Cinematheque shows assorted mix for a ‘Film Fest Fix’
Preview of this week's Cinematheque showings
By Michelle Davey, Staff Writer
April 11, 2008 | noon
Naturally, the line-up has a certain spring to its step this month, bringing together a diverse bunch from around the world for a “Film Fest Fix,” uptown at the Athena.
With the Athens International Film and Video Festival just around the corner (April 25 – May 1), the upcoming Cinematheque series, running April 11 – 17, is bringing festival fans their kicks early with films from Athens Film Festival guest speaker Su Friedrich (“Rules of the Road” and “Hide and Seek”) and selections from the African Film Festival of New York’s Traveling Series (“Clouds Over Conakry” and “JuJu Factory”).
“Clouds Over Conakry”
Twenty-five-year-old BB lives in Conakry, Guinea, works as a political cartoonist at a local newspaper and dates his boss’ daughter, Kesso, a beautiful and talented Web designer. BB, who seems every bit a modern man, desires a simple life as an artist with his beloved Kesso by his side.
However, his father Karamo has other plans for his young son. A respected imam, or Islamic prayer leader, Karamo is charged with protecting the ancient traditions and ideals of his village. When Karamo decides to name BB his successor instead of BB’s religious zealot older brother, these two worlds of modernism and traditionalism collide.
A film from the African Film Festival of New York’s Traveling Series, this piece from Guinean writer and director Cheick Fantamady Camera highlights this clash of ideals that occurs more and more commonly in African society. The film’s showing is co-sponsored by The Center for African Studies.
Showings: 8 p.m. on Friday, April 11; 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15
Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Language: French with English subtitles
Not Rated
“Rules of the Road” and “Hide and Seek”
From acclaimed director Su Friedrich, these two films will play back-to-back in the upcoming Cinematheque series.
“Rules of the Road” centers on a unique main character – and 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser. This old, wood-paneled station wagon is a shared possession in a failed relationship, and plays a significant role in the lives of the two former lovers, even after the relationship’s demise. America is a nation of automobile lovers, and this film demonstrates how the lives of so many are sometimes affected and represented by their cars.
Winner of several awards, including the Outstanding Documentary Feature Award at the 1997 OutFest in Los Angeles and the Best Narrative Award at the 1997 Athens Film Festival, “Hide and Seek,” is the story of Lou, an adolescent girl beginning to blossom in the 1960s.
Mingling with the tomboyish Lou’s tale are clips from sex education films from the 1950s and ‘60s, and interviews with adult lesbians about their experiences as young girls becoming attracted to other young girls as they realized their sexuality. The film challenges the idea of “normal” sexual behavior in modern society.
Su Friedrich, who has directed several ground-breaking documentaries and experimental films, is slated as a featured guest speaker at the upcoming Athens Film Festival.
Showings: 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 12; 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16
Running time, “Rules of the Road”: 31 minutes
Running time, “Hide and Seek”: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Not Rated
“The Seven Samurai”
An Oscar-nominated classic, this 1954 film by writer-director Akira Kurosawa has recently been restored and extended for new generations of movie buffs. “The Seven Samurai” won several awards, including the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
A village under constant attack from bandits looks to a down-on-his-luck samurai for help. The veteran samurai finds six other warriors who help him teach the villagers how to protect themselves and defend their homes. In return, the village provides three small meals each day to the seven impoverished samurai.
When 40 bandits try to attack and raid the town, the samurai and villagers fight back in an epic battle scene that has been mimicked throughout cinema.
Showings: 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 13; 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 17
Running time: 3 hours, 23 minutes
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Not Rated
“The Wild Bunch”
In the early twentieth century, the old ways of the wild West are dying and time is running out for Pike Bishop and his band of outlaws. A 1969 film from director and co-writer Sam Peckinpah, “The Wild Bunch” portrays the violent and bleak lives of these men who no longer fit into American society.
After a failed bank heist that should have set the bandits up for a comfortable retirement, the group flees to Mexico as it is chased by bounty hunters. Incorporating a display of violence that was shocking in the late 1960s, the Acadamy Award-nominated “The Wild Bunch,” uses several techniques, like slow motion fighting scenes, inspired by another film in this month’s Cinematheque, “The Seven Samurai.”
Showings: 8 p.m. on Monday, April 14; 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18
Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
“JuJu Factory”
Kongo is a writer living in the Matonge district of Brussels, an area dominated by African immigrants. His editor wants him to produce a traveler’s guide for Europeans visiting the district in search of an exotic cultural experience.
Kongo, however, has no interest in writing a fluffy piece about such a complex area. Instead, he wants to write about the history between Belgium and the Congo, and the impact on the lives of the people in Matonge.
A piece with clear political allusions, “JuJu Factory” was also selected from the African Film Festival of New York’s Traveling Series. Written and directed by Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, the film won the Golden Dhow for Best Film at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Its showing is co-sponsored by The Center for African Studies.
Showings: 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 17
Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Language: French with English subtitles
Not Rated
Despite spring quarter bringing warm weather back to Athens, a Cinematheque film can still be a fun activity for students looking to duck into an air-conditioned cinema for a few hours to see award-winning classics and festival fare.
Tickets for free for university and high school students and cost $4 for non-students.
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