FACULTY PRESENTER: WAYNE WOODS—One of the most moving and insightful portrayals of the artistic process ever depicted on film, Watkins’s intensely personal biographical film recreates the struggles endured by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. Crucified by critics and the public alike in the late nineteenth century, Munch is seen here as a young man in battle with puritanical Norwegian society and beset with various family tragedies and resultant depressions, all the while wrestling to give expression to his own artistic voice. “MUNCH is a rare jewel with many facets. One of those is its unorthodox union of sound and picture to create experiences that, while intellectually complex, are also deeply emotional. Watkins’s portrait speaks not only to Munch, but to Watkins’s own creative experience and the complexities of life and personal expression.”—Wayne Woods. (167 mins.)

School of Film instructor Wayne Woods will introduce the film.

FACULTY PRESENTER: HOLLY BRIX—A sweeping tale of the cruel exigencies of life in the former East Berlin, the story unfolds five years before the Communist downfall in 1989. In a climate of ruthless control and surveillance, Party loyalist Captain Gerd Wiesler hopes to boost his career when given the job of collecting evidence against an activist playwright and his girlfriend, a celebrated actress. But scrutinizing their lives has unforeseen consequences for Wiesler. The immersion in the lives of others—their love, literature, free thinking, and politics—makes Wiesler acutely aware of the emptiness of his own existence, opening him to a new way of thinking about the implications of personal acts. “Films have an obligation to entertain, an invitation to inspire, but when they capture the truth of human experience, they pierce you, and they transcend. This is film at its best.”—Holly Brix. (137 mins.)

School of Film screenwriting instructor Holly Brix will introduce the film.

FACULTY PRESENTER: DANIEL JOHNSON—TEKKONKINKREET, which won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Animated Feature Film, is a metaphysical coming-of-age saga remarkable for its breathtaking visuals and fast-paced storytelling. Two kids must save the futuristic Treasure City from the schemes of a sinister yakuza, who wants to demolish the degenerate city and replace it with a gargantuan amusement park. “This exquisitely realized, high-impact anime—the title roughly translates as steel-reinforced concrete—is a classic tale of Good and Evil rendered in a dense visual style that both honors tradition while injecting a modern illustrative sensibility.”—Daniel Johnson. (111 mins.)

School of Film digital compositing and effects instructor Daniel Johnson will introduce the film.