A P R I L — J U N E
2 0 1 6
SEEN
1
AT THE
R A FA E L
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3 1) Lenny Abrahamson, Best Director Oscar nominee for Room, with California Film Institute executive director/founder Mark Fishkin.
2) Rafael director of programming Richard
Peterson interviews Illeana Douglas during a Rafael program built around her new memoir.
3) Richard Peterson joins a Bartleby reunion:
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writer-producer Catherine DiNapoli, writerproducer-composer-director Jonathan Parker and composer Seth Asarnow. Mr. Parker is the current president of the California FIlm Institute board of directors.
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4 & 5) CFI Education hosted its eighth annual
Environmental Youth Forum at the Rafael. More than 2400 students from 28 schools participated. Photos: Tommy Lau
CFI BOAR D OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER
Mark Fishkin CFI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kenneth Broad (Vice President)
Jim Davis Lynne Hale Richard J. Idell (Secretary)
Bruce Katz Amy Keroes
Jennifer Coslett MacCready
EMERITUS BOARD
(Vice President)
Cathy Nourafshan Jonathan Parker (President)
Susan Schwartz Dr. Joel Sklar
(Vice President)
Jann Stanley Zach Zeisler (Treasurer)
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 A FA E L Q UA RT E R LY STA F F R ICHAR D PET ERSON Director of Programming | Editor
JAN KL INGEL HOF ER Program Consultant
DAN Z AST ROW Rafael General Manager
L EAH L OSCHIAVO Marketing Coordinator
TIM F ROSS Rafael Assistant Manager
MEL ANIE NICHOL S Liaison, Science on Screen
S HE LLEY SPICER Director of Marketing & Publicity
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. Š 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.
APRIL – JUNE
|
2016
Vol. 18 Issue 2
From the
DIRECTOR of PROGRAMMING
Greetings from the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center! Many of our offerings during the spring months demonstrate the ways film can reflect and illuminate different and wide-ranging fields of interest. In the area of literature, the Rafael’s Poetry in Motion Film Festival, presented with the Buddhist Film Foundation, observes National Poetry Month through six recent documentaries introduced and discussed by filmmakers or poets. Aside from offering living profiles of these artists, the films provide rare opportunities to experience them reading or performing their own work. Architectural design that respects the natural world has long been an important issue for citizens of Marin County. Zara Muren’s films about landscape architecture have primarily been shared with educational or professional audiences, but for the Rafael screenings, she has organized informative panel discussions that should interest a broader public. Social issues are represented by such dramas as Sold (human trafficking) and La jaula de oro (immigration), and by such documentaries as Dogtown Redemption (poverty and recycling) and Most Likely to Succeed (education). Is there an art more compatible with movies than that of music, especially when a stateof-the-art sound system is involved? The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will easily fill that bill. While food in film is more frequently a matter of sight than sound, it has been at the heart of some of our most popular documentaries. Food also stimulates different meanings outside itself, as in such dramatic films as Sweet Bean and Dough. While films such as Sweet Bean can reflect spiritual values indirectly, there are several this quarter that address spirituality headon: Last Days in the Desert, Golden Kingdom, Gurukulam and more.
Food or Baseball? There are some who might debate that point, and we hope these fans will all make note of our six-film tribute to this great homegrown American tradition. Whether creative fiction or a nonfiction window into reality, film should always be about something, or say something about our lives and loves. Whew—awards season is finally over. But guess what? It’s already started again- at least, as far as the film industry is concerned. A few of the premieres that were acquired at January’s Sundance Film Festival have already been announced as fall releases, to take advantage of what is generally perceived as the best timing for possible contenders. California Film Institute and Mill Valley Film Festival staff attended Sundance as well as February’s Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival. Up next is Cannes in May.
AT- A - G L A N C E MARGUERITE OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 1 BORN TO BE BLUE OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 1 POETRY IN MOTION FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 3, 10, 17 DOGTOWN REDEMPTION THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 7:00 SWEET BEAN OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 8 SOLD OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 15 ELVIS & NIXON OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 22 MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 7:00 BASEBALL IN THE MOVIES APRIL 24-MAY 29 DOUGH OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 29 FRANCOFONIA OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 29
Immediately before Sundance, and nearby in Utah, was the annual Art House Convergence, a steadily thriving conference around theatrical film exhibition, primarily involving independent cinemas such as the Rafael. Theaters around the country serve their own communities and locales, but there are many things they can share, from “best practices” to common concerns.
LA JAULA DE ORO (The Golden Dream) WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 7:00
One of the topics constantly addressed and argued at the Art House Convergence is that of “theatrical windows,” the period of time in which a movie is available only in theaters, before expanding into home-accessible or mobile platforms. That “window” has been shortened over the last few years, and in some cases it’s disappeared entirely. This can present a challenge to theaters, and dedicated as we are to the theatrical experience, it is an issue that we think about every day.
HOCKNEY OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 27
~ Richard Peterson
ON THE COVER: HOCKNEY - OPENS MAY 27 See page 8 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
VALLEY OF LOVE OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 6 LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 13 DARK HORSE OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 20
ZARA MUREN: MASTER DESIGN SERIES JUNE 5 & 12, 4:15 BEING GEORGE CLOONEY SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 7:00 THE GREAT RACE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 7:00 GOLDEN KINGDOM OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 17 ROMAN HOLIDAY SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 4:15 & 7:00 GURUKULAM OPENS IN JUNE THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YO YO MA OPENS IN JUNE HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE COMING IN JULY
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P R E S E N T E D B Y B U D D H I S T F I L M F O U N D AT I O N & C A L I F O R N I A F I L M I N S T I T U T E
April is National Poetry Month, and in honor of the 20th anniversary of this annual celebration, the Smith Rafael Film Center joins our friends at the Buddhist Film Foundation in presenting a festival of compelling contemporary films about inspiring American poets. THE PRACTICE OF THE WILD A CONVERSATION WITH GARY SNYDER AND JIM HARRISON SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 4:15 IN PERSON: FILMMAKER WILL HEARST Producer Will Hearst will present and discuss a rare screening of this film profile of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gary Snyder. Along with Kerouac and Ginsberg, Snyder was a central figure of the Beat Generation, spent several years studying Zen in Japan, and has been living the life of a poet-ecologist in the Sierra Nevada since 1970. This lyrical film follows Snyder and fellow poet and novelist Jim Harrison in dialogue while trekking along California’s Central Coast. Producers: Will Hearst, Jim Harrison. Director: John J. Healey. (US 2010) Film 60 min. plus discussion.
Photo: Christopher Felver
FERLINGHETTI
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A REBIRTH OF WONDER SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 7:00 IN PERSON: FILMMAKER CHRISTOPHER FELVER Filmmaker and photographer Chris Felver will show and discuss his long-gestating portrait of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the iconic poet, artist, publisher and First Amendment activist, who helped forge many of the most significant cultural movements of the past 60 years. Beginning with the inception of City Lights Bookstore in 1953, Ferlinghetti has established himself as one of the most influential figures in American arts and letters. Producer/Director: Christopher Felver. (US 2013) Film 82 min. plus discussion.
EVEN THOUGH THE WHOLE WORLD IS BURNING SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 4:15 IN PERSON: JANE HIRSHFIELD Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin has won almost every major poetry prize that exists, including two Pulitzers. However, his legacy is based not only upon his writings, but also his singular environmental activism and land stewardship. Merwin has dedicated over 30 years to preserving and regenerating native plants and palms on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii. This film is a portrait of a vibrant, humorous and challenging subject widely considered a national treasure. Director: Stefan A. Schaefer. (US 2014) 85 min.
ROBERT BLY A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOY SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 7:00 IN PERSON: FILMMAKER HAYDN REISS Featured at the Mill Valley Film Festival, this intimate portrait traces the life of poet Robert Bly, in his singular path from Minnesota farmer’s son, to radical anti-Vietnam War activist, to instigator and mentor of the 1990s men’s movement. This politically and spiritually engaged poet was one of the first to translate Pablo Neruda and Rumi, and his work with Joseph Campbell led to the unexpected pop culture phenomenon of Iron John. Producer/Director Haydn Reiss will present and discuss. (US 2015) 81 min. plus discussion.
BADDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 4:15 IN PERSON: PRARTHO SERENO, Marin County Poet Laureate For 80-year-old Sonia Sanchez, writing is both a personal and political act. She emerged as a seminal figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement, raising her voice in the name of black culture, civil rights, women’s liberation and peace. Maya Angelou called her “a lion in literature’s forest,” and in this spirited film we understand why. Directors: Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon. (US 2015) 90 min.
ALICE WALKER BEAUTY IN TRUTH SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 7:00 IN PERSON: FILMMAKER PRATIBHA PARMAR This exquisite and intimate documentary tells the compelling story of an extraordinary woman’s journey from her birth in a paper-thin shack in the cotton fields of Georgia to her recognition as a key writer of 20th century America. Alice Walker’s early life unfolded in the midst of racism and poverty, and she made history as the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (The Color Purple). Her inspiring journey is also a story of a country and a people at the fault line of historical changes. Writer/ Director: Pratibha Parmar. (US 2013) 90 min. plus discussion.
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MARGUERITE
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 1 In this French comedy-drama set in the early 1920s, Catherine Frot stars as Marguerite Dumont, a pillar of Parisian society who loves to entertain party guests with her performances of operatic arias. However, the only problem is that- unbeknownst to her- she has a terrible voice. Sycophantic friends humor her, while the anarchistic artists of Dada declare her the latest sensation. But when Marguerite is determined to give a concert to the public, her husband Georges (André Marcon) reluctantly goes along, although he fears it can’t end well. Deftly balancing hilarity with heartbreak, this sumptuously produced period drama is fiction inspired by a true-life story. In French with English subtitles. With Christa Théret, Michel Fau, Denis Mpunga. Writer/Director: Xavier Giannoli. (France 2015) 127 min.
BORN TO BE BLUE
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 1 Ethan Hawke lights up the screen as jazz legend Chet Baker, who in the 1950s became one of the most famous trumpeters in the world, a pioneer of the West Coast jazz scene and an icon of cool. By the 1960s, he was washed up, his career and personal life wrecked by years of heroin addiction. This innovative “anti-biopic” focuses on a key moment in the 60s, as the musician attempts a hard-fought comeback, spurred in part by a passionate romance with a new flame (Carmen Ejogo). Creatively blending fact and fiction and driven by Hawke’s virtuoso performance, the film unfolds with the stylistic brio and improvisatory dazzle of great jazz. With Callum Keith Rennie. Composer/Arranger: David Braid. Writer/Producer/Director: Robert Budreau. (Canada 2015) 98 min.
DOGTOWN REDEMPTION THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 7:00
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER AMIR SOLTANI A surprising number of people make their living off America’s vast rivers of trash. Winner of “Audience Favorite, Silver Award- 2015 Active Cinema” at the Mill Valley Film Festival, this film tells the story of one such river in Dogtown, West Oakland, a bustling yet invisible corner of California. We follow the lives of three recyclers and, through them, are introduced to the art, science, economics and politics of recycling: what it offers, how it touches the poor and why it matters to all of us. Shot over seven years, Dogtown Redemption is not only the intimate story of recyclers in West Oakland, but a journey through a landscape of love and loss, devotion and addiction, prejudice and poverty. Directors: Amir Soltani, Chihiro Wimbush. (US 2015) 94 min.
SWEET BEAN (AN)
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 8 Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) is a loner running a modest bakery that serves dorayakis, pancakes filled with sweet red bean paste. When 76-year-old Tokue (Kirin Kiki) presses him for a low-paying part-time job, Sentaro accepts reluctantly, but it turns out that Tokue’s secret recipe for sweet bean paste has the pastries suddenly flying off the shelf. However, along with culinary skill, cheerfulness and sensitivity to nature, Tokue also hides an affliction that could isolate them both. Using cookery to explore her perennial theme of communication with the natural world, filmmaker Naomi Kawase creates a graceful ode to the invisible essences of existence and addresses the discrimination that can unfairly segregate people from each other. In Japanese with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Naomi Kawase. (Japan 2015) 113 min.
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SOLD
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 15
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER JEFFREY D. BROWN - SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 4:30 Based on the bestselling novel by Patricia McCormick, the latest from Academy Award-winning, Bay Area filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown dramatizes the tragic reality of human trafficking. Lakshmi (Niyar Saikia) is a bright 13-year-old in a poor mountain village in Nepal. When her stepfather takes money for her to work as a domestic servant in Kolkata, India, neither suspects that she’s been sold to a brothel. Once there, Lakshmi is horrified to discover the actual job and that “debt bondage” could keep her there indefinitely. One day a photojournalist (Gillian Anderson) catches a glimpse of a distraught Lakshmi and contacts a local relief organization to help her rescue the girl. Vivid location photography enhances this sensitively produced, English-language film. With David Arquette. Executive Producer: Emma Thompson. Producer: Jane Charles. Director: Jeffrey D. Brown. (US 2014) 97 min.
ELVIS & NIXON
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 22 On a December morning in 1970, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll showed up on the lawn of the White House to request an urgent meeting with the most powerful man in the world, President Nixon. Starring Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley and Kevin Spacey as Richard Nixon, this comedy-drama explores the meeting in which Elvis asked the President to swear him in as an undercover agent for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and which also produced the most requested photograph in the National Archives. Rated R for some language. With Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks, Ashley Benson, Tracy Letts, Evan Peters, Sky Ferreira, Dylan Penn. Writers: Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, Cary Elwes. Director: Liza Johnson. (US 2016) 87 min.
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 7:00
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER TED DINTERSMITH Our school system was designed in 1893. This film offers an inspiring look at what students and teachers are capable of…if we have the vision and courage to transform our schools. Focusing on Project Based Learning and specifically on High Tech High in San Diego, the film asks why our education system has not changed, despite our economy’s drastic changes due to technology. Director: Greg Whiteley (US, 2015) 86 min. plus discussion. Presented by CFI Education, Buck Institute of Education & Marin County Office of Education. PANEL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS: Ted Dintersmith, the film’s executive producer; Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools; Stacy Caillier, High Tech High Graduate School of Education; students from High Tech High and Project Based Learning programs in Marin; and Bob Lenz, executive director of Buck Institute for Education.
DOUGH
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 29 Set in London’s East End, this well-baked comedy-drama stars Jonathan Pryce as Nat Dayan, the aging proprietor of a struggling Kosher bakery. Understaffed, Nat reluctantly hires Ayyash (Jerome Holder), a young Muslim refugee from Darfur who is trying to help his immigrant mother by selling cannabis on the side. When Ayyash accidentally drops his stash into the mixing dough, the challah starts flying off the shelves and the old Jewish baker, oblivious to the true reason for their success, begins to warm to his young Muslim apprentice. As their friendship bonds, Dough becomes a warmhearted and humorous story about overcoming prejudice and finding redemption in unexpected places. With Pauline Collins. Writers: Yehudah Jez Freedman, Jonathan Benson. Director: John Goldschmidt. (UK 2015) 94 min.
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IN THE MOVIES SUNDAYS, APRIL 24 - MAY 29 Brush off your cleats, straighten your cap and step up to the plate for a smorgasbord of movies celebrating America’s Pastime.
FIELD OF DREAMS SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 4:15
MONEYBALL SUNDAY, MAY 1, 4:15
“If you build it, he will come,” is the mysterious refrain compelling Iowa farmer Ray (Kevin Costner) to build a baseball diamond in his cornfield, a project that ultimately attracts the spirits of Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) and other banned players from the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal. Based on the book Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, this classic fantasy also stars Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster. Writer/ Director: Phil Alden Robinson. Rated PG. (US 1989) 107 min.
Directed by Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher) and written by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, this adaptation of Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who, with assistant manager Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), uses sabermetrics to build a winning team on a limited budget. Nominated for six Oscars®, this widely acclaimed film also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt and Robin Wright. Rated PG-13. (US 2011) 133 min.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SUNDAY, MAY 8, 4:15
THE NATURAL SUNDAY, MAY 15, 4:15
Directed by Penny Marshall, this lively and touching comedy-drama is a fictionalized account of the creation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1943, when World War II threatened to shut down Major League Baseball. Our dream team includes Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O’Donnell, managed by a crusty Tom Hanks. Rated PG. (US 1992) 128 min.
Based on the novel by Bernard Malamud, director Barry Levinson’s baseball classic stars Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, a “natural” in the early 1920s, whose promising career is waylaid by tragedy. 16 years later, he attempts a comeback. The stellar cast also includes Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey and Richard Farnsworth, and Randy Newman contributes a memorable score. Rated PG. (US 1984) 137 min.
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BULL DURHAM SUNDAY, MAY 22, 4:15
EIGHT MEN OUT SUNDAY, MAY 29, 5:30
This celebrated baseball movie and ribald romantic comedy stars Kevin Costner as a veteran catcher hired by the minor league Durham Bulls to coach rookie Tim Robbins for the majors, and Susan Sarandon is a local baseball groupie who initially targets Robbins for seduction. Writer/ director Ron Shelton was himself a former minor-leaguer. Rated R. (US 1988) 108 min.
IN PERSON: PERRY LANG & JAMES READ Writer/director John Sayles tackles the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal, in which the Chicago White Sox lost the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds and eight White Sox players were later accused of throwing the series for money. The terrific ensemble of actors includes John Cusack, David Strathairn, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen, James Read, Perry Lang and D.B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe. (US 1988) 119 min. (Please note start time change on this screening)
Sponsored by
FRANCOFONIA
OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 29 Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, who swept us through the Hermitage Museum in Russian Ark, now shifts his focus to Paris and the Louvre, particularly during World War II, when museum director Jacques Jaujard had to negotiate with Franz Graf Wolff-Metternich, representing the German occupation forces. Combining dramatic recreations with documentary footage, Sokurov also brings life to some of the paintings’ subjects, including a pompous Napoleon and the beautiful Marianne, the French goddess of liberty. Narrating throughout, Sokurov creates a stunning essay-meditation on history, demonstrating his conviction that museums are the veritable DNA of a civilization. In French, Russian and German with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Alexander Sokurov. (France/Germany/Netherlands 2015) 87 min.
LA JAULA DE ORO (THE GOLDEN DREAM)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 7:00 PRESENTED BY CFI EDUCATION & CANAL ALLIANCE This widely acclaimed film, a fictional drama with a documentary feel, follows three teenagers from the slums of Guatemala on their way to the United States. Juan, a cocky but naïve young man, and Sara, passing as a boy, team up with a young Chiapas Indian boy Chauk, who doesn’t speak Spanish. Their story, fraught with danger, reflects those of many immigrants here in Marin who faced the same challenges. In Spanish and Tzotzil with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Diego Quemada Díez (Mexico,2013) 108 min. plus discussion. PANEL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS: Tom Wilson, executive director of Canal Alliance, will lead a discussion after the screening. Canal Alliance has been the leading service provider and community advocate for Marin’s immigrants for three decades.
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VALLEY OF LOVE
OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 6 Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu play a long-separated couple who journey to Death Valley after receiving a mysterious letter from their dead son that raises expectations that he will appear to them at a certain place and time in the desert. Appearing on screen together for the first time since Loulou (1980), Huppert and Depardieu play fictional versions of themselves, adding extra dimension to their ongoing conversations- initially brittle and gradually tender- and their ultimate exploration of the appointed Death Valley locations. Filmmaker Guillaume Nicloux uses this familiarity to craft a metaphysical tale underlined by the yearning strains of “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives. Writer/Director: Guillaume Nicloux. In French with English subtitles with some English. (France 2015) 92 min.
LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT
OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 13 Beautifully photographed by Emmanuel Lubezki (Oscar winner for The Revenant), the latest from filmmaker Rodrigo García (son of Gabriel García Márquez) dramatizes an imagined chapter from Jesus’ forty days in the desert. Ewan McGregor is Yeshua, on his way out of the wilderness after weeks of subsisting only on water and prayer, who struggles with the Devil (also McGregor) over the fate of an ordinary family in crisis. Contemplating his own paternal relationship, Yeshua encounters a father (Ciarán Hinds) and son (Tye Sheridan) arguing over the boy’s future, while the mother (Ayelet Zurer) lies seriously ill. Not a “faith-based” movie, yet very much a spiritual one, the film explores the human dimensions of its subject. Writer/Director: Rodrigo García. (US 2015) 98 min.
DARK HORSE
OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 20 Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, this documentary is set in one of the poorest mining villages in Wales and tells the inspirational true story of a group of friends who decide to take on the elite “sport of kings” and breed themselves a racehorse. Raised on a slagheap allotment, their foal grows into an unlikely champion, beating the finest thoroughbreds in the land, before suffering a near-fatal accident. Nursed back to health by the love of his owners- for whom he’s become a source of inspiration and hope- he makes a remarkable recovery, returning to the track for a heart-stopping comeback. Director: Louise Osmond. (UK 2015) 85 min.
HOCKNEY
OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 27 One of the great artists of his generation, British painter David Hockney remains charismatic at the age of 78 and still works in his studio seven days a week. Drawing on interviews as well as access to his personal archive of photographs and footage, this film provides an unparalleled visual diary of his vast career. From humble beginnings through growing prominence in the 1960s and 70s, Hockney might appear to have had a charmed life, but he struggled to escape labels (“queer,” “working class,” “figurative artist”) and lost many of his friends to the AIDS plague. Optimistic and adventurous, he continues to experiment with painting, theater, multimedia and photography. This film eloquently showcases his work and ideas. Director: Randall Wright. (UK 2014) 112 min.
Photo: Jean-Pierre Goncalves
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Z A R A M U R E N : M A ST E R D E S I G N S E R I E S With her extensive background as a landscape architect and educator, Bay Area filmmaker Zara Muren focuses on the enduring power of core environmental design ideas, and explores the work of professionals who use them in ways that inspire us. On two successive Sundays, Muren will present her documentaries, followed by panel discussions with distinguished architects and landscape architects.
DREAM OF THE SEA RANCH SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 4:15
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER ZARA MUREN Zara Muren’s 1994 documentary studies the “guiding dream” of The Sea Ranch, the celebrated residential development in Sonoma County. Muren interviews key visionaries of the community design, including developer/architect Al Boeke, landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and architects Joseph Esherick and Charles Moore, and incorporates their models and drawings with scenes of their realized schemes. The film also explores how the reality has diverged from the dream in succeeding years, in the face of political and economic pressures. (US 1994) 60 min. Following the screening, Muren will be joined by Donlyn Lyndon, the Eva Li Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design at UC Berkeley and visionary of The Sea Ranch, and Laura Hartman, principal of Fernau + Hartman Architects, who serves on The Sea Ranch Design Committee.
THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE OF ROBERTO BURLE MARX SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 4:15
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER ZARA MUREN From Copacabana Promenade to Brasilia, Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) is the father of landscape architecture in Brazil. Combining lyrical artistry with great knowledge of native plants and profound humanitarian purpose, he breathed new life into the urban environment, completing some 1,700 projects that made him beloved at home and recognized abroad. Filmmaker Zara Muren visited him in the 1980s, and her documentary features interviews with him and illuminates the poetry and meaning that he brings to diverse settings, concluding at his own home, garden and nursery. (US 1989) 60 min. Following the screening, Muren will be joined by landscape architects Bonnie Fisher, principal of ROMA Design Group, and Gary Strang principal of GLS Landscape/Architecture.
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BEING GEORGE CLOONEY SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 7:00
IN PERSON: FILMMAKER PAUL MARIANO Filmmaker Paul Mariano will present and discuss a special advance screening of his delightful new documentary about the creative, often humorous world of audio-dubbing Hollywood films for the international market. We meet talented voice actors from around the world, including seven who dub the voice of George Clooney (two in Germany alone!). As Hollywood progressively depends on international receipts, voiceover dubbing has become an essential part of a multi-billion dollar business. The film visits dubbing studios in Los Angeles, Berlin, Rome and Mumbai and shows us the problems, the processes and the personalities that translate an American hit into an international blockbuster. Camera: Frazer Bradshaw. Producers: Kurt Norton, Rivkah Beth Medow. Director: Paul Mariano. (US 2015) 76 min. plus discussion.
THE GREAT RACE- 35MM PRINT!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 7:00 Screened in a 35mm print, this epic 1965 comedy from director Blake Edwards is shown in anticipation of the 2016 Great Race, the celebrated vintage car rally starting in San Rafael on June 18 and ending in Moline, Illinois on June 26. A big-budget homage to slapstick comedy, the movie stars Tony Curtis as The Great Leslie (hero) and Jack Lemmon as Professor Fate (villain), competing daredevils who enter the 1908 New York-to-Paris car race, followed by Natalie Wood as Maggie, photojournalist and suffragette. Costars include Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn and Dorothy Provine, and Henry Mancini contributed the music. It’s anticipated that the film’s two top cars- the Leslie Special and the Hannibal 8- will be on display outside the Rafael. (US 1965) 160 min.
GOLDEN KINGDOM
OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 17 CO-PRESENTED BY BUDDHIST FILM FOUNDATION This debut feature by American filmmaker Brian Perkins was beautifully photographed at a Buddhist monastery nestled in the jungle-mountains of Myanmar. The story is simple yet resonant: four young monks must fend for themselves when their head abbot is called away, travelling on foot through the mountain passes, for a mission from which he may never return. Self-sufficient and without family or possessions, these young monks exhibit great discipline in their daily tasks and spiritual rituals and yet (of course) boys will sometimes be boys. Exquisite camerawork observes endearing portraits of the non-actors and their isolated world, one that can encompass ghostly phenomena, in this mysterious and meditative tale. In Burmese with English subtitles. Writer/Director: Brian Perkins. (US/Myanmar 2015) 103 min.
ROMAN HOLIDAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 4:15 & 7:00 Screened in conjunction with Italian Street Painting Marin (June 25-26), this classic romantic comedy stars Audrey Hepburn as a bored European princess who escapes from her handlers and goes undercover in Rome. Gregory Peck is an American journalist who, not recognizing her, shows her around town. Locations include the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Mouth of Truth, some of which will be featured in the street painting. Directed by William Wyler and co-starring Eddie Albert, this irresistible movie was written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, whose screen credit was officially restored only a few years ago. (US 1953) 118 min.
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THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS:
YO-YO MA AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE OPENS IN JUNE From the director of the Oscar-winning Twenty Feet from Stardom, this rich, absorbing documentary tells the extraordinary story of the Silk Road Ensemble, the renowned international musical collective created by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Over the past 16 years, Ma has led a group of musicians from around the world in celebrating the universal power of music and exploring his conviction that “the intersection of cultures is where new things emerge.” To that end, Ma invited talent from such countries as China, Syria and Iran, incorporating folk and traditional instruments with the “western” variety. Political situations emerge in several poignant interviews, but the common language here is great music, of which there is plenty. Producer: Caitrin Rogers. Director: Morgan Neville. (US 2015) 96 min.
GURUKULAM
OPENS IN JUNE This engrossing documentary invites us to enter a contemplative rhythm of life as old as the Bhagavad Gita. In vivid and sensuous detail, it follows a community of students and their teacher, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, as they confront fundamental questions at a remote forest ashram in Tamil Nadu, India. Not only Indian, the students come from countries such as Japan, Israel, Brazil and the United States, and this immersive film offers an intimate view of their daily lives, from basic chores to meditation, ritual and rigorous study. Eschewing narration, the meticulous soundscape layers the hum of the jungle and the music of religious practice. In English and in Tamil and Sanskrit with English subtitles. Directors: Jillian Elizabeth, Neil Dalal. (Canada 2014) 108 min.
THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE (DER VAMPIR AUF DER COUCH)
OPENS IN JUNE Vienna, 1930: One night Dr. Sigmund Freud (Karl Fischer) greets a new patient, a mysterious count (Tobias Moretti) who can no longer bear the “eternally long” relationship with his wife Elsa (Jeanette Hain). To make it worse, the vain countess incessantly complains about not being able to look at herself in a mirror. Unaware of the count’s true identity, Freud sends him to Viktor (Dominic Oley), a young portrait artist. But while visiting Viktor, the count sees in the painter’s girlfriend Lucy (Cornelia Ivancan) the reincarnation of the lost love of his life (or of his un-death). Clever sight-gags garnish this elegant farce that is pleasant, but never toothless. In German with English subtitles. With David Bennent. Writer/Director: David Rühm. (Austria 2015) 87 min.
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HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE One of the warmest surprises at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was this rollicking comedy-adventure from New Zealand auteur Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Flight of the Conchords and Boy). The story follows a 13-year-old orphan (Julian Dennison) and his curmudgeonly foster uncle (Sam Neill), who disappear into the New Zealand bush and provoke a national manhunt. Exciting and hilarious!
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