Films & Schedules - History

Ávila’s partly autobiographical account of his upbringing is a moving portrait of adolescent life in politically tumultuous 1970s Argentina. After years of exile, 12-year-old Juan and his family cautiously return to Buenos Aires with fake identities. Juan’s parents are members of the Montoneros organization, fighting against the ruling military junta. His friends at school know him as Ernesto, and as he tries to make friends and lead a normal life, he knows his life depends on him not forgetting who he really is. Ávila’s powerful portrait of childhood innocence at odds with life-or-death political ideals won the Casa de America...

Ávila’s partly autobiographical account of his upbringing is a moving portrait of adolescent life in politically tumultuous 1970s Argentina. After years of exile, 12-year-old Juan and his family cautiously return to Buenos Aires with fake identities. Juan’s parents are members of the Montoneros organization, fighting against the ruling military junta. His friends at school know him as Ernesto, and as he tries to make friends and lead a normal life, he knows his life depends on him not forgetting who he really is. Ávila’s powerful portrait of childhood innocence at odds with life-or-death political ideals won the Casa de America Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and is this year’s Argentine submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (112 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by OPB.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, Spanish Language, History.

The best way to escape from your pursuers without leaving any traces behind you is to walk backwards over your own footprints. This is what French artist and author François Augiéras (1925–1971) believed as he painted every inch of the walls of a military bunker in the desert and let it sink into the sand so that no one would find it until the 21st century. But who is Augiéras? A legionary, painter, writer, gunman, saint, thief, devil, or a mix of all this? Catalan filmmaker Lacuesta and one of Spain’s foremost living artists, Miquel Barceló, guide us through the...

The best way to escape from your pursuers without leaving any traces behind you is to walk backwards over your own footprints. This is what French artist and author François Augiéras (1925–1971) believed as he painted every inch of the walls of a military bunker in the desert and let it sink into the sand so that no one would find it until the 21st century. But who is Augiéras? A legionary, painter, writer, gunman, saint, thief, devil, or a mix of all this? Catalan filmmaker Lacuesta and one of Spain’s foremost living artists, Miquel Barceló, guide us through the Mali desert in search of a fresco painted by Augiéras in this gorgeous film that won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. (86 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Legend of Time (06), The Condemned (09)

In French and Bombarian with English subtitles.

Co-sponsored and organized by PRAGDA with support from the Embassy of Spain, Washington; American Airlines; and the Secretary of State for Culture-Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, French Language, History.

Following the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Soviet-appointed prime minister—a very paranoid János Kádár—orders that each and every national security office’s loyalty be tested according to new and rigorous directives. András supervises a network of civilians spying on their neighbors and coworkers. But little does he know that the government is now monitoring him as well. His superiors have chosen Christmas Eve to implement “the exam,” a procedure designed to challenge an agent’s loyalty without his or her knowledge. The problem with finding surprises is that you may find surprises. Bergendy’s sardonic thriller twists and turns through a world where...

Following the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Soviet-appointed prime minister—a very paranoid János Kádár—orders that each and every national security office’s loyalty be tested according to new and rigorous directives. András supervises a network of civilians spying on their neighbors and coworkers. But little does he know that the government is now monitoring him as well. His superiors have chosen Christmas Eve to implement “the exam,” a procedure designed to challenge an agent’s loyalty without his or her knowledge. The problem with finding surprises is that you may find surprises. Bergendy’s sardonic thriller twists and turns through a world where nothing can be taken for granted and personal loyalty is subservient to survival. (89 mins.)

Filmography: Stop Mom Theresa! (04)

Winner of the New Directors Prize at the Chicago International Film Festival.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History.

Von Trotta’s film is an intelligent and powerful dramatization of the life of the philosopher and writer Hannah Arendt, whose The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) made her famous in philosophical circles before her controversial chronicle in The New Yorker of Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s 1961 trial for war crimes shot her to broader international celebrity. Focusing on the Eichmann era, Barbara Sukowa perfectly embodies the academic Arendt, who observes that it is the ordinariness of Eichmann (“He looks like a nobody”) that leads her to fashion her most startling concept—the “banality of evil”—while her reporting on collaborating German Jews causes a...

Von Trotta’s film is an intelligent and powerful dramatization of the life of the philosopher and writer Hannah Arendt, whose The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) made her famous in philosophical circles before her controversial chronicle in The New Yorker of Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s 1961 trial for war crimes shot her to broader international celebrity. Focusing on the Eichmann era, Barbara Sukowa perfectly embodies the academic Arendt, who observes that it is the ordinariness of Eichmann (“He looks like a nobody”) that leads her to fashion her most startling concept—the “banality of evil”—while her reporting on collaborating German Jews causes a firestorm of protest. “What could have been a dry, intellectually ponderous film is given flesh and blood, resulting in a drama that is both stirring and emotionally rewarding.”—London Film Festival (113 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (78), Sister, or The Balance of Happiness (79), Rosa Luxemburg (86), The Promise (95), Rosenstrasse (03)

Sponsored by Zeitgeist Northwest.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, German Language, History, Literature.

Adapted from the novel by Vasili Bykov, Loznitsa’s film is a sobering meditation on the complicated moral decisions faced by both soldiers and citizens during wartime. Set in Nazi-occupied Belarus, the story begins with the hanging of three villagers for conspiring against their German oppressors. Later, Sushenya—a man spared by the Germans—is visited by two resistance fighters who intend to execute him for presumed collaboration with the Nazis. But their plan is interrupted by enemy fire and all three men become unwilling companions on an evasive trek through the forest. Through flashbacks, Loznitsa closely examines how each of the men...

Adapted from the novel by Vasili Bykov, Loznitsa’s film is a sobering meditation on the complicated moral decisions faced by both soldiers and citizens during wartime. Set in Nazi-occupied Belarus, the story begins with the hanging of three villagers for conspiring against their German oppressors. Later, Sushenya—a man spared by the Germans—is visited by two resistance fighters who intend to execute him for presumed collaboration with the Nazis. But their plan is interrupted by enemy fire and all three men become unwilling companions on an evasive trek through the forest. Through flashbacks, Loznitsa closely examines how each of the men reached this point in the chaos of war and their different responses. “An intense, slow-burning, and haunting drama [...] shrouded in the fog of war, the fog of fear, and the fathomless fog of European history.”—The Guardian (127 mins.)

Selected Filmography: My Joy (10)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History, Literature.

Thor Heyerdahl’s intrepid 1947 journey across the Pacific on a primitive raft, made famous by his own book and documentary, comes alive in this spirited, visually dazzling epic. Ethnographer Heyerdahl (who couldn’t swim and had never sailed!), along with a motley crew, constructs a hemp and balsa wood raft inspired by the pre-Columbian Incas as a means of proving his theory that the Polynesian Islands were settled by South Americans crossing the 4,000-mile Pacific. What follows is the Peru-to-Polynesia excursion, which co-directors Rønning and Sandberg—employing a crew of hundreds and technological magic—fill with high-seas adventure and nail-biting suspense, set against...

Thor Heyerdahl’s intrepid 1947 journey across the Pacific on a primitive raft, made famous by his own book and documentary, comes alive in this spirited, visually dazzling epic. Ethnographer Heyerdahl (who couldn’t swim and had never sailed!), along with a motley crew, constructs a hemp and balsa wood raft inspired by the pre-Columbian Incas as a means of proving his theory that the Polynesian Islands were settled by South Americans crossing the 4,000-mile Pacific. What follows is the Peru-to-Polynesia excursion, which co-directors Rønning and Sandberg—employing a crew of hundreds and technological magic—fill with high-seas adventure and nail-biting suspense, set against majestic cinematography and the vastness of the ocean. (118 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Bandidas (06), Max Manus: Man of War (08)

This year’s Norwegian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Sponsored by the Norwegian Consulate General, San Francisco.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, History, Literature.

The Last Sentence is a biographical drama chronicling the career of celebrated Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt, who conducted his own crusading campaign against the Nazis while navigating a fraught personal life. Officially neutral, Sweden’s leaders did their best to silence Segerstedt, fearing German reprisal, especially as the journalist began inciting the ire of top Nazi officials. Troell adds an element of the supernatural as Segerstedt is visited by the ghosts of his lovers, something that, rather than haunting him, gives him bleak pleasure in a chaotic world. Reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, The Last Sentence tells a melancholic tale...

The Last Sentence is a biographical drama chronicling the career of celebrated Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt, who conducted his own crusading campaign against the Nazis while navigating a fraught personal life. Officially neutral, Sweden’s leaders did their best to silence Segerstedt, fearing German reprisal, especially as the journalist began inciting the ire of top Nazi officials. Troell adds an element of the supernatural as Segerstedt is visited by the ghosts of his lovers, something that, rather than haunting him, gives him bleak pleasure in a chaotic world. Reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, The Last Sentence tells a melancholic tale about aging, told through the story of a man of great importance to Swedish journalism and politics. (126 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Emigrants (71), Flight of the Eagle (82), Hamsun (96), As White as in Snow (01), Everlasting Moments (08)

Winner of the New Director Award at the Montreal Film Festival.

Sponsored by New Sweden and the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History.

Lore explores the tribulations faced by the young in the aftermath of World War II. When their Nazi SS parents are arrested by the Allies, five siblings are suddenly left to fend for themselves. Teenaged Lore, the oldest, takes charge, and the children set out on foot to join their grandmother in Hamburg, 500 miles away. Along the arduous journey, they encounter a populace suffering from postwar denial and deprivation and for the first time are exposed to the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. The children meet Thomas, a young Jewish survivor who helps them negotiate their way...

Lore explores the tribulations faced by the young in the aftermath of World War II. When their Nazi SS parents are arrested by the Allies, five siblings are suddenly left to fend for themselves. Teenaged Lore, the oldest, takes charge, and the children set out on foot to join their grandmother in Hamburg, 500 miles away. Along the arduous journey, they encounter a populace suffering from postwar denial and deprivation and for the first time are exposed to the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. The children meet Thomas, a young Jewish survivor who helps them negotiate their way but who by their teaching is the enemy, despite his help and allure. A moving film about guilt, for-giveness, and survival, Lore is this year’s Australian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (109 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Somersault (04)

In German with English subtitles.

Sponsored by Lamar Transit Advertising.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, German Language, History.

On a hot summer day in a vacant Madrid during a period of social and political transition in Spain, Miguel, a feared and respected journalist, sets up a meeting in a café with Ángela, a young journalism student. He takes her to a friend’s studio. His intentions are clearly sexual; hers are less clear. Chance events force them together for more time than they would have chosen, and the pair, who represent polarized generations, are pitted in a witty, sensual, but unevenly matched duel involving age, intellect, ambition, and experience. The political and social context of the period provides the...

On a hot summer day in a vacant Madrid during a period of social and political transition in Spain, Miguel, a feared and respected journalist, sets up a meeting in a café with Ángela, a young journalism student. He takes her to a friend’s studio. His intentions are clearly sexual; hers are less clear. Chance events force them together for more time than they would have chosen, and the pair, who represent polarized generations, are pitted in a witty, sensual, but unevenly matched duel involving age, intellect, ambition, and experience. The political and social context of the period provides the background to the power shifts that continually take place between them over 24 hours. (104 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Good Life (96), Soldiers of Salamina (03), Welcome Home (06)

Co-sponsored and organized by PRAGDA with support from the Embassy of Spain, Washington; American Airlines; and the Secretary of State for Culture-Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Spanish Language, History.

This remarkable documentary explores the untold story behind “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. Anonymously published in 1932 in the New York Herald Tribune, the photograph of immigrant workmen taking their lunch perched on a girder high above New York City on the 69th floor of Rockefeller Center symbolized an era. After exhaustive research, including interviews with archivists, photographers, and historians, Cualáín eventually uncovers compelling evidence that a few of the photo’s subjects may have roots in the small village of ... Part homage, part investigation, this is the beautiful tale of...

This remarkable documentary explores the untold story behind “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper,” one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. Anonymously published in 1932 in the New York Herald Tribune, the photograph of immigrant workmen taking their lunch perched on a girder high above New York City on the 69th floor of Rockefeller Center symbolized an era. After exhaustive research, including interviews with archivists, photographers, and historians, Cualáín eventually uncovers compelling evidence that a few of the photo’s subjects may have roots in the small village of ... Part homage, part investigation, this is the beautiful tale of an American icon, an unprecedented race to the sky, and the immigrant workers who built New York City. (80 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Maírtín Ó Cadhain: King of Words (06)

Sponsored by Pro Photo Supply.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: History, Documentary.

Exploring the moral and spiritual costs of the rule of Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, No follows the exploits of René Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), a clever advertising executive appointed by the opposing coalition to spearhead the “no” campaign in the 1988 referendum. Intent on revealing Pinochet’s human rights atrocities, Saavedra insists that the way to overcome voter fear is with glitzy, jingle-filled spots that promise that “no” is simply a vote for “happiness.” Liberally peppered with black comedy, the film reveals not only the hypocrisy of the regime but that of the left-leaning opposition and the cynical advertising world...

Exploring the moral and spiritual costs of the rule of Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, No follows the exploits of René Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), a clever advertising executive appointed by the opposing coalition to spearhead the “no” campaign in the 1988 referendum. Intent on revealing Pinochet’s human rights atrocities, Saavedra insists that the way to overcome voter fear is with glitzy, jingle-filled spots that promise that “no” is simply a vote for “happiness.” Liberally peppered with black comedy, the film reveals not only the hypocrisy of the regime but that of the left-leaning opposition and the cynical advertising world manipulations as well. Shooting on video cameras used during the era allows Larraín to seamlessly blend archival footage and to visually riff on the aesthetics of the microwave and soft drink commercials appropriated for the campaign. (118 mins.)

Filmography: Fuga (06), Tony Manero (08), Post Mortem (10)

This year’s Chilean submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Sponsored by Alaska Airlines.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Spanish Language, History.

This year’s Japanese submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar tells the moving story of a family divided by the historic political conflicts between Korea and Japan. During Japan’s colonial rule of Korea before World War II, thousands of Koreans were brought to Japan where they suffered painful discrimination. After the war, thousands chose to be repatriated to North Korea in hope of a better life. Few managed to escape their fateful choice. Japanese-Korean director Yong-hi Yang, born in Japan but from a North Korean family, tells the story of her brother Son-ho, who after living in North Korea...

This year’s Japanese submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar tells the moving story of a family divided by the historic political conflicts between Korea and Japan. During Japan’s colonial rule of Korea before World War II, thousands of Koreans were brought to Japan where they suffered painful discrimination. After the war, thousands chose to be repatriated to North Korea in hope of a better life. Few managed to escape their fateful choice. Japanese-Korean director Yong-hi Yang, born in Japan but from a North Korean family, tells the story of her brother Son-ho, who after living in North Korea for 25 years after leaving Japan at age 16, is given rare permission to visit his Japanese family and receive specialized medical care. Under the tense surveillance of a North Korean agent, Son-ho must come to grips with whether he has a place in either culture. (100 mins.)

Filmography: Dear Pyongyang (05), Sona, the Other Myself (09)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, Asian, History.

Giordana’s engrossing tale of terrorism, conspiracy, and deceit is based on a devastating true story set within decades of Italian political violence and resistance. A bomb goes off at a Milan bank in December 1969, killing 17 and wounding dozens of others. Detective Luigi Calabresi heads up the investigation of the crime, which many in the government want to pin on the anarchist left. Unconvinced, Calabresi wants to investigate the shadowy organizations on the neo-fascist right, including possible CIA connections. But after a key suspect meets an untimely death, the clock starts ticking for Calabresi as a malevolent, Machiavellian labyrinth...

Giordana’s engrossing tale of terrorism, conspiracy, and deceit is based on a devastating true story set within decades of Italian political violence and resistance. A bomb goes off at a Milan bank in December 1969, killing 17 and wounding dozens of others. Detective Luigi Calabresi heads up the investigation of the crime, which many in the government want to pin on the anarchist left. Unconvinced, Calabresi wants to investigate the shadowy organizations on the neo-fascist right, including possible CIA connections. But after a key suspect meets an untimely death, the clock starts ticking for Calabresi as a malevolent, Machiavellian labyrinth of deceit by extremists, police, informants, and spies envelopes the investigation. (129 mins.)

Selected Filmography: One Hundred Steps (00), The Best of Youth (03), Sanguepazzo (08)

Sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco and the Italian Film Commission, Los Angeles.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History.

The South of France, 1915: 74-year-old Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet) still paints every day, despite the pains of old age and the loss of his dear wife. The arrival of a new 15-year-old model, Andrée (Christa Theret), brings an incandescent energy into the household, inspiring not only Renoir le père’s painting but also stirring the passions of les filses Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and Claude (Thomas Doret). Against the backdrop of World War I, the film locates a fascinating moment of change, one century’s way of thinking giving way to the next, and the passing of the torch from a great...

The South of France, 1915: 74-year-old Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet) still paints every day, despite the pains of old age and the loss of his dear wife. The arrival of a new 15-year-old model, Andrée (Christa Theret), brings an incandescent energy into the household, inspiring not only Renoir le père’s painting but also stirring the passions of les filses Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and Claude (Thomas Doret). Against the backdrop of World War I, the film locates a fascinating moment of change, one century’s way of thinking giving way to the next, and the passing of the torch from a great painter to the great filmmaker of such classics as Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game. (111 mins.)

Selected Filmography: A Sight For Sore Eyes (03), Afterwards (08)

Featured as the Closing Night Film of the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

Sponsored by Your Own French Home, the Alliance Française de Portland, and TV5Monde.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, French Language, Art, History.

Assayas’s evocative portrait of the upheaval in France in the early 1970s is seen through the eyes of a group of youth living in suburban Paris amidst a whirlwind of new politics, art, and sex. Gilles is a high school student torn between left-wing activism and his aspiration to become a painter or filmmaker. He and his friends take to the streets in running battles with the police, continuing the struggle that in May 1968 took France to the brink of revolution. When someone is badly injured, Gilles and his friends must flee to Italy, where they live a bohemian...

Assayas’s evocative portrait of the upheaval in France in the early 1970s is seen through the eyes of a group of youth living in suburban Paris amidst a whirlwind of new politics, art, and sex. Gilles is a high school student torn between left-wing activism and his aspiration to become a painter or filmmaker. He and his friends take to the streets in running battles with the police, continuing the struggle that in May 1968 took France to the brink of revolution. When someone is badly injured, Gilles and his friends must flee to Italy, where they live a bohemian life drifting between parties, rallies, and agitprop film screenings. But while politics are central, the group discovers that at their age, everything is mutable, every day holds new possibilities, and life awaits the curious … (122 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Irma Vep (96), Les Destinées (00), Boarding Gate (07), Summer Hours (08)

Winner of the Best Screenplay Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Sponsored by TV5Monde and King Estate Winery.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, French Language, Art, History.

Skateboarding becomes a metaphor for freedom in this love letter to the subversive power of youth. In East Germany in the 1980s, for three teens—Nico, Dirk, and Dennis—life in the GDR was dominated by skateboarding. But in a nation where “the streets were not for playing around,” skating was as much a revolutionary act of defiance as it was a spectacular sport. Using a clutch of priceless Super-8 films, animations, reenactments, and archival footage, all set against a delirious punk soundtrack, This Ain’t California follows the three through adolescence and into adulthood on the eve of reunification. Through the lenses...

Skateboarding becomes a metaphor for freedom in this love letter to the subversive power of youth. In East Germany in the 1980s, for three teens—Nico, Dirk, and Dennis—life in the GDR was dominated by skateboarding. But in a nation where “the streets were not for playing around,” skating was as much a revolutionary act of defiance as it was a spectacular sport. Using a clutch of priceless Super-8 films, animations, reenactments, and archival footage, all set against a delirious punk soundtrack, This Ain’t California follows the three through adolescence and into adulthood on the eve of reunification. Through the lenses of the skater kids amongst the Stasi comes a rare, stylishly witty glimpse into East Berlin counterculture. (90 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by Zeitgeist Northwest.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, German Language, History, Documentary.

World War II is drawing to a close. Furious fighting is exhausting both the Soviet and Nazi forces. The more the Soviet army advances, the more often “White Tiger,” a huge, indestructible Nazi tank, appears on the battlefield. Emerging from the smoke of combat, it ruthlessly destroys the adversary and then swiftly vanishes. The Soviets decide they must build an extraordinary tank—with a team headed by a commander who was nearly burnt alive. Although he no longer remembers his own name, he has gained the ability to understand the mystical language of tanks ... The pursuit of the monster begins....

World War II is drawing to a close. Furious fighting is exhausting both the Soviet and Nazi forces. The more the Soviet army advances, the more often “White Tiger,” a huge, indestructible Nazi tank, appears on the battlefield. Emerging from the smoke of combat, it ruthlessly destroys the adversary and then swiftly vanishes. The Soviets decide they must build an extraordinary tank—with a team headed by a commander who was nearly burnt alive. Although he no longer remembers his own name, he has gained the ability to understand the mystical language of tanks ... The pursuit of the monster begins. Who will win in this duel? “This strange, potent war movie plays like Moby Dick on the Eastern front, with a score by Richard Wagner. The strong aesthetic and suspenseful action sequences should wow audiences worldwide.”—Variety (104 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Jazzman (84), American Daughter (95), The Rider Named Death (04), Ward No. 6 (09)

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, History.