Films & Schedules - Sunday, February 21, 2016

Total running time: 85 mins.

Interests: Shorts.

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BEAR STORY

DIRECTOR: Gabriel Osorio - (Chile)

An old, melancholy bear tells his life story through a mechanical diorama. (11 mins.)

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DISCIPLINE

DIRECTOR: Christophe M. Saber - (Switzerland)

In a moment of anger in a grocery store, a father loses patience and disciplines his disobedient child. As shocked customers intervene, the discussion gradually gets out of hand. (11 mins.)

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HOW I DIDN'T BECOME A PIANO PLAYER

DIRECTOR: Tommaso Pitta - (United Kingdom)

Nine-year-old Ted can't find anything he's really good at until his father comes home with an old piano. Suddenly, it's clear: he'll become the next Mozart. (18 mins.)

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INTERVIEW WITH A FREE MAN

DIRECTOR: Nicolas Lévesque - (Canada)

Three men are interviewed for a job that might offer them a new start in life, and as the questions grow more pointed, their answers become increasingly revealing. (9 mins.)

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LOVE IN THE TIME OF MARCH MADNESS

DIRECTOR: Melissa Johnson, Robertino Zambrano - (Australia)

The awkward misadventures of a 6'4" tall woman who is a star on the basketball court but struggles to find true love. (9 mins.)

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RAMONA

DIRECTOR: Andrei Cretulescu - (Romania)

One girl. One car. One night. No coincidence. (25 mins.)

Writer-director Slávek Horák’s mother, a home care nurse, inspired the central character of this insightful feature debut. Working in the Czech wine country, nurse Vlasta (Alena Mihulová, awarded Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival) puts the needs of her patients, husband Lá?a, and daughter above her own – until an accident puts her on the receiving end of the healthcare system. “Wryly humorous and bittersweet, Home Care is an appealing humanist tale that puts a poignant spin on that perennial staple of the Czech cinema, the village dramedy.”—Alissa Simon, Variety. (92 mins.)

Writer-director Slávek Horák’s mother, a home care nurse, inspired the central character of this insightful feature debut. Working in the Czech wine country, nurse Vlasta (Alena Mihulová, awarded Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival) puts the needs of her patients, husband Lá?a, and daughter above her own – until an accident puts her on the receiving end of the healthcare system. “Wryly humorous and bittersweet, Home Care is an appealing humanist tale that puts a poignant spin on that perennial staple of the Czech cinema, the village dramedy.”—Alissa Simon, Variety. (92 mins.)

First feature

Interests: New Directors, Oscar Submissions.

Set against the magnificent mountains of southern Ethiopia, Lamb is heartwarming and visually stunning coming-of-age fable about a boy learning to come to terms with profound loss. After the death of his mother, nine-year-old Ephraim is taken from his drought-stricken home and placed in the care of his uncle, a hard-working peasant farmer. Ephraim and his pet sheep Chuni are inseparable, spending all their time playing together. When he learns that Chuni will be sacrificially slaughtered at the next religious feast, Ephraim decides that he must take drastic action to save his only friend, even if that means returning home....

Set against the magnificent mountains of southern Ethiopia, Lamb is heartwarming and visually stunning coming-of-age fable about a boy learning to come to terms with profound loss. After the death of his mother, nine-year-old Ephraim is taken from his drought-stricken home and placed in the care of his uncle, a hard-working peasant farmer. Ephraim and his pet sheep Chuni are inseparable, spending all their time playing together. When he learns that Chuni will be sacrificially slaughtered at the next religious feast, Ephraim decides that he must take drastic action to save his only friend, even if that means returning home. (94 mins.)

First feature

Interests: New Directors.

A testament to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit, Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical group that plays instruments made entirely out of garbage. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is suddenly catapulted into the global spotlight. Under the guidance of idealistic music director Favio Chavez, the band must learn to navigate a strange new world of arenas and sold-out concerts. However, when a natural disaster strikes their country, Favio must find a way to keep the orchestra intact and provide a source of hope for their town....

A testament to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit, Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical group that plays instruments made entirely out of garbage. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is suddenly catapulted into the global spotlight. Under the guidance of idealistic music director Favio Chavez, the band must learn to navigate a strange new world of arenas and sold-out concerts. However, when a natural disaster strikes their country, Favio must find a way to keep the orchestra intact and provide a source of hope for their town. In Spanish with English Subtitles. (84 mins.)

Filmography: El Canto de Bosawas (2014)

Varone’s warm and funny South American road trip opens up a world of understanding between two strangers. Unemployed and adrift, Sebas decides to become a private driver almost on a whim. When an elderly client, Jalil, offers him a large sum to drive him to La Paz, Sebas can’t refuse and the two set off on an epic 2,000 mile, life-changing journey. Jalil is a devout Muslim, something that initially makes Sebas very uncomfortable, but little by little life on the road brings the two men closer together. (92 mins.)

Varone’s warm and funny South American road trip opens up a world of understanding between two strangers. Unemployed and adrift, Sebas decides to become a private driver almost on a whim. When an elderly client, Jalil, offers him a large sum to drive him to La Paz, Sebas can’t refuse and the two set off on an epic 2,000 mile, life-changing journey. Jalil is a devout Muslim, something that initially makes Sebas very uncomfortable, but little by little life on the road brings the two men closer together. (92 mins.)

First feature

Interests: New Directors.

For Dr. Hisham Bismar, a successful hand surgeon in the United States, images of wounded Syrian refugees flowing across international borders compels action. Hisham’s journey serves as a portal into a tragic conflict and remarkable people working to save lives at great personal risk. (39 min.)

WITH

OPEN YOUR EYES
DIRECTOR: Irene Taylor Brodsky - UNITED STATES

Living under the Himalayan sun, their eyes have slowly gone milky white. Manisara and Durga have cataracts, and their mountain home in Nepal has become a warren of darkness. Shot over three days, Open Your Eyes follows their extraordinary journey down the mountain for a chance...

For Dr. Hisham Bismar, a successful hand surgeon in the United States, images of wounded Syrian refugees flowing across international borders compels action. Hisham’s journey serves as a portal into a tragic conflict and remarkable people working to save lives at great personal risk. (39 min.)

WITH

OPEN YOUR EYES
DIRECTOR: Irene Taylor Brodsky - UNITED STATES

Living under the Himalayan sun, their eyes have slowly gone milky white. Manisara and Durga have cataracts, and their mountain home in Nepal has become a warren of darkness. Shot over three days, Open Your Eyes follows their extraordinary journey down the mountain for a chance to see again. (34 mins.)

Directors Irene Taylor Brodsky and Skye Fitzgerald in attendance. Join us after the screening for a reception with Irene Taylor Brodsky hosted by HBO.

2015    

Interests: Oscar Submissions.

Living under the Himalayan sun, their eyes have slowly gone milky white. Manisara and Durga have cataracts, and their mountain home in Nepal has become a warren of darkness. Shot over three days, Open Your Eyes follows their extraordinary journey down the mountain for a chance to see again. (34 mins.)

WITH
50 Feet From Syria
Skye Fitzgerald | Portland  
For Dr. Hisham Bismar, a successful hand surgeon in the United States, images of wounded Syrian refugees flowing across international borders compels action. Hisham’s journey serves as a portal into a tragic conflict and remarkable people working to save...

Living under the Himalayan sun, their eyes have slowly gone milky white. Manisara and Durga have cataracts, and their mountain home in Nepal has become a warren of darkness. Shot over three days, Open Your Eyes follows their extraordinary journey down the mountain for a chance to see again. (34 mins.)

WITH
50 Feet From Syria
Skye Fitzgerald | Portland  
For Dr. Hisham Bismar, a successful hand surgeon in the United States, images of wounded Syrian refugees flowing across international borders compels action. Hisham’s journey serves as a portal into a tragic conflict and remarkable people working to save lives at great personal risk. (39 min.)

 

Directors Irene Taylor Brodsky and Skye Fitzgerald in attendance. Join us after the screening for a reception with Irene Taylor Brodsky hosted by HBO.

Filmography: One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp (2014), Saving Pelican 895 (2011), Hear and Now (2007)

Interests: Documentary Views.

The Electro-Nuclear City was once part of an ambitious Soviet/Cuban venture to build the first nuclear power station the Caribbean. But the fall of the Soviet Union brought the project to a halt, leaving dismal blocks of worker’s apartments in the shadow of reminding enormous dome towers. Drifting effortlessly between raw psychological realism and dreamy surrealism and loaded with unique Cuban archive footage, Quintela portrays three generations of Cubans left to carry ?on waiting for “the project of the century.” (100 mins.)

The Electro-Nuclear City was once part of an ambitious Soviet/Cuban venture to build the first nuclear power station the Caribbean. But the fall of the Soviet Union brought the project to a halt, leaving dismal blocks of worker’s apartments in the shadow of reminding enormous dome towers. Drifting effortlessly between raw psychological realism and dreamy surrealism and loaded with unique Cuban archive footage, Quintela portrays three generations of Cubans left to carry ?on waiting for “the project of the century.” (100 mins.)

Filmography: La piscina (2011)

Film director Ham arrives in Suwon a day early for a screening and speaking engagement. Roaming about, he meets a much younger artist named Yoon and they spend the day together in conversation, winding up at a café where things turn awkward. Hong then rewinds the story, telling it again with subtle differences and a different outcome, playfully playing with the alluring possibility of love going down two different paths, one bitter, one sweet. Winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, Hong’s meditation on male behavior, social graces, and the complexity of communication provides compelling viewing. (121...

Fiery French chef Georges Perrier is on a crusade to save his world-renowned 40-year-old Philadelphia restaurant Le Bec-Fin from closing. For decades, Perrier was on top of the world and Le Bec-Fin was consistently rated as one of the best restaurants in the country. But times and tastes have changed: what was once cutting edge is now out of favor. Frankel captures the mastery in the kitchen and charisma on the dining room floor, and has us rooting for a determined, tragi-comic figure and his quixotic fight to keep his cherished culinary traditions alive. Interviews with such legends as Thomas...

Fiery French chef Georges Perrier is on a crusade to save his world-renowned 40-year-old Philadelphia restaurant Le Bec-Fin from closing. For decades, Perrier was on top of the world and Le Bec-Fin was consistently rated as one of the best restaurants in the country. But times and tastes have changed: what was once cutting edge is now out of favor. Frankel captures the mastery in the kitchen and charisma on the dining room floor, and has us rooting for a determined, tragi-comic figure and his quixotic fight to keep his cherished culinary traditions alive. Interviews with such legends as Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud capture the plight of an artist whose passion remains undimmed. (77 mins.)

Sponsored by South Park.

First feature

Interests: New Directors, Documentary Views.

The Israeli musician and artist Kutiman rose to fame with his “Thru You” project, which mashes up samples from You Tube clips featuring amateur musicians. Samantha, a nurse in New Orleans, uploads her songs and candid video diaries, hoping for an audience. Director Ido Haar documents her attempt to make it in the music scene in her hometown and mixes these scenes with footage of Kutiman at home on a kibbutz, watching Samantha online, singing her a cappella vocals and sampling them in a video. Samantha couldn’t possibly imagine that halfway around the world, there’s someone who is about to expand her...

The Israeli musician and artist Kutiman rose to fame with his “Thru You” project, which mashes up samples from You Tube clips featuring amateur musicians. Samantha, a nurse in New Orleans, uploads her songs and candid video diaries, hoping for an audience. Director Ido Haar documents her attempt to make it in the music scene in her hometown and mixes these scenes with footage of Kutiman at home on a kibbutz, watching Samantha online, singing her a cappella vocals and sampling them in a video. Samantha couldn’t possibly imagine that halfway around the world, there’s someone who is about to expand her audience to numbers beyond her wildest dreams. (80 mins.)

Sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest.

Filmography: Enlistment Days (2012), 9 Star Hotel (2007)

Interests: Documentary Views.

“The life and work of Robert Frank—as a photographer and a filmmaker—are so intertwined that they’re one in the same, and the vast amount of territory he’s covered, from The Americans in 1958 up to the present, is intimately registered in his now formidable body of artistic gestures. From the early ’90s, Frank has made his films and videos with the brilliant editor Laura Israel, who has helped him keep things homemade and preserve the illuminating spark of first contact between camera and people/places. Don’t Blink is Israel’s like-minded portrait of her friend and collaborator, a lively rummage sale of...

“The life and work of Robert Frank—as a photographer and a filmmaker—are so intertwined that they’re one in the same, and the vast amount of territory he’s covered, from The Americans in 1958 up to the present, is intimately registered in his now formidable body of artistic gestures. From the early ’90s, Frank has made his films and videos with the brilliant editor Laura Israel, who has helped him keep things homemade and preserve the illuminating spark of first contact between camera and people/places. Don’t Blink is Israel’s like-minded portrait of her friend and collaborator, a lively rummage sale of images and sounds and recollected passages and unfathomable losses and friendships that leaves us a fast and fleeting imprint of the life of the Swiss-born man who reinvented himself the American way, and is still standing on ground of his own making at the age of 90.”—Film Society of Lincoln Center. (82 mins.)

Filmography: Windfall (2010)

Interests: Documentary Views.

British actor Tom Hiddleston inhabits the role of legendary singer/songwriter Hank Williams, an artist who revolutionized country music with his raw charisma, haunting voice, and original songs. While ?I Saw the Light showcases Williams’ meteoric rise to fame and fortune, it also reveals the dark and troubled life that existed away from the spotlight. From the drug and alcohol addictions to troubled relationships to the string of broken hearts he left in his wake, it was Hank Williams’ tumultuous existence that not only fueled his powerful lyrics and heartfelt songs, but also brought his life to its tragically short end....

British actor Tom Hiddleston inhabits the role of legendary singer/songwriter Hank Williams, an artist who revolutionized country music with his raw charisma, haunting voice, and original songs. While ?I Saw the Light showcases Williams’ meteoric rise to fame and fortune, it also reveals the dark and troubled life that existed away from the spotlight. From the drug and alcohol addictions to troubled relationships to the string of broken hearts he left in his wake, it was Hank Williams’ tumultuous existence that not only fueled his powerful lyrics and heartfelt songs, but also brought his life to its tragically short end. Elizabeth Olsen shines as William’s wife Audrey and Hiddleston performs William’s classic hits with conviction. (123 mins.)

Sponsored by Hotel Eastlund.

Filmography: Flash of Genius (2008)

The final, fitting film of documentary legend Albert Maysles, In Transit, journeys into the hearts and minds of everyday passengers aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder, the busiest long-distance train route in America. Unfolding as a series of interconnected vignettes, ranging from overheard conversations to moments of deep intimacy, we are swept into a fleeting community that transcends normal barriers. To some passengers, the train is flight and salvation; to others it is reckoning and loss. But for all, it is a place for personal reflection and connecting with others they may otherwise never know. (76 mins.)

Director Lynn True in attendance at...

In 1814 Edo, an accomplished artist works tirelessly in his studio. His name is Katsushika Hokusai and decades later his work will come to mesmerize prominent Western artists. But few were aware of the woman who often painted for him while remaining un-credited. Based on the manga Sarusuberi by Hinako Sugiura, Miss Hokusai is the untold and beautifully animated story of O-Ei, aka Katsushika Oi, a free-spirited woman overshadowed by her larger-than-life father—her own art is so powerful that it leads to trouble. (93 mins.)

Sponsored by LAIKA and the Consular Office of Japan in Portland.

In 1814 Edo, an accomplished artist works tirelessly in his studio. His name is Katsushika Hokusai and decades later his work will come to mesmerize prominent Western artists. But few were aware of the woman who often painted for him while remaining un-credited. Based on the manga Sarusuberi by Hinako Sugiura, Miss Hokusai is the untold and beautifully animated story of O-Ei, aka Katsushika Oi, a free-spirited woman overshadowed by her larger-than-life father—her own art is so powerful that it leads to trouble. (93 mins.)

Sponsored by LAIKA and the Consular Office of Japan in Portland.

Filmography: Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story (2013), Colourful (2010), Summer Days with Coo (2007)

 

Interests: Animation.

Total running time: 86 mins.

Interests: Shorts.

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BALMORAL HOTEL

DIRECTOR: Wayne Wapeemukwa - (Canada)

The life story of a First Nations sex worker is conveyed via a ragged daytime dance through Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. (10 mins.)

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DAY ONE

DIRECTOR: Henry Hughes - (United States)

On her first day in Afghanistan, an interpreter for the US Army is forced to deliver the child of an enemy bombmaker. (25 mins.)

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NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL

DIRECTOR: Kathleen Hepburn - (Canada)

Overwhelmed by his past mistakes, a young man retreats to his isolated hometown and finds he is not alone in his struggle. (19 mins.)

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OVERPASS

DIRECTOR: Patrice Laliberté - (Canada)

Police chase Mathieu after he scrawls graffiti on an overpass, but the teenager's midnight marauding has a purpose that only he understands. (19 mins.)

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PROLOGUE

DIRECTOR: Richard Williams - (United Kingdom)

In the Spartan-Athenian wars 2,400 years ago, a small girl bears witness as warriors battle to the death. (6 mins.)

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SANJAY'S SUPER TEAM

DIRECTOR: Sanjay Patel - (United States)

Will Sanjay leave his comics and cartoons behind and take the world a little more seriously? (7 mins.)

Winner of the Audience Award at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, The Thin Yellow Line is the buddy-comedy story of five financially strapped men hired to paint the center stripe of a lonely rural road that connects two villages. While the crew makes their own fun in the middle of nowhere, their foreman (Damián Alcázar) promises to impart the reward of a hard day’s work. “As in the best road movies, the journey of the workers changes their way of seeing and understanding life. For them and us, the line they paint comes to symbolize the thin line between right...

Winner of the Audience Award at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, The Thin Yellow Line is the buddy-comedy story of five financially strapped men hired to paint the center stripe of a lonely rural road that connects two villages. While the crew makes their own fun in the middle of nowhere, their foreman (Damián Alcázar) promises to impart the reward of a hard day’s work. “As in the best road movies, the journey of the workers changes their way of seeing and understanding life. For them and us, the line they paint comes to symbolize the thin line between right and wrong, laughter and tears, and life and death.”?—Variety. (95 mins.)

First feature

Interests: New Directors.

Idyllic suburban life is shattered when news spreads of a viral infection at a neighboring rest home. Soon enough, the military rolls in, placing the entire town under quarantine. As the virus spreads, the strictures of quiet family life begin to break down under the pressures of impending danger. Mikkelsen’s debut is a tense and clever take on the zombie genre and far more compelling than any season of The Walking Dead. “It’s the kind of noirish horror that is rapidly becoming extinct.” —Peter Martin, Twitch Film. (85 mins.)

PRECEDED BY:
Invaders, Jason Kupfer | US.

Idyllic suburban life is shattered when news spreads of a viral infection at a neighboring rest home. Soon enough, the military rolls in, placing the entire town under quarantine. As the virus spreads, the strictures of quiet family life begin to break down under the pressures of impending danger. Mikkelsen’s debut is a tense and clever take on the zombie genre and far more compelling than any season of The Walking Dead. “It’s the kind of noirish horror that is rapidly becoming extinct.” —Peter Martin, Twitch Film. (85 mins.)

PRECEDED BY:
Invaders, Jason Kupfer | US.
A home invasion attempt goes horribly and hilariously awry. (7 mins.)

First feature

Sponsored by the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

Interests: New Directors, After Dark.