nwFilmCenter

Special Screenings

Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 7:30 PM	MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS: THE SHORT FILMS OF APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL - PART I NWFC & CINEMA PROJECT PRESENT DIRECTOR: APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL THAILAND Apichatpong Weerasethakul is one of the most radically original young filmmakers in contemporary world cinema. Best known by America audiences for his feature films (TROPICAL MALADY, BLISSFULLY YOURS, SYNDROMES OF A CENTURY), he has simultaneously produced a body of short films, which inventively mix narrative and documentary styles of filmmaking. "The first program begins with the contagiously joyful THE ANTHEM (2006), a bizarre, bewildering recasting of the Thai National Anthem, which is customarily played before film screenings in Thailand. All of Weerasethakul's signature trademarks are here: quiet, suffused humanism, meticulous compositions, effortless fluidity, and a boundless exuberance and mystery that bespeak a kind of transcendence. The films that follow in the two programs evince the director's main themes, ranging from the nature of filmmaking itself—LIKE THE RELENTLESS FURY OF THE POUNDING WAVES (1995) and WORLDLY DESIRES (2005)—to cultural commentary on Western perceptions of Thailand—MALEE AND THE BOY (1999), THIRDWORLD (1997)—and the complexities of memory —0116643225059 (1994) and MY MOTHER'S GARDEN (2007)."–Andréa Picard, Cinematheque Ontario. "Distinguished by their inventive mix of fiction and documentary modes, his eccentric narratives sparkle with fleeting natural phenomena, unplanned gestures, happy discoveries."—Nathan Lee, VILLAGE VOICE. Special thanks to Jed Rapfogel of Anthology Film Archives. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 7:30 PM	MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS: THE SHORT FILMS OF APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL - PART II NWFC & CINEMA PROJECT PRESENT DIRECTOR: APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL THAILAND Apichatpong Weerasethakul is one of the most radically original young filmmakers in contemporary world cinema. Best known by America audiences for his feature films (TROPICAL MALADY, BLISSFULLY YOURS, SYNDROMES OF A CENTURY), he has simultaneously produced a body of short films, which inventively mix narrative and documentary styles of filmmaking. "The first program begins with the contagiously joyful THE ANTHEM (2006), a bizarre, bewildering recasting of the Thai National Anthem, which is customarily played before film screenings in Thailand. All of Weerasethakul's signature trademarks are here: quiet, suffused humanism, meticulous compositions, effortless fluidity, and a boundless exuberance and mystery that bespeak a kind of transcendence. The films that follow in the two programs evince the director's main themes, ranging from the nature of filmmaking itself—LIKE THE RELENTLESS FURY OF THE POUNDING WAVES (1995) and WORLDLY DESIRES (2005)—to cultural commentary on Western perceptions of Thailand—MALEE AND THE BOY (1999), THIRDWORLD (1997)—and the complexities of memory —0116643225059 (1994) and MY MOTHER'S GARDEN (2007)."–Andréa Picard, Cinematheque Ontario. "Distinguished by their inventive mix of fiction and documentary modes, his eccentric narratives sparkle with fleeting natural phenomena, unplanned gestures, happy discoveries."—Nathan Lee, VILLAGE VOICE. Special thanks to Jed Rapfogel of Anthology Film Archives. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Wed, Apr 9, 2008 at 8 PM	AN EVENING WITH MATT MCCORMICK NORTHWEST TRACKING — VISITING ARTIST DIRECTOR: MATT MCCORMICK PORTLAND Portland filmmaker Matt McCormick continues to push the boundaries of film with his widely celebrated body of personal cinema. Tonight he will be on hand for the Portland premiere of a diverse collection of recent short works that express his eclectic vision. THE PROBLEM OF MACHINES THAT COMMUNICATE (2008) is an experimental narrative that examines three lonely characters interacting with technology in a world that doesn't seem to notice them. While they struggle with traditional forms of communication, the inadvertent by-products of their loneliness produce entirely new, abstract forms of communication. FUTURE SO BRIGHT (2007) is an art project mapping and cataloging the abandoned relics of American western expansion. First exhibited at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery as an installation piece, it comprises a series of film pieces that detail and document abandoned structures in the American West, the images creating a visual time capsule of forgotten and disregarded spaces. Also included will be recent music videos for bands such as The Shins, YACHT, and Sleater-Kinney; PSAs made for MTV; and interactive video performance art. ( 80 min ) ^ Top
Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 6 PM	STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS REGIONAL FINALS Each year the Northwest Film Center coordinates the Western States region for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Student Academy Awards. Students from accredited colleges and universities in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming vie for a Regional award this evening, the winners advancing to national competition in Los Angeles where Academy members will vote on their work. Judge for yourself the top animated, narrative, documentary and alternative films—the latest from some of the top film schools in the nation—as a panel of distinguished judges picks the winners. FREE ADMISSION ^ Top
Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 7 PM	SCHINDLER'S HOUSES DIRECTOR: HEINZ EMIGHOLZ GERMANY German experimental filmmaker Emigholz's latest film in his ongoing "Architecture as Autobiography" series (D'ANNUNZIO'S CAVE, GOFF IN THE DESERT) surveys a selection of buildings designed by the Viennese architect Rudolph M. Schindler, who came to Los Angeles in 1920 and did his most important work there. Shindler's "houses," mostly single-family residences located in neighborhoods like Silver Lake and Los Feliz, were made famous by his pioneering integration of exterior and interior space. Using no voiceover, archival photos, or other conventions of standard documentaries, Emigholz presents beautifully composed shots of 40 houses in the order in which they were built, cumulatively creating a provocative meditation on Schindler's ideas regarding architecture and environment. "I would happily rank SCHINDLER'S HOUSES on the short list of essential modern movies about our city's physical and social geography."—Scott Foundas, LA WEEKLY. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 7 PM	SEATTLE WOMEN IN FILM NORTHWEST TRACKING DIRECTOR: VARIOUS SEATTLE Produced through Seattle's 911 Media Arts Center, this collection, compiled on DVD for distribution, showcases some of the best short, independent films produced in the "Emerald City" —all from women filmmakers. "Find out why the do-it-yourself ethic and uncompromising sensibilities of Seattle are staking a claim on the film world, and why witty, skilled, imaginative women are at the heart of the movement."—911. Tonight's program includes: LIPSTICK MEN, Heather Ayres; RENT'S DUE, Meredith Binder; TOOTIE PIE, Virginia Bogert; CIRCUS OF INFINITY, Sue Corcoran; HOW TO GO ON A MAN DATE, Wilson Diehl; PORTRAIT OF A PORTRAIT, Christy Elton; DIESEL ENGINE, Dayna Hanson; LOVE INC., Laurie Hicks; BUT SOFT, Britta Johnson; CHRONICLES OF AN ASTHMATIC STRIPPER, Sarah Jane Lapp; and LAPTOP STORY, Jennifer Maas. ^ Top
Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 7 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 at 7 PM	KILLER OF SHEEP DIRECTOR: CHARLES BURNETT US One of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress as part of the National Film Preservation Act, KILLER OF SHEEP is a seminal film in the development of Black American cinema, a work which probes the minority experience without resorting to the broad brush strokes Hollywood capitalizes on, or the "Blaxploitation" aesthetic that reigned over the era. Burnett's UCLA thesis film, it was shot on location in Watts with mostly non-professional actors and tells the moving story of a dreamy, weary young man employed in a slaughterhouse. Evoking the bittersweet emotions of working-class life and the process of dehumanization which takes its toll not only on oneself but also on one's family and friends, Burnett manages to distill from the everyday the ever-true. "A masterpiece. One of the most insightful and authentic dramas about African-American life on film. One of the finest American films, period."—David Edelstein, NEW YORK MAGAZINE. ( 83 min ) ^ Top
Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 8:45 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 at 8:45 PM	MY BROTHER'S WEDDING DIRECTOR: CHARLES BURNETT US Burnett's follow-up to KILLER OF SHEEP tracks the intelligent but disaffected Pierce Mundy as he roams his Watts neighborhood and labors in his parents' dry cleaning shop. With many of his friends either dead or in jail and no real plan of his own, he is helplessly aware of his dim prospects for the future—all the more so as he watches his brother busily prepare himself for escape by marrying into an upper-middle-class black family. "An astonishing richness and density . . .a film that is so firmly and organically rooted in a specific time and place that it seems to contain worlds."—A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES. "A strong case can be made that Charles Burnett is the most gifted and important black filmmaker this country has ever had."—Jonathan Rosenbaum, THE CHICAGO READER. ( 115 min ) ^ Top
Thu, May 1, 2008 at 9 PM	PROVING GROUND — LIVE MAY DAY PERFORMANCE NWFC & PDX FILM FESTIVAL PRESENT DIRECTOR: TRAVIS WILKERSON US An unabashedly didactic history of US aerial bombing, PROVING GROUND represents an attempt not merely to create a work of political art, but rather, to use politics itself as art. Combining theater, history lecture, punk rock show, political rally, and experimental film, it pays tribute to a lost American art form—agitation. Wilkerson first presented the piece at the Sundance Film Festival—it was the first performance art event ever at the Festival—and has since done versions in dive bars in Los Angeles, most notably Little Joy Junior. Live music by Los Duggans. Advanced tickets for all PDX Fest screenings will be available starting April 23rd. Please see the PDX Fest website (www.peripheralproduce.com) for complete ticketing details, schedule updates and additional information. ^ Top
Thu, May 1, 2008 at 9 PM	NATIONAL ARCHIVE V.1 DIRECTOR: TRAVIS WILKERSON US NATIONAL ARCHIVE is Wilkerson's ongoing series based on materials residing within the "public domain." V.1 seeks to discover the nexus between pure form and pure politics, and is aimed directly at the viscera. ( 15 min ) Advanced tickets for all PDX Fest screenings will be available starting April 23rd. Please see the PDX Fest website (www.peripheralproduce.com) for complete ticketing details, schedule updates and additional information. ^ Top
Fri, May 2, 2008 at 5:30 PM	SUPERIOR ELEGY DIRECTOR: TRAVIS WILKERSON US SUPERIOR ELEGY is a portrait of a 25 hour-long improvisational concert held in Duluth, Minnesota, in honor of Wilkerson's murdered friend. Scheduled for the weekend following September 11th, the event took place as planned in spite of the tragedy, thus acquiring an unintended poignancy, and reading almost like a prayer—quiet, formal, and full of inexplicable power. ( 21 min ) Screening at the Hollywood Theater, NE 40th & Sandy Blvd. Wilkerson's workshop "Reviving the Lost Art of Agitation" will be held at the Film Center Saturday, May 3, 10 AM - 1 PM. Advanced tickets for all PDX Fest screenings will be available starting April 23rd. Please see the PDX Fest website (www.peripheralproduce.com) for complete ticketing details, schedule updates and additional information. ^ Top
Fri, May 2, 2008 at 6 PM	AN INJURY TO ONE NWFC & PDX FILM FESTIVAL PRESENT DIRECTOR: TRAVIS WILKERSON US "Travis Wilkerson's brave and beautiful documentary does more than tell a heartbreaking story. In its account of a key American labor struggle, it demonstrates the power of shaping official, received history by dismantling its very syntax." The film recounts the emergence of Butte, Montana, as a world center of copper mining in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and as a flashpoint in the struggle between workers and rapacious capitalist bosses. We learn of the takeover of Butte by mining interests, and their contempt and violence toward workers and unions. But the film also illustrates the solidarity of workers who organized against the bosses, having learned the hard way about laissez-faire capitalism. Wilkerson's austere technique, combining stark images with music, intertitles and narration, radically responds to the paucity of contemporaneous documentary accounts, performing a powerful act of historical archaeology and reclaiming for the working class its status as a subject, not a predicate or a footnote, of historical events."—SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. ( 60 min ) Advanced tickets for all PDX Fest screenings will be available starting April 23rd. Please see the PDX Fest website (www.peripheralproduce.com) for complete ticketing details, schedule updates and additional information. ^ Top
Fri, May 2, 2008 at 8 PM	AN EVENING WITH SHANA MOULTON NWFC & PDX FILM FESTIVAL PRESENT US In her "Whispering Pines" video series, performance artist Shana Moulton plays the part of Cynthia, her hypochondriac alter ego. Armed with self-help books and New Age devices, Cynthia is a woman on an endless spiritual quest for relief and stability in an overwhelming world. As her protagonist navigates the enigmatic and possibly magical properties of her home decor, Moulton initiates relationships with objects and consumer products that are at once banal and uncanny. Tonight Moulton will present several selections from the series—ELECTRIC BLANKET TEMPLE AFFAIR (2005), WHISPERING PINES 8 (2006), WHISPERING PINES 4 (2007), and two live multi-media performances: CYNTHIA'S MOMENT and FEELING FREE WITH 3D MAGIC EYE REMIX, in which Moulton will bring Cynthia to life right before our eyes! ( 60 min ) Moulton's workshop "Do-It-Yourself Green Screen" will be held at the Film Center Sunday, May 4, 10 AM - 1 PM. Advanced tickets for all PDX Fest screenings will be available starting April 23rd. Please see the PDX Fest website (www.peripheralproduce.com) for complete ticketing details, schedule updates and additional information. ^ Top
Sun, May 4, 2008 at 8 PM	MOCK UP ON MU NWFC & PDX FILM FESTIVAL SNEAK PREVIEW DIRECTOR: CRAIG BALDWIN US A radical hybrid of spy, sci-fi, Western, and even horror genres, MOCK UP ON MU musters the creative, "collage-narrative" audacity to tackle the profoundly serious issue of the militarization of space. Based (mostly) on historical fact, MU explores the occult rituals of three seminal figures in post-War California: Jet Propulsion Laboratory founder Jack Parsons; his partner, the artist Marjorie Cameron; and Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Using original live-action footage inter-cut with both fiction and non-fiction archival material, Baldwin (SONIC OUTLAWS, TRIBULATION 99, SPECTRES OF THE SPECTRUM) weaves a dense, farcical tale of mind-control, subterranean intrigue, and aerospace speculation—and in pulp-serial form to boot! ( 114 min ) Screens at the Hollywood Theater, NE 40th & Sandy. Baldwin will teach "Flix Remix: A Found Footage Workshop" at the Film Center on Monday, May 5, 6-9:30 PM. Advanced tickets for all PDX Fest screenings will be available starting April 23rd. Please see the PDX Fest website (www.peripheralproduce.com) for complete ticketing details, schedule updates and additional information. ^ Top
Tue, May 13, 2008 at 8 PM	STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE SILVER SCREEN CLUB PREVIEW DIRECTOR: ERROL MORRIS US Errol Morris's (THE FOG OF WAR, THIN BLUE LINE ) new documentary examines the context of the shocking and damning photographs of prisoners from Abu Ghraib. Talking directly to the soldiers who took the images and those who were in the photographs, Morris tries to answer the question: How could American values become so compromised that Abu Ghraib-and the subsequent cover up-happen? ( 118 min ) Silver Screen club members only. Click here to find out how to join the Silver Screen Club. ^ Top
Thu, May 15, 2008 at 7 PM	MR. BIG NORTHWEST TRACKING DIRECTOR: TIFFANY BURNS CANADA "Broadcast news reporter Tiffany Burns' directorial debut is a gripping and insightful documentary that takes a critical look at criminal confessions resulting from an Royal Canadian Mounted Police undercover sting strategy known as 'Mr. Big.' Burns' personal investigation into RCMP actions begins after her brother Sebastian and his friend Atif Rafay confess to the Bellevue, WA murders of Atif's parents and sister. Their confessions to these crimes were made to a 'Mr. Big'--an undercover officer who builds a relationship with suspects while presenting himself as a man with connections in the criminal underworld. Burns questions the ethics of using the 'Mr. Big' sting technique and its use as evidence in court, examining why it is considered entrapment in the US and England. As she works toward her broader goal of clearing her brotherâ€™s name, she provides an impressive array of eye-opening and memorable interviews with a journalist, legal experts and former suspects from additional cases whose confessions were later dismissed as false."â€”Vancouver Film Festival. ( 89 min ) ^ Top
Tue, May 20, 2008 at 7:30 PM Wed, May 21, 2008 at 7:30 PM	JESSE LERNER: EXCAVATIONS OF MEXICO NWFC AND CInEMA PROJECT PRESENT DIRECTOR: VARIOUS JESSE LERNER Filmmaker Jesse Lerner is a Los Angeles archivist and teacher whose interests encompass Mexico, its image abroad, its troubled relationship with the United States, and the pre-Columbian civilizations that thrived there before the Spanish Conquest. His own experimental documentaries mix original material with found imagery and sounds, and are complemented by collected rarities from the archives of The American Egypt, his production company. Included in this two-night survey of personal films and archival finds is Lernerâ€™s newest work, MAGNAVOZ, an experimental adaptation of Xavier Icazaâ€™s speculative rant on the future of post-revolutionary Mexico. Bringing together noisy broadcasts from atop the volcanoes, raucous bacchanalia at popular watering holes and a series of apocalyptic, hyper-nationalistic pronouncements, the story is both prescient and timely, though it was written more than eighty years ago. Tuesdayâ€™s program includes SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE VALLEY OF MEXICO, a film made by Garrison Films in the 1940s; NATIVES (1991), directed by Lerner and Scott Sterling; MAGUEYES (1962), by Rueben Gamez; and Lernerâ€™s MAGNAVOZ (2007). (80 mins.) Wednesdayâ€™s program includes INDIANS OF MEXICO (1930â€™s) and Lernerâ€™s RUINS (1999), a hybrid film that melds culturally skewed anthropological films, staged scenes, and documentation about a Mexican antiquities forger to question not only the traditional reception and understanding of pre-Columbian culture, but also our deepest assumptions about historical truth. ( 90 min ) Lerner will be on hand both evenings to present the films. ^ Top
Thu, May 22, 2008 at 7 PM	OPEN SCREENING NORTHWEST TRACKING DIRECTOR: YOU PORTLAND The Film Center throws open the doors of the Whitsell Auditorium and invites you to show your new short work at this free public screening. If you have something youâ€™re proud of, sign up by contacting Thomas Phillipson by May 15 at thomas@nwfilm.org. First come first screened as time allows. FREE ADMISSION ^ Top
Wed, May 28, 2008 at 7 PM	JOURNAL OF SHORT FILM: VOL. 11 NORTHWEST TRACKING/PORTLAND PREMIERE DIRECTOR: VARIOUS PORTLAND The Journal of Short Film, published in Columbus, Ohio, is a DVD quarterly featuring award-winning work from all over the world. The first ten volumes have included over one hundred filmmakers and a diverse selection of interesting pieces in all genres. Tonight we are pleased to premiere the Journalâ€™s first geographically themed collection, which highlights the filmmaking hotspot that is Portland, Oregon. Assembled by Portland film maker and curator, Karl Lind, VOL. 11 includes: SPHERES by Jeremy Bird ; TO WATCH IN PREPARATION OF THE DEEP FALL by Mack McFarland ; THE FOREST by John Bacone ; COSMOS by Randy Wakerlin ; BLOBSQUATCH by Carl Diehl ; SILENCE IN 60 SECONDS by Andy Mingo ; STRATEGERY by Jim Lowry ; PLANET EARTH: OUR RESPONSE by Arman Bohn ; LITTLE ATOMIC BOMB by Adam Long ; TO WATCH WHILE SMELLING SUMMER by Mack McFarland ; DARKCLOUD by Gretchen Hogue ; LE PUZZLE by Uli Beutter ; FOREST OF THE FLOWERS by Gretchen Hogue ; 3 OUT OF 4 by Stephen Slappe ; STEVE WINWOOD IS HUNGRY FOR BREAKFAST by Jesse England ; TEST ANTHEM by Michael Paulus ; 50 YEARS LATER by Matt McCormick ; ROPPONGI CROSSING by Brian Libby ; BEN: A TRUE STORY by Melanie Brown ; TWO HART by Ryan Noecker ; KEITH by Evan Stroum ; VERTIGO CORE SAMPLE by Ron Mason Gassaway ; FURNESS by Cat Tyc ; TO REMEMBER THAT OUR SKIES ARE THE SAME SKIES by Chris Lael Larson ; MAGIC HOSTESS, THE ELECTRIC CAN OPENER by Rob Tyler ; CIRCLE OF PURITY by Liz Haley ( 100 min ) ^ Top
Fri, May 30, 2008 at 7 PM Sat, May 31, 2008 at 9:15 PM	THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE DIRECTOR: JOEL COEN US/BRITAIN Coen won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival for this stylish homage to novelist James M. Cain and such classic 1940s California thrillers as DOUBLE INDEMNITY and MILDRED PIERCE. A moody, existential meta-noir shot in stunning black and white, the story traces Santa Rosa barber Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton) as he gets suckered into a get-rich-quick dry cleaning scheme, and secretly blackmails department store magnate Big Dave (James Gandolfini) over his affair with his wife Doris (Frances McDormand). These things never turn out quite as planned, of course...With Richard Jenkins, Tony Shalhoub and Scarlett Johansson. ( 116 min ) ^ Top
Fri, May 30, 2008 at 9:15 PM Sat, May 31, 2008 at 7 PM	THE BIG LEBOWSKI DIRECTOR: JOEL COEN US In the Coen Brothers' paean to transcendent slackerdom and THE BIG SLEEP, Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) finds himself embroiled in a case of mistaken identity and kidnapping, and thrown into the role of hapless detective. After confiding in his bowling buddies Walter (John Goodman) and Theodore (Steve Buscemi), the two join him on a strange mission that takes them into uncharted territory–ransom money drops, beautiful, dangerous women (Julianne Moore, Tara Reid), and a crazy gang of German techno "Nihilists" (Peter Stormare, Flea, Torsten Voges).The icing on the cake is John Turturro as badass bowler "Jesus." ( 117 min ) ^ Top