The Cinematheque NOV+DEC 2012 | Studio Ghibli by The Cinematheque

NOV + DEC 2012

14 C L A S S I C A N I M E F I L M S

STUDIO GHIBLI FEATURING

MY NEIGHBOUR

TOTORO PLUS

RARITIES AND

+ PIERRE ÉTAIX

STATE OF MIND

EUFF 15th ANNUAL

1131 Howe St reet . Vancouve r . t heCi nema t heque.ca

303 East 8th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 1S1 Canada

Tuesday to Saturday Noon to 5:00 pm PST

EXHIBITION

Arvo Leo: THIS IS THE COW

1 604 876 9343 front.bc.ca

RESIDENCY

Brendan Fernandes November 1 – December 10, 2012

EVENT

TOQUE December 7, 6pm-10pm December 8, 11am-4pm

Bike In Coffin, Arvo Leo Image courtesy of the artist

Western Front Annual Craft Sale and Fundraiser http://toque2012.tumblr.com

November 9 – December 22, 2012 Opening November 8th @ 7pm

A 45 minute film screened on the hour and a collection of works on the wall.

VENDORS Anita Sikma Coconama Chocolate Contexture Design Draw Me A Lion Erin Templeton Fable Naturals Fieldwork Fleet Objects Gailan Ngan Henderson Dry Goods Jennifer Fedorink Jesse Gray Nellija Zi Perro Verlag Publication Studio Simply Read Books Tin Can Studio Wendy Oakman

ADMIN ISTRATIVE O F F I C E 200 – 1131 Howe Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2L7 tel 604.688.8202 • fax 604.688.8204 Email: info@theCinematheque.ca Web: theCinematheque.ca STAF F Executive and Artistic Director: Jim Sinclair Managing Director: Amber Orchard Communications Manager: steve chow Education Manager: Liz Schulze Operations & Marketing: Kate Wilkins Media Production Coordinator: Mitch Stookey Venue Operations Manager: Heather Johnston Assistant Theatre Managers: Sharon Cohen, Nadiya Chettiar, Andrea Oberdieck, Shaun Inouye, Kathryn Kirkpatrick Head Projectionist: Al Reid Relief Projectionists: Peter Boyle, Stuart Carl, Ron Lacheur, Cassidy Penner, Amanda Thomson BOARD OF DIRECTO RS President: Mark Ostry Vice-President: Eleni Kassaris Secretary: Mark Tomek Treasurer: Wynford Owen Members: Jim Bindon, Luca Citton, Kim Guise, Moshe Mastai V O LUNTEERS Theatre Volunteers: Mike Archibald, Mark Beley, Eileen Brosnan, Jeremy Buhler, Andrew Clark, Dylan Clark, Adam Cook, Rob Danielson, Ben Daswani, Steve Devereux, Bill Dovhey, Emily Eastwood, Ryan Ermacora, Chantelle Gates, Paul Griffiths, Joe Haigh, Dora Ho, Brad Iles, Jessica Johnson, Beng Khoo, Michael Kling, Ray Lai, Shannon Lentz, Brittany McDuff, Vit Mlcoch, Florin Moldovan, Kelley Montgomery, Linton Murphy, Danuta Musial, Julia Patey, Kailash Ragupathy, Duncan Ranslem, Chahram Riazi, Marc Ronnie, Hisayo Saito, Polina Skvortsova, Derek Thomas, Amanda Thomson, Stephen Tweedale, Diane Wood, Nathalie Zeoli Distribution: Harry Wong, Scott Babakaiff, Michael Demers, Martin Lohmann, Michael Edillor, Hazel Ackner, John William, Lynn Martin, Sheila Adams, Anna Xijing, Devin Wells, Allan Kollins, Horacio Bach, Jeff Halladay, Roman Goldman Office: Jo Bergstrand, Betty-Lou Phillips, Zac Cocciolo, Shaun Inouye, Ratna Dhaliwal Education: Michael Edillor, Wesley Houston, Chloe McKnight, Nick McLean, Pat McSherry, Jennifer Somerstein, Michael van den Bos, Matthew Vatta, Donna Welstein And a special thanks to all our spares! PACIFIC C IN É MAT H È Q U E PR O G RAM G U I D E Art Direction + Graphic Design: steve chow Program Notes: Jim Sinclair Advertising + Additional Ad Design: Kate Wilkins Proofreading: Kate Wilkins Published six times a year with a bi-monthly circulation of 15,000. Printed by Van Press Printers. ADVERTISIN G To advertise in this Program Guide or in our theatre before screenings, please call 604.688.8202.

The Cinematheque is a not-for-profit arts society. We rely on financial support from public and private sources. Donations are gratefully accepted — a tax receipt will be issued for all donations of $30 or more. To make a donation or for more information, please call our administration office at 604.688.8202. The Cinematheque gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the following agencies:

EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL CINEMA

CONTENTSNOV+DEC2012 THE CINEMATHEQUE PROGRAM GUIDE, V36.2

STATE OF MIND California, Conceptual Art, the 1970s, and Cinema

CINEMA SUNDAY When the Wind Blows A Retro Animated Holiday Package

DIM CINEMA The Holy Assassin The Colors that Combine to Make White are Important

FRAMES OF MIND Still Is She or Isn’t He?

THE FILMS OF PIERRE ÉTAIX: THE LAUGHTER RETURNS

NOW PLAYING CALENDAR

CASTLES IN THE SKY: MIYAZAKI, TAKAHATA, AND THE MASTERS OF STUDIO GHIBLI

15th ANNUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL

STATE OF MIND Various states of mind connected to (and connecting) the state of California, conceptual art, cinema, and the 1970s — and politics, sex, feminism, the environment, the counterculture — are the subject of this special film series of exceptional documentaries, features, and experimental works, presented in conjunction with the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at UBC and its current exhibition “State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970.” “State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970 investigates Conceptual art and related avant-garde activities from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. The artists who came to California at this time were, like many other transplants, attracted by its beauty, climate and relative ease of living. More importantly, this part of the U.S. was emerging as a leading incubator for social change and a youth-oriented counterculture, tendencies that were complementary to artists seeking alternatives to traditional modes of art making. California’s art schools, universities and artistrun spaces provided new exhibition opportunities and, additionally, the distance from the New York art press, commercial galleries and museums gave artists greater freedom to experiment as they challenged the definition of art, the role of the artist and the academic and institutional structures of the art world. New York represented tradition, California the future.

“Artists working in California at this time deemphasized the art object in favour of the idea and process that went into its making. They explored new noncommercial genres: text-based works, video, sound, performance, installations, mail art and artists’ books. No longer bound by practical considerations of scale, materials, or salability, they turned to collectivity, ephemerality, body-oriented performance, the merging of art and life, political commentary and social interaction which have continued to influence generations of younger artists for more than forty years.” THE MORRIS AND HELEN BELKIN ART GALLERY

IN PERSON: RENE DAALDER

HERE IS ALWAYS SOMEWHERE ELSE: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BAS JAN ADER

USA/Netherlands 2008. Director: Rene Daalder With: Tacita Dean, Ger Van Elk, Wim T. Schippers, Marcel Broodthaers, Rem Koolhaus

Here is Always Somewhere Else traces the life, art, and disappearance of the enigmatic Dutch-born California conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader, whose 1970s work has lately received increasing attention and acclaim. Ader’s daring photography, film, and performance often involved an element of risk (falling off a house, driving a bike into an Amsterdam canal). In 1975, as part of a project he called “In search of the miraculous,” Ader embarked on his most extreme endeavour yet: he set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the smallest boat ever to accomplish the feat. His boat was found months later off the coast of Ireland; Ader, or his body, was never found. Directed by fellow Dutch immigrant Rene Daalder, a noted genre filmmaker (Massacre at Central High) and onetime Russ Meyer protégé, the documentary surveys the contemporary art and art film/video with scenes, features testimonials or excerpts of works by Tacita Dean, Rodney Graham, Marcel Broodthaers, Ger van Elk, Charles Ray, Chris Burden, Pipilotti Rist, and many others, and also touches upon the mysterious, transformative powers of the ocean. Colour, in English and Dutch with English subtitles. 78 mins. PRECEDED BY

TWO FILMS BY BAS JAN ADER I’m Too Sad to Tell You (1970, 4 mins.) Nightfall (1971, 4 mins.)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7 – 7:00 PM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8 – 8:30 PM

CALIFORNIA, CONCEPTUAL ART, THE 1970s, AND CINEMA

ORGANIZED IN CONJUNCTION WITH STATE OF MIND: NEW CALIFORNIA ART CIRCA 1970 THE MORRIS AND HELEN BELKIN ART GALLERY, UBC SEPTEMBER 28 – DECEMBER 9, 2012

WWW.BELKIN.UBC.CA

PRESENTED BY THE CINEMATHEQUE AND THE MORRIS AND HELEN BELKIN ART GALLERY

!WOMEN ART REVOLUTION

USA 2010. Director: Lynn Hershman Leeson With: Miranda July, Judy Chicago, Yvonne Rainer, Yoko Ono, Marina Abramovic´

That the title of San Francisco artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson’s revelatory, wonderfully entertaining documentary nicely acronymizes into “!W.A.R.” is no accident. Feminist art, exploding out of the radical cultural ferment of the late 1960 and early 1970s, would become one of the most significant art movements of the late 20th century — but first it had to storm the Bastille! Assembled from material Hershman Leeson shot over four decades, !Women Art Revolution film chronicles this remarkable insurgency’s visionary artists and pioneering curators, their breakthroughs, and the barriers they had to overcome; at the time, major galleries and museums were, for all intents and purposes, closed to women artists. Featured are Miranda July, The Guerilla Girls, Yvonne Rainer, Judy Chicago, Marina Abramovic´, Yoko Ono, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, B. Ruby Rich, Ingrid Sischy, Carolee Schneemann, Miriam Schapiro, Marcia Tucker, and many other groundbreaking figures. The rousing original score is by Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag riot grrrl (and Portlandia star) Carrie Brownstein. “Passionate, contentious, funny, sincere, politically attuned ... Hershman Leeson’s fighting spirit is contagious” (Rachel Saltz, New York Times). Colour, HDCAM. 83 mins. PRECEDED BY:

NEAR THE BIG CHAKRA USA 1972. Director: Anne Severson

Anne Severson’s radical demystification of the female body actually provoked a riot at one 1972 screening! On unhurried display, and in extreme close-ups, are 37 vulvas, belonging to females of various ages. “A new approach to our femininity ... The impression made by this film, its impact, has been enormous” (Agnès Varda). Colour, DVD, silent. 17 mins. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8 – 6:30 PM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – 8:50 PM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 – 6:30 PM

VIVA USA 2007. Director: Anna Biller Cast: Anna Biller, Bridget Brno, Chad England, Jared Sanford, Marcus DeAnda

Whoa! Actress-writer-director Anna Biller’s Viva is a meticulously faithful re-creation (with a sly feminist twist) of campy, colourful sexploitation films of the early 1970s, back when porn was still primarily soft and Russ Meyer was still “King of the Nudies.” Biller plays Barbi, a neglected Los Angeles housewife who sets out with best friend Sheila (Bridget Brno) to experience the sexual revolution. The plot is said to have been lifted from a 1969 letter to Penthouse (Viva was also the name of a skin mag for women published by Penthouse in the ’70s). “A waggish conceptual venture ... Startlingly pitch-perfect ... The results are suitably alienating and often funny .... Biller’s attention to visual detail is extraordinarily vivid, from the Kool-Aid-coloured costumes to the supergraphics that zigzag across the sets” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times). “Not only right-on but rigorous... Biller’s homage re-creates the colours, fashions, lifestyles, Hammond organ solos, and cheesy sex setups of the era ... Viva does for early-’70s sexploitation what Far From Heaven did for Douglas Sirk.” (Vadim Rizov, Village Voice). “Viva could just about be the third featurette in Grindhouse” (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly). Colour, 35mm. 120 mins.

CHINATOWN

USA 1974. Director: Roman Polanski Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Diane Ladd

The classic hard-boiled detective film meets the new permissiveness of New Hollywood in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, one of the great neo-noirs — and one of the great films of the 1970s. Made from Robert Towne’s Oscar-winning script, Chinatown sets a dark tale of sexual depravity and political corruption in a malignant, masterfullyrecreated Los Angeles of 1937. Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston headline a superb cast. Polanski — uttering the immortal lines, “You know what happens to nosy fellows? They lose their noses!” — has a memorable cameo as the switchblade-wielding thug who forces Nicholson’s character, a rather unseemly private detective named Gittes, to spend most of the movie with an unsightly bandage on the middle of his face. The story was inspired by the California Water Wars of a century ago. Cynical and claustrophobic, wallowing in moral depths no vintage noir would dare, and hitting heights of fatalism worthy of Greek tragedy, Chinatown is an extraordinary achievement — and a highpoint in the careers of everyone involved. Colour, Bluray Disc. 131 mins. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 – 6:30 PM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 – 4:00 PM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 – 8:35 PM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 6:30 PM

THE INDIA TRIP

Canada 1971. Director: Bill Davies With: Albert Jordan

A Canadian university professor takes an early-1970s sabbatical in search of Eastern spiritual enlightenment in this National Film Board of Canada documentary directed by Bill Davies. “This documentary is a portrait of modern-day Pondicherry, an ancient city near the southern tip of India. For several centuries an outpost of France, the city is now home to Auroville, a spiritual community growing on its periphery. There, European and North American devotees of Sri Aurobindo, a Bengali poet and mystic, come to live the contemplative life. Their guru is a 94-year-old woman from France. This mecca of sorts is seen through the eyes of Albert Jordan, a professor from Concordia University in Montreal, who spent a year there with his family in 1971” (NFB). Colour, HDCAM. 50 mins. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 – 5:15 PM

FREE SCREENING!

PRECEDED BY

DYKETACTICS USA 1974. Director: Barbara Hammer

Barbara Hammer’s landmark lesbian “commercial,” a montage of 110 images of sensual touching, was the first lesbian lovemaking film made by lesbian. Colour, 16mm. 4 mins. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – 6:30 PM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 – 9:00 PM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 – 6:30 PM

KRISTINA TALKING PICTURES

USA 1976. Director: Yvonne Rainer Cast: Bert Barr, Kate Parker, Frances Barth, Lil Picardi, James Barth

ZABRISKIE POINT USA 1969. Director: Michelangelo Antonioni Cast: Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix, G.D. Spradlin

After his mod-era romp through Swinging London in 1966’s Blow-Up, Italian master Michelangelo Antonioni moved on to psychedelic Southern California for Zabriskie Point, his second English-language film, an hallucinatory, impressionistic portrait of America at the height of the hippie counterculture. After a campus protest turns violent, the rebellious scion of a rich family flees to Death Valley, where he meets a pot-smoking secretary and has visions of the apocalypse. Antonioni’s virtuoso visual sense and feel for landscape are, as always, astonishing; his anti-Establishment indictment of mega-materialist corporate America still seems spot-on. Many critics of the day savaged the film as a self-indulgent and unconvincing outsider’s view of the U.S., more meandering than mind-expanding — “an awful warning of what happens if you give an arty director carte blanche” (Leslie Halliwell). Time’s Richard Corliss, in the minority, called it “the most entertaining of Antonioni’s films ... the most intelligent, compassionate probing of the radical young in recent American film.” Sam Shepherd contributed to the screenplay. “Antonioni’s most beautiful inspection of emptiness ... Zabriskie is so cool, it demands attention” (David Thomson). Colour, 35mm. 110 mins. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 – 6:30 PM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 – 8:50 PM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 – 6:30 PM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 9:00 PM

The third feature from San Franciscoborn dancer, experimental filmmaker, and modernist/minimalist/feminist Yvonne Rainer explores the contradictions between public and private personas — and evokes the spirit of Godard — as it tells the story of a middle-class artist concerned about global issues. Kristina, a female lion tamer from Budapest, comes to New York to become a choreographer, and takes a sailor named Raoul as a lover. Rainer’s witty, innovative, language-loving film combines collage (visual and verbal), essay, narrative, and documentary approaches; various actresses, including Rainer herself, play Kristina. “Kristina Talking Pictures moves outside gender and sexual struggles to address global issues like genocide and environmental negligence within a plot involving the relationship ... As always with Rainer, the personal and the political are intimately linked. Constantly digressing but never losing its way, the story regularly challenges the viewer by rendering palpable the difficult commitment to social justice on micro and macro levels” (Michael Rowin, Brooklyn Rail). “The closest Rainer has come to the Godard wing of ‘art cinema’ ... Lively, unpredictable, and in several senses challenging” (Winslow Wong, Time Out). Colour, DVD. 90 mins. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 – 8:30 PM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14 – 8:30 PM

LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF USA 2003. Director: Thom Andersen

Few movies about movies have yielded more pleasure or riches than Thom Andersen’s Los Angeles Plays Itself, an enthralling, ambitious mix of cinema criticism and civic history that was named best documentary at VIFF in 2003. “Andersen calls his pungent and playful essay on how the movies have depicted Los Angeles a ‘city symphony in reverse.’ The phrase is evocative, if rather modest. This is, in fact, a city symphony with many directions and speeds. It lolls, races, roams and, ultimately, sprawls across its subject as completely as any movie about movies ever has. Guided by his wickedly observant, thought-provoking narration (drolly delivered by Encke King), Andersen culls a critical history — and counter-history — of Los Angeles from an eclectic list of movies. Many of them are well-known (Chinatown, Blade Runner, L.A. Confidential); others are rarer finds (The Exiles, Bush Mama, Killer of Sheep) ... This is a trove of treasures with delicious diversions and minutiae about the city and its movies, truly fascinating and ripe with insights about architecture, transportation, racism, class, and public space. Frequently sardonic, at times flat-out funny, Andersen simply notices things about these movies the rest of us don’t. The cumulative effect is spellbinding and provocative — a sharpening of our movie-viewing senses” (Sean Farnel, Toronto I.F.F.). Colour and B&W, HDCAM. 169 mins. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 – 6:30 PM

RAMEAU’S NEPHEW BY DIDEROT (THANX TO DENNIS YOUNG) BY WILMA SCHOEN

Canada 1974. Director: Michael Snow Cast: Dennis Burton, Jim Murphy, Jonas Mekas, Annette Michelson, Nam June Paik

“An achievement of the originality and brilliance of Wavelength,” (P. Adams Sitney), this expansive, encyclopaedic epic by the great Canadian conceptual artist and experimental filmmaker Michael Snow combines madcap intellectual hijinks with a rigorous exploration of the sound/image relationship. “Scripted and shot during a highly productive period in the early 1970s, Rameau’s Nephew presents multiple attempts by ‘Wilma Schoen’ (screen alter-ego of the filmmaker) to make an authentic ‘talking picture.’ The result resembles by turns a crazy comedy and a philosophical treatise as performers struggle with their line readings, as piano keys emit passionate erotic moans, and as the existence of physical objects is placed into doubt. Snow sets into motion a vigorous dialogue between sound and image that feels at moments like a remake of a Jacques Tati film scripted by Ludwig Wittgenstein” (Harvard Film Archive). “Described (rather cheekily) by Snow as a musical comedy, this deft probing of sound/image relationships is one of his wittiest, most entertaining and philosophically stimulating films ... The meanings of words and their sounds are played with at length; the film is awash with various puns, quotes, and wordplay, which is hinted at in the title (Wilma Schoen is an anagram of Michael Snow)” (Canadian Film Encyclopedia) Colour, 16mm. 270 mins. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22 – 6:30 PM

Presented by The Cinematheque’s Education Department, Cinema Sunday is an afternoon film program for children and their families. We invite you to join us every month to watch outstanding movies and take part in follow-up discussions, activities, and games intended to be fun and stimulate critical and creative thinking. Our goal is to introduce you to some awesome new films, treasured classics, and other favourites — movies that keep you thinking and talking long after you leave the theatre. We hope you’ll join us and make Cinema Sunday a regular addition to your family outings!

THE CINEMATHEQUE MEMBERSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THESE EVENTS.

REMEMBRANCE DAY PRESENTATION!

When the Wind Blows

Great Britain 1986. Director: Jimmy T. Murakami Voices: Peggy Ashcroft, John Mills, Robin Houston, James Russell, David Dundas

Based on the graphic novel of the same name by British illustrator Raymond Briggs, When the Wind Blows is the haunting story of an elderly couple in rural England preparing for and then navigating the fall-out of a nuclear attack. Coloured by their romanticized memories of World War II, the pair fail to understand the realities of nuclear war until it is too late. Measured with gentle humour, this is a touching and sombre look at the way generations live and remember the horrors of war, as the nature of war itself changes. Featuring music from David Bowie and a score by Roger Waters, and mixing hand-drawn illustrations with live-action shots, this is far from a “conventional” war film. This Remembrance Day, we invite families to reflect upon this brilliantly moving work. “It’s rare that a cartoon carries the impact of a live-action feature without sacrificing the imaginative freedom of the pen and brush. Comedy and horror intertwine in this domestic, kitchen-sink version of Dr. Strangelove, and our involvement in the two characters keeps us helplessly glued to the screen” (Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader). Colour, HDCAM. 80 mins.

Please note: When the Wind Blows is an important and moving film that both adults and children will appreciate. However, due to its mature themes and some disturbing scenes, it may not be suitable for younger children. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 – 1:00 PM FRIGHTENING SCENES AND NUDITY

a RETRO

ANIMATED

Holiday Package We’re going retro this festive season with animated holiday heartwarmers from the 1960s, ‘70s, and ’80s! Tales of magic, generosity, friendship, and holiday spirit are always season-appropriate, and these retro shorts are sure to delight. Included are three award-winning shorts from the National Film Board of Canada; a Pink Panther holiday special from 1978; and 1982’s beloved British classic The Snowman. First up, the NFB brings us three merry seasonal tales: 1963’s Christmas Cracker and Great Toy Robbery, and 1975’s An Old Box. Next, A Pink Christmas, in which the Pink Panther, alone and homeless on Christmas, selfishly searches for a yuletide feast, but ultimately finds his own true holiday spirit. Finally, The Snowman, based on the awardwinning children’s novel by Raymond Briggs (When the Wind Blows), which tells the story of a young boy who wakes on Christmas Eve at midnight to find that the snowman he built has come to life. The two embark on a magical journey through the night sky, over the snowy landscape below, to the North Pole. Wordless but for the haunting song “Walking in the Air”, The Snowman’s beautiful illustrations, story, and music capture the wonder of the season for children and adults alike. Nominated for a 1982 Oscar in the Best Animated Short category, the film remains a much-loved festive tradition, and has even been adapted into an acclaimed ballet by London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre. The Snowman celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Christmas Cracker - Canada 1963. Director: Norman McLaren. 9 mins. Great Toy Robbery - Canada 1963. Director: Jeff Hale. 7 mins. An Old Box - Canada 1975. Director: Paul Driessen. 9 mins A Pink Christmas - USA 1978. Director: Bill Perez. 30 mins. The Snowman – Great Britain 1982. Directors: Dianne Jackson, Jimmy T. Murakami. 26 mins. Total running time: approx. 81 mins. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 1:00 PM

belkin.ubc.ca

A MONTHLY EVENING OF MOVING-IMAGE ART AND CINEMATIC EXPERIMENTS DIM presents Canadian and international artists and their moving-image

STATE OF MIND New California Art Circa 1970

practices in dialogue with cinema. DIM is curated by Amy Lynn Kazymerchyk, a Vancouver filmmaker, writer, and curator. WWW.DIMCINEMA.CA

IN PERSON: BYRON BLACK PROGRAMMED BY ALEX MUIR

IN PERSON: BARRY DOUPÉ

TheHoly

ASSASSIN

MakeWhite ARE IMPORTANT

Canada 1974. Director: Byron Black

Canada. 2012. Director: Barry Doupé

“The ambiguous tale of a renegade space traveler who slips dimensions and crashes on Earth. Forced to engage in fierce psychic combat with warlike natives, the alien tells of his desperate attempts to escape certain planetary doom, in rapidfire layer collage style.” INFINITY STUDIO

In The Colors that Combine to Make White are Important, Vancouver animator Barry Doupé explores the power structure within a failing Japanese glass factory. Two parallel storylines — one involving the investigation of a suspect employee, the other a stolen painting — converge in an exposition on gender and desire. Doupé’s computer-animated film has its characters rapidly evolve through three distinct acts, while subverting the dominant archetypes in the Japanese salaryman genre. The hierarchical relationship between boss and employees is undone to examine language, art, and expression. Doupé’s characters are looking for something only to be found through a crisis of feeling, a shaking up of the human world. The film peeks into another, formerly invisible world, one which wants to know the meaning of the body, the meaning of attraction. Alluding to the office comedy 9 to 5 (1980), Yasujiro Ozu’s staid, heartwarming Good Morning (1959), and Luchino Visconti’s sexually-charged finale in Death in Venice (1971), Colors shifts between cultural reference points, flattening them out into a dialogue of desperate, over-reaching thoughts and searching inquiries about nature, love, mortality, and consciousness. Colour, computer animation SD video. 119mins.

Byron Black worked in film, video, photography, mail art, and performance during the decade he spent living in Vancouver. He was known as Baron Infinity when he hosted Vancouver’s first art TV show, on community cable. In The Holy Assassin, his second feature-length film, shot from 1972-74, Black plays a marooned alien; other roles are filled by housemates, friends, and fellow artists. Working in a largely improvisatory context, Black’s film portrait of Vancouver in the early ‘70s has a spontaneity that yields results at once utterly bewildering and surprisingly intimate. As Tony Reif writes in Vancouver Art and Artists, the film takes “post-hippie psychodrama to the point of cosmic absurdity.” Shot handheld on 16mm, Black careens in and out of the frame as the film jump-cuts across eminently recognizable parts of town at breakneck pace. The Holy Assassin possesses a joie de vivre that is lodged somewhere between art happening and B-movie, and a kineticism that recalls the Soviet vanguard. Colour, 16mm. 65 mins. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19 – 7:30 PM

2013

THE COLORS THAT COMBINE TO

Programmed in parallel with Anamnesia: Unforgetting, a series of curatorial projects from VIVO Media Arts Centre’s Crista Dahl Media Library and Archive. What’s a sentient being like you doing in an incarnation like this?, a program of Byron Black’s 1970s and 1980s videos, will screen on Thursday November 15, at 7:00 pm, at VIVO (www.vivomediaarts.com). The Holy Assassin is held by The Cinematheque’s West Coast Film Archive.

Barry Doupé, born 1982 in Victoria, B.C., is a Vancouver-based artist primarily working with computer animation. He graduated from Emily Carr University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Media Arts majoring in animation. His films have been screened at various venues across Canada and around the world, including the Ann Arbor Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Pleasure Dome (Toronto), MOCCA (Toronto), Whitechapel Gallery (London), and the Tate Modern (London). MONDAY, DECEMBER 10 – 7:30 PM

“Movie images are dim reflections of the beauty and ferocity in mankind.” JAMES BROUGHTON

A MONTHLY MENTAL HEALTH FILM SERIES presented by THE CINEMATHEQUE and the INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH, UBC DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY The Cinematheque is pleased to join with the Institute of Mental Health, UBC Department of Psychiatry in presenting “Frames of Mind,” a monthly event utilizing film and video to promote professional and community education on issues pertaining to mental health and illness. Screenings, accompanied by presentations and audience discussions, are held on the third Wednesday of each month.

Series directed by DR. HARRY KARLINSKY, Director of Public Education, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia. Programmed by CAROLINE COUTTS, film curator, filmmaker, and programmer of “Frames of Mind” since its inception in September 2002.

STILL (Stil levend)

Belgium 2011. Director: Nathalie Basteyns

A poignant, poetic documentary about lives cut short and hope rediscovered, Still tells the stories of several families coping with the aftermath of suicide. One family lost their son Freek ten years ago. In his early 20s when he took his own life, he was a golden boy with an uncanny resemblance to a young Prince William. Another family lost their daughter Eva only a year before filming began. She was only 25, and a talented photographer. All those telling their stories here experience loss in different and profound ways, but all share the same inability to understand what drove their loved ones to suicide. Some insight is provided by former Olympic swimmer and suicide survivor Stefaan. As an athlete in the prime of his life and at the top of his career, he was too ashamed to admit he was depressed, even to himself. Waking up in hospital after his suicide attempt, he is elated: he realizes he doesn’t have to pretend any more. As Stefaan looks towards the future, so too do the families who have lost loved ones. “At the beginning,” said director Nathalie Basteyns, “the film I wanted to make was about loss and grief, but it turns out to be a film about courage and surviving.” Colour, Digibeta video, in Flemish with English subtitles. 50 mins.

Post-screening discussion with Dammy Damstrom Albach. Dammy holds Master’s degrees in social work and health care leadership. She managers SAFER (Suicide Attempt Follow-up Education and Research), and also has 18 years of previous experience with the organization as a therapist. She co-chaired the B.C. Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention (PIP) Initiative, and is the President of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP). Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia. Co-sponsored by SAFER (Suicide Attempt Follow-up Education and Research), a service in Vancouver that provides counselling, group work, and emotional support to people who are suicidal, those concerned about them, or those bereaved by a suicide death. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 – 7:30 PM

FRAMESOFMIND.CA

IS SHE OR ISN’T HE? New Zealand 2011. Director: Justin Pemberton

Even as a child, Graham felt like an outsider. Growing up in a small town where “normality” was rigidly defined, he was teased for being effeminate and often mistaken for a girl. There was no visible LGBT community; he had no gay role models. When filmmaker Justin Pemberton first meets him, Graham is 25 and working in a coffee shop, and has recently announced to friends that he isn’t gay but a woman — a heterosexual woman, attracted to men. Shot over six years, Pemberton’s film is an intriguing, intelligent, and insightful documentary about the search for understanding and selfacceptance. It follows Graham as he chooses his female name — Ashleigh — and begins to take female hormones, wear make-up, and get hair-removal treatments. As years pass, Ashleigh has not been able to afford gender reassignment surgery but is living full-time as a woman — and dating, a lot (“but only straight men”). Her inner conflict and confusion are revealed by her insistence that she’s neither gay nor transgender but a “normal” heterosexual woman. Only as a “proper” woman, Ashleigh believes, will she gain the acceptance she desperately craves. But, as the film reveals, that path may the most extreme and the most limiting – mentally, physically, and financially. Colour, Digibeta video. 71 mins.

A Fundraiser for The Cinematheque

Post-screening discussion TBA. Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 – 7:30 PM

For tickets, call 604.688.8202 9

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A GAG WRITER FOR JACQUES TATI; AN ACADEMY AWARD winner after just his second comic short; a close creative partner of the great French screenwriter and frequent Buñuel collaborator Jean-Claude Carrière; a gifted physical comedian and director responsible for a much-acclaimed (but long-unavailable) body of work in the 1960s; an actor and performer whose many screen credits include Fellini’s The Clowns and Aki Kaurismäki’s Le Havre — Pierre Étaix may very well be, as the Los Angeles Times recently called him, “the funniest filmmaker you’ve never heard of.” “Pierre Étaix is back, by popular demand. Jerry Lewis acclaimed him as a genius and Terry Gilliam is a devoted fan, but until very recently, the 83-year-old Étaix, a comedian, magician and clown who Paris-Match called ‘the French Buster Keaton’, was in danger of being forgotten entirely. His films are timeless treasures of whimsical, physical comedy, but copyright difficulties meant that his movies had not been distributed, let alone released on home video, for decades. Étaix’s signature on a disastrous distribution contract cast his films into oblivion, but 56,000 more, including those of Jean-Luc Godard, David Lynch and Woody Allen, on a petition in 2009, have rescued them for posterity. The end to this long-running legal dispute should be a cause for celebration among film fans, even though many, quite understandably, will never have seen one of his movies before .... Thanks to support from the public and his fellow filmmakers, Étaix’s films have been fully restored (under his supervision, by Technicolor and Groupama Gan) and are being shown again around the world.” PAMELA HUTCHINSON, THE GUARDIAN

“Keaton? Lloyd? Tati? Inspired by the first two and protégé and gag writer for the third (he also penned Tati’s trademark cartoon silhouette), Pierre Étaix (pronounced “ay-TEX”; born 1928) has had a lifelong love affair with silent cinema and the circus, combining the two in a series of brilliantly-inventive ‘60s comedies — all co-scripted with the legendary Jean-Claude Carrière (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Tin Drum, The Return of Martin Guerre, etc. etc.). All but unknown since he stopped making them, Étaix’s hilarious oeuvre is finally back in circulation again, after decades of rights disputes.”

“Étaix is a revelation: hilarious, subversive, deadpan. You can see in his work the seeds of everything we’ve laughed at during the last 60-plus years.” KEN BURNS

Yo Yo 3 (Yoyo)

France 1965. Director: Pierre Étaix Cast: Pierre Étaix, Claudine Auger, Luce Klein, Philippe Dionnet, Pipo, Dario, Mimile

The arts of clowning and silent cinema are the beloved stuff of Pierre Étaix’s second feature, winner of two prizes at Cannes in 1965. “Possibly the best of Étaix’s features, it starts out by dogging Buster Keaton’s footsteps as Étaix plays a bored millionaire waited on hand and foot in his chateau. This first half-hour, set during the last days of the silents, is shot without dialogue (though not without sound effects) and at a slightly accelerated speed. Come 1929, the film shifts into a Chaplin mood when, ruined by the Wall Street crash, the millionaire joins a circus to rediscover his first love (who became an equestrienne after bearing him a son). Étaix has just enough astringency to keep sentimentality at bay, and his mastery of the sight gag amply justifies Jerry Lewis’s enthusiasm for the film, which is singularly beautifully shot by Jean Boffety” (Tom Milne, Time Out). “A beautiful film in which I loved every shot and every idea and which taught me many things about movies” (François Truffaut). B&W, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 96 mins. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 – 8:25 PM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 6:30 PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 – 6:30 PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 – 8:25 PM

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“Pierre Étaix may be the funniest filmmaker you’ve never heard of.” SUSAN KING, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Le Grand Amour

(The Great Love)

France 1969. Director: Pierre Étaix Cast: Pierre Étaix, Annie Fratellini, Nicole Calfan, Louis Maïs, Alain Janey

“The funniest and most lyrical of Étaix’s films,” said Nobel laureate François Mauriac, Le Grand Amour was the director’s fourth feature and first fully in colour, and was scripted, like all his fiction work, by Jean-Claude Carrière. Étaix plays a respectable bourgeois businessman and husband whose world — and fantasy life! — is turned upside down when fetching young Agnès (Nicole Calfan) is hired as his new secretary. Annie Fratellini — the real Mrs. Étaix, and Frances’s first female circus clown — plays Pierre’s wife. Memorable sequences include Pierre’s wedding, attended (in wedding gowns) by all the women he could have married, and one very elaborate dream involving motorized beds. “Comic cinema was born in France with the advent of film and Méliès. It is reborn with Pierre Étaix .... Étaix and Carrière have constructed a portrait of family life, brimful with comic invention, eschewing showiness and, above all, without borrowing from existing films. If one invented the term ‘Comic New Wave,’ Le Grand Amour would fit it perfectly” (Samuel Lachize, L’Humanité). Colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 85 mins. PRECEDED BY

Happy Anniversary 2 (Heureux anniversaire)

France 1962. Directors: Pierre Étaix, Jean-Claude Carrière Cast: Pierre Étaix, Georges Loriot, Nono Zammit, Lucien Frégis, Robert Blome, Laurence Lignières

The second short by Pierre Étaix and collaborator Jean-Claude Carrière won the 1962 Oscar for Best Live Action Short; like Rupture, their debut, it also won the grand prize at Oberhausen. A husband (Étaix) is delayed by Paris traffic and errands as he hurries home to share a wedding-anniversary dinner with his wife. B&W, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 12 mins. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 – 6:30 PM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 8:25 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 – 4:00 PM SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 6 – 8:20 PM

As Long as You’re Healthy 4 (Tant qu’on a la santé)

France 1966. Director: Pierre Étaix Cast: Jean-Claude Carrière, Denise Péronne, Simone Fonder, Sabine Sun, Véra Valmont

Pierre Étaix — à la his mentor Jacques Tati, or Chaplin in Modern Times, or much of Buster Keaton — is hilariously at odds with modern life in this sketch-like four-act film, co-scripted, as always, by Jean-Claude Carrière. In the first segment, a man with insomnia spends the entire night reading a book about vampires. In the second, finding a seat at the cinema proves a remarkably frustrating task. In the third, a psychiatrist is more susceptible to the stresses of modernity than his patients. In the final act, a trip to the country for a relaxing picnic lands a couple in the midst of an escalating dispute also involving a farmer and hunter. Étaix bookends the film with fond tributes to Georges Méliès, French silent cinema’s great master of illusion. The title of As Long as You’re Healthy may be ironic, but Étaix reminds us, here and in the rest of his work, that laughter is definitely the best medicine. B&W and colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 65 mins. PRECEDED BY

Feeling Good 5 (En pleine forme)

France 1966/2010. Director: Pierre Étaix Cast: Pierre Étaix, Jean Preston, Bocky, Randell, Roger Trapp, Robert Blome

Étaix’s comic take on camping originated as a sequence in his 1966 feature As Long as You’re Healthy, but was later excised from that film. In 2010, as all his works were being prepared for restoration and re-issue, he decided to release it as a stand-alone short. B&W and colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 13 mins.

The Suitor 6 (Le soupirant)

France 1963. Director: Pierre Étaix Cast: Pierre Étaix, Karin Vesely, Claude Massot, Amell, Laurence Lignières, Denise Péronne

Pierre Étaix’s delightful first feature received the Prix Louis Delluc, French cinema’s most prestigious award. The actor-director’s love of the great silent film comedians is evident in this gag-filled, almost dialogue-free tale of an astronomy geek (Étaix) who, under pressure from his parents, sets out to find himself a wife. Spurned by his family’s Swedish maid, and not content to settle for the hard-drinking brunette who attaches herself to him, our hero sets his sights on— and builds a shrine to — a chanteuse he espies on television. The find-a-bride-quick plot, of course, recalls Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances. As in many of his films, Étaix makes comic play with exaggerated sound effects. “A sight-gag soufflé — tasty, fluffy and French .... Étaix manages to combine the wobbly wistfulness of Chaplin, the deadpan pantomiming of Buster Keaton, and the jumping-jack gymnastics of Harold Lloyd” (Time magazine). “Very clever, inventive, and adroit ... Everything is in the magnificent tradition of silent comedy” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times). B&W, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 80 mins. PRECEDED BY

Rupture 7 France 1961. Directors: Pierre Étaix, Jean-Claude Carrière Cast: Pierre Étaix, Anne-Marie Royer, Anny Nelsen

Pierre Étaix’s debut short, co-written and co-directed with future screenwriting great (and frequent Buñuel collaborator) Jean-Claude Carrière, won the grand prize at Oberhausen, the renowned short film festival. After receiving a “Dear Jean” letter from his sweetie, a heartbroken man (Étaix) takes up pen, ink, and paper to reply. B&W, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 11 mins. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 – 8:00 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 – 5:00 PM SUNDAY, JANUARY 6 – 6:30 PM

“A master of screen comedy. He is every bit as worthy of study and praise as Tati, yet he is all but unknown today.” LEONARD MALTIN

Land of Milk and Honey 8 (Pays de Cocagne)

France 1974. Director: Pierre Étaix

In the aftermath of the social and political upheavals that rocked France in May 1968, comic actor-director Pierre Étaix set out with a documentary camera to get the lay of the land, and discovered the French ... on vacation! Étaix’s fifth feature-length work, distilled from more than 20 hours of vérité footage, is a bitingly funny, acutely observed “burlesque documentary” that plays with asynchronous sound as it captures holidaying citizens opining about music, marriage, the moon landing, advertising, eroticism, and other subjects. The surprisingly jaded tone, from an artist noted for his delightful comedy, may have reflected Étaix’s own disappointment at France’s failure to achieve positive change. French critics, by and large, were not amused: affronted by Étaix’s portrait of the country, they savaged Land of Milk and Honey. Combined with the film’s complete failure at the box office, it effectively ended Étaix’s feature-filmmaking career. Colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 74 mins. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 – 9:45 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 – 8:20 PM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 – 6:45 PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 – 8:25 PM

Tickets go on sale at the Box Office 30 minutes before the first show of the evening. Advance tickets are available for credit card purchase at www.cinematheque.bc.ca. Events, times, and prices are subject to change without notice.

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Los Angeles Plays Itself (p 6)

Kristina Talking Pictures (p 6)

8:10pm

8:20pm

Black Pond (p 21)

Hot Hot Hot (p 21)

STUDIO GHIBLI

DIM CINEMA

Steam of Life (p 21)

6:30pm

Bread and Circuses (p 21)

EUFF

One Way to Antibes (p 21)

4:30pm

EUFF

9:00pm

8:35pm

6:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Signal (p 22)

Sonny Boy (p 22)

Lost Persons Area (p 22) The Hunt (p 22)

6:30pm

EUFF

6:30pm

EUFF

The Foreigner (p 19)

Silence (p 19)

7:00pm

Nisos 2: The Hunt for the Lost Treasure (p 19)

8:30pm

EUFF

6:30pm

Children of the Green Dragon (p 19)

The Fatherless (p 19)

EUFF

Small Crime (p 18)

EUFF

Still (p 9)

7:30pm

FRAMES OF MIND

STUDIO GHIBLI

Waltzing Regitze (aka Memories of a Marriage) (p 22)

8:10pm

Home for the Weekend (p 22)

6:30pm

EUFF

Demons (p 20)

8:35pm

Fireheart: The Legend of Tadas Blinda (p 20)

6:30pm

EUFF

Rameau’s Nephew by Diderot (Thanx to Dennis Young) by Wilma Schoen (p 6)

6:30pm

Zabriskie Point (p 6)

Kristina Talking Pictures (p 6)

STATE OF MIND

8:50pm

8:30pm

Viva + Dyketactics (p 5)

6:30pm

STATE OF MIND

!Women Art Revolution + Near the Big Chakra (p 5)

9:00pm Winning Streak (p 18)

Small Crime (p 18)

STUDIO GHIBLI

Castle in the Sky (p 15)

8:45pm

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (p 14)

6:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

8:20pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (p 14)

8:50pm

Castle in the Sky (p 15)

6:30pm

Kiki’s Delivery Service (p 15)

4:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Lóve (p 21)

TBA (p 20)

8:20pm

6:30pm The Phantom Father (p 20)

Fear of Falling (p 20) The Strange Case of Angelica (p 20)

4:30pm

EUFF

6:30pm

EUFF

Polisse (p 19)

8:30pm

30 DECEMBER

6:30pm

EUFF Winning Streak (p 18)

Zabriskie Point (p 6)

9:00pm

Chinatown (p 5)

6:30pm

STATE OF MIND

6:30pm

EUFF

Chinatown (p 5)

8:35pm

Zabriskie Point (p 6)

6:30pm

STATE OF MIND

Viva + Dyketactics (p 5)

9:00pm

Chinatown (p 5)

!Women Art Revolution + Near the Big Chakra (p 5)

6:30pm

8:50pm

Here is Always Somewhere Else: The Disappearance of Bas Jan Ader (p 4)

Viva + Dyketactics (p 5)

STATE OF MIND

6:30pm

STATE OF MIND

SATURDAY

8:30pm

FRIDAY

!Women Art Revolution + Near the Big Chakra (p 5)

6:30pm

STATE OF MIND

THURSDAY

6:30pm

STATE OF MIND

Here is Always Somewhere Else: The Disappearance of Bas Jan Ader (p 4)

7:00pm

STATE OF MIND

WEDNESDAY

6:30pm

TUESDAY

4:30pm

EUFF

The Holy Assassin (p 8)

Los Angeles Plays Itself (p 6)

6:30pm

DIM CINEMA

STATE OF MIND

7:30pm

6:30pm

8:30pm

Chinatown (p 5)

Zabriskie Point (p 6)

4:00pm

STATE OF MIND

6:30pm

The India Trip (p 5)

5:15pm

STATE OF MIND

When the Wind Blows (p 7)

1:00pm

CINEMA SUNDAY

NOVEMBER 2-4

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER

SUNDAY

MONDAY

NOW PLAYING

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U P D AT E S & A D V A N C E T I C K E T S

Le Grand Amour + Happy Anniversary (p 11)

8:20pm

The Suitor + Rupture (p 11)

6:30pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Land of Milk and Honey (p 11)

8:20pm

As Long as You’re Healthy + Feeling Good (p 11)

6:45pm

The Suitor + Rupture (p 11)

5:00pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Only Yesterday (p 17)

2:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Spirited Away (p 16)

8:45pm

Howl’s Moving Castle (p 16)

6:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Le Grand Amour + Happy Anniversary (p 11)

4:00pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Princess Mononoke (p 16)

8:15pm

My Neighbour Totoro (p 15)

6:30pm

The Ocean Waves (p 15)

4:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

A Retro Animated Holiday Package (p 7)

1:00pm

CINEMA SUNDAY

8:30pm Porco Rosso (p 17)

8:00pm Howl’s Moving Castle (p 16)

Porco Rosso (p 17)

8:30pm

My Neighbours the Yamadas (p 17)

6:30pm

Pom Poko (p 17)

The Cat Returns (p 17)

STUDIO GHIBLI

6:15pm

6:30pm

604.688.8202 • theatre@theCinematheque.ca

More info: theCinematheque.ca/venue

The Cinematheque’s theatre can be rented on Tuesday nights and during the day seven days a week.

As Long as You’re Healthy + Feeling Good (p 11)

My Neighbours the Yamadas (p 17)

Yo Yo (p 11)

8:25pm

Le Grand Amour + Happy Anniversary (p 11)

6:30pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Only Yesterday (p 17)

8:20pm

Porco Rosso (p 17)

6:30pm

Pom Poko (p 17)

4:00pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

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8:25pm

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6:30pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX Yo Yo (p 11)

Land of Milk and Honey (p 11)

9:45pm

The Suitor + Rupture (p 11)

8:00pm

As Long as You’re Healthy + Feeling Good (p 11)

6:30pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Spirited Away (p 16)

4:00pm

Whisper of the Heart (p 16)

8:50pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Spirited Away (p 16)

6:30pm

Howl’s Moving Castle (p 16)

4:00pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

My Neighbour Totoro (p 15)

Le Grand Amour + Happy Anniversary (p 11)

9:00pm

Princess Mononoke (p 16)

6:30pm

8:25pm

Yo Yo (p 11)

6:30pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Princess Mononoke (p 16)

8:15pm

My Neighbour Totoro (p 15)

6:30pm

Only Yesterday (p 17)

6:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

2 NOVEMBER

The Cat Returns (p 17)

Whisper of the Heart (p 16)

4:30pm

4:20pm

2:15pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

Yo Yo (p 11)

8:25pm

Le Grand Amour + Happy Anniversary (p 11)

6:30pm

PIERRE ÉTAIX

Whisper of the Heart (p 16)

Kiki’s Delivery Service (p 15)

8:00pm

The Ocean Waves (p 15)

6:30pm

Spirited Away (p 16)

2:00pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

HOST YOUR EVENT HERE!

Closed for the Holidays

31 JANUARY

Closed for the Holidays

Is She or Isn’t He? (p 9)

My Neighbour Totoro (p 15)

FRAMES OF MIND

7:30pm

The Ocean Waves (p 15)

8:45pm

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (p 14)

9:00pm

Princess Mononoke (p 16)

6:30pm

STUDIO GHIBLI

(p 8)

Castle in the Sky (p 15)

The Colors that Combine to Make White are Important

Kiki’s Delivery Service (p 15)

8:30pm

7:30pm

6:30pm

NEW 35mm PRINTS!

ALL AGES

CASTLES IN THE SKY WELCO Membe

rship re for those quired 18+

Miyazaki, Takahata,

and the Masters of

Studio Ghibli Ȯȴȭ ȟȭ ɋɟ

SPONSORED B Y

The Cinematheque and the Vancity Theatre are pleased to co-host a major retrospective of the films of Studio Ghibli, the world-renowned anime studio founded in Tokyo in 1985 by animation directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Frequently referred to as the Disney of Japan, Studio Ghibli (pronounced “jib-lee” or “gee-buh-lee”) is known for startlingly original animated feature films that combine dazzling visual virtuosity, vivid characterizations, and epic storytelling. These include some of the most magical, most beloved animated movies ever made, including Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. Ghibli’s warm, intelligent, poetic films, often full of great flights of fancy that borrow from fairytale, folklore, and science fiction, are always grounded in a deeply-felt humanism that embraces family and community and believes in essential human goodness (despite considerable evidence of human folly), and in a deep concern for the environment and our relationship with nature. They typically feature strong female protagonists. Ghibli films, it is also worth noting, are still primarily (and lovingly) crafted the traditional way, through the labour-intensive, hand-drawn, frame-by-frame technique of cel animation. All Ghibli films presented at The Cinematheque will screen in the original Japanese-language versions with English subtitles. All Ghibli films presented at Vancity Theatre will screen in the English-dubbed versions. Our Cinematheque presentation includes two rare titles — Only Yesterday and The Ocean Waves — never released in North America. All Ghibli films (with the exception of The Ocean Waves) will be presented in new 35mm prints.

The Cinematheque welcomes all ages to this family-friendly presentation of the films of Studio Ghibli. All films in the series are rated G or PG (with the exception of Princess Mononoke and The Ocean Waves, which are 14A - under 14 requires adult accompaniment). Remember that all The Cinematheque’s Ghibli screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles!

᧖ Ǭ ᚁ Ǭ ȿțȬ Ƞ Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika)

Japan 1984. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Sumi Shimamoto, Gorô Naya, Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyôda, Ichirô Nagai

Hayao Miyazaki’s second feature was his breakthrough: it was the first film over which he had complete artistic control, and its great success led to the founding of Studio Ghibli. Nausicaä is considered by many to be Miyazaki’s masterwork — and there are few films, animated or otherwise, of such sweeping scope and grandeur. Set in a devastated future world decimated by atmospheric poisons and swarming with gigantic insects, Nausicaä is the story of a young princess, both brave and innocent, whose love for all living things and passionate determination to understand the processes of nature lead her into terrible danger, sacrifice, and eventual triumph. Like most Studio Ghibli films, there is neither good nor evil, but conflicting viewpoints, weaknesses, and power struggles. Throughout the film, Miyazaki’s animation is awe-inspiring; the depiction of the poisoned forest in particular is a thing of transcendent beauty. Once the hallucinogenic strangeness of shape and color has been accepted, there is light, growth, and life everywhere. Huge dragonfly-like creatures are accompanied by wonderful, evocative sounds of flight and movement. The lethal fungus plants glow, shimmer, and shed spores like silent gleaming snowfalls. A film not to be missed. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 116 mins. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 6:30 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8 – 8:50 PM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12 – 6:30 PM

‫ ٻ‬ᄗ Ǭ ؋ ɞɉɚȴ Castle in the Sky (Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta)

Japan 1986. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada, Fujio Tokita

Also known as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, the first film released under the Studio Ghibli banner remains one of Miyazaki’s most beautiful and exciting works. Sheeta, a young girl with a mysterious crystal pendant, falls out of the sky and into the arms and life of Pazu, a young mining engineer. Together they search for legendary Laputa, a floating island in the sky — and site of a long-dead civilization promising enormous wealth and power to those who can unlock its secrets. Castle in the Sky is an early masterpiece of storytelling and filmmaking whose imaginative and ornately-detailed vision presaged later Miyazaki achievements such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. “As exhilarating an eco fantasy as you’re likely to see ... Miyazaki’s first Studio Ghibli feature is a rollicking adventure in a world (or worlds) resolutely its own” (Time Out). “Castle in the Sky may be Miyazaki’s most purely enjoyable movie” (Film Comment). Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 124 mins. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 8:45 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 – 8:30 PM

RARE GHIBLI!

ൾ Ǌ ǋǑǆȉ The Ocean Waves (Umi ga kikoeru)

Japan 1993. Director: Tomomi Mochizuki Voices: Nobuo Tobita, Toshihiko Seki, Y�ko Sakamoto, Kae Araki, Yuri Amano, Jun’ichi Kanemaru

Rarely seen outside of Japan — it was never released in North America theatrically or on any home viewing format — The Ocean Waves is a subtle, poignant, and wonderfully detailed story of adolescence and teenage isolation. Taku and best friend Yutaka are headed back to school for what looks like another uneventful year. They soon find their friendship tested by the arrival of beautiful Rikako, a new transfer student from Tokyo. Rikako is mercurial and manipulative, with a temperament that vacillates wildly, from flirty and flippant to melancholic. When Taku joins her on a trip to Tokyo, the school erupts with rumours, and all three friends are forced to come to terms with their changing relationships. Ocean Waves was the first Studio Ghibli film directed by someone other than studio founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata; young director Tomomi Mochizuki headed a talented team of young Ghibli employees in creating this adaptation of Saeko Himuro’s best-selling novel. Full of shots bathed in a palette of pleasingly soft pastel colors and rich in the unexpected visual details typical of Ghibli’s most revered works, Ocean Waves is an accomplished teenage drama and a true discovery. Colour, Digibeta video, in Japanese with English subtitles. 72 mins.

᩻ ‫ڜ‬Ǭ‫͇࣓ ܙ‬ Kiki’s Delivery Service (Majo no takkyûbin)

Japan 1989. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Haruko Kato

Miyazaki’s lyrical, evocative coming-of-age tale is one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved films. Resourceful Kiki is a young witch-in-training; her best friend is Jiji, a chatty, wisecracking black cat. It is tradition that, upon turning 13, all apprentice witches leave family and home and set out into the wider world to find their path and learn their craft. When that time comes for Kiki, she and Jiji embark on flying broom, landing the next morning in a distant seaside city. There, Kiki uses her flying broom to establish a delivery service with a local baker, but self-doubt soon threatens both her aerial ability and her relationship with Jiji. Miyazaki’s art is brilliantly rendered in this delightfully imaginative film — a beautiful and timeless story of a young girl finding her way in the world. “A charmingly sweet fable ... It’s the director’s most emotionally naturalistic film, grounded in the adolescent rituals of finding one’s own feet in the world ... It’s also a visual joy, every frame a compositional delight” (Nick Bradshaw, Time Out). Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 102 mins. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8 – 4:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 – 6:30 PM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 – 8:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12 – 8:45 PM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 4:30 PM

UNDER 14 REQUIRES ADULT ACCOMPANIMENT

ǦǨȈǬȽȽɢ My Neighbour Totoro (Tonari no Totoro)

Japan 1988. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi, Hitoshi Takagi

Miyazaki’s most endearing film (and most endearing character) is almost certainly My Neighbour Totoro; few films have enjoyed such a devoted following or had such cultural impact (it was instrumental in introducing the glories of anime — and Miyazaki — to the world). Totoro is the deceptively simple tale of two girls, Satsuki and Mei, who move with their father to a house in the country while their mother is in hospital. They soon discover that the surrounding forests are home to a family of Totoros, gentle but powerful creatures who live in an ancient camphor tree and are seen only by children. These magical beings take the girls on spinning-top rides through the tree tops, and introduce them to a furry, multi-pawed Catbus. The latter is a nod to Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat; the Totoros, oversized panda-like creatures with bunny ears, are based on Miyazaki’s own childhood imaginings. Beneath the film’s playfulness and narrative simplicity lie depths of wisdom; My Neighbour Totoro is infused with an almost spiritual reverence for the power of nature (a philosophy tied to the ancient Shinto belief that every object in nature has a soul), and leaves viewers with a great sense of wonder at the beauty, mystery, and preciousness of the world around us. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 86 mins.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 – 6:30 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 – 9:00 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 6:30 PM MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 9:00 PM

The Cinematheque is grateful to Dave Jesteadt and GKIDS (New York) and Tom Charity, Vancity Theatre (Vancouver) for their great assistance in making this presentation possible. Program notes by (or adapted from) GKIDS, except where otherwise noted.

ҨǦҨ ‫ ݣ‬Ǭ Ⴞ ᤰǕ Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi)

Japan 2001. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Mari Natsuki

ȀǬ ǬǏ ‫ہ‬ Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime)

Japan 1997. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Sumi Shimamoto

One of Hayao Miyazaki’s peak achievements, Princess Mononoke is a landmark of animation and a film of unsurpassed power and beauty. Telling an epic story of conflict between humans, gods, and nature, the film has been universally acclaimed by critics and broke boxoffice records upon its original release in Japan. Many have noted its powerful environmentalist message. While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a curse that grants him superhuman power in battle but will eventually prove fatal. Traveling in search of a cure, he journeys deep into the sacred Great Forest, where he meets San, a young girl raised by wolf-gods. San is leader of the forest-gods in their battle against the humans of Iron Town; the townsfolk call her Princess Mononoke (“Monster”). In Miyazaki’s remarkable hands, she is a true force of nature — with blood smeared lips, riding bareback on a great white wolf, and warring with both gods and humans, she is as iconic a mythic figure as any from film, literature, or opera. “A great film ... one of the most visually inventive films I have ever seen” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 134 mins.

“A masterpiece, pure and simple” (Dave Kehr, New York Times), Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning Spirited Away was the biggest box-office hit of all time in Japan and helped redefine the possibilities of animation for North American audiences and a generation of new filmmakers. Wandering through an abandoned carnival site, 10-year-old Chihiro is separated from her parents. She stumbles into a dream-like spirit world, where a tyrannical witch puts her to work in a strange bathhouse for the gods. Encountering a vast menagerie of impossibly inventive characters — shape-shifting phantoms and spirits, some friendly, some less so — Chihiro must find the strength and smarts to escape her surroundings and return to her family. Combining Japanese mythology with Through the Looking - Glass - type whimsy, Spirited Away cemented Miyazaki’s reputation as an icon of inspired animation and wondrous, lyrical storytelling. In addition to its Oscar, it won the Golden Bear (top prize) at Berlin. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 125 mins. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 – 8:45 PM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 – 2:00 PM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 – 4:00 PM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 – 8:15 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 – 6:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 8:15 PM MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 6:30 PM UNDER 14 REQUIRES ADULT ACCOMPANIMENT

ዴ ȐǗǼǙ Ǯ Whisper of the Heart

Ʉțɠ Ǭ ѷǍ؋ Howl’s Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro)

Japan 2004. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Haruko Kato, Tatsuya Gashûin

Howl’s Moving Castle was the second Studio Ghibli film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (Spirited Away had been nominated — and won — three years before). Loosely based on the young-adult fantasy novel by Diane Wynn Jones, the film follows Sophie, a shy teenage girl working in a hat shop. Her life is thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome and mysterious wizard named Howl. This chance meeting arouses the jealousy of the vain, conniving Witch of the Waste, who transforms our young heroine into a 90-year -old woman! Embarking on an incredible adventure to lift this curse, Sophie finds refuge in Howl’s magical moving castle, and soon finds herself fighting to protect both the handsome wizard and herself from a dangerous, destructive war of sorcery that imperils their world. Howl’s Moving Castle became one of the most financially success Japanese films ever made. Its deeply-felt pacifism, Miyazaki has said, was inspired by his outrage over the U.S. war in Iraq. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 119 mins. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 – 4:00 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 – 6:30 PM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 – 8:00 PM

(Mimi wo sumaseba)

Japan 1995. Director: Yoshifumi Kondô Voices: Youko Honna, Kazuo Takahashi, Maiko Kayama, Yorie Yamashita, Takashi Tachibana

A visually-stunning wonder about the awakening of creative talent, Whisper of the Heart, written by Hayao Miyazaki, was the sole feature directed by Miyazaki’s protégé Yoshifumi Kondô before his sudden death at age of 47; it was also the first Studio Ghibli feature directed by someone other than Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. Aspiring writer Shizuku is spending her last summer vacation before high school reading as many books as she can and translating foreign music into Japanese. Perusing the eclectic choices she has checked out from the library, her curiosity is piqued when she notices that the name Seiji appears before hers on the checkout card of each book. Through a series of unlikely and magical incidents, she comes to meet and establish a connection with Seiji, a boy who dreams of becoming a famous violin maker in Italy. As their life goals pull them in different directions, Shizuku and Seiji are determined to remain true to their feelings for one another. A favourite of Terry Gilliam, Whisper of the Heart remains a classic of Japanese animation. The Baron, the film’s dapper, magical feline, appears again in The Cat Returns (also screening in this series), a spin-off. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 111 mins. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 – 8:50 PM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 – 4:20 PM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 – 2:15 PM

ᇺǬᚌ Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta)

༇ Ǭ ࣰ ឆǕ The Cat Returns (Neko no Ongaeshi)

Japan 2002. Director: Hiroyuki Morita Voices: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda, Hitomi Satô, Tetsu Watanabe

Japan 1992. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Voices: Shûichirô Moriyama, Tokiko Katô, Akio Ohtsuka, Akemi Okamura, Tsunehiko Kamijô

This unsung, delightfully bizarre treasure from Hayao Miyazaki nestles a tale of morality and identity inside a soaring airborne adventure — a tribute to early aviation and the reckless flyboys whose home was the open sky. Set between the World Wars in an Italy swept by Fascism, the film follows Marco, a world-weary flying ace who now plies his trade as a bounty hunter chasing air pirates above the Adriatic Sea. Somewhere in the past, a terrible curse gave Marco the head of a pig – a reflection, perhaps, of his loss of faith in humanity. Marco meets his polar opposite in Fio, a innocent, energetic 17-year-old girl who aspires to be an airplane designer. The two are catapulted into high-flying conflict involving air pirates, the Italian army, and an egotistical American flying ace. Miyazaki fans will be familiar with the writer-director’s fascination with flight; in Porco Rosso, Miyazaki indulges his passion to the fullest. An avid aviation buff, Miyazaki’s airplane designs conform scrupulously to the technology of the period. But most impressive are the exhilarating aerial scenes: sweeping panoramas of wind, cloud, smoke and water and the breathtaking feeling of soaring though the air in an open cockpit. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 94 mins.

The great popular success of Studio Ghibli’s schoolgirl fantasy/romance Whisper of the Heart lead to this spin-off, which revived the suave, tophatted cat character called The Baron and placed him in a wonderful new adventure also involving a Japanese schoolgirl. The film’s protagonist is awkward teen Haru; the plot pitches her into a fantastical feline world that will test all her strength. Walking home after a dreary day at school, Haru saves a cat about to be hit by a speeding truck. To her amazement, the creature gets up on its hind legs, brushes itself off, and thanks her very politely. This is strange behaviour indeed, but nothing compared to what happens later that evening, when the King of Cats shows up in a feline motorcade replete with vassals, maidens, and even Secret Service cats. In a show of gratitude for saving his son’s life, the king cat showers Haru with gifts — including a large supply of individually-wrapped live mice — and decrees that she THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 – 8:30 PM shall marry the cat prince and come to live as a princess in the secret Kingdom of SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 – 6:30 PM Cats. The Cat Returns was the first feature directed by second-generation Ghibli WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 – 8:30 PM animator Hiroyuki Morita. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. © 1991 Hotaru Okamoto - Yuko Tone – GNH; 75 mins.

RARE GHIBLI!

ǈȀǰǥ ǻ ȋǻ ȋ

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 – 6:30 PM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 – 4:30 PM

Only Yesterday (Omohide Poro Poro)

࠙ ও ໹ ӿ ঞ ǻ ȑ ǻǑ

Pom Poko

(Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko) Japan 1994. Director: Isao Takahata Voices: Shinchô Kokontei, Makoto Nonomura, Takehiro Murata, Shigeru Izumiya, Nijiko Kiyokawa

In this brilliant and often overlooked Studio Ghibli masterpiece directed by Isao Takahata, the forests are filled with groups of magical, mischievous tanuki — the raccoon dogs capable, according to Japanese folklore, of shape-shifting into practically any form. Pom Poko’s deceptively cuddly tanuki spend their days playing idly in the hillsides and squabbling over food. When the construction of a huge new Tokyo suburb clears a nearby forest and threatens their home and way of life, the tanuki rally to defend themselves. They embark on a guerrilla campaign to spook the construction workers into believing the site is haunted. It all culminates in a spectacular night-time spirit parade, with thousands of ghosts, dragons, and other magical creatures descending on the city — an abundance of fantastical characters that would not be matched on screen by Studio Ghibli until Spirited Away. “A rollicking mix of daffy cartoon hijinks and melancholy realism ... It’s also a eulogy to Japan’s rich folk culture, and a delightful celebration of the arts of play and transformation, animated or otherwise” (Nick Bradshaw, Time Out). Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 119 mins.

Japan 1991. Director: Isao Takahata Voices: Miki Imai, Toshirô Yanagiba, Youko Honna, Masako Watanabe, Masahiro Ito

Directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata and produced by Hayao Miyazaki, Only Yesterday is one of two films in our Studio Ghibli retrospective that were never released in North America on any format (the other is The Ocean Waves). Only Yesterday is a double period piece that beautifully evokes both the 1960s and 1980s; it is also a quintessential drama of Japanese school-day nostalgia. Bored twentysomething Taeko, realizing she’s at a crossroads in her life, heads for the countryside. The trip dredges up forgotten childhood memories which unfold in flashback: the first immature stirrings of romance; the onset of puberty; and the frustrations of math and boys. In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self. Studio Ghibli is known for its strong female heroines, from Nausicaä and Mononoke to Kiki to Ponyo — but this charming tale of self-discovery may delve deeper into the real emotional experiences of girls and women than perhaps any animated film before or since. Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 118 mins. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 – 8:20 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 – 2:30 PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 3 – 6:30 PM

ɐɭɐȦȢɜǦǨȈǬ ‫ྀ ޏ‬Ǎȑ

My Neighbours the Yamadas (Hôhokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun)

Japan 1999. Director: Isao Takahata Voices: Tôru Masuoka, Yukiji Asaoka, Masako Araki, Hayato Isohata, Naomi Uno

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 – 6:15 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 – 4:00 PM

In a departure from the frequently mythical storytelling of Studio Ghibli, director Isao Takahata wryly tweaks the everyday activities of family life with his depiction of the irresponsible, slovenly, and lazy Yamada family and their unassuming way of life. With cartoon-like characters and visual design unlike anything else in the Ghibli canon, the film is illustrated in a series of rough sketches and outlines, which are then filled with soft colors that evoke watercolour painting. My Neighbours the Yamadas is based on a yonkoma (comic-strip) manga by Hisaichi Ishii, and was the first Ghibli film to be created entirely on computers, an approach Takahata took in order to achieve its watercolour look. “A rarely-seen gem ... A delightfully offbeat example of Ghibli’s focus on the intricacies of human relationships and the intersections of past and present” (TIFF Cinematheque). Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 104 mins. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 – 6:30 PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 3 – 8:45 PM

“EUROPE WITHOUT THE JETLAG”

15TH ANNUAL

EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL eufilmfestival.com UPDATES, TRAILERS, ADVANCE TICKETS

Congratulations to the European Union, Winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize! “The European Union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe ... The stabilizing part played by the EU has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.” - from the citation of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Oslo, 12 October 2012

The European Union Film Festival, Vancouver’s annual finger-on-the-pulse showcase of acclaimed new and recent films from across greater Europe, turns 15 in 2012 — and the European Union wins the Nobel Peace Prize! A coincidence? Well, sure, but plenty of reason to celebrate! Our 2012 festival spotlights entries from 26 of the European Union’s 27 member states (the exception is tiny Malta). Each country has carte blanche to choose the film that will represent them. Their selections this year include a wealth of family dramas, historical sagas, social satires, caper films, romantic comedies, quirky gems, impressive art-house cinema, national hits, international award-winners, new films by leading directors, first features by notable emerging talents, several official Oscar submissions, an acclaimed documentary, and, for the first time, a revival of a European classic. And, given that not one but two films (one from Finland, one from Luxembourg) are about saunas (!), please indulge us when we say that our 2012 festival promises to be, as every year, a hothouse of lively, provocative, stimulating, entertaining, dynamic, and diverse European filmmaking at its best. The European Union Film Festival is presented in Vancouver by The Cinematheque and the Embassies, Consulates, and Cultural Institutes of the member states of the European Union.

Acknowledgements: The European Union Film Festival originated in Ottawa, where it is organized by the Canadian Film Institute in conjunction with the Delegation of the European Union to Canada and the member states of the European Union. For their assistance in making this Vancouver presentation possible, Pacific Cinémathèque wishes to thank Diodora Bucur, Press Officer, Delegation of the European Union to Canada (Ottawa); Tom McSorley, Executive Director, Canadian Film Institute (Ottawa); and the Embassies, Consulates, and Cultural Institutes of all E.U. member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom. For their kind support in organizing this year’s festival celebration during the current Cyprus presidency of the European Union, we are grateful to the Consulate of the Republic of Cyprus in Vancouver.

CYPRUS

SPAIN

SMALL CRIME

WINNING STREAK

(Mikro eglima)

(The Pelayos)

Spain 2012. Director: Eduard Cortés Cast: Daniel Brühl, Lluís Homar, Miguel Angel Silvestre, Oriol Villa, Blanca Suárez

A first-rate Spanish cast heads this entertaining, Ocean’s Eleven-style beat-the-casino caper film, based on a terrific true-life, high-risk story. The Pelayos, as they were known, were a down-on-their-luck family that discovered an infallible — and legal — method to hit the jackpot. Exploiting the imperfections of the roulette wheel, they won big at casinos around the world. Lluís Homar (Almodóvar’s Bad Education and Broken Embraces) plays the family patriarch. Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds, Goodbye Lenin!) is his son and lieutenant. “Based on an incredible true story, Eduard Cortés’s film is about loyalty and the bonds of a family ... With a witty script and very fine performances by the cast, Cortés manages to keep the tension high throughout this action-comedy-love film” (London Spanish Film Festival). Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Spanish with English subtitles. 101 mins. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 – 6:30 PM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 – 9:00 PM

OPENING NIGHT SPONSORED BY

Cyprus/Greece/Germany 2008. Director: Christos Georgiou Cast: Aris Servetalis, Vicky Papadopoulou, Antonis Katsaris, Rania Ekonomidou, Errikos Litsis

“In the tradition of charming, characterdriven comedies such as Local Hero, the sprightly romp Small Crime — the appealing second feature from Cyprusborn, Athens-based director Christos Georgiou (Under the Stars) — centres on a tightly-wound novice cop assigned to a sleepy Greek island where nothing much happens and everyone knows everyone else’s business. Frustrated policeman Leonidas (Aris Servetalis) longs to be reassigned to Athens. He’s tired of doing nothing except tell naked tourists to put on their clothes. Leonidas’ life changes when Zacharias (Antonis Katsaris), the local drunk, turns up dead. The unexplained death offers a puzzle for him to solve, and introduces him to Angeliki (Vicky Papadopoulou), the island’s most famous former citizen, now a successful talk-show hostess. As Leonidas investigates, each new bit of information sparks a potential scenario in his hyperactive imagination, visualized by director Georgiou to increasing comic effect ... Georgiou proves himself a dab hand at romantic comedy, drawing winning performances from his two attractive leads” (Alissa Simon, Variety). Colour, DVD, in Greek with English subtitles. 85 mins. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 – 8:30 PM SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 – 4:30 PM

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FRANCE

BULGARIA

POLISSE

THE FOREIGNER

“A powerhouse of emotional jolts, freewheeling comedy, and sociallyminded storytelling” (Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter), Polisse, the third feature written and directed by single-named French actress Maïwenn, won the Jury Prize (the third-highest honour) at Cannes last year. “This extensive portrayal of officers working in a Parisian Child Protection Unit is packed with raw energy and visceral performances from an accomplished cast ... Like a whole season of The Wire packed into a single two-hour-plus film, Polisse covers much ground, and even with its loose threads and frenzied structure, it convincingly jumps from laughter to tears and back again, never losing sight of the brutal realities at its core ... From its opening scene, the film presents the difficulties in distinguishing truth from speculation in child sex abuse cases, especially when kids and parents offer conflicting testimonies or take issue with police workers poking into their private lives. Maïwenn herself plays Melissa, the timid photographer who’s been commissioned by the Interior Ministry to document the unit’s activities” (Mintzer). “Honest, unruly, gripping ... Illuminates French society with a toughness and fidelity that few other recent movies have dared” (A. O. Scott, New York Times). Colour, 35mm, in French, Italian, Romanian, and Arabic with English subtitles. 127 mins.

The directorial debut of popular Bulgarian actor and (male) model Niki Iliev is a boy-meets-girl romantic comedy of clashing European Union cultures. Frenchman Gerard (Lubomir Kovatchev), travelling in Bulgaria, meets country girl Magdalena (Sanya Borisova), a hot-tempered beauty with unrefined manners. Smitten, Gerard seeks to acquaint himself with Magdalena’s family, friends, and home village. His cluelessness about local customs, character, and language leads to comic misunderstandings and mishaps — and maybe one serious international incident. Director Iliev, who also wrote the script, co-stars as Kalin, Gerard’s best friend. The well-known French actor Christopher Lambert (Highlander) has a role. Female lead Borisova was recently seen in the Bulgarian-shot Expendables 2 — as “Village Woman 6”! “A romantic comedy in the spirit of the French films from the ’60s and ’70s but with a modern pace, adventurous spirit, and hilarious twists” (Sofia I.F.F.). Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Bulgarian with English subtitles. 100 mins.

France 2011. Director: Maïwenn Cast: Karin Viard, Joeystarr, Marina Foïs, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Maïwenn

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 – 6:30 PM

Bulgaria 2012. Director: Niki Iliev Cast: Lubomir Kovatchev, Sanya Borisova, Niki Iliev, Valentin Goshev, Elen Koleva

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 – 7:00 PM

AUSTRIA

THE FATHERLESS GREECE

NISOS 2: THE HUNT FOR THE LOST TREASURE (Nisos 2: To kynigi tou hamenou thisavrou)

Greece 2011. Director: Antonis Aggelpoulos Cast: Vladimiros Kiriakidis, Mihalis Marinos, Dimitris Tzoumakis, Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos, Eleni Kastani, Zeta Douka

“The larger-than-life comedy Nisos 2 is a sequel to the 2010 Greek hit Nisos (The Island), and offers plenty of laughs on its own as it continues the fun with some unexpected twists and grotesque situations. Fast forward five years, and the ‘heroes’ from The Island, Babis (Vladimiros Kiriakidis) and Afroditi (Zeta Douka), prepare for release from jail. A long-term inmate starts blabbing about the existence of a treasure trove on the island that dates back to the Ottoman occupation, which, of course, tweaks their interest. Various ‘alliances’ and spurious friendships emerge as they search for the buried treasure and reunite with lovable islanders and an apparent ghost. With a pictureperfect Cycladic backdrop, Nisos 2 propagates what Christos Dimas’s original box-office smash did so well, although with Antonis Aggelopoulos now ably holding the directorial reins” (Greek Film Festival, Australia). Colour, in Greek with English subtitles. 109 mins.

(Die Vaterlosen)

Austria 2011. Director: Marie Kreutzer Cast: Andrea Wenzl, Andreas Kiendl, Emily Cox, Philipp Hochmair, Marion Mitterhammer

“In a large, run-down house in the idyllic Austrian countryside — which, back in the ’80s, was the site of a sexually-liberated commune — Hans, the charismatic former commune leader, dies, attended by his oldest son, who never got the approval he craved. In writer-director Marie Kreutzer’s amazingly assured first film, Hans’s four adult children — one of whom, Kyra, has not seen her siblings in 23 years — reunite for his funeral and thrash out their complicated and conflicting feelings about their childhoods, uncovering buried secrets. With novelistic richness, Kreutzer’s drama examines the fallout from a failed utopian dream and the consequences of unbridled freedom” (Los Angeles F.F.). “Though at first glance chock full of clichés — the pot, wine, vinyl records, unopened childhood letters, family secrets, etc. — Kreutzer enlivens the material by ensuring each of her characters is a recognizable individual ... She wisely broadens her film by investigating in a more general way the concepts of family and freedom, and how the two are, uh, related” (Boyd van Hoeij, Variety). Colour, 35mm, in German with English subtitles. 105 mins. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 – 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 – 6:30 PM

IRELAND

SILENCE

Ireland/Germany 2012. Director: Pat Collins Cast: Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde, Hilary O’Shaughnessy, Andrew Bennett, Jens K. Müller, Patrick O’Connor

“Prolific Cork-based documentarian Pat Collins possesses a restless curiosity, coupled with a poetic eye for the small moments — something that informs this feature debut, of sorts. We say ‘of sorts’ because Silence boldly defies categorisation at every turn. The film has been described as both meditation and odyssey, tracing the psycho-geographical journey undertaken by an enigmatic soundman (writer and co-scenarist Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde) from his adopted city of Berlin to his native Donegal. His undertaking is to aurally document landscapes free from man-made noise — a journey that ultimately leads our protagonist inwards, as he finds himself drawn to his childhood home. Navigating a unique path betwixt fiction and documentary, this film is by turns haunting and utterly beguiling; reference points might include Kiarostami, Apichatpong, and Terrence Malick. Ultimately, however, this is unlike anything else you’ll see this year — a deeply immersive experience from a major Irish filmmaker” (Derek O’Connor, Irish Film Institute). “A haunting film ... Hugely enjoyable” (Irish Examiner). Colour. 84 mins.

HUNGARY

CHILDREN OF THE GREEN DRAGON (A zöld sárkány gyermekei)

Hungary 2010. Director: Bence Miklauzic Cast: Zoltán Rátóti, Yu Debin, Eszter Bánfalvy, Ferenc Lengyel, Attila Egyed,

The unlikely friendship between two lonely men from different cultures is imperilled by business and love in director Bence Miklauzic’s charming Children of the Green Dragon. Máté (Zoltán Rátóti), divorced and forlorn, is a struggling Budapest real estate agent. Wu (Yu Debin) is a Chinese immigrant who guards and lives in a warehouse stocked with imported Chinese goods. An odd friendship develops between the two, and Yu helps Máté get back on track. Then Máté is ordered by his boss to sell the warehouse or else; Wu is told by his own boss to prevent the sale or else. Complicating things more is the introduction of Regina (Eszter Bánfalvy), the pizza delivery woman both men fall for. “A touching film, exploring the themes of loneliness and friendship in today’s world ... Green Dragon boasts excellent acting from all involved ... The wonderful cinematography by János Vecsernyés frames a great story in a beautiful way” (Raindance Film Festival, London). Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Hungarian, Mandarin, and Chinese with English subtitles, 89 mins. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 – 8:30 PM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26 – 7:00 PM

LITHUANIA

FIREHEART: THE LEGEND OF TADAS BLINDA

ROMANIA

Lithuania 2011. Director: Donatas Ulvydas Cast: Mantas Jankavicˇius, Agne Ditkovskyte, Antanas Šurna, Andrius Kaniava, Vidas Petkevicˇius

Romania 2011. Director: Lucian Georgescu Cast: Marcel Iures, Mihaela Sîrbu, Valer Delakeza, Mihai Constantin, Mimi Branescu

(Tadas Blinda: Pradžia)

Smashing all previous box-office records in Lithuania — it was seen by 10% of the country’s population in the first five months of its release — Fireheart: The Legend of Tadas Blinda is a glossy, colourful historical epic that dramatizes the true-life exploits of Lithuania’s own Robin Hood. Tadas Blinda was a patriotic hero who led an uprising against the Russian Empire and its brutal army in the 19th century. Director Donatas Ulvydas’s film is set in the 1860s. Mantas Jankavicˇ ius plays Tadas, who was born a serf but feels destined for greater things. Agne Ditkovskyte is Kristina, beautiful daughter of a powerful landowner. Both Tadas and Kristina realize that their blossoming romance, across class barriers, is probably doomed. When an innocent village celebration turns into a terrible massacre, Tadas finds his destiny as a rebel leader, but is also torn between his duty to the men he leads and his love for the daughter of a man who is now his sworn enemy. Colour, Bluray Disc, in Lithuanian with English subtitles. 110 mins.

THE PHANTOM FATHER (Tata˘ l fantoma˘ )

Tagged as “Stranger than Paradise meets Wild East Cinema Paradiso,” Romanian writer-director Lucian Georgescu’s comedic road movie is loosely based on a short story by American cult author Barry Gifford, whose writings have been the basis for two David Lynch films, Wild at Heart and Lost Highway. Gifford himself has a small role; Romanian actor Marcel Iures has the lead as an American academic — son of a famous novelist and nephew of a notorious Chicago mobster — who travels to the Old World in search of his Jewish family’s roots. He encounters an attractive government archivist (Mihaela Sîrbu), and searches for an aging film projectionist (Valer Delakeza) who may hold the key to family secrets. “Like many other films of the Romanian New Wave, atmosphere, texture, and character are more important than story. Veteran actor Marcel Iures is commanding [and has] magnetic presence... At heart The Phantom Father is a gentle road comedy, complete with moments that border on slapstick” (Rob Christopher, Chicagoist). Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Romanian with English subtitles. 90 mins.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29 – 6:30 PM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 – 8:20 PM

ESTONIA

POLAND

DEMONS

FEAR OF FALLING

Estonia 2012. Director: Ain Mäeots Cast: Tambet Tuisk, Ain Lutsepp, Ene Järvis, Evelin Võigemast, Mait Malmsten, Eva Püssa

Poland 2011. Director: Bartosz Konopka Cast: Marcin Dorocin´ ski, Krzysztof Stroin´ ski, Magdalena Popławska, Dorota Kolak, Anna Dymna

(Deemonid)

Gambling, addiction, and the demons within are the subjects of this tragicomic drama, the sophomore feature of Estonian director Ain Mäeots, whose debut Taarka, a profile of the legendary folksinger Hilana Taarka, screened in our 2008 European Union Film Festival. The film relates the stories of Joko (Tambet Tuisk), Ants (Ain Lutsepp), and Reeda (Ene Järvis), three very different people from very different backgrounds, but otherwise three “completely normal” individuals. Each has their own good reasons for venturing into a casino; not one is remotely aware of the demon existing inside them, or of the depths of hell into which they, and their loved ones, are about to plunge. Demons screened at the 2012 Montreal World Film Festival earlier this year. Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Estonian with English subtitles, 118 mins. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29 – 8:35 PM

(Lek wysokos´ ci)

Mending a broken father-son relationship is complicated by mental illness in the feature debut of award-winning Polish filmmaker Bartosz Konopka, whose documentary short Rabbit à la Berlin was nominated for a 2010 Academy Award. “After receiving a call from the psychiatric hospital in his provincial hometown, TV newsman Tomasz (Marcin Dorocin´ ski) dutifully drives 300 kilometres from Warsaw to visit his long-estranged father (Krzysztof Stroin ´ ski, effectively disturbed). At first he tries to sell the older man’s apartment out from under him, but later, overwhelmed by guilt and memories of happier times, he springs him from the locked ward for some male bonding in the mountains. Meanwhile, Tomasz’s increasingly erratic behaviour doesn’t sit well with his pregnant wife (Magdalena Popławska) or his employers” (Alissa Simon, Variety). Fear of Falling won Best Debut Director honours at the annual Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Polish with English subtitles. 87 mins. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 4:30 PM

PORTUGAL

THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA

ITALY

Portugal/Spain/France/Brazil 2010. Director: Manoel de Oliveira Cast: Ricardo Trêpa, Pilar López de Ayala, Leonor Silveira, Luís Miguel Cintra, Ana Maria Magalhães

TBA

(O Estranho Caso de Angélica)

Portuguese centenarian Manoel de Oliveira, who turns 104 in December, is the cinema’s oldest active director — and, more importantly, one of its great masters. The Strange Case of Angelica, Oliveira’s 30th feature, is one of his most rapturous achievements. Part ghostly romance, part magical rumination on art, illusion, beauty, love, and death, the film is set in Oliveira’s beloved Douro Valley, and unfolds in a strangely timeless present. Ricardo Trêpa (Oliveira’s grandson) plays Isaac, a young Jewish photographer summoned in the middle of the night to take a posthumous portrait of Angelica (Pilar López de Ayala), newly deceased daughter of a wealthy Catholic family. Gazing through his viewfinder at the dead blonde beauty, Isaac seems to witness something truly miraculous, and finds himself falling under a powerful spell. Set to the music of Chopin, Oliveira’s beautiful, beguiling film casts its own powerful spell and is an extraordinary gift to cinephiles. Oliveira was the subject of a Pacific Cinémathèque retrospective in 2008, when he was a mere 99½. Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Portuguese with English subtitles. 94 mins. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 – 6:30 PM

Please visit eufilmfesival.com for updates. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 6:30 PM

SLOVENIA SLOVAKIA

LÓVE

BREAD AND CIRCUSES (Kruha in iger)

Slovakia/Czech Republic 2011. Director: Jakub Kroner Cast: Michal Nemtuda, Kristína Svarinská, Jakub Gogál, Dušan Cinkota, Samuel Spisák

Slovenia 2011. Director: Klemen Dvornik Cast: Jonas Žnidaršicˇ, Peter Musevski, Saša Pavcˇ ek, Jurij Drevenšek, Janez Škof

Young Slovak director Jakub Kroner (b. 1987) had a major (and unexpected) homegrown hit with his low-budget debut feature Bratislavafilm, now one of Slovakia’s top-ten grossing domestic films of all time. Lóve, his follow up, has been another big success. The title plays with the fact that “lóve,” in Slovak slang, can also mean money. The protagonist of this Bratislava-set drama/romance is Mato (Michal Nemtuda), who, along with roommate and old friend Tomáš (Jakub Gogál), makes a decent living stealing cars. When Mato falls for respectable university student Veronika (Kristína Svarinská), he doesn’t dare tell her the truth about his livelihood. Mato resolves to change his criminal ways — but only after one last big score. Director Kroner deliberately set out to make a film with, for, and about young people; his cast and crew were, for the most part, all between ages of 25 and 30. Lóve was, at home, the most-seen Slovak film of 2011. Colour, DVD, in Slovak with English subtitles. 90 mins.

Slovenia’s small but impressive national cinema has been generating some international buzz for well over a decade. Bread and Circuses, an award-winning new feature directed by Klemen Dvornik, is a quirky, nostalgic comedy set in Slovenia just prior to the beginning of the end of communist Yugoslavia. “The sharply ironic comedy Bread and Circuses provides further evidence that the smallest of the ex-Yugoslav republics continues to punch above its weight in cinematic terms. Set in the late 1980s, it revolves around the bickering Novak family — the dad played by Slovenia’s leading actor, the wonderfully schlubby Peter Musevski — who visit the Slovene capital Ljubljana for the recording of a TV game-show. Inside knowledge of late-Yugoslav culture and politics isn’t necessary in order to enjoy this dryly amusing — and occasionally laugh-out-loud hilarious — skewering of showbiz hypocrisies and middle-class pretensions, which landed four prizes [including the Audience Award] at Slovenia’s national film festival last autumn” (Bradford [U.K.] I.F.F.) Colour, in Slovenian with English subtitles. 94 mins.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 8:20 PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 – 8:20 PM

SWEDEN

ONE WAY T0 ANTIBES

UNITED KINGDOM

Sweden 2011. Director: Richard Hobert Cast: Sven-Bertil Taube, Rebecca Ferguson, Dan Ekborg, Malin Morgan, Anna Azcárate

United Kingdom 2011. Directors: Tom Kingsley, Will Sharpe Cast: Amanda Hadingue, Anna O’Grady, Chris Langham, Colin Hurley, Helen Cripps

(En enkel till Antibes)

Sven-Bertil Taube won the Swedish Oscar for Best Actor for his lead performance in One Way to Antibes, veteran writer-director (and onetime Ingmar Bergman Prize winner) Richard Hobert’s affecting and life-affirming drama. Taube plays frail, half-blind, but still sharp George, a widower and pensioner who realizes that his children are scheming to get their greedy hands on his assets. When he also catches his young housekeeper Maria (Rebecca Ferguson) stealing from him, George hits upon a plan of counterattack, and blackmails Maria into helping him out-manoeuvre his kids. It may be, George realizes, that the worst thing isn’t “not being loved by your parents,” but “not being loved by your children.” But he must also reckon with the likelihood that he is not blameless on this account either. The film’s veteran cinematographer, Jens Fischer, is the son of renowned Bergman cameraman Gunnar Fischer, while actor Taube, also a veteran, is the son of Evert Taube, the legendary Swedish singer-songwriter. Colour, 35mm, in Swedish with English subtitles. 105 mins.

BLACK POND

A deadpan, deeply weird black comedy in which an unhappy suburban family crosses paths with a disturbed stranger, the indie feature Black Pond — BAFTA nominated for Best Debut — “bodes very well for the future careers of co-writing and co-directing partners Will Sharpe, an actor who appears here, and Tom Kingsley, a director of commercials and music videos ... and could become a cult item” (Leslie Felperin, Variety). It also marks the screen return of disgraced Brit comedian Chris Langham after his release from prison. “If [ex-Pink Floyd] Syd Barrett had ever written and directed a movie, it might well have looked like this: an indie tragicomedy from the dark heart of rural suburbia ... Black Pond is funny, dreamily lyrical, armour-plated with eccentric self-confidence, and also intensely English. It also, I have to say, has one of the most disturbing dream sequences I have seen for a while ... Black Pond is really good: haunting, melancholy and strange” (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian). Colour, 83 mins. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 – 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 – 4:30 PM

FINLAND LUXEMBOURG

HOT HOT HOT

Luxembourg/Belgium/Austria 2011. Director: Beryl Koltz Cast: Rob Stanley, Joanna Scanlan, Gary Cady, Amber Doyle

A shy, awkward introvert gets life lessons in hedonism, sensuality, and stark-naked revelry in first-timer Beryl Koltz’s quirky, colourful, English-language comedy, winner of the 2011 Luxembourg Film Prize. Fortysomething Ferdinand (Rob Stanley) loves his job at Fish Land, part of a massive theme park called Worlds Apart. He’s passionate about aquatic creatures, and relates to them better than he does to people. But when Fish Land closes for renovations and Ferdinand is transferred to the Turkish Delight Spa — a nude sauna! — he’s a fish out of water indeed in his Hot Hot Hot new surroundings. “For all the sexrelated humour, this Luxembourgian comedy is quite innocent — in fact, it often plays like a fairy tale. Writer-director Koltz makes each of the sauna employees a charming eccentric, and she’s generous enough in her direction that none of them (except for the hot-headed boss) comes across as a mere caricature. Imagine The Shop Around the Corner rewritten by a bunch of Playboy cartoonists” (Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader). Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in English. 93 mins. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 – 6:30 PM

STEAM OF LIFE (Miesten vuoro)

Finland 2010. Directors: Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen With: Timo Aalto, Martti Åhman, Pekka Ahonen, Aarne Aksila, Mauno Alasuutari

The Finnish sauna is the forum for remarkable candour and conversation by naked men in Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s revelatory documentary, the first nonfiction work ever chosen to represent Finland in the Foreign Language Film race at the Oscars. “A delicate, poetic, and soulful portrayal of masculinity ... In the warm glow of rusty stoves and steaming stones, numerous men share touching stories of love, death, birth, and friendship, and in the process cleanse themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Their revealing confessions argue that when we are at our most natural and vulnerable, we are also at our most human. Punctuated by surprising and light-hearted interludes and vast shots of nature that reflect the men’s newfound serenity and balance, Steam of Life is an exceptionally intimate and reflective film about the healing catharsis of conversation” (Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival). Colour, HDCAM, in Finnish with English subtitles. 81 mins. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 – 8:10 PM

CZECH REPUBLIC BELGIUM

LOST PERSONS AREA

SIGNAL (Signál)

Belgium/Hungary/Netherlands/Germany/France 2009. Director: Caroline Strubbe Cast: Zoltán Miklós Hajdu, Kimke Desart, Lisbeth Gruwez, Sam Louwyck, Rik Van Uffelen

Czech Republic 2012. Director: Tomáš Rˇ ehorˇek Cast: Vojtech Dyk, Kryštof Hádek, Boleslav Polívka, Karel Roden

The films of Wim Wenders and Michelangelo Antonioni are touchstones for Flemish writerdirector Caroline Strubbe’s feature debut, a tale of loneliness and alienation set in a Red Desert-like Industrial wasteland. Marcus, foreman of a crew that maintains high-tension power lines, lives with Bettina, bored operator of a canteen, and Tessa, their eccentric and more-or-less neglected young daughter. When Marcus hires handsome Hungarian engineer Szabolcs, it begins to change the dynamics of everyone’s lives — particularly in the aftermath of a tragic accident. Strubbe’s moody, highly personal film won the screenplay award in the Critic’s Week at Cannes. “Intimate and mysterious ... Not easy to sum up ... It offers reflections of solitude, feelings of disquiet and longings, all observed through a searching, roving camera ... Lost Persons Area is a subtle drama about restless people’s search for happiness” (Karlovy Vary I.F.F.). Colour, in English, Flemish, Dutch, and Hungarian with English subtitles. 109 mins.

In Czech director Tomáš Rˇ ehorˇ ek’s amiable new comedy, two rascals from the city arouse the hopes — and the greed — of a sleepy village when they claim to be seeking a suitable site for a transmission tower that would bring cell-phone service to the isolated community. “Kája and Filip bamboozle the locals, including a police officer, with lies about the planned transmitter. But their practical joke, their desire to let loose a little, becomes a burden the young men will have a hard time shaking off. The village’s charms involve more than just relaxation and a few capers; they also include lovelorn and irritable characters whose anger explodes when they discover that their newly inspired hope is a complete fake. This dynamic picture offers up myriad memorable characters as it contemplates the absence of morals evident not only in the shenanigans of young city folk Kája and Filip but also in the country dwellers’ behaviour: they dream a lot but do little” (Karlovy Vary I.F.F.). Colour, DVD, in Czech with English subtitles. 113 mins.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4 – 6:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 – 9:00 PM

GERMANY LATVIA

THE HUNT (Medibas)

Latvia 2009. Director: Andis Mizišs Cast: Rolands Zagorskis, Guna Zarina, Andris Keišs, Jana Sekste, Artuss Kaimins

“A congenial country bar is ground zero — and the town cop gradually proves the missing link — in director Andis Mizišs’s cryptic comedy-drama, made up of four open-ended stories. A hunting party sets out on an early fall morning. An irritable deliveryman adds a lethal ingredient to a shipment of local brew. Marathon runners get lost in the woods. A home for unwed mothers based in a railroad car makes its daily pass along the tracks. Chance is the determining factor in this surreal story, and Mizišs has a knack for maintaining a magical edge” (Barbara Scharres, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago). Colour, in Latvian with English subtitles. 80 mins. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4 – 8:35 PM

HOME FOR THE WEEKEND (Was bleibt)

Germany 2012. Director: Hans-Christian Schmid Cast: Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch, Sebastian Zimmler, Ernst Stötzner, Picco von Groote

Hans-Christian Schmid’s ensemble family drama, screened in competition at Berlin and more recently at VIFF, has won acclaim for its superb performances, intelligent observation, and complex, admirably low-key storytelling. Berlin writer Marko, young son Zowie in tow, heads out of town for one of his infrequent visits to his affluent parents. Marko hasn’t yet told them that he and Zowie’s mom have separated; Marko’s parents, for their part, have unexpected announcements of their own, not least the alarming news that Marko’s mother, unstable for decades, has decided go off her meds! Meanwhile, Marko’s resentful brother Jakob, a dentist, has got himself in financial trouble. The smart script is by Bernd Lange, who also penned Schmid’s multiple-award-winning Requiem (2006). The score is by German indie band The Notwist. “Absorbingly detailed ... Melancholy, affecting, and tender ... How refreshing to see a family-in-crisis drama in which the usual angst and hysteria take a backseat to quiet perceptiveness and sensitivity” (David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter). Colour, 35mm, in German with English subtitles. 85 mins. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 – 6:30 PM

THE NETHERLANDS

SONNY BOY

DENMARK

The official Dutch submission to the 2012 Oscars was this true-life tale of a forbidden interracial romance in the period before and during the Second World War. “Offering a sweeping epic encompassing the years 1911– 1945, this eagerly anticipated screen version of the best-selling novel by Annejet van der Zijl tells the real-life love story of a mixed-race couple and their struggle to survive and help others in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Flaunting bourgeois morality and early 20th-century conventions, free spirit Rika leaves her unfaithful husband and takes up residence in The Hague. In order to survive, she rents out a spare room in her house to the university student Waldemar, a bright young man from Dutch Guyana (Suriname) who is suffering deeply in racist Holland. Soon Rika and Waldemar fall in love. They have a son, nicknamed ‘Sonny Boy’ (Palm Springs I.F.F.). “Impressive scale ... Lush cinematography ... A traditional film [that] also happens to be a good movie” (Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter). Colour, Beta SP video, in Dutch with English subtitles. 132 mins.

(Dansen med Regitze)

The Netherlands 2011. Director: Maria Peters Cast: Ricky Koole, Sergio Hasselbaink, Marcel Hensema, Frits Lambrechts, Angelo Arnhem

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 – 6:30 PM

WALTZING REGITZE (AKA MEMORIES OF A MARRIAGE) Denmark 1989. Director: Kaspar Rostrup Cast: Frits Helmuth, Mikael Helmuth, Ghita Nørby, Rikke Bendsen, Henning Moritzen

Denmark’s entry in this year’s European Union Film Festival is a classic. Waltzing Regitze was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1990; it has recently been revived for retrospectives of Danish cinema across Europe. The film dates from a prominent peak of prestigious Denmark cinema in the late 1980s; its Oscar nod followed major international prizes and success for Babette’s Feast and Pelle the Conqueror. (Danish cinema would shortly head in radical new directions, and even greater global conquest and influence, with the advent of Lars von Trier and the Dogme movement.) Based on a popular Danish novel by Martha Christensen, and directed by Kaspar Rostrup, this moving, bittersweet, quietly beautiful work charts the course of the nearly fifty-year marriage of Regitze (Ghita Nørby) and Karl Age (Frits Helmuth), a working-class couple. As they gather for an annual summer get-together with family and friends, flashbacks reveal the happinesses and hardships that have marked their enduring time together. Colour, Blu-ray Disc, in Danish with English subtitles. 90 mins. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 – 8:10 PM

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