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Coming attractions
New England Film and Video Festival Coolidge Corner Theatre. April 26-May 1. Contact the Boston Film/Video Foundation. 617-536-3576. Highlights include:
Best of Festival: "Floating" by William Roth. April 30, 9:15 p.m. Van, a moody but good-hearted young man without a plan, is caught in a downward spiral with his alcoholic father and a couple of budding criminal friends. He forms an unlikely friendship with a newcomer, Douglas, who seems to have it all. Things start looking up until they make a desperate mistake. Heartthrob: Roth, a Boston University alum living in Brighton, discovered the film's star, Norman Reedus, who has looks to rival Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio - and real talent.
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WHERE TO WATCH
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Artists Foundation Video Room The Distillery, 516 E. Second St., South Boston. 617-464-3561. directions
Boston Film/Video Founda-
tion 1126 Boylston St., Boston. 617-536-1540. directions
Boston University Depart-
ment of Film and Television. 617-353-3483. directions
Brattle Theatre 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. 617-876-6837. directions
Coolidge Corner Theatre 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2500. directions
DeCordova Museum Video Room 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln. 781-259-8355. directions
Emerson College Graduate Program of the Visual and Media Arts. 617-824-8851. directions
Filmmakers Take Over at Jacques 79 Broadway St., Boston. 617-426-8902; e-mail: [email protected] for schedule. FREE. directions
Harvard Film Archive Carpenter Center for Visual Arts, Harvard University, 24 Quincy St. 617-495-4700. directions
Phoenix Landing Indepen-
dent Film Nite, 512 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. Every other Monday (next on April 26), 8 p.m. 617-576-6260. (to submit 617-491-1316). FREE. directions
J.P. Underground Film Revolution. Mondays 9 p.m. at the Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St., Jamaica Plain. 617-524-9038 (to submit 617-524-7677). FREE. directions
Kendall Square Cinema One Kendall Square, Cambridge. 617-494-9800. directions
Local Sightings 617-975-
3361. localsightings.com Events at various locations.
MassArt Film Society Screenings 621 Huntington Ave., East Hall, Screening Room 1. Wednesdays through May 4, 7:30 p.m. Resumes in fall. 617-232-
1555, ext 214. Same number for end of semester screenings.
Mobius 354 Congress St., Boston. 617-542-7416. directions
Museum of Fine Arts 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 617-267-9300. directions
School of the Museum of Fine Arts The Film Area Office. 617-369-3678. directions
VideoSpace 617-524-2109. Events at various locations.
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Best Documentary: "Super Chief" by Nick Kurzon. April 29, 7 p.m. The Shooting Star Casino was supposed to bring prosperity to the impoverished residents of White Earth Indian Reservation. But the slot machines might as well empty directly into the pockets of the corrupt tribal chairman. After 20 years of intimidation and rigged elections, White Earth runs like a dictatorship, but an election may change all that. Kudos: Critic Gerald Peary calls this "the most rousing, spirited, genuinely riveting political film of 1999."
Special Jury Award: "Theme: Murder" by Martha Swetzoff. April 27, 9:15 p.m. Also, May 7, 7 p.m. at Harvard Film Archives. May 11, 8 p.m. on WGBH-TV.
The 1968 murder of Boston art dealer Hyman Swetzoff remains a mystery. Why did his Beacon Hill neighbors ignore him when he sought help? Why did the police let a suspect leave town? In this artfully crafted, provocative documentary, his filmmaker daughter explores a labyrinth of family secrets, inconclusive evidence, and unresolved emotions. Local ties: Swetzoff studied at Harvard and the MIT Media Laboratory, and taught film at Harvard for four years.
Group screenings
Animation by Karen Aqua. Open Studio May 15 and 16, noon-6 p.m. 11 Miller St., Somerville. Free. 617-868-8116.
The Somerville animator's list of grand prizes, exhibitions, and broadcasts runs two pages of fine print. This retrospective of shorts includes "Ground Zero/Sacred Ground," in which petroglyphs are brought to life by a bomb blast (also airing tonight on the Sundance Channel at 7:45 p.m.). Elmo connection: Aqua also creates alligator drummers, dancing birds, and more for her animated "Sesame Street" segments.
"Boston Shorts" at Coolidge Corner Theatre. Inspired by the lost tradition of showing newsreels and cartoons before the main flick, the Coolidge now runs local short films before selected features. Anything goes, from animated works by Somerville filmmaker Mary Kocol to 1960s cinema verite by Susan Steinberg Woll. Next up, Rob Todd's experimental "Family History" on May 7 in the upstairs theater. Submissions welcome.
Emerson Graduate Student Films May 3, 7:30 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre.
"The Blind Kind" by Juan Carlos Ampie. A man is blinded in a freak accident caused by his wife's lover, after which the affair takes a strange turn.
"Voices" by Tua Bockman. In this psychological thriller, a young man struggles with inner demons, ghosts from the past, and his repressive, bed-ridden mother.
Family Secrets Triple Bill at Harvard Film Archive, May 7, 7 p.m.
"Til' Death Do Us Part" by Cindy Kleine. One of the more controversial movies at last year's Telluride Film Festival, this startling documentary depicts a marriage from both the wife's and the husband's points of view.
"Summer in My Veins" by Nish Saran. Saran's mother thinks she's come from India just for a visit, but her son is planning a road trip and a coming out.
"Theme: Murder" by Martha Swetzoff. (see above)
Local Sightings presents Meet the Filmmakers at Cambridge Community TV. The first Wednesday of each month (excluding July and August) at 6:30 p.m. 675 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-975-3361
Local indie films are screened, usually with their makers attending. Next up, on May 5, "A Time to Dance" by Ian Brownell and Webb Wilcoxen, a feature-length documentary on the life of Norma Canner, from her start as a 1940s Broadway actress to her movement work with disabled children and dance therapy for adults.
School of the Museum of Fine Arts Film and Video Annual. May 13, 8 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts. Free. 617-369-3678. A showcase of juried student works with an emphasis on the avant-garde, animation, and experimental narrative.
Shorts at the Revolving Museum. 288 A St., South Boston. Contact Local Sightings, 617-975-3361. Shows at 8 p.m.
On May 6, a collection of shorts featuring puppet animation such as "Lost and Found" by Jeff Sias. On May 27, anti-technology films including Marcella Hoekstra's fantasy piece "Juana's Jewels."
Individual screenings
"Amniote" May 13, 8 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre. Contact Eventworks 617-232-1555, ext 561.
This year's best works by MassArt students. An eclectic, refreshing mix, strong on animation and fine arts films as well as experimental narratives and offbeat documentaries.
"The Empty Mirror" by Barry Hershey. Opens May 7 at Kendall Square Cinema.
In a surreal bunker-like space, Hitler (Norman Rodway) is alone with his delusions, a few old friends, Time magazine, and Sigmund Freud. Against a backdrop of archival footage and Hitler's home movies, the raw terror of his psyche is bared as he slowly breaks down. Academy Award-winner Joel Grey plays Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister. Scoop: Hershey, winner of a Gold Hugo and a CINE Golden Eagle for his short films, studied filmmaking at Harvard and MIT. He lives in the Boston area.
"The Gate of Heavenly Peace" by Carma
Hinton and Richard Gordon. April 30, May 1,
May 2, 7:15 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive.
June 5, 10:30 a.m.; and June 6, in Mandarin,
10:30 a.m. at Museum of Fine Arts.
Considered by some to be one of the great
documentaries of the last 20 years, this film
boldly takes on both the Chinese government
and the student democracy movement as it
dissects the actions that led to the massacre in
Tiananmen Square. Virtual reality: The web site
www.nmis.org/gate contains in-depth
discussions on Tiananmen and the controversy
ignited by this film, as well as a virtual tour of
the square.
"The Jew in the Lotus," by Laurel Chiten. May 30, 1 p.m.; June 24, 6 p.m.; June 27, 11:30 a.m. Museum of Fine Arts.
One of the most popular films ever screened at the MFA is back. A religious skeptic, in mourning and preoccupied with his own troubles, writer Rodger Kamenetz sets out on a chance trip to India. His assignment to record a meeting between the Dalai Lama and a group of rabbis becomes an unexpected catalyst for his spiritual rebirth. "Lotus" was inspired by Kamenetz's best-selling book of the same name. Cult classic: Chiten's "Twitch and Shout" received an Emmy nomination, and her 1988 satirical soap opera "Two and Twenty" is still a home video hit.
"Payoff" by Kaylyn Thornal. June 12, 10 p.m. Harvard Film Archive.
Turning 30 takes on new dimensions when you're a rock musician striving for fame. Especially when you're a woman. This feature-length documentary tags along with Boston rockers Jen Trynin, Laurie Geltman, and Juliana Nash on their rocky ride through the male-dominated music industry. Along the way, they confront aging, reality, and dashed expectations - and they play a few hot sets at the clubs. To come: This fall Thornal begins producing "The Ledge," starring Jack Mucahy of "The Brothers McMullen." Meanwhile her documentary on famed sculptor Harry Holl is taking shape.
"What I Did When I Was Away" by Ted Cormey. May 27, 6:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Preview Party with live music at The Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center, 85 West Newton St., South End. 617-522-3142.
Fresh from the Midwest with no friends in town, Jean finds himself estranged from the girlfriend he followed to Boston. His David Lynch-like odyssey through the Boston gothic/industrial club scene offers no solace. This debut feature is rough-hewn but engrossing with occasionally striking black and white cinematography. Gothic-palooza: Music by Sleep Chamber, You Shriek!, Sabot, and more makes up the brooding soundtrack.
"Yidl in the Middle: Growing Up Jewish in Iowa" by Marlene Booth. May 8, 9 p.m., at Harvard Science Center. 617-576-0830. Also May 30, 3:30 p.m.; and June 3, 6:30 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts. (May 8 and June 3 showings are fund-raisers and include a reception.)
In the homogenous world of 1950s Iowa, being Jewish meant leading a double life. At home, Booth was a devout Orthodox Jew. At school she did her best to blend in and keep religion quiet. Through home movies, conversations, and a trip back to Iowa, Booth explores the impact of "polite" anti-Semitism and the experience of being different in America. National honor: Booth, a Cambridge filmmaker, received an Emmy nomination for her film "Raananah: A World of Our Own."
Festivals
Boston International Festival of Women's Cinema held in April at the Brattle Theatre. 617-876-6838; www.beaconcinema.com/womfest. Alongside major-release films made by women from around the world, outstanding local efforts in narrative and documentary are premiered.
Boston Jewish Film Festival Nov. 4-19. 617-244-9899; bjff.cyways.com. Lively discussions accompany screenings of films on Jewish themes from around the world. Last year, 24 works in all genres by local independents premiered. Watch for special screenings year-round.
Boston Underground Film Festival Held in February. 617-975-3361; localsightings.com. The most daring of the local fests, it features cutting-edge experimental work, art films, shorts that push social boundaries, and work by emerging artists and students.
End of Semester Screenings MassArt. All at 7:30 p.m. East Hall, Screening Room 1. 617-232-1555, ext.214. May 5, juniors; May 6 and 7, seniors: May 11, freshman; May 13, sophomores.
Mass. Ave. Film Festival Oct. 8-11. 617-924-9701; www.maff.com. This fund-raiser for breast cancer and AIDS research mixes a retrospective of local works with premieres by tomorrow's filmmakers. Featured is Susan Rivo's previous Sundance contender "Amy," a hilarious confessional about a woman's lifelong bond with her stuffed dog.
Nantucket Film Festival June 14-19 1999. 212-642-6339; www.nantucketfilmfestival.org/. Features, shorts, and documentaries by national filmmakers are screened and unfilmed screenplays are read by well-known performers like Ben Stiller and Winona Ryder. New this year, Boston film scene guru David Kleiler will curate a New England sidebar featuring Davidlee Wilson's "The Autumn Heart" and more.
New England Film & Video Festival April 26-May 1 at Coolidge Corner Theatre. 617-536-3576; www.bfvf.org.
This juried showcase of the region's best independent work ranges from Academy award-winning documentaries and internationally acclaimed animations to experimental and student films. See Upcoming Attractions.
Redstone Film Festival. Held in late fall. Contact the Boston University film department, 617-353-3483. A juried show of features and short films by students. In the past, many of the works have gone on to win at professional festivals. Last year's Best of Festival was "Holy Tortilla" by Lauren Ivy Chiong; the film, about a women who sees Jesus's face in a burnt tortilla, airs on Channel 2 May 10 at 10:30 p.m.
Woods Hole Film Festival July 31-Aug. 7. 617-232-4722; www.woodshole.com/filmfest. A vibrant array of work by emerging regional filmmakers. Last year it featured Boston filmmaker Maureen Foley's "Home Before Dark," the grand prize winner of the Hampton Film Festival.
Info on the Web:
Want to find out more?
www.newenglandfilm.com An excellent resource for news about independent film and video making in New England. Includes event listings, useful links, and news about individual filmmakers. Read a few back issues in the on-line archive, and you will know it all.
www.documentaries.org (Center for Independent Documentary). Features news on local documentaries and their makers. VHS copies can be purchased through this site.
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