J U L Y — S E P T E M B E R
2 0 1 6
JULY – SEPTEMBER
|
2016
Vol. 18 Issue 3
From the
SAMUEL FULLER: A FULLER LIFE
Enjoy a special advance screening of Danny Says, the documentary portrait of Danny Fields, rock iconoclast who helped launch the careers of The Doors, MC5, The Stooges, The Ramones and many others. Includes a nationally-streamed discussion. (Showtime and special details to be determined.)
Or fill up on Sam Fuller films! (see page 10)
UP COMI NG RAFAEL G UEST S
Look for this symbol
for programs with in-person guests
LUCHA MEXICO SUNDAY, JULY 17
RACING TO ZERO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Filmmakers Christopher Beaver & Diana Fuller with James Kao, Founder, Green Citizen & Kevin Drew, Senior Residential & Special Project Zero Waste Coordinator, SF Environment
Jon “Strongman” Andersen
SHOULDER THE LION SUNDAY, JULY 24
Alice Wingwall & Donlyn Lyndon Via Skype: filmmakers Erinnisse & Patryk Rebisz
SAMUEL FULLER: A FULLER LIFE SEPTEMBER 23 - 25
Christa Lang-Fuller & Samantha Fuller
ON THE MAP SUNDAY, JULY 31
Filmmaker Dani Menkin
CFI B OARD O F DIRECTO RS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER
Mark Fishkin CFI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kenneth Broad
Jennifer Coslett MacCready (Vice President)
Cathy Nourafshan Jonathan Parker (President)
Susan Schwartz Dr. Joel Sklar
(Vice President)
Jim Davis Lynne Hale Richard J. Idell
(Vice President)
Jann Stanley Zach Zeisler
(Secretary)
(Treasurer)
Amy Keroes
EMERITUS BOARD
Ann Brebner Rita Cahill Sid Ganis Gary Meyer Gordon Radley Christopher B. Smith Henry Timnick FOUNDING BOARD
Rita Cahill Mark Fishkin Lois Kohl Shore
HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD
Barbara Boxer Stewart Boxer Drusie Davis Jeff Fisher Peter Flaxman Robert Greber Linda Gruber Peggy Haas Jessica Igoe Michael Klein
Roxanne Klein KC Lauck Andrew McGuire Mary Poland Eric Schwartz Michael Schwartz Skip Whitney
R AFAE L QUARTERLY STAF F RI C H A R D P E T E R S O N Director of Programming | Editor
TIM FR OS S Rafael Assistant Manager
JAN KL INGEL HOF ER Program Consultant
MEL ANIE N IC HO LS Liaison, Science on Screen
DA N Z A S T R O W Rafael General Manager
S HE LLE Y S PICER Director of Marketing & Publicity
L EAH L OSCHIAVO Marketing Coordinator
BRIAN LEHMAN Graphics | Layout
The 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 and CFI Education programs throughout the year. © Copyright 2016. 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.
WEDDING DOLL OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 1
DIRECTOR of PROGRAMMING
Welcome to the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center. Our summer schedule includes some enticing first-run offerings, as well as special series and events. Right off the bat, I would recommend my favorite film from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Hunt for the Wilderpeople. We’ve shown previous films by New Zealand director Taika Waititi: last year’s What We Do in the Shadows and the earlier Boy, which Taika personally (and charmingly) previewed to California Film Institute members at the Rafael. I know he’s already preparing to direct the upcoming Thor sequel, but this independent film, starring Sam Neill and young Julian Dennison, is very funny and warm, and we hope you take it to heart. This summer we also offer the Rafael Film Club, with this edition focusing on the rich and resonant cinema of Argentina. And we welcome back our friends at the Jewish Film Institute, bringing highlights of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival to the first weekend in August. There are also two series with particular meaning for me. I’ve been interested in film for as long as I can remember, but from a very young age I developed a keen appreciation for vintage comedy (both silent and sound), from Chaplin and Keaton to the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields. Even among that august company, Laurel and Hardy were special. Their comedy was filled with wildly inventive slapstick, to be sure, but it also had soul. I recall William K. Everson’s The Films of Laurel and Hardy as one of the first film books I ever purchased. Everson was one of our leading film historians (and a renowned collector of 16mm film prints), and later I got to study with him and regard him as a mentor. I first encountered most of the Laurel and Hardy movies in afterschool TV broadcasts or 16mm prints. It’s wonderful that they’re finally
AT- A - G L A N C E
being restored for theaters, and I hope the films in our series are the first batch of several to return to the big screen.
SHAKESPEARE LIVE! FROM THE RSC THURSDAY JULY 7 & FRIDAY, JULY 8 HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 8
We also welcome back Christa Lang-Fuller, who last visited the Rafael in 2003 with the newly published autobiography of her late husband Samuel Fuller. This time she accompanies their daughter Samantha Fuller, who has made a moving documentary about her father.
THE INNOCENTS OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 8
I first met Sam and Christa Fuller in the early 1980s, at the Edinburgh Film Festival, where I saw what I would later (and unfortunately) realize was a rare screening of Fuller’s White Dog. A wiry little guy with a big shock of gray hair and omnipresent cigar, Sam was what some would call a “character,” but my first impression was how warm and generous he was. Why would he spend time with a young museum curator instead of producers and money people? But he would talk and grab my lapel, and boy, did he love to talk. More precisely, he loved to tell stories.
SHOULDER THE LION SUNDAY, JULY 24
A few years later I met Sam and Christa again at the Sundance Film Festival, and when I moved to Los Angeles in the mid-90s, I spent some time with them at the Los Angeles home Sam called The Shack. He was wonderfully “old-school,” a handshake-deal kind of guy. I know from Christa that many took advantage of him during his career, and she tried her best to protect him from the sharks. I can’t boast that I ever had the opportunity to meet Mr. Laurel or Mr. Hardy, but in the realm of “two degrees of separation,” I did get to spend a few days with Hal Roach, the producer of their best films (as well as the Our Gang comedies). Accompanied by film historian Richard W. Bann, Hal Roach was 100 years old when he traveled to the festival in Dallas that I programmed. George “Spanky” McFarland, who lived in Fort Worth, dropped by, and from New York, my friend (and mentor) William K. Everson. All fond memories. ~ Richard Peterson
ON THE COVER: HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE - OPENS JULY 8 See page 4 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
LIFE, ANIMATED OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 15 LUCHA MEXICO SUNDAY, JULY 17
OUR LITTLE SISTER OPENS IN JULY RAFAEL FILM CLUB MONDAYS, JULY 25 - AUGUST 22 SF JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL AUGUST 5 - 7 ON THE MAP SUNDAY, JULY 31 INDIGNATION OPENS SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU AUGUST 9 - 11 RICHARD III AUGUST 11 & 15 LAUREL & HARDY RESTORED SUNDAYS, AUGUST 14 - SEPTEMBER 4 EVA HESSE OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 COMPLETE UNKOWN OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 KIESLOWSKI’S DEKALOG SEPTEMBER 9 - 15 RACING TO ZERO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 SAMUEL FULLER: A FULLER LIFE SEPTEMBER 23 - 25 ART HOUSE THEATER DAY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
WEDDING DOLL (HATUNA MENIYAR)
LIFE, ANIMATED
SHAKESPEARE LIVE! FROM THE RSC
LUCHA MEXICO
OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 1 Moran Rosenblatt won the Ophir (the Israeli “Oscar”) for her star-making performance as Hagit, a 24-year-old woman with a mild mental disability, who yearns for independence and dreams of being married. Watched over by her protective single mother Sara (Assi Levy), Hagit commutes to work at a small toilet-paper factory and spends her spare time practicing to be a fashion designer by creating clever miniature dolls, usually in wedding dresses, out of paper. Unbeknownst to Sara, Hagit is in love with Omri (Roy Assaf), the son of the factory’s owner, and when it’s announced that the factory will soon be closed, a crisis develops around Hagit’s future. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Nitzan Gilady. (Israel 2015) 82 min.
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 7:00 FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1:00 From the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon, hosts David Tennant and Catherine Tate present a once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating Shakespeare’s legacy and marking the 400th anniversary of his death, featuring performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Helen Mirren, Joseph Fiennes, Henry Goodman, David Suchet, John Lithgow and Rufus Wainwright, along with The Royal Ballet and English National Opera and many more. The event celebrates the great playwright’s legacy and his enduring influence on all performance art forms, from opera to jazz, from dance to musical. Director: Gregory Doran. Approx. 160 min. $20 general, $18 seniors, $15 CFI members (matinee prices do not apply)
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 8 One of the warmest surprises from this year’s Sundance, this comedy-adventure from New Zealand auteur Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows) stars Sam Neill as a grizzled backwoodsman who finds himself on the run from the authorities with Ricky (Julian Dennison), a 13-year-old orphan from the city completely lacking in wilderness skills. One of the best “odd-couple” movies in years begins with Ricky’s arrival as foster child at the rural home of nurturing Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and cantankerous Uncle Hec. By the time Ricky and Hec become outlaws in a national manhunt, you’ll have been utterly charmed by this crowd-pleaser’s deft blend of quirky humor and scenic adventure. Based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. Writer/Director: Taika Waititi. (New Zealand 2016) 101 min.
THE INNOCENTS (AGNUS DEI)
OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 8 Poland, December 1945: Young French doctor Mathilde (Lou de Laâge) is treating the last of the French survivors of the German camps, when a panicked Benedictine nun shows up at the clinic, begging her to rush to the convent. What Mathilde discovers is a holy sister about to give birth as well as several more in advanced stages of pregnancy, the results of rape by Soviet soldiers months before. A non-believer, Mathilde copes with the nuns’ fear of exposure and their formidable Reverend Mother (Agata Kulesza from Ida), as their beliefs and traditions clash with harsh reality. Based on true events, this touching story shows how humanity can illuminate hope in our darkest hours. In French and Polish with English subtitles. Director: Anne Fontaine. (France/ Poland 2016) 115 min.
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OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 15 Winner of the Directing Award at Sundance, this stirring documentary tells the story of Owen Suskind, a young man who developed autism as a child and was unable to speak until he and his family communicated by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animation. Inspired by the best-selling book by Owen’s father Ron, this film follows him at a critical juncture, as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence. Evocatively interweaving classic Disney scenes with Owen’s everyday life, the film explores how his empathy for characters like Simba and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and interpret reality, revealing how stories help us persevere through hard times. Director: Roger Ross Williams. (US 2016) 91 min.
SUNDAY, JULY 17, 4:15 & 7:00
IN PERSON: JON “STRONGMAN” ANDERSEN The ultimate look behind the mask, this thrilling documentary immerses us in the spectacle of Lucha Libre, the style of professional wrestling unique to Mexico, characterized by many performers wearing masks and by an intense focus on acrobatics. Filmed in Mexico and the U.S., it introduces us to some of the most prominent luchadores, including Fabian el Gitano, Blue Demon Jr., El Hijo del Perro Aguayo and Shocker, billed as “1000% Guapo” and the frequent tag-team partner of American bodybuilder and extreme strength competitor Jon “Strongman” Andersen. One of the key subjects of the documentary, Andersen will discuss the film and his work at these special screenings. In English and in Spanish with English subtitles. Directors: Alex Hammond, Ian Markiewicz. (US 2015) 105 min. plus discussion
SHOULDER THE LION SUNDAY, JULY 24, 4:15
IN PERSON: ALICE WINGWALL & DONLYN LYNDON VIA SKYPE: FILMMAKERS ERINNISSE & PATRYK REBISZ Focusing on three artists who have lost a sense that defines their art, this immersive film essay examines what it takes to keep on going when one’s talent confronts a catastrophic challenge. Katie Dallam is a sculptor and painter who lost half her brain function in a boxing match (she inspired Million Dollar Baby). Graham Sharpe is an Irish musician who can’t play anymore, due to his advancing tinnitus. Alice Wingwall is a Bay Area photographer who lost her sight in 2000. Immersive images and sounds enhance this strikingly unconventional documentary. Alice Wingwall will attend, accompanied by her husband, architect Donlyn Lyndon, and Rumba, her third great companion from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael. Producers/Directors: Erinnisse Rebisz, Patryk Rebisz. (US 2015) 74 min. plus discussion.
OUR LITTLE SISTER
OPENS IN JULY Adapted by acclaimed filmmaker Hirozaku Kore-eda from Yoshida Akimi’s graphic novel Umimachi Diary, this warm and sensitive drama focuses on three twenty-something sisters who go to the countryside for their estranged father’s funeral and meet their shy teenage half-sister for the first time. Inviting her to live with them, they return with her to their seaside home in Kamakura. Amidst the many and varied colors of the town’s four seasons, they see each other through times of emotional anguish and support each other through life’s trials, creating a bond through those irreplaceable moments that define a true family. In Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG. Writer/Director: Hirozaku Kore-eda (Japan 2015) 126 min.
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HAVE A PASSION FOR FILM? JOIN THE CLUB! MONDAYS • 1:00PM JULY 25 - AUGUST 22 Now in its fifth year, the Rafael Film Club is back by popular demand! This year, we focus on the “New Argentine Cinema” that emerged during the country’s economic crisis starting in the late 1990s and brought about a second Golden Age of film for Argentina. All five screenings will be followed by discussions with special guests and a private reception with complimentary food and drink. Spots are limited – the previous Film Clubs sold out quickly.
SON OF THE BRIDE (El hijo de la novia) MONDAY, JULY 25, 1:00
At age 42, Rafael Belvedere (Ricardo Darin) is having a midlife crisis. After a health scare reunites him with a childhood friend, Rafael begins to reconstruct his past and look at the present in new ways. Nominated for Acaedmy Award® for Best Foreign Language film. Director: Juan José Campanella. (2001) Rated R for language. 124 min. Presented by DELFIN VIGIL, author of Death of a Newspaper Man, radio host, former journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle and lead singer / songwriter for the band Amores Vigilantes.
LION’S DEN (Leonera) MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 1:00
An exquisitely nuanced portrait of motherhood behind bars, this riveting story touches upon the universal themes of motherhood, solitude, love, confinement and hope. Official Competition film Cannes, 2008. Director: Pablo Trapero. (2008) Unrated. 113 min. Presented by RADIÇA OSTOJIC-PORTELLO, Assistant Professor of International Languages, Dominican University of California
LIVE-IN MAID (Cama Adentro) 35MM PRINT! MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 1:00
A vivid chamber piece anchored by impeccable performances, this comedy centers on the tenuous friendship between a woman and her maid. Director: Jorge Gaggero. (2004) Unrated. 83 min. Presented by NATALIA BRIZUELA, Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Latin American Literature & Culture at the University of California, Berkeley
THE MAN NEXT DOOR (El hombre de al lado) MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 1:00
An upper-middle class architect’s perfect existence is disturbed when a neighbor begins to build a new window, ruining the view of his beautiful Le Corbusier-designed house and invading his family’s privacy. Directors: Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat. (2009). Unrated. 110 min. Presented by JOHN PETROVSKY, Spanish professor and former co-director of the Latino Film Festival, San Francisco.
NINE QUEENS (Nueve Reinas) MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1:00
A taut and twisty crime drama about two con artists on a major job involving an elusive set of rare stamps, the Nine Queens. Slick, devious and paced to make your heart race, this elegantly sly story of deceit and betrayal will keep you guessing until the very end. Director: Fabian Bielinsky. (2000) Rated R. 115 min. Presented by STERLING HEDGPETH, Shorts Programmer & Programming Manager, Mill Valley Film Festival
ADMISSION BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY $80.00 CFI Members | $100 Non-Members Subscription available at rafaelfilm.org/film-club | Rafael Box Office
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Program subject to change – All films are in Spanish with English subtitles. Questions? rafaelfilmclub@cafilm.org
The 36th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, presented by the Jewish Film Institute, returns July 21 through August 7, 2016 in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto and San Rafael. SFJFF celebrates excellence in Jewish & independent cinema with three weeks of groundbreaking film, memorable festival guests and exciting special events. Visit sfjff.org to purchase tickets or call our Box Office at 415.621.0523.
at the
Rafael
August 5 - 7
For early ticket buying privileges, discounted prices, and invitations to exclusive events year-round, join the Jewish Film Institute! Visit jfi.org/membership.
MARIN FESTIVAL PASS: $100 JFI members / $120 general public. The best way to catch everything playing at SFJFF36 in San Rafael! The Marin Pass is good for all shows at the Rafael. NEXT WAVE PASS: $35 (for ages 35 & under). Want to fest with flexibility? The Next Wave pass offers tremendous access to special events, film screenings, artist talks, big nights, and more at the festival. Rafael passes, CFI Fast Passes or CFI members’ discounts are not valid for these screenings. The Rafael will not sell advance tickets, and any remaining tickets will be available on day of show.
SHTISEL: SEASON 2 FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2:10
FALSE FLAG SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 6:30
Shtisel returns to SFJFF for Season 2! Follow Shulem and clan once again in this critical and commercial success as they navigate adolescence, engagement, siblings and death. For fans of love, both secular and religious. 97 min.
Five Israeli citizens wake up one morning to discover that they are suspects in the kidnapping of the Iranian minister of defense. The five become wanted and news coverage turns their world upside down. 83 min.
IN SEARCH OF ISRAELI CUISINE FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 4:20
NATASHA SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 8:30
Michael Solomonov (Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking) explores a diverse cuisine drawn from numerous cultures. Chefs and farmers and prepare specialties that both preserve and update traditional recipes. These irresistible dishes will make you hungry. 97 min.
Writer David Bezmozgis adapts his acclaimed short story of forbidden love between two teenagers in the Toronto suburbs, highlighted by the extraordinary performance of newcomer Sasha K. Gordon as the sexually precocious girl with a dark past. 93 min.
INDIGNATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 6:30
THE SETTLERS SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 12:00
Academy Award–nominated screenwriter and independent film stalwart James Schamus makes his feature directorial debut with this exquisite period portrait of a young man at a crossroads. 110 min.
In a comprehensive retelling, award-winning Israeli filmmaker, Shimon Dotan traces with remarkable access the hotly contested history of Israeli settlements in the West Bank since Israel’s decisive victory in the 1967 Six Day War. 110 min.
THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENCE FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 9:20 During a research trip to Buchenwald, a teacher working on his thesis about the French Resistance during World War II discovers a photograph of a concentration camp prisoner bearing an uncanny resemblance to his own father. 110 min.
THE WRITER SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 12:15 Critically acclaimed Israeli Arab writer Sayed Kashua (writer of the hit TV series Arab Labor, SFJFF 2008–13), sharpens his quill once more and delivers a masterfully nuanced dramatic series about Kateb, a 40-year-old Israeli Arab writer. 71 min.
BABA JOON SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2:05 Israel’s submission to the 2015 Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, this poignant story about three generations in a family of Persian immigrants to Israel takes place in the early 1980s. 91 min.
THE PEOPLE VS. FRITZ BAUER SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 4:10 A closeted gay Jewish lawyer intent on bringing the infamous Nazi Adolf Eichmann to justice faces danger in 1950s Germany when government is intimately implicated in the country’s recent crimes in this riveting historical thriller. 105 min.
NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2:10 Norman Lear, the SFJFF 2016 Freedom of Expression Award recipient, is the documentary subject of this moving chronicle about the legendary television producer and activist, whose taboo-smashing series set the bar for a half-century of American TV comedy. 92 min.
WRESTLING JERUSALEM SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 4:15 Aaron Davidman gracefully embodies 17 characters grappling with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, moving deftly from male to female, Palestinian to Israeli, American to European. Masterfully shot scenes switch from backstage live performance and the desert, revealing deeply human stories. 93 min.
THE TENTH MAN SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 6:25 Daniel Burman’s heartfelt romantic comedy centers on a man who returns to the place of his youth (the Once Jewish district of Buenos Aires) and ultimately finds himself and a little love along the way. 80 min.
BLUSH SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 8:20 Seventeen-year-old Naama is thoroughly bored with her overbearing family and uneventful suburban school days. That is until bleachedblonde bad girl Dana shows up. This coming-of-age tale tells of first love, drugs and pushing boundaries in modern Israel. 85 min.
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ON THE MAP
SUNDAY, JULY 31, 7:00
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER DANI MENKIN Award-winning Israeli filmmaker Dani Menkin will present and discuss a special screening of his new documentary, the story of the 1977 Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team that brought the first European Cup to Israel and became “The Team of the Nation.” Still demoralized after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel was hungry for an uplifting event, and opportunity came with a Tel Aviv team that no one thought could win, but that toppled the defending European Champions, putting Israel firmly on the map. Featuring interviews with the Jewish American athletes who made history and NBA icons Bill Walton and David Stern, this fast-paced film combines pulse-pounding action with Cold War politics and triumph against all odds. Writer/Producer/Director: Dani Menkin. (Israel/US 2016) 85 min. plus discussion.
INDIGNATION
STAN OLIVER
newly restored! sun days | august 14 - se pt e m b e r 4
Prepare yourself for “another nice mess,” as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, one of the most beloved comedy teams of all time, return to the big screen in newly restored gems. Laurel and Hardy were the slapstick comics who made the most successful transition from the silent era to the “talkies.” When producer Hal Roach and director Leo McCarey brought them together in 1927, their chemistry was immediate and, when sound arrived, their voices matched their characters perfectly.
Film archivist Jeff Joseph has been working with the UCLA Film and Television Archive in restoring Laurel and Hardy shorts and features from their original 35mm nitrate film elements. This initial batch includes three programs of sound shorts from the 1930s, as well as a fourth consisting of a double feature. In these digital presentations, the films haven’t looked this good since their initial release.
OPENS SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 Based on Philip Roth’s late novel, this film takes place in 1951, as Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman), a brilliant working class Jewish boy from Newark, travels on scholarship to a small, conservative Ohio college, thus exempting him from being drafted into the Korean War. Once there, his growing infatuation with beautiful classmate Olivia (Sarah Gadon) and his clashes with the college’s imposing Dean (Tracy Letts) put his and his family’s best laid plans to the ultimate test. This elegant and literate drama marks the directorial debut of veteran writer-producer James Schamus (The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Writer/Director: James Schamus . (US 2016) 110 min.
VOLUME 1 SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 4:30 & 7:00
Four classic Laurel and Hardy shorts. Helpmates (1932): Stan “helps” Ollie clean house before his wife returns. Their First Mistake (1932): Ollie adopts a baby to keep his wife occupied while he goes out with Stan. County Hospital (1932): When Stan visits his pal in the hospital, a broken leg is the least of Ollie’s problems. The Music Box (1932): In their sole Academy Award winner, the boys try to carry a piano up a looong flight of stairs. Program 90 min.
VOLUME 2 SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 4:30 & 7:00
NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU
Four classic Laurel and Hardy shorts. Busy Bodies (1933): Who better than Stan and Ollie to reduce a sawmill to sawdust? Scram! (1932): On a rainy night, a drunk invites them to his mansion but leads them to the wrong place. Me and My Pal (1933): They get distracted on the way to Ollie’s wedding. One Good Turn (1931): Depression-era transients Stan and Ollie try to help an old woman who gave them a meal. Program 85 min.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 6:30 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 6:30 THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 4:15 Arguably the most influential creator, writer and producer in the history of television, Norman Lear brought primetime in step with the times, with such 1970s shows as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times and The Jeffersons. Lear’s innovative situation comedies helped shift the national consciousness and sociopolitical debates on race, class, creed and feminism, proving that social change was possible through an unlikely prism: laughter. At the age of 93, Lear is as vital and engaged as ever, and this dynamic portrait matches the spirit of its subject, making it the definitive chronicle of Lear’s life, work and achievements, but also so much more. Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady. (US 2016) 92 min.
VOLUME 3 SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 4:30 & 7:00
Four classic Laurel and Hardy shorts. Come Clean (1931): When Stan and Ollie rescue a woman from the river, it spells trouble for them and their wives. Twice Two (1933): The boys play dual roles, as themselves and as their twin sisters- each married to the other man. The Midnight Patrol (1933): They are police rookies who try to capture a burglar. Towed in a Hole (1932): Fishmongers Stan and Ollie decide to buy their own boat. Program 85 min.
RICHARD III
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 6:30 MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 6:30 The Almeida Theatre in London makes its debut in live-on-film productions with an explosive new adaptation of Richard III, directed by Almeida artistic director Rupert Goold and starring Ralph Fiennes as Shakespeare’s notorious villain and Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Margaret. War-torn England is reeling after years of bitter conflict. King Edward is ailing, and as political unrest stirs once more, Edward’s brother Richard- vicious in war, despised in peacetime- awaits the opportunity to seize his brother’s crown. Through the malevolent Richard, Shakespeare examines the all-consuming nature of the desire for power amid a society riddled by conflict. Due to the nature of certain scenes in the production, this is recommended for mature audiences. Approx. 200 min. $20 general, $18 seniors, $15 CFI members
WAY OUT WEST & THE FLYING DEUCES SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 4:30 & 7:15
DOUBLE FEATURE
A double bill of restored Laurel and Hardy feature films. Way Out West (1937): In one of their best features, set in the Old West, Stan and Ollie must deliver the deed to a gold mine. The Flying Deuces (1939): His heart broken by a Parisian girl, Ollie joins the French Foreign Legion…naturally he insists Stan come along. Program 135 min.
Stills: Randy Skretvedt Collection
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EVA HESSE
KIESLOWSKI
D E K A L O G FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Also known as The Decalogue and widely acclaimed as one of the best dramatic works ever made for television, this legendary 1989 series from Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996) consists of ten individual moral tales loosely inspired by the biblical commandments. Without religious intent, Kieslowski (along with co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz and composer Zbigniew Preisner) created ten insightful stories exploring the complexities of love, choice and consequence in everyday life. Each film stands alone, and episodes can be viewed in any order, although all take place around the same apartment complex in Warsaw, with characters occasionally overlapping. Each part runs around 55 minutes; episodes will be screened in pairs, so each program runs approximately 110 minutes. All are in Polish with English subtitles. Dekalog has been restored by Janus Films.
DEKALOG: ONE & TWO
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 3:45 & 6:15
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 8:45
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 6:15
One (“Thou shalt not have other gods before me.”) A father who teaches his son to trust in science lets him go ice-skating after determining on the computer that the pond is safe. Two (“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.”) A married violinist is pregnant, but not by her ailing husband, and she puts a doctor in a position to decide the fate of one or the other.
DEKALOG: THREE & FOUR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 8:45
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1:15
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 6:15
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 3:45 & 6:15
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 8:45
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 6:15
Five (“Thou shalt not kill.”) A young man inexplicably commits murder; he is tried and executed by the State. Kieslowski expanded this episode into his celebrated feature A Short Film About Killing. Six (“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”) A virginal young man spies on an attractive artist. She confronts him, in this extraordinary episode that was the basis for Kieslowski’s A Short Film About Love.
DEKALOG: SEVEN & EIGHT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 8:45
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1:15
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 8:45
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 8:45
Seven (“Thou shalt not steal.”) Weary of living a lie, a woman abducts the six-year-old daughter who had been raised as her sister to hide the scandal of her teenage pregnancy. Eight (“Thou shalt not bear false witness.”) Confronted by a Holocaust survivor, an elderly ethics professor must reexamine a fateful decision she had made during the Nazi occupation.
DEKALOG: NINE & TEN
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 3:45 & 6:15
COMPLETE UNKNOWN
OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 When Alice (Rachel Weisz) shows up at a New York City dinner party for Tom (Michael Shannon), she immediately charms all the guests with her intriguing stories about her life. But Tom is baffled and more than a little perturbed: he recognizes Alice as a woman with whom he shares a past, but he recognizes neither the past she describes nor the name she is going under. The new film from Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace) is an intriguing character study and mystery story, and Weisz delivers a magnificent performance that explores identity as masquerade and invites us to consider what happens when we change the costumes of our lives. With Kathy Bates, Danny Glover. Writers: Joshua Marston, Julian Sheppard. Director: Joshua Marston. (US 2016) 90 min.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 8:45
Three (“Honor the Sabbath day.”) On Christmas Eve, a taxi driver’s former lover lures him away from wife and family. Four (“Honor thy father and mother.”) An acting student considers that her relationship with her widowed father has changed after opening a letter from the mother she never knew.
DEKALOG: FIVE & SIX
OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 One of America’s foremost artists, Eva Hesse (1936-1970) helped establish the post-minimalist movement with her pioneering sculptures using latex, fiberglass and plastics. Dying of a brain tumor at age 34, she had a mere decade-long career that, despite its brevity, is dense with complex, intriguing works that defy categorization. The film illuminates her life and work, from her birth in Hamburg to a German-Jewish family in 1936, to her associations with friend and mentor Sol LeWitt and fellow artists such as Richard Serra, Robert Mangold and Dan Graham. Her personal journals (read by Selma Blair) transport us to the downtown art scene of New York in the 1960s, where Hesse was one of the few women to triumph in a male-dominated field. Director: Marcie Begleiter. (US 2016) 108 min.
ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING in 3D
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 6:45 & 9:00 A unique, one-night-only cinema event directed by Andrew Dominik (Killing Them Softly), this 3D presentation is the first-ever opportunity to hear Skeleton Tree, the 16th studio album from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, which will be released to the public the following day. Originally a performance-based concept, One More Time with Feeling evolved into something more significant as Dominik delved into the tragic backdrop of the of writing and recording. Woven throughout the Bad Seeds’ filmed performance of the new album are interviews and footage accompanied by Cave’s narration and improvised rumination. This fragile, raw and true testament of an artist finding his way through the darkness is recommended for mature audiences. Director: Andrew Dominik. Approximately 90 min.
RACING TO ZERO
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 6:15
Nine (“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”) A promiscuous surgeon discovers he is impotent and encourages his wife to take a lover. Ten (“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”) In this darkly comic episode, two impoverished brothers inherit their father’s priceless stamp collection and become obsessed with the rarest stamp of all.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 4:15
IN PERSON: FILMMAKERS CHRISTOPHER BEAVER & DIANA FULLER with JAMES KAO, Founder, Green Citizen & KEVIN DREW, Senior Residential and Special Project Zero Waste Coordinator, SF Environment Air pollution, depleted natural resources, climate change: the problems are more daunting than ever. This upbeat documentary presents new solutions to the global problem of waste. Although waste may create garbage, garbage is in itself a resource, and that is the key to transforming culture, producing new industries and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The film follows the trail of trash and recycling with our guide, Robert Haley, Zero Waste Manager for the City of San Francisco, as we travel the city, high and low, and look behind the scenes at how zero waste can be achieved. Producer: Diana Fuller. Director: Christopher Beaver. (US 2014) 60 min. plus discussion.
“THOU SHALT NOT MISS IT.” — 10 —
TIME MAGAZINE
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SAMUEL FULLER: A FULLER LIFE
DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 4:15
IN PERSON: CHRISTA LANG-FULLER & SAMANTHA FULLER Invited to film in Germany, Sam Fuller concocted a satirical film noir starring Glenn Corbett as an American detective and Fuller’s wife, German-born Christa Lang, as the femme fatale. Barely released in America, the film’s longer director’s cut was recently discovered and restored, including many humorous touches in this fish-out-of-water mystery. With Anton Diffring, Stéphane Audran. Music: Can. (Germany 1973) 127 min. plus discussion.
WHITE DOG
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 7:30
IN PERSON: CHRISTA LANG-FULLER & SAMANTHA FULLER
SEPTEMBER 23 - 25 “It’s been said that if you don’t like the Rolling Stones, then you just don’t like rock and roll. By the same token, I think that if you don’t like the films of Sam Fuller, then you just don’t like cinema. Or at least you don’t understand it.” Martin Scorsese One of the most visually inventive of American filmmakers, Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) was also one of the most visceral of film artists, shaping raw emotions and conflict into unconventional and hard-hitting stories. His formative experiences- as newsboy, crime reporter, pulp novelist and World War II infantryman- provided his films with subject matter, as well as storytelling techniques, that grabbed our attention and never let go. While he enjoyed his most prolific period during the twilight years of the studio era, this fiercely independent writer-director would become mentor and inspiration for younger filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Curtis Hanson, Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino and others. In 2002 Christa Lang-Fuller, collaborator and widow, published his autobiography, A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting and Filmmaking. Recently their daughter Samantha Fuller released a documentary on her father, A Fuller Life. To celebrate Samantha’s film, we are collaborating with the Roxie Theater in San Francisco in bringing both Samantha and Christa to the Bay Area for a Fuller weekend. The film selection includes rarely screened titles; additional guest appearances are possible.
PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 5:00 & SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2:00 Fuller’s classic of film noir stars Richard Widmark as a low-rent pickpocket who inadvertently finds himself in possession of microfilm pilfered by Communist spies. This brilliant thriller also features Jean Peters as the streetwalker innocently carrying the stolen goods and Thelma Ritter in an Oscar-nominated performance as a police informer. With Richard Kiley. (US 1952) 80 min.
HOUSE OF BAMBOO
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 7:00 In the first postwar American film to be filmed on location in Japan, Robert Stack stars as an army investigator who goes undercover to bust Robert Ryan, who runs his gang of ex-GIs with military precision. Writer-director Sam Fuller’s unique film noir is beautifully filmed in Technicolor and CinemaScope and also features Shirley Yamaguchi, Cameron Mitchell, Sessue Hayakawa and DeForest Kelley. (US 1955) 102 min.
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Kristy McNichol stars as an aspiring actress who finds a white German shepherd in the Hollywood Hills and gradually realizes it had been trained to attack people of color. Paul Winfield co-stars as an African American animal trainer who takes on the task of de-programming. Among American filmmakers, Sam Fuller was consistently in the forefront of tackling racial issues, and this passionately anti-racist film was misunderstood and suppressed. Presented in the director’s cut. With Burl Ives. Writers: Samuel Fuller, Curtis Hanson. Producer: Jon Davison (US 1982) 90 min. plus discussion.
RETURN TO BEETHOVEN STREET: SAM FULLER IN GERMANY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2:00 This recent documentary by German filmmaker Robert Fischer chronicles the production of Sam Fuller’s eccentric crime film Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street, including interviews with star Christa Lang and others involved with the production, among them composer Irmin Schmidt of the rock group Can. Fellow directors Wim Wenders and Dominik Graf also chime in during this fascinating look back at a moment when Hollywood genres and European art films converged. In English and in German with English subtitles. (Germany 2015) 105 min.
A FULLER LIFE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 4:15
IN PERSON: SAMANTHA FULLER Samantha Fuller’s touching documentary portrait of her father Sam Fuller has several of his admirers and collaborators read and dramatize his memoirs. The admirers include: James Franco, Jennifer Beals, Bill Duke, James Toback, Mark Hamill, Joe Dante, Tim Roth, Wim Wenders, Monte Hellman, Buck Henry, Constance Towers and William Friedkin, among others. Executive Producer: Christa Lang-Fuller. Producer/Director: Samantha Fuller. (US 2013) 80 min. plus discussion.
SHOCK CORRIDOR
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 7:00
INTRODUCED BY SAMANTHA FULLER This pulp masterpiece from filmmaker Sam Fuller stars Peter Breck as a journalist who sets out to win a Pulitzer Prize by having himself committed to a mental hospital in order to solve a murder that took place there. Fuller’s brazenly lurid premise allows him to explore the line between sanity and madness, as well as journalism, war, racism and violence, in what becomes nothing less than a microcosm of American society in the early 60s. With Constance Towers. 101 min.
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