Films Now Showing
Electrifying, revealing and timely, this documentary revisits a seminal event in Puerto Rico's history: the 10 days in October 1950 when 100 people, members of the island's Nationalist Party, took up arms to overthrow the rule of the United States and establish Puerto Rican sovereignty. The insurgents, outnumbered and ill-equipped, were crushed by the police and the National Guard, and either killed or imprisoned. Buttressed by archival film and photographs and animated reenactments, 1950: THE NATIONALIST UPRISING presents the testimonies of five Puerto Ricans who participated in this almost forgotten struggle. They speak about the consequences of the uprising on their lives, and the ideal of freedom that burns within them still. (Note courtesy of Third Horizon Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2018 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival; 2019 BAM Caribbean Film Series. DIR/SCR/PROD José Manuel Dávila Marichal. Puerto Rico, 2017, color/b&w, 105 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
"I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!" Fate, in the form of WWI and an invading German army, throws Katharine Hepburn's starched and stiff-backed British missionary aboard seedy Canadian Humphrey Bogart's decrepit, titular riverboat. It is an odd-couple pairing, but in time their bickering gives way to respect and romance when the two unite against the invaders. John Huston's beloved jungle adventure earned four Oscar® nominations, with Bogart winning for Best Actor, beating out Marlon Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and Montgomery Clift in A PLACE IN THE SUN. DIR/SCR John Huston; SCR James Agee, from the novel by C. S. Forester; PROD Sam Spiegel, John Woolf. UK/US, 1951, color, 105 min. NOT RATED
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The year is 1613, and William Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh) is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters. In so doing, he is forced to examine his own failings as a husband and father. His very personal search for the truth uncovers secrets and lies within a family at war. ALL IS TRUE is a labor of love for Branagh, who has been fascinated with the life of Shakespeare since his teens. He has assembled a troupe of Shakespeareans, ranging from legends like Judi Dench and Ian McKellen, to longtime veterans of Branagh's plays and films, to a young generation of actors drawn from his theatre company. Told with warmth and wry humor, ALL IS TRUE is a family drama, a detective story and a quiet reflection on a life dedicated to art. Ultimately, it is the uplifting tale of a man who journeys from darkness and loss to a renewed appreciation of the richness and value of life, allowing him to play out his final act in peace.
DIR/PROD Kenneth Branagh; SCR Ben Elton; PROD Ted Gagliano, Tamar Thomas. UK, 2018, color, 101 min. RATED PG-13
No AFI Member passes accepted.
"Follow the money." Deep Throat's admonition has guided whistleblowers and reporters well in the 40-odd years since Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman starred as Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, uncovering the Watergate scandal in this enduring classic. The power of journalists to hold figures of authority accountable has waxed and waned over the years, but this film still stands as a paean to the power of a free press and the dangers of unchecked power. The all-star cast includes Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Jason Robards, Jane Alexander, Ned Beatty, F. Murray Abraham and Watergate security guard Frank Wills as himself. DIR Alan J. Pakula; SCR William Goldman, from the book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein; PROD Walter Coblenz. U.S., 1976, color, 138 min. RATED PG
AFI Member passes accepted.
In January 1972, Aretha Franklin gave two days of gospel performances at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles, recording what would become her bestselling album, "Amazing Grace." The sessions were captured by a film crew led by Sydney Pollack, but the footage wound up shelved in a vault and has remained one of the lost cinematic treasures of 20th-century music. Before Pollack's death in 2008, he expressed a wish for the film to be completed, and producer Alan Elliott took it up with a team of supporters as a passion project. To paraphrase the title song: what once was lost, now is found. (Note courtesy of DOC NYC.) DIR/PROD Alan Elliott; DIR Sydney Pollack; PROD Joe Boyd, Rob Johnson, Chiemi Karasawa, Spike Lee, Sabrina V. Owens, Angie Seegers, Tirrell D. Whittley, Joseph Woolf. U.S., 2018/1972, color/b&w, 87 min. RATED G
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Franco Rosso's incendiary BABYLON had its world premiere at Cannes in 1980 but went unreleased in the U.S. for "being too controversial, and likely to incite racial tension" (Vivien Goldman, Time Out). Raw and smoldering, it follows a young dancehall DJ (Brinsley Forde, frontman of landmark British reggae group Aswad) in South London as he pursues his musical ambitions, battling fiercely against the racism and xenophobia of employers, neighbors, police and the National Front. Written by Martin Stellman (QUADROPHENIA) and shot by two-time Oscar® winner Chris Menges (THE KILLING FIELDS) with beautifully smoky cinematography that has been compared to TAXI DRIVER, BABYLON is fearless and unsentimental, yet tempered by the hazy bliss of the dancehall, set to a blistering reggae and lovers rock soundtrack featuring Aswad, Johnny Clarke, Dennis Bovell and more. You've seen THE HARDER THEY COME, maybe you've seen ROCKERS, but you've never seen anything like BABYLON. (Note adapted from Kino Lorber.) DIR/SCR Franco Rosso; SCR Martin Stellman; PROD Gavrik Losey. UK, 1980, color, 95 min. In English and Jamaican patois with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Made with intimacy and insight by BAFTA-winning documentarian Molly Dineen, this is the story of Blacker Dread, a renowned Jamaican-born reggae producer and record shop owner from Brixton, the traditional home of London's Jamaican migrants. Forty years after featuring in Dineen's first film, Blacker invites Dineen to film his mother's funeral, opening the door to his life at a time of great personal crisis. As the story unfolds, and Blacker faces his first prison sentence, he reflects on the issues that have dogged his last 40 years in the UK; inequality, poverty, crime and racism. Made with intimacy and warmth, BEING BLACKER takes us deep into Blacker's world with boundless empathy for its subjects, offering a striking insight into the challenges that Britain's Caribbean community continues to face. (Note adapted from BAM Caribbean Film Series.) Official Selection, 2018 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival, 2019 BAM Caribbean Film Series. DIR/SCR/PROD Molly Dineen. Jamaica/UK, 2018, color, 90 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
30th Anniversary
Party on, dudes! Be excellent to each other — and to yourselves — and join us for a 30th anniversary screening of BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE! With 2020's BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC on the horizon, it's time to take trip back to 1989 and beyond with one of the most bodacious comedies of 20th century. With only a few days left before their high school graduation, two most excellent dudes, Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves), are on the verge of flunking history. Unless they can ace their final history report, Ted's dad will pack him off to a military academy in Alaska, meaning their band, The Wyld Stallyns, will come to a heinous end. Luckily for these wanna-be rock stars, a guardian angel from the future, Rufus (George Carlin), comes to them with a solution: a time-traversing phone booth in which they travel back to the past and round up personages of historical significance to help them stage a most triumphant oral report. (Note adapted from Coolridge Corner Theater.) DIR Stephen Herek; SCR Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon; PROD Scott Kroopf, Michael S. Murphey, Joel Soisson. U.S., 1989, color, 90 min. RATED PG
Told from a wildly original, fresh and modern perspective, Oliva Wilde's directorial debut is an unfiltered comedy about high school best friends and the bonds we create that last a lifetime. Capturing the spirit of our times, the film is a coming-of-age story for a new generation. Starring Beanie Feldstein (LADY BIRD) and Kaitlyn Dever (BEAUTIFUL BOY, THEM THAT FOLLOW). With Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis. DIR Olivia Wilde; SCR Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel; SCR/PROD Katie Silberman; PROD Megan Ellison, Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfeld, Jessica Elbaum. U.S., 2019, color, 105 min. RATED R
No AFI Member passes accepted.
[KHESHT O AYENEH خشت و آینه]
Iranian cinema's first true modern masterpiece, BRICK AND MIRROR explores fear and responsibility in the aftermath of the 1953 coup d'état. With its title alluding to a poem by Attar ("What the old can see in a mud-brick/youth can see in a mirror"), Ebrahim Golestan's first feature mixes dream and reality, responding to the changing climate of Iranian society, the failure of intellectuals and corruption in all walks of life. It was also the first use of direct-sound in the Iranian cinema, with minute attention given to environmental sound (emphasized by the lack of score), which lends atmosphere and counterpoint to the sumptuous widescreen visuals. The film's production began in the spring of 1963 with a small crew of five, and without a finished script. The only written part — the driver and the woman in the ruins — became the basis for the first shoot, followed by improvised scenes in the vegetable market of Tehran. The film premiered on January 12, 1966, at the Radio City cinema in Tehran. It played for three weeks, but was dismissed by critics as "arty" and "pretentious." Those who saw BRICK AND MIRROR as a realist film were baffled by the long soliloquies given by characters. Jonathan Rosenbaum has described the spirit of the film as "a mix of Dostoevsky and Expressionism." The soliloquy form reflects both Golestan's regard for Orson Welles and the oral storytelling and frequent use of metaphor in Persian culture. Restored by the Cineteca di Bologna. (Note adapted from Il Cinema Ritrovato.) DIR/SCR/PROD Ebrahim Golestan. Iran, 1964, b&w, 126 min. In Persian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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One of the savviest films about all-consuming careers is aptly set in a Washington, DC, television network news bureau, where the professional and personal lives of three colleagues intertwine: hyper-driven producer Holly Hunter, telegenic but empty-headed budding anchor William Hurt and brainy Albert Brooks as the crack journalist who suffers from "flop sweat" when he gets a chance to anchor. Jack Nicholson cameos as the star anchorman whose career the men aspire to, a career which Hunter has the power to promote. James L. Brooks' (AS GOOD AS IT GETS, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, THE SIMPSONS) film was nominated for seven Oscars®, including Best Picture. DIR/SCR/PROD James L. Brooks. U.S., 1987, color, 133 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
[LA ISLA ROTA]
When Guy, a young Haitian boy fleeing poverty, witnesses the murder of his parents at the Dominican border, he is taken in and adopted by a Haitian couple. Guy grows up working in the country's sugar cane fields, all the while planning to avenge his parents' murders. But the October 1937 military massacre of more than 30,000 Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent, ordered by the dictator Rafael Trujillo, forces Guy and his newfound love Meuda to escape Haiti in search of a new life. (Note adapted from Chicago Latino Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2018 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and 2019 Chicago Latino Film Festival. DIR/SCR Félix Germán; PROD Carlos Germán. Dominican Republic, 2018, color, 104 min. In Spanish and Haitian Creole with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
BRUK OUT! looks deep inside the raw, energetic world of Jamaican dancehall culture through the eyes of the powerful women at its heart — dancehall queens. Often criticized as lewd and aggressively sexual, these daring performers turned Jamaican street dance into a massive global phenomenon. BRUK OUT! follows six of the boldest and bravest dancehall queens from around the world — Japan, Italy, America, Poland, Spain and, of course, Jamaica — as they prepare to battle for the biggest trophy (and cash prize) in all of dancehall. Combining explosive underground dance visuals with emotionally intimate vérité scenes, this is a never-before-seen window into the life of the dancehall queen. With determination, humor and hope, the six resilient dancers converge at the biggest dancehall queen competition in the world, where some dreams come to an end, and one woman is crowned the queen. (Note courtesy of Gunpowder & Sky.) Official Selection, 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam and Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema. DIR/PROD Cori Wapnowska; PROD Janet Ginsburg, Jay Will, Stacy Frankel. U.S., 2017, color, 69 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
In an age awash with rampaging, radiation-generated monsters, few films presented a more intelligent, completely plausible and, despite the onscreen temperatures, more chilling depiction of the possible destructive potential of atomic power than Val Guest's gripping excursion into apocalyptic cinema. When a down-on-his luck journalist (Edward Judd) begins to investigate the reasons behind the world's increasingly severe weather conditions, he uncovers the frightening cause: the Earth has been knocked off its axis by worldwide nuclear testing and the planet's climate zones have been displaced. Cue tropical storms in London. Guest successfully imbues the film with the ring of authenticity through both extensive location shooting and a vivid depiction of life on a national newspaper, aided by a cast of familiar faces giving believable, sure-footed performances, with the lion's share of the accolades going to the electrifyingly brilliant Leo McKern. One of the finest of all British science fiction films. (Note courtesy of BFI.) DIR/SCR/PROD Val Guest; SCR Wolf Mankowitz. UK, 1961, b&w, 98 min. NOT RATED
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[PROFONDO ROSSO]
From Dario Argento, the man behind some the greatest excursions in Italian horror (SUSPIRIA, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, THE CAT O' NINE TAILS), comes DEEP RED, arguably the ultimate giallo. Aided by a throbbing score from legendary prog rockers Goblin, this hallucinatory fever dream is punctuated by some of the most expert set pieces the genre has to offer. One lonely night, musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, BLOW UP) looks up from the plaza below and witnesses the brutal axe-murder of a woman in her apartment. Racing to the scene, Marcus just misses the perpetrator — or does he? As he takes on the role of amateur sleuth, Marcus ensnares himself in a bizarre web of murder and mystery where nothing is what it seems. This new restoration of DEEP RED is English-dubbed, but transitions to Italian with English subtitles for scenes originally cut from the 1970s U.S. theatrical release. (Note adapted from the American Genre Film Archive.) DIR/SCR Dario Argento; SCR Bernardino Zapponi; PROD Salvatore Argento. Italy, 1975, color, 126 min. English-dubbed, with some scenes in Italian with English subtitles. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
[THE SUN WILL RISE]
In this textured and surprising personal documentary, Haitian filmmaker and actress Gessica Généus undertakes a journey to understand what she calls Haiti's "illness of the soul" — the country's fraught religious divide between Vodou and Christianity. With her mother's bipolarity as her poignant point of departure, Généus skilfully interweaves traditional interviews and ethnographic-style observation with poetic narration as she seeks to connect the dots of her family's — and her island's — fractured history. The result is a moving meditation on both mental illness and a nation's as-yet unassuaged inner turmoil. (Note courtesy of SaNoSi Productions.) Official Selection, 2018 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival, Blackstar Film Festival; 2019 BAM Caribbean Film Series. DIR/SCR/PROD Gessica Généus. Haiti/France, 2018, color, 51 min. In Haitian Creole with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
[ELIADES OCHOA: DE CUBA Y PARA EL MUNDO]
He became known the world over in the late '90s as an original member of legendary Cuban band Buena Vista Social Club, but Eliades Ochoa's passion for his country's musical heritage led him to pursue a life dedicated to music much earlier than that. He began by playing his guitar in the streets of eastern Cuba, then joined a slew of folk groups, until finally the success of Buena Vista Social Club came along. Spreading his love for traditional Cuban folk music was always Ochoa's main goal, and that love shines through in this new documentary, that tells his story with rare pictures, archive material and new interviews, preserving not only his incredible journey, but the richness of the musical heritage of his country for generations to come. Featuring Benicio del Toro, Silvio Rodríguez, Nick Gold, Omara Portuondo, Adalberto Álvarez, Juan de Marcos González, Charlie Musselwhite and Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso. (Note adapted from Miami International Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2019 Miami International Film Festival and Havana Film Festival New York. DIR/PROD Cynthia Biestek; SCR Ian Padron, Rolando Almirante; PROD Ruben Gomez. Cuba/Mexico, 2018, color, 100 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
New York, 1997, is an island prison where criminals and misfortunates exist in a brutal state of anarchic self-rule. After Air Force One crash-lands in Manhattan, the U.S. President (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by an ambitious gang lord (Isaac Hayes). Former Special Forces commando and current convict Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is offered a chance at freedom if he can rescue the president. John Carpenter's visionary action-adventure casts a long shadow over the high-concept, effects-driven blockbusters that Hollywood has churned out over the decades since, the majority of which are nowhere near as entertaining as this scrappy romp. With Ernest Borgnine, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau and Season Hubley. DIR/SCR John Carpenter; SCR Nick Castle; PROD Larry J. Franco, Debra Hill. U.S., 1981, color, 99 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
[EL VIAJE EXTRAORDINARIO DE CELESTE GARCÍA]
In Cuban screenwriter Arturo Infante's (HABANA EVA, THE SILLY AGE) delightfully original directorial debut, Celeste García (Maria Isabel Diaz, VOLVER, CHE: PART ONE) is a 60-year-old retired schoolteacher enjoying her work as a guide at Havana's planetarium, but stuck in a rut of humdrum routine. When the government reveals that Cuba has been secretly hosting a delegation of aliens from planet Gryok, and that ordinary Cubans have been invited to apply to visit the aliens' homeland in return, Celeste discovers that her eccentric "Russian" neighbor is in fact a Gryokite, and receives a personal invitation. As Celeste joins a government preparation program for intergalactic travel, Infante mixes absurd humor and wry political commentary to chart the adventure that will change her life forever. Official Selection, 2018 Toronto International Film Festival; 2019 Palm Springs and Miami film festivals. DIR/SCR Arturo Infante; PROD Claudia Calviño, Ernst Fassbender. Cuba/Germany, 2018, color, 92 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
In his follow-up to the critically-acclaimed A TOUCH OF ZEN, trailblazing Chinese filmmaker King Hu brings together an all-star female cast, including Hong Kong cinema stalwart Li Li-hua and Angela "Lady Whirlwind" Mao, in this lively martial arts adventure. When Lee Khan, an official working for Mongolian Emperor Yuan of the Yuan Dynasty, procures the battle map of the Chinese rebel army, Chinese resistance fighters, aided by an undercover girl-gang within Khan's ranks, strive to corner him in an inn. Featuring stunning action sequences choreographed by Jackie Chan's "kung fu elder brother" Sammo Hung and a generous mix of intrigue and humor, THE FATE OF LEE KHAN is a legendary wuxia masterpiece. (Note courtesy of Film Movement.) DIR/SCR/PROD King Hu; SCR Chung Wang. Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1973, color, 106 min. In Mandarin with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
John Carpenter's sci-fi cult classic stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh as inhabitants of a small coastal town plagued by an otherworldly fog, which rolls in just as the town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Dark secrets about the town's founding are revealed as vengeful ghosts go on a killing spree, and residents look for answers even as they try to survive. "In the decades since THE FOG debuted, Carpenter's made a wide enough variety of films — action, science-fiction, social satire and more — that this particular picture no longer seems like a departure. Ultimately, it's a John Carpenter movie: concerned with group dynamics, unhelpful authority figures, strong women, the sins of the past and that moment when helpless isolation shades into outright terror." — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times. DIR/SCR John Carpenter; SCR/PROD Debra Hill. U.S., 1980, color, 89 min. RATED R
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Joel McCrea stars as an American journalist in London in 1938 who covers the war and discovers an espionage ring and assassination plot. Alfred Hitchcock outdid himself with the action-packed set pieces, using all manner of camera trickery and special effects, from a fatal fall from high atop Westminster Cathedral to mysterious goings-on at a windmill in the Netherlands to an inventively staged plane crash. McCrea's impassioned, Edward R. Murrow-esque radio monologue during the London blitz finale even impressed the opposition — Nazi Germany's Joseph Goebbels thought the film "a masterpiece of propaganda." Six Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture. DIR Alfred Hitchcock; SCR Charles Bennett, Joan Harrison; PROD Walter Wanger. U.S., 1940, b&w, 120 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[NAMHAN SANSEONG 남한산성]
Set in 1636, this sweeping historical epic tells the story of China's invasion of Korea and the stalwart soldiers who waged a last-ditch defense of a mountain fortification. Balancing action-packed battle scenes with meticulous evocations of political backstabbing in the royal court, Hwang Dong-hyuk's film upholds the grand tradition of large-scale Korean period dramas. (Note courtesy of the Freer|Sackler.) DIR/SCR Hwang Dong-hyuk, from the novel by Kim Hoon; PROD Kim Ji-yeon. South Korea, 2017, color, 139 min. In Korean with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Newspapermen-turned-playwrights Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur made their names with the 1928 Broadway play "The Front Page." Its rapid-fire, smart-alecky dialogue transformed not only the stage medium, but also, with the coming of sound film, the next few decades of movies as well. Adapted for the screen in 1931, THE FRONT PAGE is the story of star crime reporter Hildy Johnson (Pat O'Brien), fed up with his hard-driving, manipulative editor Walter Burns (Adolphe Menjou) and about to quit his job to marry his sweetheart Peggy (Mary Brian). But when a big story breaks, Hildy can't resist covering it, even if it means putting his honeymoon on ice. The play's madcap humor and endless wisecracking was expertly re-arranged by director Howard Hawks and screenwriter Charles Lederer in 1940 with their adaptation HIS GIRL FRIDAY, which recasts Walter and Hildy as former paramours Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, upping the sexual tension in their fraught workplace relationship and codifying everything wonderful about screwball comedy. DIR/PROD Lewis Milestone; SCR Bartlett Cormack, from the play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur; PROD Howard Hughes. U.S., 1931, b&w, 101 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[PUL-IP-DEUL 풀잎들]
Directed by global art-house favorite Hong Sang-soo (NIGHT AND DAY; RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN), GRASS takes place almost entirely in a pleasant Seoul café. Kim Min-hee (THE HANDMAIDEN, HOTEL BY THE RIVER, ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE) stars as A-reum. She sits alone, typing on her laptop and eavesdropping on other customers. In typical Hong fashion, we soon become aware that nothing is as straightforward as it appears. Scenes are out of order, and we begin to wonder whether A-reum is simply recording the events around her or creating the very fiction we are watching. (Note courtesy of the Freer|Sackler.) DIR/SCR/PROD Hong Sang-soo. South Korea, 2018, b&w, 66 min. In Korean with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Charlie Chaplin's first all-talking picture presents a biting satire on dictatorship, with Chaplin as a Jewish barber mistaken for Adenoid Hynkel, Der Phooey, Dictator of Tomainia. His cohorts include the scene-stealing Jack Oakie as Benzino Napaloni (Il Dig-a-Ditchy), Henry Daniell as Garbitsch and Billy Gilbert as Herring. As Hynkel, Chaplin speaks in a rich guttural tongue interspersed with gibberish. Featuring Chaplin's globe dance — one of cinema's all-time highlights. DIR/SCR/PROD Charles Chaplin. U.S., 1940, b&w, 125 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
GREETINGS was Brian De Palma's first great cinematic statement. It appeared on the eve of this country's most turbulent decade since the American Civil War, and in advance of an ostensibly "new" Hollywood rendering the boundless energies of the counterculture into commodity form. Throughout this film, De Palma searches for an attitude, for a style appropriate to the strangeness and violence of his moment. He openly samples from the French New Wave and American undergrounders such as Andy Warhol, but also makes ample use of the particular resources available to him: the seedy streets and characters of late-'60s Manhattan — with its infinite list of internal contradictions — to the charisma and range of young, then-unknown actor Robert De Niro. Ultimately, it is toward comedy that GREETINGS aspires. Even beyond its heady politics, its film-historical fluency and its sharp-eyed critique of American society, GREETINGS invites its audience to laugh. (Note courtesy of George Eastman House.) DIR/SCR Brian De Palma; SCR/PROD Charles Hirsch. U.S., 1968, color, 88 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
One of the greatest cult movies in American film history and the very epitome of the B-film noir (not to mention an early variation on the Bonnie and Clyde theme), GUN CRAZY was a major influence on Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave — dazzling evidence that "all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun." The girl in this case is Peggy Cummins, who works as a professional sharpshooter at a carnival. John Dall has been passionate about guns since childhood, and when she picks him from the crowd to challenge him to an on-stage shooting contest, the attraction between them is instant and palpable. Despite being warned that Cummins "ain't the type that makes a happy home," Dall proposes to her. Cummins soon craves action and when the money runs dry, she persuades Dall they should become partners in crime. (Note courtesy of British Film Institute.) DIR Joseph H. Lewis; SCR MacKinlay Kantor, Dalton Trumbo; PROD Frank King, Maurice King. U.S., 1950, b&w, 86 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
December 16, 1984. The small island of Barbados is rocked by the news of the bloody murder of white plantation owner Cyril Sisnett. The four men involved (David Oliver, Peter Bradshaw, Errol Bradshaw and Winston Hall) were rounded up and sent to be tried in court. On the morning of March 18, 1985, the unthinkable happened: Winston Hall and Errol Bradshaw escaped from the prison van in which they were being held. The Royal Barbados Police Force launched a massive manhunt. Twenty-eight days later, Errol Bradshaw's mother, accompanied by a lawyer, returned Errol to the police while Hall remained at large. What followed were tales of daring escapes and police chases as Hall consistently remained one step ahead of the law. Twice he was recaptured and twice he defied the odds by escaping maximum-security prison and fleeing to neighboring Caribbean islands. The story of this notorious fugitive rose to the level of folkloric legend in Barbados, inspiring pop songs and wild speculation. The truth behind his escapes is elusive and bizarre as the story unfolds in this thrilling documentary. (Note adapted from CaribbeanTales.) Official Selection, 2018 Trinidad and Tobago and CaribbeanTales film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Rommel Hall. Barbados, 2017, color, 95 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
HERO – INSPIRED BY THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE & TIMES OF MR. ULRIC CROSS
Shot in Trinidad, the UK, Ghana and Canada, HERO is the story of Ulric Cross, who in 1941 left his small island home in Trinidad to seek his fortune and become the British Royal Air Force's most decorated West Indian airman. His life took a dramatically different course when he followed the call of history and joined the independence movements sweeping Africa in the 1950s and '60s. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, HERO boasts an all-star, international and pan-African cast including Jamaican-born Peter Williams (STARGATE SG-1); the UK's Joseph Marcell (FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR), Fraser James (RESIDENT EVIL) and Pippa Nixon (JOHN CARTER); Ghanaian superstars John Dumelo and Adjetey Anang and Trinidad and Tobago's Nickolai Salcedo in the lead role as Ulric Cross. Official Selection, 2018 Trinidad and Tobago and CaribbeanTales film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Frances-Anne Solomon. Trinidad and Tobago/Canada/Ghana/UK, 2018, color, 110 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
"On a basketball court, 'give me the rock' means 'pass the ball.' In HIGH FLYING BIRD, an exhilarating and argumentative caper concerning a sports agent, his NBA-rookie client and other interested parties, the phrase takes on a slightly different connotation — something akin to 'the workers should seize control of the means of production.'" This isn't a sports movie in any conventional sense. Directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by Tarell Alvin McCraney, it uses the charisma of athletes and the competitive energy of the game they play to catalyze a feisty, twisty fable of labor and capital in the 21st century. "It leaves you with a lot to think about, in addition to race, class and basketball: what it means to love your work, and why it matters to be paid for it." – A.O. Scott, The New York Times. Starring André Holland (MOONLIGHT), Zazie Beetz (ATLANTA, DEADPOOL 2) and Melvin Gregg. DIR Steven Soderbergh; SCR Tarell Alvin McCraney; PROD Joseph Malloch. U.S., 2019, color, 90 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Gary Cooper won the Oscar® for Best Actor for his turn as a New Mexico Territory marshal, newly married to Grace Kelly and about to retire, who's forced to defend himself against a vengeful nemesis recently let out of jail on a technicality. This classic Western unfolds in real time, as the minutes count down to a duel at high noon. Penned by the blacklisted Carl Foreman, HIGH NOON also serves as an allegory of the terror that paralyzed Hollywood during McCarthyism. The film was nominated for seven Oscars® and, and in addition to Cooper's Best Actor statue, won Best Editing, Score and Song. DIR Fred Zinnemann; SCR Carl Foreman, from a story by John W. Cunningham; PROD Stanley Kramer. U.S., 1952, b&w, 85 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Perhaps Howard Hawks' most inspired bit of cinematic alchemy was to remake Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's play "The Front Page" (already a successful film in 1931) with reporter Hildy Johnson recast from male to female, her love-hate relationship with hard-driving editor Walter Burns now complicated by the fact that they were formerly married. Add Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in career-defining roles, an ensemble of crackerjack character actors in the newsroom and Ralph Bellamy in the Ralph Bellamy role, and you have one of Hollywood's greatest screwball comedies, a dazzling showcase for Hawks' great themes of professional camaraderie and amour fou. DIR/PROD Howard Hawks; SCR Charles Lederer, from the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. U.S., 1940, b&w, 92 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
On May 17, 1968, nine Catholic activists entered a Selective Service office in suburban Catonsville, Maryland, dragged stacks of Draft Board records out into the parking lot and set them on fire with homemade napalm. They then prayed, and waited to be arrested. In doing so, they kindled a wave of similar protests against the Vietnam War across the country that swept up dozens of participants and inspired thousands, and then millions. HIT & STAY tells the story of the Catonsville Nine and those who joined them in protesting the war. The Catonsville action had been preceded by a quartet of activists — including Catonsville Nine participant Father Philip Berrigan — splashing blood on draft files in nearby Baltimore. But it was Catonsville that galvanized the nonviolent antiwar resistance away from protest marches and toward direct actions by ordinary citizens against draft boards. This new form of protest quickly spread to similar actions in Washington, DC; New York; Milwaukee and elsewhere, drawing the attention of the FBI as well as the increasingly antiwar American public. (Note adapted from the Maryland Film Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Joe Tropea; DIR/SCR Skizz Cyzyk. U.S., 2013, color/b&w, 97 minutes. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[BAM-CHI-GI 밤치기]
Winner of two major awards at the 2017 Busan International Film Festival, this indie gem inspired reviewers to hail director Jeong Ga-young as the female Hong Sang-soo. Playing an independent filmmaker much like herself, Jeong invites a handsome young actor (played by Korean-Drama heartthrob Park Jong-hwan) out for drinks under the pretense of interviewing him for her latest project — but her real goal is to get him into bed. As the liquor flows and her questions range from provocative to explicit, the results are flustering (for him), hilarious (for the audience) and, in their frank treatment of female desire, utterly unique in Korean cinema. (Note courtesy of the Freer|Sackler.) DIR/SCR Jeong Ga-young; PROD Kim Jung-Min, Kim Ha-Ni. South Korea, 2017, color, 85 min. In Korean with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[GANGBYUN HOTEL 강변 호텔]
The latest feature from Hong Sang-soo follows two interconnected storylines set in and around a quiet hotel in winter. In one, an aging poet (Ki Joo-bong) is visited by his estranged adult sons. In the other, a young woman (Kim Min-hee, GRASS, THE HANDMAIDEN, ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE), with an unexplained wound on her hand, holes up with a friend to recover from a bad breakup. HOTEL BY THE RIVER prompted Giovanna Fulvi of the Toronto International Film Festival to enthuse, "Hong Sang-soo possesses a singular mastery for blending the mundane with the cosmic and the minutiae of human foibles with ageless queries into the riddles of time's passage." (Note courtesy of the Freer|Sackler.) DIR/SCR/PROD Hong Sang-soo. South Korea, b&w, 2018, 96 min. In Korean with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[HYÈNES]
One of the treasures of African cinema, Senegalese master Djibril Diop Mambéty's long-delayed follow-up to his canonical TOUKI BOUKI is a hallucinatory comic adaptation of Swiss avant-garde writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play "The Visit," which in Mambéty's imagining follows a now-rich woman returning to her poor desert hometown to propose a deal to the populace: her fortune, in exchange for the death of the man who years earlier abandoned her and left her with his child. Per its title, HYENAS is a film of sinister, mocking laughter, and a biting satire of a contemporary Senegal whose post-colonial dreams are faced with erosion by Western materialism. Restored in 2018 by Thelma Film AG with the support of La Cinémathèque suisse, at Eclair Cinema, from the original negative. (Note courtesy of Metrograph Releasing.) DIR/SCR Djibril Diop Mambéty, from the play "The Visit" by Friedrich Dürrenmatt; PROD Pierre-Alain Meier, Alain Rozanès. Senegal/France/Switzerland/UK, 1992, color, 110 min. In Wolof, French and Japanese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[SOY CUBA]
Now newly restored, Mikhail Kalatozov's deliriously beautiful masterpiece I AM CUBA is even more ravishing and surreal than ever — the improved visuals and the single-language soundtrack allow viewers to experience the film's extraordinary cinematography, sound editing and narrative power. Produced by the USSR's Mosfilm and Cuba's ICAIC, this film began shooting only a week after the Cuban missile crisis ended and was designed to be Cuba's answer to both Sergei Eisenstein's propaganda masterpiece BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN and Jean-Luc Godard's freewheeling romance BREATHLESS. But I AM CUBA turned out to be something quite unique — a wildly schizophrenic celebration of Communist iconography, mixing Slavic solemnity with Latin sensuality. The plot, or rather plots, feverishly explore the seductive, decadent (and marvelously photogenic) world of Batista's Cuba — deliriously juxtaposing images of rich Americans and bikini-clad beauties sipping cocktails poolside with scenes of ramshackle slums filled with hungry children and gaunt old people. Using wide-angle lenses that distort and magnify and filters that transform palm trees into giant white feathers, cinematographer Sergei Urusevsky's acrobatic camera achieves wild gravity-defying angles as it glides effortlessly through long continuous shots. But I AM CUBA is not just a catalog of bravura technique — it also succeeds in exploring the innermost feelings of the characters and their often-desperate situations. (Note adapted from Milestone Films.) DIR Mikhail Kalatozov; SCR Enrique Pineda Barnet, Evgeniy Evtushenko; PROD Bela Fridman, Semyon Maryakhin, Miguel Mendoza. Cuba/USSR, 1964, b&w, 141 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
How can we deprive our four-legged furry friends of the chance to see Wes Anderson's stop-motion-animated masterpiece on the big screen? We just can't, so we've rescheduled our rained-out 2018 screening of ISLE OF DOGS for the good of the canine residents of Silver Spring and beyond!
ISLE OF DOGS tells the story of Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), the 12-year-old ward of corrupt Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura). When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber). There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire prefecture. Also starring F. Murray Abraham, Bob Balaban, Bud Cort, Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Akira Takayama, Ken Watanabe and Frank Wood. DIR/SCR/PROD Wes Anderson; SCR Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Kunichi Nomura; PROD Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin. UK/Germany, 2018, color, 101 min. RATED PG-13
DOG RULES
Dogs must remain on a leash at all times. Sonny's Green has a designated dog run area with water fountains and places for doggie relief. Please clean up all pet waste and dispose of it in designated receptacles. Dog owners are responsible for their dogs' actions — there will be dogs of various sizes and temperaments in the audience. Silver Screens presenters are not liable for the action of any attending dogs, and we reserve the right to ask disruptive pups to leave.
An unsung talent in her lifetime, director, professor and Fulbright scholar Nietzchka Keene's stark, stunning debut feature THE JUNIPER TREE is loosely based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name, and stars Björk in her first onscreen performance. The film premiered to glowing reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991 and led Keene to direct HEROINE OF HELL (1996), starring Catherine Keener, and BAREFOOT TO JERUSALEM (2008), the latter completed after her tragically early death in 2004. Set in medieval Iceland, THE JUNIPER TREE follows Margit (Björk, in a riveting performance) and her older sister Katla (Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir) as they flee for safety after their mother is burned to death for witchcraft. Finding shelter and protection with Johan (Valdimar Örn Flygenring) and his resentful young son, Jonas (Geirlaug Sunna Þormar), the sisters help form an impromptu family unit that's soon strained by Katla's burgeoning sorcery. Photographed entirely on location in the stunning landscapes of Iceland in spectacular black-and-white by Randy Sellars, THE JUNIPER TREE is a deeply atmospheric film, evocative of Carl Theodor Dreyer's DAY OF WRATH and Ingmar Bergman's THE VIRGIN SPRING, and filled with indelible waking dream sequences (courtesy of legendary experimental filmmaker Pat O'Neill). A potent allegory for misogyny and its attendant tragedies, THE JUNIPER TREE is a major rediscovery for arthouse audiences. New restoration by the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation. (Note courtesy of Arbelos.) DIR/SCR/PROD Nietzchka Keene, from the story by the Brothers Grimm. Iceland, 1990, b&w, 78 min. In English. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Innovative and dynamic visuals lend great atmosphere to this B-picture gangster drama from the young Stanley Kubrick, whose tenure as a staff photographer at Look magazine appears to have been great training for shooting this independent feature, a film Kubrick wrote, directed, produced, photographed and edited. The 1950s shooting locations document various vanished worlds of New York City: the gritty tenements and alleyways of Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side; the gorgeous old Penn Station; the old-fashioned, pre-faded glamour of Times Square; and a still-industrial Dumbo, Brooklyn. DIR/SCR/PROD Stanley Kubrick; PROD Morris Bousel. U.S., 1955, b&w, 67 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Ex-con hard case Sterling Hayden assembles a crew of colorful lowlifes to pull off a daring daytime racetrack heist. Poor judgment, bad luck and a faithless wife conspire to undo their big score, and as things fall apart, this time-fractured puzzle of a story comes together. The screenplay was co-written by Stanley Kubrick and pulp great Jim Thompson; the sharp cinematography is by Lucien Ballard. DIR/SCR Stanley Kubrick; SCR Jim Thompson, from the novel "Clean Break" by Lionel White; PROD James B. Harris. U.S., 1956, b&w, 85 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
"Blood-Red Kisses, White-Hot Thrills!" Mickey Spillane's tough-talking New York detective Mike Hammer gets a California makeover in this cult fave by genre innovator Robert Aldrich, working from a gonzo script by A. I. Bezzerides. Atomic-age fears find their foil in modern L.A.'s sprawling landscape of violence and corruption, in which Ralph Meeker's Hammer sneers with sarcastic cool. Equal parts narcissist and sadist, Hammer lives in a swanky bachelor pad, drives his Corvette too fast and is drawn by ego and curiosity into a murder investigation — despite clear danger to all around him. Hammer's search is inventively filmed by Ernest Laszlo across Los Angeles locations, from Bunker Hill and Beverly Hills to the isolated Malibu beach house where the "great whatsit" finally makes its big reveal. Excellent support is provided by "va-va-voom!" Juano Hernandez and femmes Cloris Leachman, Maxine Cooper, Gaby Rodgers and Marian Carr. DIR/PROD Robert Aldrich; SCR A. I. Bezzerides, from the novel by Mickey Spillane. U.S., 1955, b&w, 106 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
A special 50th-anniversary commemoration of the mindblowing Merriweather Post Pavilion show of May 25, 1969, where Led Zeppelin opened for The Who — the only time these two legendary bands shared a stage. Filmmaker Jeff Krulik leads a post-screening discussion about the promoters, poster designer and The Who's near-riot return one year later that turned Route 29 into a "mini-Woodstock."
1969. Man lands on the moon. Half a million strong at Woodstock. SESAME STREET debuts…. and Led Zeppelin perform in the gym of the Wheaton Youth Center on Georgia Avenue in front of 50 confused teenagers. Or did they? Filmmaker Jeff Krulik (HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT) investigates the mystery around this legendary concert, alleged to have taken place on January 20, 1969, the same day of the first Presidential Inauguration of Richard Nixon, which took place just a few miles away. LED ZEPPELIN PLAYED HERE explores the start of the modern rock-concert industry, focusing on Led Zeppelin's first month crisscrossing the U.S. on tour. Many swear that this concert took place, but just as many cast doubt. Did it really happen? Or, 50 years later, is it some sort of "rock-and-roll RASHOMON" reimagining history? The film features interviews with rock writers, musicians and fans, plus some who claim they were there, witnessing history that night. DIR/SCR/PROD Jeff Krulik. U.S., 2014, color/b&w, 90 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Considered by many to be the finest British film ever made, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP is a stirring masterpiece like no other. Roger Livesey (A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH) dynamically embodies outmoded English militarism as the indelible General Clive Candy, who barely survives four decades of tumultuous British history, 1902 to 1942, only to see the world change irrevocably before his eyes. Anton Walbrook (THE RED SHOES) and Deborah Kerr (THE KING AND I) provide unforgettable support, he as a German enemy turned lifelong friend of Candy's and she as young women of three consecutive generations — a socially committed governess, a sweet-souled war nurse and a modern-thinking army driver — who inspire him. COLONEL BLIMP is both moving and slyly satirical, an incomparable film about war, love, aging and obsolescence, shot in gorgeous Technicolor. (Note courtesy of Criterion Collection.) DIR/SCR/PROD Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger. U.K., 1943, color, 163 min. In English, French and German with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[LITEUL POLESEUTEU 리틀 포레스트]
The latest film from pioneering female director Yim Soon-rye (FOREVER THE MOMENT, WAIKIKI BROTHERS) is the heartwarming story of a young woman (Kim Tae-ri, star of THE HANDMAIDEN) who abandons city life for her remote childhood home. There, she rediscovers the simple pleasures of growing and cooking her own food while reconnecting with childhood friends — and her troubled, single mother, played by Moon So-ri, who appears at the Freer Gallery of Art on June 7. (Note courtesy of the Freer|Sackler.) DIR Yim Soon-rye; SCR Hwang Seong-gu, from the manga by Daisuke Igarashi; PROD Jenna Ku. South Korea, 2018, color, 103 min. In Korean with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
30th Anniversary
THE LITTLE MERMAID ushered in the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s and has become a beloved animation classic in the 30 years since its release. When a free-spirited mermaid named Ariel — who also happens to be the daughter of Triton, king of the sea — journeys beyond her own world to the surface, she meets the handsome human Prince Eric. Determined to experience more of the world above the sea, Ariel strikes a bargain with the evil sea witch Ursula and trades her beautiful voice to be part of the human world. With its Oscar®-winning soundtrack and signature song "Under the Sea," THE LITTLE MERMAID captured a timeless spirit of joy and adventure, opening the doors for a slew of Disney classics like BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING and MULAN. DIR/SCR/PROD John Musker; DIR/SCR Ron Clements; SCR from the short story by Hans Christian Andersen; PROD Howard Ashman. U.S., 1989, color, 83 min. RATED G
Frank Sinatra stars in this controversial adaptation of Nelson Algren's award-winning novel about drug addiction and small-time crime set on Chicago's North Side. Ex-con Sinatra's attempts to clean up his life are hindered by bad luck, several old acquaintances he can't quite shake and his vindictive, neurotic wife Eleanor Parker. Suspected of a murder he did not commit, Sinatra turns to his girlfriend Kim Novak to clear his name and help him finally kick his habit once and for all. Featuring groundbreaking title design by Saul Bass, who would go on to become Preminger's regular title and poster designer. DIR/PROD Otto Preminger; SCR Walter Newman, Lewis Meltzer, Ben Hecht, from the novel by Nelson Algren. U.S., 1955, b&w, 119 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Originally a teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky, MARTY was nominated for eight Academy Awards® (winning for Best Picture) and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes — still the only film to win both prestigious prizes. "I've been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life," says lovelorn Bronx butcher Marty (Ernest Borgnine). Still living with his mother and resigned to a life of loneliness, he is over the moon when he meets shy schoolteacher Betsy Blair, who reciprocates his feelings. However, to Marty's surprise, his mother dislikes the girl and his friends put her down — leading him to also question his newfound love. DIR Delbert Mann; SCR Paddy Chayefsky; PROD Harold Hecht, Burt Lancaster. U.S., 1955, b&w, 94 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
In 2013, a ruling from the Dominican Republic's constitutional court effectively rescinded citizenship rights for more than 200,000 Dominican-born residents of Haitian descent. A rise in populist politics also saw violent mobs springing up nationwide, committed to seeing the destruction of black Dominicans who were already living under the constant threat of deportation. Bending to the weight of international outrage, the government established a regularization process — but only for a limited time. Racing against the clock, 23-year-old Pikilina must scramble to gather the documentation necessary to prove her birthright and secure citizenship for her two children. This horrifying look at the not-so-new face of nationalism comes more than 80 years after dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered the slaughter of more than 12,000 Haitians living on the northern frontier. With one woman's story of struggle, MASSACRE RIVER offers a study on the precarity of black life and the abhorrent fantasy of borders. (Note courtesy of Hot Docs.) Official Selection, 2019 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Suzan Beraza; PROD David Byars. U.S./Haiti, 2019, color, 79 min. In English, Spanish and Haitian Creole with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
20th Anniversary
The Wachowskis' mind-bending, bullet-dodging existentialist action movie posited that observable reality is really a virtual reality, generated by a massive computer program that keeps humans enslaved to AI overlords. Computer hacker Keanu Reeves, aka "Neo," is recruited by a cadre of rebels, led by the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), to help them liberate humankind. Could Neo in fact be "the One"? Wildly mixing and mashing up various references from myth, religion and philosophy with cyberpunk science fiction, Chinese martial arts cinema and Japanese anime, the film was a sensation upon release, a stylish and buzzy blockbuster that has become an enduring pop cultural reference point. With Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano and Hugo Weaving as "Agent Smith." DIR/SCR Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski; PROD Joel Silver. U.S., 1999, color, 136 min. RATED R
[SO-GONG-NYEO 소공녀]
Jeon Go-woon's impressive debut feature is, according to Rebecca Pahle of Film Journal International, "emotionally complex and bittersweet … a quiet miniature masterpiece." It stars actress and model Esom as a musician-turned-cleaning woman. She has pared her life down to the bare essentials — whiskey, cigarettes and a roof over her head — in an attempt to drop out of Korea's high-pressure society. When she loses her apartment, she is forced to depend on the kindness of old friends, causing her to question whether her personal code of honor is sustainable. (Note courtesy of the Freer|Sackler.) DIR/SCR Jeon Go-woon; PROD Kim Soon-mo. South Korea, 2017, color, 106 min. In Korean with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[MIRIAM MIENTE]
The politics of race and class in the Dominican Republic are explored with subtlety and nuance in this powerful coming-of-age drama from filmmaking duo Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada. Fourteen-year-old biracial teen Miriam is deep into extravagant preparations for her quinceañera with her hyper-wealthy white best friend Jennifer, when she discovers that her online boyfriend Jean-Louis, who she plans to invite, is black. Moving in a space of white privilege and wealth which tacitly excludes part of her identity, Miriam grapples with the internal conflict that ensues, constructing a precarious string of lies to prevent her worlds from colliding. An affecting and beautifully acted study of endemic and internalized racism and classism, MIRIAM LIES explores both teenage insecurities and the wider context in which they play out. Official Selection, 2018 Karlovy Vary, London and Chicago film festivals; 2019 Guadalajara and Palm Springs film festivals. DIR/SCR Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada; PROD Jordi Comellas, Paco Poch. Dominican Republic/Spain, 2018, color, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp gets trapped in the coils of automation — at one point literally — so frenziedly tightening screws on the assembly line that, once off it, he compulsively tightens buttons on women and later becomes the guinea pig for an efficiency-promoting feeding machine run amok. Inspired by Rene Clair's A NOUS LA LIBERTE, this corrosive satire on the dehumanizing effects of technology gives its screeches, groans and grinds more lines than the actors. It's also one of Chaplin's most lighthearted works, with highlights including his helpful waving of a red flag dropped by a departing truck just as a Communist demonstration marches up behind him. DIR/SCR/PROD Charlie Chaplin. U.S., 1936, b&w, 87 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
A critics' darling upon its 2006 release, MUTUAL APPRECIATION is at once an utterly timeless and distinctly mid-aughts portrait of the ebb and flow of 20-something life in New York City. Richly observed and deeply humanist, the film follows Alan (Justin Rice), an aspiring musician who crash-lands in town following the breakup of his band in Boston, immediately taking up with his old friends Ellie (Rachel Clift) and Lawrence (director/writer Andrew Bujalski), while negotiating the affections of a local radio DJ (Seung-Min Lee). In the tradition of Éric Rohmer, John Cassavetes and Jacques Rivette, Bujalski crafts a deft yet unassuming generational statement that finds its inspiration less in plot than in sharply drawn relationships and captivating conversations. Lovingly lensed in intimate 16mm black-and-white film, MUTUAL APPRECIATION is a generous and witty ode to the friendships that hallmark our awkward and enthralling post-collegiate years. Along with 2002's equally lauded FUNNY HA HA, it signaled the triumphant arrival of indie auteur Bujalski, who has gone on to write and direct a suite of critically acclaimed features including BEESWAX (2009), COMPUTER CHESS (2013), RESULTS (2015) and SUPPORT THE GIRLS (2018). (Note adapted from Arbelos.) DIR/SCR Andrew Bujalski; PROD Morgan Faust, Dia Sokol Savage, Ethan Vogt. U.S., 2005, b&w, 109 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" When Howard Beale (Peter Finch), a veteran news anchor with slipping ratings, is informed that he is being let go, he launches into a rant on live television, ultimately proclaiming his intention to commit suicide live on his next broadcast. The network's executives cynically decide to keep Beale on and exploit the ratings boost following his rant. Sidney Lumet's prescient examination of the modern news media depicts a cruel, ratings-hungry world, in which populism is exploited for profit. A touchstone film of the 1970s, NETWORK earned 10 Oscar® nominations, including acting wins for Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight, and for Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay. DIR Sidney Lumet; SCR Paddy Chayefsky; PROD Howard Gottfried. U.S., 1976, color, 121 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
Blending the mythological power of the Brothers Grimm fable with Southern Gothic creepiness, this is the story of two children guarding their dead father's stash of stolen money from a seemingly benevolent but secretly malicious preacher, played with unhinged gusto by Robert Mitchum. The film boasts expressionistic lighting effects and memorably stylized art design. Mitchum, usually the paragon of cool, here gives a flamboyantly over-the-top performance as the psychotic villain. Shelley Winters is heartbreaking as the children's weak-minded and ill-fated mother, while the indomitable Lillian Gish is an inspiration as their lion-hearted protectress. DIR Charles Laughton; SCR James Agee, from the novel by Davis Grubb; PROD Paul Gregory. U.S., 1955, b&w, 93 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Sally Field won a Best Actress Oscar® for her portrayal of Norma Rae, a Southern textile worker confronted with poor working conditions. Faced with challenges both personal and professional, she proves receptive to the message of a union organizer seeking to start a drive at her plant. The film is based on the real story of Crystal Lee Sutton and the ACTWU's drive to organize JP Stevens' plants in the South in the 1970s. NORMA RAE was selected for preservation at the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011 for movies deemed "culturally, aesthetically or historically significant." DIR Martin Ritt; SCR Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr.; PROD Tamara Asseyev, Alexandra Rose. U.S., 1979, color, 114 min. RATED PG
AFI Member passes accepted.
Former ace reporter Wally Cook (Fredric March), recently demoted after falling for a fraudulent story, thinks he's found his way back to the top: a profile of small-town Vermont beauty Hazel Flagg (Carole Lombard), doomed to die young from radiation poisoning. Hazel accepts Wally's offer to fly her to the Big Apple for the trip of her dwindling lifetime, where she becomes the toast of the town and a media sensation. The problem, in addition to the pair's growing infatuation with one another, is that Hazel hasn't been telling the truth — she's as healthy as a horse. A wicked romp from William A. Wellman, directing a sharp-witted script by former newsman Ben Hecht. DIR William A. Wellman; SCR Ben Hecht; PROD David O. Selznick. U.S., 1937, color, 77 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Produced and directed by Lewis Milestone (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT), this 1939 adaptation of John Steinbeck's famous story still ranks among its very best screen treatments. The story follows a pair of lifelong friends — the clever, confident George, played by Burgess Meredith (ROCKY, THE STORY OF G.I. JOE), and the mentally disabled Lennie, played by Lon Chaney, Jr. (THE WOLF MAN) — who stick tight together eking out a living as migrant workers during the Great Depression. The film boasts an excellent cast, including Betty Field (PICNIC) as Mae, Charles Bickford (THE BIG COUNTRY) as Slim and Bob Steele (THE BIG SLEEP) as Curley, and a beautiful, Oscar®-nominated score by Aaron Copland. Steinbeck's heartbreaking story captures the desperate struggle to survive, and the fragility of hopes and dreams, during The Great Depression. DIR/PROD Lewis Milestone; SCR Eugene Solow, from the novella by John Steinbeck. U.S., 1939, b&w, 106 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
One of Stanley Kubrick's finest films, PATHS OF GLORY is an expert realization of WWI's battles in the trenches and a biting critique of the futility of the soldiers' efforts and the fecklessness of their officers. Ordered to storm a German stronghold that holds little strategic value, French colonel Kirk Douglas' troops take heavy losses and retreat under fire. With the top brass demanding blood — while covering up their own misdeeds and vainglorious motives — Douglas must defend his men's actions in military court. DIR/SCR Stanley Kubrick; SCR Calder Willingham, Jim Thompson, from the novel by Humphrey Cobb; PROD James B. Harris, Kirk Douglas. U.S., 1957, b&w, 88 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
The jaw-dropping set pieces fly fast and furious in Jackie Chan's breathtakingly inventive martial-arts comedy, a smash hit that made him a worldwide icon of daredevil action spectacle. The director/star/one-man stunt machine plays Ka-Kui, a Hong Kong police inspector who goes rogue to bring down a drug kingpin and protect the case's star witness (Chinese cinema legend Brigitte Lin) from retribution. Packed with charmingly goofball slapstick and astoundingly acrobatic fight choreography — including an epic shopping-mall melee of flying fists and shattered glass — POLICE STORY set a new standard for rock-'em-sock-'em mayhem that would influence a generation of filmmakers from Hong Kong to Hollywood. (Note courtesy of Janus Films.) DIR/SCR Jackie Chan; SCR Edward Tang; PROD Leonard Ho. Hong Kong, 1985, color, 100 min. In Cantonese with English subtitles. RATED PG-13
AFI Member passes accepted.
World Premiere!
When punk rock exploded in Washington, DC, in the late 1970s, it was a mighty, intergenerational convergence of powerful music, close friendships and clear minds. Featuring breathtaking Super-8 footage filmed at some of the earliest punk shows in DC, PUNK THE CAPITAL takes us through that transformative period (1976–1983), situating DC punk and DC harDCore within the larger narratives of the music industry at that time. The film boasts electrifying performances by legendary bands like Bad Brains and Minor Threat, and others integral to the era like The Slickee Boys and Black Market Baby. An array of interviewees like H.R. and Daryl Jenifer of Bad Brains, Ian and Alec MacKaye, Henry Rollins and Cynthia Connolly of Dischord Records, among others, make for a kaleidoscopic and lyrical documentary that immerses the audience in the sounds and ideas of this celebrated music scene. Against the odds (or perhaps, understandably), punk rock took hold in Washington, DC, and grew into a movement that became a model for DIY culture around the world. A film by Paul Bishow, James June Schneider and Sam Lavine. U.S., 2019, color, 88 min. NOT RATED
While he was working on GONE WITH THE WIND, producer David O. Selznick hired Alfred Hitchcock to begin work on an adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier novel "Rebecca." Joan Fontaine stars as the "second Mrs. de Winter," who, after a happy honeymoon with husband Laurence Olivier, has difficulty settling in at his gothic manor, and is not helped by creepy housekeeper Judith Anderson, whose devotion to the departed Mrs. de Winter borders on madness. Eleven Oscar® nominations and two wins: Best Picture (Selznick's second in a row) and Best Cinematography. DIR Alfred Hitchcock; SCR Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison, from the novel by Daphne du Maurier; PROD David O. Selznick. U.S., 1940, b&w, 130 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Joan Stanley (Judi Dench) is a widow living out a quiet retirement in the suburbs when, shockingly, the British Secret Service places her under arrest. The charge: providing classified scientific information — including details on the building of the atomic bomb — to the Soviet government for decades. As she is interrogated, Joan relives the dramatic events that shaped her life and beliefs: her student days at Cambridge, where she excelled at physics while challenging deep-seated sexism; her tumultuous love affair with a dashing political radical (Tom Hughes); and the devastation of World War II, which inspired her to risk everything in pursuit of peace. Based on a sensational true story, RED JOAN vividly brings to life the conflicts — between patriotism and idealism, love and duty, courage and betrayal — of a woman who spent a lifetime being underestimated while quietly changing the course of history. Sophie Cookson costars.
DIR Trevor Nunn; SCR Lindsay Shapero; PROD David Parfitt. UK, 2019, color, 101 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
Arguably Howard Hawks' greatest film, RED RIVER established John Wayne once and for all as a major star, after some two decades of variable success; he'd remain a box office force for the next 25 years. Wayne plays a swaggering cattle baron, riding his men, his herd and himself hard across the Texas range to the railhead in Kansas. On the verge of a crackup and having descended into tyranny, Wayne is relieved of his command by his adopted son Montgomery Clift, setting up a Western-style Oedipal showdown. DIR/PROD Howard Hawks; SCR Borden Chase, Charles Schnee. U.S., 1948, b&w, 133 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world, but on November 16, 1997, when Jamaica's national soccer team — a.k.a. the Reggae Boyz — qualified for the 1998 World Cup, not a single bullet was fired in the country. As the Reggae Boyz embark on their 2014 World Cup campaign, a steel factory worker named Tuffy Anderson dreams of playing on the national team, competing in his local amateur league by night and refusing to give up his dream. Back on the soccer field, Jamaica's hopes come crashing down after a devastating losing streak. To revitalize the mission, Jamaica hires Winfried Schäfer, a journeyman coach who is known in his native Germany as Winnie Wahnsinn ("Wacky Winnie"). Together with local reggae band Nomaddz, some sage advice from the legendary Bunny Wailer and the talent and optimism of Tuffy, Winnie sets the national team on a path to success that culminates with Jamaica's first-ever Gold Cup Final. (Note adapted from German Documentaries.) Official Selection, 2018 Krakow Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Till Schauder; PROD Sara Nodjoumi. Jamaica/Germany, 2018, color, 75 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Looking for opportunity, five brothers move north with their mother to Milan. There, Simone and Rocco find fame in the boxing ring, and love in the same woman — Nadia. Jealousy mounts, blood is shed and a striving family faces self-destruction in this incisive, sensuous, emotionally bruising masterwork from director Luchino Visconti (THE LEOPARD, SENSO). With an operatic Nino Rota score and Giuseppe Rotunno's glimmering, on-location cinematography, ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS "represents the artistic apotheosis of Italian neorealism," says A.O. Scott of The New York Times. Drawing from Dostoevsky and Thomas Mann, Visconti arranges his signature themes — modernity, class tension, familial discord — across an epic canvas that directly influenced later Italian-American sagas by Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Renato Salvatori and Claudia Cardinale lead the cast of gorgeous unknowns who rose to stardom in the wake of this film's bow at the 1960 Venice Film Festival, a succès de scandale that saw it win the Special Jury Prize. Restored by the Film Foundation and the Cineteca di Bologna, ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS has never looked or sounded so pristine. Praised by Scorsese as "one of the most sumptuous black-and-white pictures," the film's baroque, impassioned majesty can once again be experienced as its filmmakers intended. (Note adapted from Milestone Films.) DIR/SCR Luchino Visconti; SCR Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa, Enrico Medioli, from the novel "Il ponte della Ghisolfa" by Giovanni Testori; PROD Goffredo Lombardo. Italy, 1960, b&w, 177 min. In Italian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
During the late 1960s and early '70s, London label Trojan Records — founded by Jamaican-born businessman Lee Gopthal — became one of the most influential Jamaican record companies in history. Combining archival footage, dramatic reconstructions and interviews with legendary artists, RUDEBOY places the story of Trojan Records at the heart of a cultural revolution which unfolded in the council estates and across the dancefloors of Britain, where ska, rocksteady and reggae announced a black presence in Britain, as immigration and innovation transformed popular music and culture. Told by a cast of musical legends including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Toots Hibbert, Ken Boothe, Neville Staple, Marcia Griffiths, Dave Barker, Dandy Livingstone, Lloyd Coxsone, Pauline Black, Derrick Morgan and more, RUDEBOY interweaves the emergence of an influential musical movement with Jamaica's post-colonial history. Official Selection 2018 London and IDFA film festivals; 2019 DOC NYC, CPH:DOX film festivals. DIR/SCR Nicolas Jack Davies; PROD Sam Bridger, Vivienne Perry. UK, 2018, color, 86 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Reckless, ruthless gangster Antonio "Tony" Camonte shoots his way to the top of Chicago's criminal syndicates in Howard Hawks' landmark gangster film — shockingly violent and amoral even today. Reworking a number of motifs from Josef von Sternberg's silent UNDERWORLD, which both Ben Hecht and Howard Hawks had also worked on, Hawks' film is notable for its visual style, energetic storytelling and early mastery of sound technique. Paul Muni is riveting as the unpredictable, dangerously childlike Tony, overly possessive of his sister Ann Dvorak, to the vexation of both his vinegary moll, Karen Morley, and loyal lieutenant George Raft. DIR/PROD Howard Hawks; DIR Richard Rosson; SCR Ben Hecht, from the novel by Armitage Trail; PROD Howard Hughes. U.S., 1932, b&w, 93 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
"Heeeere's Johnny!" Jack Nicholson suffers from one helluva case of writer's block in Stanley Kubrick's acclaimed adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Nicholson's frustrated writer takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel, with long-suffering wife Shelley Duvall and introverted young son Danny Lloyd in tow. The family tries to make the best of things at the lonely resort, while Nicholson's sanity is pushed to the breaking point as cabin fever and the denizens of the demonic hotel take control. DIR/SCR/PROD Stanley Kubrick; SCR Diane Johnson, from the novel by Stephen King. U.S./UK, 1980, color, 146 min. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
The Oscar®-winning animated sensation of 2018 returns to the big screen! Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind THE LEGO MOVIE and 21 JUMP STREET, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that's the first of its kind. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask. Co-starring Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber, Chris Pine and more. (Note adapted from Sony Pictures.) DIR Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey; DIR/SCR Rodney Rothman; SCR/PROD Phil Lord; PROD Avi Arad, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg. U.S., 2018, color, 117 min. RATED PG
Written and directed by Storm Saulter (BETTER MUS' COME), SPRINTER follows Akeem Sharp (newcomer Dale Elliott), a talented young athlete who is set to be Jamaica's next big track-and-field sensation. Akeem hopes his rise in athletics will take him to the U.S. to reunite him with his mother, who has supported the family while living as an undocumented resident for more than a decade. But Akeem's rising star is weighed down by turmoil at home: a volatile father and an unruly older brother who insinuates himself into Akeem's career as a means of escaping — or perhaps enhancing — his scam-artist hustle. The stellar supporting cast includes Kadeem Wilson (GHETT' A LIFE), Dennis Titus (THE MIGHTY QUINN), Shantol Jackson (YARDIE), Bryshere Y. Gray (EMPIRE), Lorraine Toussaint (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, SELMA) and David Alan Grier (IN LIVING COLOR), with songs by Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo and Jamaican dancehall performer Shenseea. Executive-produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, along with NBA veteran Richard Jefferson. (Note adapted from FilmRise.) Winner, Best Feature Film, Best Director and Audience Award, 2018 American Black Film Festival; Jury Prize, Best Narrative Feature, 2019 Pan African Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival, Smithsonian African American Film Festival and Toronto Black Film Festival. DIR/SCR Storm Saulter; PROD Clarence Hammond, James Lassiter, Robert A. Maylor, Jamal M. Watson. Jamaica/U.S., 2018, color, 114 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
In John Wayne's first major role for John Ford and Ford's first use of the Monument Valley locale, a motley assortment of travelers, some respectable and others from the wrong side of the tracks, make a hazardous journey from Arizona to New Mexico, fighting off Indian attacks and one anothers' prejudices along the way. Wayne is incomparable, but the whole ensemble shines, led by Claire Trevor, John Carradine and Thomas Mitchell, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for his portrayal of a drunken doctor. DIR/PROD John Ford; SCR Dudley Nichols, Ben Hecht. U.S., 1939, b&w, 96 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
"Maybe I'll be that one!" Small-town girl Esther Blodgett dreams of screen stardom, despite the chorus of naysayers in her family. Backed only by grandmother Lettie (May Robson), who applauds her "pioneer spirit," Esther moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams. She can't catch a break with central casting, but a chance encounter with matinee idol Norman Maine (Fredric March) while waitressing at a fancy industry party leads to a bit part, then a big break and soon romance and marriage with Maine. Rechristened "Vicky Lester," Esther becomes America's sweetheart, even as her husband and mentor descends into alcoholic ruin. The original and best version of Hollywood's classic cautionary tale, thrice remade.
DIR William A. Wellman; SCR Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, Robert Carson, from a story by Wellman and Carson; PROD David O. Selznick. U.S., 1937, color, 111 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Barbara Stanwyck earned her first of four Best Actress Oscar® nominations in King Vidor's tale of a woman from the wrong side of the tracks who marries up in life, but is uncomfortable with higher society's constraints. Anne Shirley, who earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, plays the daughter Stanwyck heartbreakingly rejects so that the girl can enjoy the life her mother never could. DIR King Vidor; SCR Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman, from the novel by Olive Higgins Prouty; PROD Samuel Goldwyn. U.S., 1937, b&w, 106 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
"The name of this band is Talking Heads..." seen here at the top of their game in director Jonathan Demme's landmark concert film. DIR/SCR Jonathan Demme; SCR Talking Heads; PROD Gary Goetzman. US, 1984, color, 88 min. NOT RATED
Robert Mitchum's extraordinary, Oscar®-nominated performance as the stoic, exhausted and quietly beleaguered Lieutenant Walker in this adaptation of correspondent Ernie Pyle's dispatches from the war in Europe made him a star. Director William A. Wellman, himself a WWI vet, and producer Lester Cowan closely collaborated with Pyle (played by Burgess Meredith, who was serving in the Air Force at the time) to make a film that was true to the life of the WWII soldier — the absolute exhaustion, the endurance of terror and shock and loss, the spells of boredom and the camaraderie. The result is a film built like a ballad, unlike any other of its era. (Note courtesy of Film Society of Lincoln Center.) DIR William A. Wellman; SCR Leopold Atlas, Guy Endore, Philip Stevenson, from dispatches by Ernie Pyle; PROD Lester Cowan. U.S., 1945, b&w, 108 min. NOT RATED
"I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic." SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS is one of the most acid-tongued indictments of the abuse of the power of the press cinema has ever produced. Burt Lancaster gives a legendary performance as J. J. Hunsecker, the most feared columnist in New York, who delights in making desperate press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) do his dirty deeds. James Wong Howe's moody black-and-white cinematography and the authenticity of the New York City location shooting greatly enhance the film's noir atmosphere and edgy character portrayals. DIR Alexander Mackendrick; SCR Clifford Odets; Ernest Lehman, from his novel; PROD James Hill. U.S., 1957, b&w, 96 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
"So they call me Concentration Camp Erhardt!" Gestapo man Sig Ruman gloats to undercover actor-turned-agent Jack Benny — in reality Joseph Tura, "that great, great Polish actor" — and after Benny's cover is blown, he proceeds to criticize his Hamlet: "What you did to Shakespeare, we're doing to Poland." Criticized in its time for abominable taste, the film is now considered one of director Ernst Lubitsch's supreme masterpieces. Look for a scintillating Carole Lombard in her final role, as Benny's straying, but ultimately loyal, wife. DIR/PROD Ernst Lubitsch; SCR Edwin Justus Mayer. U.S., 1942, b&w, 99 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
In the wake of Trinidadian writer Wayne Brown's death in 2009, his filmmaker daughter Mariel examines his legacy and the nature of family, love, loss and art. In so doing, she learns that, through his writing, her father can transcend space and time to connect with her. Combining interviews with Caribbean writers Mervyn Morris and Rachel Manley, as well as close friends and family of Wayne Brown, with visually arresting reenactments shot on Super 8 film, UNFINISHED SENTENCES addresses the complexities of father-daughter relationships, the power of the bond of love and the gift of art and literature which, at its best, can connect across generations and help us make sense of our lives. (Note adapted from Savant Films.) Winner, Jury Prize, Best Feature Film, 2018 CaribbeanTales International Film Festival; Jury Prize, Best Trinidad and Tobago Feature Film, 2018 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Mariel Brown; SCR Fernanda Rossi; PROD Saffrey Brown. Trinidad and Tobago, 2018, color, 95 min. In English. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
In 1963, Robert De Niro stepped in front of a movie camera for the first time. The resulting film, a low-budget black-and-white comedy called THE WEDDING PARTY, would take three years to complete, and another three years to be released, but it would also establish a hugely important working relationship for the aspiring actor. One of the filmmakers, long before he became synonymous with suspense thanks to CARRIE, DRESSED TO KILL and other classics, was Brian De Palma. He and De Niro would team up again in the next few years for two more comedies, both with a countercultural bent. (Note courtesy of Arrow Releasing.) DIR/SCR/PROD Brian De Palma; DIR/SCR/PROD Cynthia Munroe; DIR/SCR/PROD Wilford Leach. U.S., 1969, b&w, 92 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
After becoming an overnight success with his starring role in Tod Browning's DRACULA, Bela Lugosi struggled to find roles worthy of his acting talent, without parodying his depiction of Bram Stoker's notorious count. Independently produced by Edward Halperin, WHITE ZOMBIE was one of the rare films that provided Lugosi with just such an opportunity. In spite of its budgetary limitations, the film manages to be a remarkably atmospheric treatment of the Haitian zombie myth, which would evolve into one of the most popular and enduring subgenres of the horror film. (Note courtesy of Kino Lorber.) DIR Victor Halperin; SCR Garnett Weston, from the novel by William B. Seabrook; PROD Edward Halperin, Phil Goldstone. U.S., 1932, b&w, 69 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
[CALLING]
Curaçao's Grupo Serenada was formed in 1977, when a local youth rock band merged with a church choir, drawing its repertoire from the African, European and regional Caribbean influences that have shaped the country's music. Over the years, the group has explored the boundaries of local music and experimented with voice harmonization, rhythms and musical styles, while always remaining focused on preserving the colorful musical heritage of the island of Curaçao. For more than 40 years, the group, consisting of eleven volunteer singers, has been dedicated to keeping traditional Papiamentu-language songs alive. YAMADA follows Serenada as they record their new DVD, as musical and private spheres are intertwined, revealing the personal and collective motives for their commitment to cultural preservation. (Note adapted from IFFR Curaçao.) Official Selection, 2018 IFFR Curaçao. DIR/SCR Sharelly Emanuelson; PROD Michel Drenthe, Robin Amatmoestar. Curaçao, 2018, color, 85 min. In Dutch, Papiamentu and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Ex-con Henry Fonda vows to go straight for wife Sylvia Sidney. But who's going to believe it if he does? Reminiscent of the Bonnie and Clyde story after the two go on the lam, the film sizzles with a pair of intense, passionate performances and Fritz Lang's crisp direction. DIR Fritz Lang; SCR Gene Towne, C. Graham Baker; PROD Walter Wanger. U.S., 1937, b&w, 86 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Based on the autobiography of Cuban ballet superstar Carlos Acosta, YULI recounts the dancer's upbringing in Cuba, his path to Cuba's National Ballet School, his move to the Royal Ballet in London and his relationship with his father, his family and his country. Directed by award-winning Spanish filmmaker Icíar Bollaín (EVEN THE RAIN, THE OLIVE TREE), scripted by BAFTA-winning writer Paul Laverty (I, DANIEL BLAKE) and starring Carlos Acosta as himself, YULI tells the inspirational true story of a taboo-breaking artist who became the Royal Ballet's first black Romeo, forged a legendary career as a principal dancer there and went on to become a choreographer, producer, author, actor and Birmingham Royal Ballet's company director. "A flamboyantly affirmative true story that's bound to have balletophiles and biopic fans reaching for their hankies." – Jonathan Romney, Screen. Winner, Jury Prize for Best Screenplay (Paul Laverty), 2018 San Sebastián International Film Festival. DIR Icíar Bollaín; SCR Paul Laverty, from the autobiography "No Way Home" by Carlos Acosta; PROD Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan, Juan Gordon. Cuba/Spain/UK/Germany, 2018, color, 115 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Co-presented with SPAIN arts & culture and Spanish Cinema Now (June 14-16).