program Consultant

BRIAN LEHMAN Quarterly Layout/Production

A L E X A N D R A C ANTIN Rafael Program Associate

JONAT HAN MARL OW CFI Releasing / Rafael Film Club

SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 24

With some luck, Dan, Mark and I will still be upright in April and beyond, and we look forward to hosting several special series and programs to observe the anniversary. In the meantime, we have plenty on offer this first quarter. Our annual selection of Foreign Language Oscar® submissions, titled “For Your Consideration,” is curated once again by Karen Davis and Janis Plotkin, senior programmers for the Mill Valley Film Festival. We are also pleased to participate in a new program organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which will necessarily overlap a bit with For Your Consideration. This new program gathers the 15 films on the Academy’s Documentary Feature Shortlist, which screen in January during the voting period that narrows the number to five nominees. We couldn’t confirm every film by press time, so please check our website for

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION January 4-10

updates and the schedule for this new series. As always, our slate is filled with titles that are part of overall Bay Area theatrical engagements, as well as films that are unique to the Rafael. On the more exclusive side, we have filmmakers appearing in person with their independent documentaries, such as Dreaming of a Vetter World, Harvest Season, Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn? and Ferlinghetti. It’s exciting to note that the latter film is screened on the actual day of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s 100th birthday! Then there’s the CatVideoFest, which we’re screening for the first time this year. And while the repertory films are not as plentiful in number as I would have liked, the ones we do have are worthwhile. It’s hard to believe that the adventurous Nicolas Roeg/David Bowie film The Man Who Fell to Earth, screening in a restored director’s cut, is more than four decades old. Going back even further, we encourage you to spend Valentine’s Day with I Know Where I’m Going!, an under-the-radar movie romance that seems to enchant everyone who sees it. If you haven’t watched it yet, you’ll have the opportunity to make it one of your favorites, too!

~ Richard Peterson

OSCARS® SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY FEATURES SHORTLIST

January 5-20

CAPERNAUM

Continuing

THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET Opens January 4 2018 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILM TOUR

Opens January 11

DREAMING OF A VETTER WORLD January 16 RED

January 17

COLD WAR

Opens January 18

HARVEST SEASON

January 20

JUST EAT IT

January 27

WHO KILLED LT. VAN DORN? February 3 JONI 75: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION February 7 OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS Opens February 8 AROUND INDIA WITH A MOVIE CAMERA February 10 I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING! February 14 & 17 THE INVISIBLES

Opens February 15

The Royal Opera THE QUEEN OF SPADES February 17 THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH February 21 & 28 NEVER LOOK AWAY

Opens February 22

BIRDS OF PASSAGE

Opens March 1

WOMAN AT WAR

Opens March 8

CATVIDEOFEST 2019

March 10

THE MASK YOU LIVE IN

March 12

Royal Opera LA TRAVIATA March 17

SOCIAL MEDIA TWITTER: @CAFILMINSTITUTE

INSTAGRAM: @CAFILM

FACEBOOK: @SMITHRAFAELFILMCENTER1 | #SMITHRAFAEL Smith Rafael Film Center is owned and operated by the California Film Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that also produces the annual Mill Valley Film Festival, DocLands Documentary Film Festival and CFI Education programs throughout the year. © Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. No portion of the Rafael Quarterly may be duplicated in any form without written consent from the Smith Rafael Film Center and/or the California Film Institute.

Films marked with this logo are part of CFI’s gender equity initiative, Mind the Gap, launched at the 2015 Mill Valley Film Festival. CFI is dedicated to actively working towards closing the gender gap in Hollywood and the rest of the global film industry.

THE SOWER

March 21 & 24

FERLINGHETTI

March 24

The Royal Ballet DON QUIXOTE March 31

On the cover: CAT VIDEOFEST 2019 - See page 12 Programs subject to change, including opening dates. OTHER PROGRAMS OPEN THAT DO NOT APPEAR HERE. For up-to-date info: rafaelfilm.org Sign up for weekly email at rafaelfilm.org Check daily newspaper Call 415 454 1222

Programs with in-person guests

Each year the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences invites countries to submit a single film for consideration in the competitive category of Foreign Language Film. This year 87 films have been accepted for competition and for the 16th consecutive year, the Smith Rafael Film Center offers a choice sampling. This is a rare opportunity to view some of the most distinguished works in international cinema, many of which are top film festival prizewinners. Series programmed by Janis Plotkin and Karen Davis.

RUBÉN BLADES IS NOT MY NAME PANAMA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 5:30 SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 6:00 Latin American icon Rubén Blades is one of the most beloved singer-songwriters of his generation. In the 1970s his socially charged lyrics and explosive rhythms introduced salsa music to an international audience. Blades won 17 Grammys, acted in Hollywood, earned a law degree from Harvard and even ran for president in his native Panama. He opens up with unusual candor in this absorbing documentary. In Spanish and English with English subtitles. Director: Abner Benaim. 85 min.

NEVER LOOK AWAY

GERMANY

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 7:30 Spanning three eras of German history, this drama from Oscar®-winning filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others) tells the story of Kurt (Tom Schilling), a young artist (loosely based on Gerhard Richter) who falls in love with fellow student Ellie (Paula Beer). Her father (Sebastian Koch), a respected doctor, is dismayed by his daughter’s choice and vows to destroy the relationship. Rated R. In German with English subtitles. 188 min.

RUBÉN BLADES IS NOT MY NAME

—4—

ELDORADO

SWITZERLAND

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 3:00 Director Markus Imhoof reflects on the contemporary international refugee crisis. From the relocation camps of Southern Italy to asylum hearings in Switzerland, the film presents a deeply compassionate portrait of human migration, and the search for that mythical city of gold – El Dorado. Winner, Amnesty International Film Prize, Berlin Film Festival. In German, French, Italian and Kurdish with English subtitles. Director: Markus Imhoof. 90 min.

THE HEIRESSES

PARAGUAY

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 5:00 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 7:45 The longterm relationship between Cela and Chiquita is deteriorating, particularly since each started selling off the riches she had inherited to help manage their complicated financial situation. When Chiquita is sent to prison for fraud, Chela is obliged to leave the comfort of her petit bourgeoisie existence and start running a personal taxi service. One day she meets Angy, a younger and charismatic woman… Winner, Best Actress (Ana Brun) at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Marcello Martinessi. 98 min.

NEVER LOOK AWAY

DOGMAN

ITALY

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 7:15 Marcello, a gentle dog-groomer and doting dad, wants nothing more than to be a peace-keeper in his Southern Italian roughand-tumble seaside village. But his friendship with Simone, a small-time palooka with an outsized anger management problem, bodes well for neither man nor beast. When the community leans on Marcello to banish the criminal from their midst, his dogged loyalties are wrongly placed, with escalating stakes. Winner: Best Actor (Marcello Fonte), Cannes Film Festival. In Italian with English subtitles. Director: Matteo Garrone. 103 min.

THE WILD PEAR TREE

TURKEY

SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2:00 Sinan, an aspiring writer, returns home after university hoping to scrape enough money together to publish his first novel. He wanders the town encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers and finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his father. An evocative, richly layered tale of creative struggle and familial responsibility, this is one of master director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s most personal works to date. In Turkish with English subtitles. 188 min.

ELDORADO

MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS

YOMEDDINE

MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS INDONESIA

YOMEDDINE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 8:00 In the deserted hills of an Indonesian island, Marlina, a young widow, is robbed of her livestock by bandits. When she is sexually attacked, she shrewdly defends herself, setting out on a journey to find justice, empowerment and redemption. But the road is long, especially when she begins to be haunted by the ghost of her victim. A courageous revenge fantasy, rooted in both the #MeToo movement and in Indonesia’s contemporary gender conditions. In Indonesian with English subtitles. Director: Mouly Surya. 93 min.

WOMAN AT WAR

ICELAND

MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 5:30 Halla is a mild-mannered village choir director with a secret life as an eco-activist, able to down a power plant with one single arrow. But in her domestic life, she dreams of adopting a Ukrainian orphan. As the net tightens around her, Halla’s life and future are on the line. Imbued with devilish Nordic humor, Woman at War is pure joy to behold. Winner, Nordic Council Film Prize. In Icelandic with English subtitles. Director: Benedikt Erlingsson. 101 min.

SECRET INGREDIENT

EGYPT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 5:30 Known as “Mr. Charisma” at an Egyptian leper colony, Beshay earns a living selling salvageable items from the village dump. Grieving the loss of his wife, he embarks on a desert journey to find the family that abandoned him in childhood, accompanied by a 10-year-old Nubian orphan nicknamed “Obama”. Yomeddine is a magical film filled with gentle humor and unforgettable moments of grace. Winner, François Chalais Award, Cannes. In Arabic with English subtitles. Director: A.B. Shawky. 97 min.

I AM NOT A WITCH

UNITED KINGDOM

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 7:45 Nine-year-old Shula, accused of witchcraft, is exiled to a camp run by corrupt officials. Tethered to other “witches” by a long white ribbon, she hears she will turn into a goat if she escapes. As a child witch, Shula is a local star, but as her awareness grows, she must decide whether to remain a witch, or flee to freedom. A visually stunning, boldly satirical feminist fable. Winner, BAFTA Film Award. In Nyanja with English subtitles. Director: Rungano Nyoni. 93 min.

SECRET INGREDIENT

MACEDONIA

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 5:30 Underemployed, thirty-something Vele uses stolen marijuana to make a cake for his father to relieve his cancer pain. He suddenly finds himself cornered by the criminals who want their drugs back and the nosy neighbors who want the recipe for the “healing” cake. Set in a modern-day Macedonia battered by economic turbulence, this humane and relatable dark comedy explores the universal terrain of family tensions, the dangers of superstition and the healing power of love. In Macedonian with English subtitles. Director: Gjorce Stavreski. 104 min.

SUNSET

HUNGARY

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 7:45 Filmmaker László Nemes’ powerful follow-up to his Oscar®-winning Son of Saul is set in 1913 Budapest on the eve of World War I. Young Irisz Leiter arrives in the Hungarian capital with hopes to work as a milliner at Leiter, the legendary hat store founded by her late parents. Searching for a brother she has never known, Irisz discovers symptoms of tyranny, war and the death throes of the Austro-Hungarian empire. 142 min.

YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN THE GUILTY

DENMARK

MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 8:00 In the shadows of a late-night police dispatch station, a young officer on duty is lured into a web of danger and suspense by a series of untraceable calls from a desperate young mother. This taut, expertly crafted, Hitchcockian nail-biter is no ordinary Danish whodunit. Like the best classical thrillers, it relies more on what you don’t see than what you do. Winner, Sundance Audience Award. In Danish with English subtitles. Director: Gustav Möller. 85 min.

THE GUILTY

NEW ZEALAND

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 5:30 Survivor of the Cultural Revolution and graduate of China’s proletarian “Number 2 Light Industrial School”, aspiring designer Guo Pei is a fish out of water, but with her turbocharged need to succeed, she will stop at nothing until her creations are accepted by Paris’ chief arbiters of Haute Couture. This documentary features a gown spun by 300 embroiderers, a 50 lb. dress designed for popstar Rihanna. A treat for fashionistas! In Chinese with English subtitles. Director: Pietra Brettkelly. 97 min. SUNSET

I AM NOT A WITCH

YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN

—5—

CAPERNAUM

CONTINUES Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki’s emotional and politically charged drama tells the story of Zain (Zain al Raffea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life. At the age of 12, Zain is already a hardened adult, fleeing his negligent parents and surviving through his wits on the streets. Labaki immerses us in a milieu of poverty her non-professional cast members know all too well. Zain is a charismatic screen presence, and some unforgettable moments involve him caring for the baby of an Ethiopian refugee woman he befriends. His story is heartbreaking, yet hopeful in its tenderness. In Arabic with English subtitles. Director: Nadine Labaki. (Lebanon 2018) 120 min.

JANUARY 5-20 For the first time ever, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is organizing national screenings of the “shortlist” films in the Documentary Feature category. From the shortlist, a final five nominees will be drawn by the Academy membership. We are pleased that the Smith Rafael Film Center will participate in this special program.

THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET

OPENS JANUARY 4 There are 8,000 miles of roads and paths in New York City, and for the past six years Matt Green has been walking them all…every street, park, cemetery, beach and bridge. In this ongoing five-borough journey, Green has amassed a surprisingly detailed knowledge of New York’s history and people along the way. Something of a modern-day Thoreau, he gave up his job, apartment and possessions to pursue this passion. As he takes us on a walking tour, we observe both the human drama of his quixotic quest, as well as the ways that introspective wandering can generate a sense of discovery, humanity and wonder about the world around us. Executive Producer: Jesse Eisenberg. Director: Jeremy Workman. (US 2018) 95 min.

At press time, all the participating titles have not been confirmed, so please check rafaelfilm.org for updates and more information.

2018

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

SHORT FILM TOUR OPENS JANUARY 11

Fauve

Maude

Matria Photo: Christopher Markisz

Fueled by artistic expression and limited only by their runtimes, short films transcend traditional storytelling. We are proud to present seven short films, including several award winners, selected from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. In Anna Margaret Hollyman’s Maude, a routine babysitting job has an unexpected twist. Baby Brother chronicles director Kamau Bilal’s brother moving back home. From Sweden, Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s The Burden depicts a dark musical enacted in a modern shopping center. In Hair Wolf (Short Film Jury Award: US Fiction) by Mariama Diallo, a black hair salon in Brooklyn fends off a strange new monster. In Kangmin Kim’s JEOM, a father and son have twin birthmarks on their butts. In Canadian Jérémy Comte’s Fauve (Short Film Special Jury Award), two boys in a surface mine sink into a seemingly innocent power game. Spain’s Matria (Short Film Grand Jury Prize) by Álvaro Gago shows a grandmother taking refuge with her family. Program 93 min.

Baby Brother

Hair Wolf

The Burden

—7—

DREAMING OF A VETTER WORLD

JUST EAT IT

RED

WHO KILLED LT. VAN DORN?

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 7:00 IN PERSON: Filmmaker BONNIE HAWTHORNE & Subject DAVID VETTER One day in 1953, while spraying chemicals on his crops, Nebraska farmer Donald Vetter had an epiphany: that modern agriculture was ailing. He and his son David went on to become organic farming pioneers, with David Vetter continuing what his father began and dedicating his life to a “ministry to the soil.” As interest in regenerating soil explodes worldwide, filmmaker Bonnie Hawthorne discovers that Vetter is way ahead of the game. With both historical context and an eye to the future, this film shows it’s possible to jump off conventional agriculture’s pesticide treadmill. It’s also a story about love, hope and place, an inspiring example of perseverance and doing what you know is right…against all odds. Director: Bonnie Hawthorne. (US 2018) 77 min. plus discussion. $15 general, $13 Seniors & Youth, $10 CFI members

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 7:00 Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away with Murder) star in the first UK revival of John Logan’s play, which first opened in 2009 and, following a transfer to Broadway, went on to win six Tony Awards, including Best Play. Filmed live in 2018 under returning director Michael Grandage, the play stars Molina as American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko and Enoch as his young assistant Ken, as they face Rothko’s toughest challenge to date, in what one critic called “a tense and occasionally ferocious exploration of the price of making art.” Running time approximately 90 min. (Re-scheduled from November) $15 general, $13 Seniors & Youth, $10 CFI members

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 4:15 IN PERSON: Filmmakers ZACHARY STAUFFER & JASON PALADINO Not everyone who died for their country had to die for their country. The widow of a Navy helicopter pilot killed in a 2014 training exercise spurs an investigation that uncovers a long history of institutional failings that led to her husband’s death. Told through the eyes of survivors—pilots, mechanics and family members—who take us on a journey, from a single helicopter squadron into the heart of the murky inner workings of the American defense establishment. The first film to come from the Investigative Reporting Program at UC-Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism is an expose that is both poignant and revealing. Director: Zachary Stauffer (US 2018) 78 minutes plus discussion.

COLD WAR

JONI 75: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

HARVEST SEASON

OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2019

OPENS JANUARY 18 Oscar®-winning filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski (Ida) was named Best Director at Cannes for his searing new drama about an impossible love affair in an impossible time. Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot star as Zula and Wiktor (based loosely on Pawlikowski’s own parents), who meet in the ruins of post-World War II Poland. She’s a singer, he’s a pianist-composer, and after he concocts a plan to escape to France, their passionate relationship zigzags across both sides of the Iron Curtain. Gorgeously filmed in luminous black-and-white, with grandly staged musical numbers ranging from “people’s folk choruses” to 1950s jazz, this Mill Valley Film Festival Tribute selection is a treasure for the ears as well as the eyes. In Polish and French with English subtitles. Director: Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland 2018) 89 min.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 4:15 IN PERSON: Filmmaker LAUREN CAPPS and film subjects VANESSA ROBLEDO & GUSTAVO BRAMBILA This documentary is a compelling portrait of wine production in Napa and Sonoma, highlighting migrant vineyard workers and Mexican-American winemakers. It follows veteran winemaker Gustavo Brambila, vineyard manager Vanessa Robledo and migrant worker René Reyes through the dramatic grape harvest of 2017. During harvest, the number of workers doubles, and tourism is at its peak. Prices rise, tempers flare, and the pressures could not be greater for workers, growers and the small wine producer. Then wildfires ignite, threatening the livelihoods of both workers and farm owners. Despite mounting pressure, they forge ahead for next year’s harvest, since their work is both a labor of love and a cherished part of their heritage. Producer: Lauren Capps. Director Bernardo Ruiz (US 2018) 82 min. plus discussion. FOLLOWED BY WINETASTING. $13 general, $11 Seniors & Youth, $9 CFI members

—8—

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 4:15 Presented by CFI EDUCATION in partnership with CHILDREN FOR CHANGE and EXTRAFOOD Filmmakers and food lovers Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin dive into the issue of food waste from farm through retail, right to the back of their own fridge. In a deliciously entertaining challenge, they pledge to quit grocery shopping and survive only on discarded food. However, the thrill of the find has unexpected consequences. Farmers, retailers, activists, industry experts and consumers come to the table to explore our obsession with expiration dates, perfect produce, and portion sizes revealing the devastating consequences around the globe. Directors: Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin (US 2014) 75 minutes Followed by panel discussion with subject area experts.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 7:00 Filmed over two nights at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, this concert film brings together a fabulous lineup of performers to pay tribute to legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell on the occasion of her 75th birthday. Performing songs from Mitchell’s extensive catalog of 19 studio albums are James Taylor, Seal, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Graham Nash, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Chaka Khan, Glen Hansard, Brandi Carlile and Los Lobos with La Marisoul, Cesar Castro and Xochi Flores. The celebration culminates with all the stars performing “Big Yellow Taxi” and presenting Joni with a birthday cake on stage. (US 2018) 120 min. $15 general, $13 Seniors & Youth, $10 CFI members

OPENS FEBRUARY 8 Once again the Rafael participates in the national release of the short films nominated for the upcoming Academy Awards®. Audiences will have the opportunity to see the nominated Live Action and Animated shorts prior to the 91st Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 24. We are also one of the few venues to screen the nominees for Documentary Short Subject. While we have no indication of the nominated titles at press time, it’s likely that several of the films will have already won awards at international film festivals. Each category will be screened in an individual program requiring separate admission.

—9—

AROUND INDIA WITH A MOVIE CAMERA

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 4:15 & 6:15 This remarkable documentary weaves together archival footage—including handcolored sequences—with a dynamic new score by Soumik Datta (collaborator with Beyoncé and Jay Z), to create an emotionally resonant story about life across India from 1899 to 1947. Drawn exclusively from the British Film Institute’s National Archive, the film features some of the earliest surviving film from India as well as gorgeous travelogues, intimate home movies and newsreels from British, French and Indian filmmakers. Capturing maharajas and viceroys, fakirs and farmhands and personalities such as Sabu and Gandhi, the film engages critically with broader themes of a shared history, shifting perspectives in the lead up to Indian independence and the ghosts of the past. Director: Sandhya Suri. (UK 2018) 72 min.

VALENTINE’S SPECIAL

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 7:00 & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 7:00 In honor of the late filmmaker Nicolas Roeg (and in belated tribute to David Bowie), we are pleased to offer special screenings of this beautiful digital restoration of a real cult classic. Bowie stars as Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from a distant, dying planet, who lands on Earth and amasses great wealth through advanced technology patents, while he eventually forgets the reason he came here in the first place. Bowie is ideal in his first major feature performance, and Roeg’s unconventional story structure transforms a science-fiction premise into a searing and satirical portrait of American society. Rated R. Also starring Candy Clark, Rip Torn, Buck Henry. Writer: Paul Mayersberg, from the novel by Walter Tevis. Director: Nicolas Roeg. (UK/US 1976) 140 min.

NEVER LOOK AWAY

I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 7:00 & SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 4:15 Have you ever seen our Valentine’s Day offering? Well, there are at least a few CFI staff members who consider this Powell-Pressburger masterpiece to be one of the most romantic (as well as best) films ever made. Produced at the end of World War II, it stars Wendy Hiller as a materialistic young woman who travels to the Scottish Hebrides to marry a rich, older industrialist. A storm tosses her in the path of a penniless laird (Roger Livesey), and her values are transformed under the spell of the isles. This beautiful tale is suffused with moody landscapes, Celtic magic and eccentric humor. With Pamela Brown, Petula Clark. Writers/Producers/Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger. (UK 1945) 92 min.

OPENS FEBRUARY 22 In Germany’s official submission for Oscar® consideration, the director of the Academy Award®-winning The Lives of Others revisits German history with an epic and intimate story that spans three decades, from the 1930s to the 60s. Tom Schilling stars as Kurt Barnert, a fictional artist loosely based on Gerhard Richter, who falls in love with fellow art student Ellie (Paula Beer) in East Germany, but finds his progress undermined by her father (Sebastian Koch), a prominent doctor. However, neither Kurt nor the doctor knows that their lives are already connected through a terrible crime from the Nazi era. With Saskia Rosendahl. Rated R. In German with English subtitles. Camera: Caleb Deschanel. Writer/Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. (Germany 2018) 189 min.

THE INVISIBLES

BIRDS OF PASSAGE

THE ROYAL OPERA

WOMAN AT WAR

OPENS FEBRUARY 15 In 1943 Germany infamously declared Berlin “judenfrei”—free of Jews. But there were still 7,000 Jews living in the Nazi capital, hiding in attics and basements and warehouses, many protected by courageous Berliners. This film intensely dramatizes the stories of four young survivors: Cioma (Max Mauff), an art student who uses his skills to forge passports; Hanni (Alice Dwyer), who dyes her hair blond to pass as Aryan; Eugen (Aaron Altaras), who passes through a succession of sympathetic Communist families; and Ruth (Ruby O. Fee), who roams the streets before meeting a surprise protector. Their stories are elegantly interspersed with present-day testimony by the people actually portrayed. In German with English subtitles. Writers: Claus Räfle, Alejandra López. Director: Claus Räfle. (Germany 2017) 110 min.

THE QUEEN OF SPADES

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, NOON Gherman (Aleksandrs Antonenko) is a penniless soldier obsessed by both gambling and the beautiful Liza (Eva-Maria Westbroek). After Gherman tries to discover a winning card trick from Liza’s grandmother the Countess (Felicity Palmer), and she dies of fright, his obsession turns into madness. Stefan Herheim’s inventive production places Tchaikovsky himself at the heart of the action. The Queen of Spades features some of Tchaikovsky’s most beautiful music, with grand choruses, intimate arias and impassioned duets. Antonio Pappano conducts. The opera is sung in Russian with English titles. Anticipated running time is 210 minutes including one intermission. $15 general, $13 seniors, $10 CFI members

— 10 —

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH

OPENS MARCH 1 From the team behind the previously nominated film Embrace of the Serpent, Colombia’s official submission for Oscar® consideration proves to be an equally audacious saga, dramatizing the origins of the Colombian drug trade in the 1970s and its effect on the indigenous population. After an ambitious Wayúu man named Rapayet (José Acosta) enters the business of trafficking marijuana for US consumption, his pursuit of material wealth over the next decade accelerates the erosion of his tribe’s traditional values. This portrait of an ancient culture in transformation vividly combines fascinating ethnographic rituals with Godfather-style outbursts. With Natalia Reyes. In Wayúu and Spanish with English subtitles. Directors: Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra. (Colombia 2018) 125 min.

OPENS MARCH 8 Iceland’s submission for Academy Award® consideration is a warm and witty fable about a most unusual environmental activist. Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) is an independent woman, a 50-year-old choir director with a secret identity as “The Woman of the Mountain,” a mysterious figure who engages in industrial sabotage with simple weapons (watch her disable an electrical pylon with her bow-and-arrow). But just as she is planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives a letter saying a Ukrainian girl is finally available for adoption. With her eco-retirement on the horizon, this final job better be a good one. In Icelandic with English subtitles. Writers: Benedikt Erlingsson, Ólafur Egill Egilsson. Director: Benedikt Erlingsson. (Iceland 2018) 100 min.

— 11 —

CAT VIDEOFEST 2019

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 We are pleased to bring CatVideoFest to the Rafael in its all-new edition. Culled from countless hours of unique submissions, internet powerhouses, music videos and home movies, this festival of photogenic felines provides a joyous communal experience and also raises money for cats in need. What better way for us humans to come together than by watching cats? Program approximately 80 min.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit MARIN HUMANE SOCIETY and BUTTE HUMANE SOCIETY

FERLINGHETTI

SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 6:30 IN PERSON: Filmmaker CHRISTOPHER FELVER On the very date of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s 100th birthday, filmmaker and friend Christopher Felver will present a special screening of his definitive documentary on San Francisco’s great poet, artist, publisher and civil libertarian, who was also a catalyst for numerous literary careers and for the Beat movement itself. Filmed over several years, Ferlinghetti is a lively and intimate portrait, including extensive interviews with the man himself, as well as other figures, such as Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Dennis Hopper, Dave Eggers, Amiri Baraka, Gary Snyder and many others. The bestselling poet in modern literature, Ferlinghetti means so much more to the tradition of American literature and thought. (US 2009) 82 min. plus discussion.

TEEN WELLNESS FILM SERIES

THE ROYAL BALLET

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 6:30 Presented by CFI EDUCATION in partnership with TAM UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT TEEN WELLNESS CENTER To be a man today, says filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is to fight for success and sex, to reject empathy, and to never cry. The result is often depression, anxiety and violence. Through interviews with youth program leaders, psychologists, sociologists and candid male middle schoolers, the film examines the problems caused by societal expectations of male stoicism. Boys are four times more likely to be expelled from school, with suicide being the third leading cause of death. Both young men and experts weigh in, offering tactics for how we can raise a healthier generation. Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom. (US 2015) 97 min. Followed by panel discussion featuring film subjects and issue experts

SUNDAY, MARCH 31, NOON Love and friendship triumph in Carlos Acosta’s vibrant production of this dazzling ballet. Warmth, charm and entertainment are reflected in the characterful backdrops of Tim Hatley’s vibrant designs. Acosta created new choreography for the gypsy scene in Act II, and uniquely for this production’s added on-stage musicians. Martin Yates conducts Ludwig Minkus’ score. Sunny, charming, funny and touching – Don Quixote is a ballet as full of uplifting emotion as it is of astonishing ballet technique. Anticipated running time is 185 minutes including one intermission. $15 general, $13 seniors, $10 CFI members

THE MASK YOU LIVE IN

DON QUIXOTE