The sometimes thought-provoking, often wacky, but always original Brainwash Bike-in Walk-in Movie Festival returns for its 15th year showing 23 unique independent short movies in Oakland at the American Steel Building on Friday, July 31 & Saturday, August 1, 2009, 9:00 pm.

“We project movies onto a tarp in West Oakland,” says festival director Shelby Toland.

See the trailer right here at FilmClick:

“These are movies that know they’re movies,” claims festival judge Jason Gohlke. “If you like the art of storytelling, if you care about the suspension of disbelief, or if you just like watching moving pictures on a screen, you don’t want to miss Brainwash this year.”

The 2009 15th Annual Brainwash Movie Festival will be held July 31st and August 1st at 9:00 p.m. at the American Steel Building at 1960 Mandela Parkway in Oakland. The fully juried festival will screen 23 original shorts in two separate programs.

Admission is $9 per person per night OR $20 for a Two-Day Pass, which gets two people into both nights of the festival Buy tickets at http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/EventListings.action?orgId=16986 OR at the gate.

For more info, see the offical site at:

http://brainwashm.com

Director Brad Marlowe brings the Latino Film Festival a moving documentary of how El Salvador, one of the smallest countries in the world, facilitated one of the most successful rescue operations during the second World War.   Glass House (78 mins) shares the story that begins in 1942 when the lives of thirty thousand Jews were saved when they were issued certificates of Salvadorian citizenship thanks to “El Salvador Action”.   José Arturo Castellanos headed the operation, a man assigned to open the Consulate of El Salvador in 1938 in in Hamburg while Europe was under Nazi siege. Glass House shares one of the greatest humanitarian efforts in the Holocaust’s history.  The documentary was filmed over a three-year period on location in Central America, Switzerland, Hungary, and Spain, as the sons and daughters of the heroes themselves along with some of the survivors of the effort, share this inspirational story, all people who owe their lives to El Salvador.

Glass House is playing on Saturday, November 22 at 6PM at the Latino Film Festival.

For Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/48030

Maldeamores (90 mins), translated as “Lovesickness” or “Malady of Love”, is a comedythat investigates the way that love makes us crazy by entangling us in its deviouly complicated web. Co-directed by Carlitos Ruiz Ruiz and Mariem Prez, the multifaceted comedy takes us to the backyards of Puerto Rico, where lust and desire triumph over reason. Throughout the film, we see how love is a roller coaster through the trials and tribulations of three distinct couples: a boy who finds romance for the first time in the wake of his parents’ divorce, a love triangle that comes full circle as an elderly woman finds herself caught between her two ex-husbands, and an obsessive bus passenger who has lost touch with reality and acts on impulse in lieu of accepting rejection from the woman he loves. This melancholic comedy is a love story that captures both the ironies and mystery of love.

Produced by Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro, this film was nominated by Puerto Rico for the 80th Oscars.

Maldeamores will be screened:

Sunday, November 16 at 5 PM; for tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/47071

Friday, November 21 at 9:15 PM; for tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/47075

In her moving documentary, Calle Santa Fe (167 mins), director Carmen Castillo shares her unbelievable story as she creates a portrait of Chile from the 1970s through the present as she and her country try to come to terms with the devastating effects of the Pinochet dictatorship.   After the bloody coup of September 11, 1973, that overthrew Salvador Allende, Carmen and her husband, Miguel Enriquez, members of  Movimiento de Izquierda Revolutionario, hid underground for a year, but were then found and taken into custody.  Her husband was killed while Carmen was wounded and left to die. However several decades later, Carmen returns from her exile in France and visits the neighborhoods where she once lived and the house where she was arrested. Her film captures both the personal story of her homecoming as well as a desire to honor her fallen friends.  Footage from the past four decades provides a background for Carmen and survivors stories, as they reexamine the past with a mixture of anger, nostalgia, and pride. Call Santa Fe will be playing on Friday, November 21 at 8:00 PM for tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/47054

La Vida Me Mata (81 mins), meaning “Life kills me”, is acclaimed visual artist Sebastian Silva’s (assistant director of Oscar winning Babel) first work: a smart, funny, and profound contemplation of life and death. The Chilean film follows the life of Gaspar, a lonely, young cinematographer, who is affected by his brother’s death. Unable to deal with his over achieving sister and sick grandfather, Gaspar spends his time with Susana,an eccentric actress who believes she making her masterpiece, an avant-garde opera. When he meets Alvaro, an idealistic traveler whom Susana picks up on their way to a funeral, Gaspar’s life changes. These characters embark on a series of adventures that help them unearth the fragility and value of human existence. The breathtaking visuals of La Vida Me Mata, help to illustrate larger life issues through a fun and fresh lens. Here Silva, a remarkable young talent, presents his strong voice and clear vision through the exploration of life, love, family, and relationships.

LaVida Me Mata screens at the International Latino Film Festival on Thursday November 20th at 6 PM.

For Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/47049

In Entre Los Muertos (60 mins) aka “Among the Dead”, filmmaker Jorge Dalton examines the way in which San Salvador’s citizens cope with the violence of constant earthquakes, devastating street crime, and the ripple effect of decades-long war.  This death-themed documentary is both enlightening and macabre, eerily funny, and gut-wrenchingly sad as it explores the notion that how we deal with death is a matter of perspective.  The film captures communities who live in cemeteries where tombstones function as playgrounds; ‘funerary brokers’ who scout dead bodies for commission; families who choose to bury kin in their backyard; funerals, and festive celebrations on the Day of the Dead.  With both creative cinematography and photography, Dalton investigates the economy of death, the value of life, and how San Salvadoreans walk a fine line between normalizing and desensitizing death, due to their historical roots in violence.

Entre Los Muertos is playing at the Latino Film Festival on Thursday, November  20, at 8:30 PM.

For Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/46999

The Big Apple Film Festival will be held in NYC at the Tribeca Cinemas from November 19-22. This annual festival showcases independent films made by individuals residing and/or working in the metropolitan area of New York.  BAFF, which was named “one of MovieMaker Magazine’s top 25 film festivals worth the entry fee,” will screen 90 films of various genres (narrative, documentary, animation, experimental) and lengths (features and shorts).  Here are a few highlights:

Wednesday, November 19th 7:30 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2

The Living Wake

Directed by Sol Tryon (2007)

This bleak comedy follows K. Roth Binew, a self-proclaimed artist and genius, on his final day of existence.  Discovering that he has a fatal disease, K. Roth Binew sets off to uncover life’s baffling mysteries.  Enlisting his best friend, Mills Joquin, an unrecognized poet, as his biographer, K. Roth records his final hours of living.

Thursday, November 20th 6:00 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2

The River of Copsa Mica

Directed by Ryan Uzilevsky (2008)

A period piece set in 1916, Transylvania.  A runaway boy steps into the mystifying world of a tribe of Gypsies.

Thursday, November 20th 6:30 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 1

One Step Behind

Directed by Gregoire Jeudy (2008)

Unsuccessful writer, Josh Person, has once again failed to get his latest novel published.  Desperate for a good story, he observes people in Central Park in hopes of finding interesting material for his next book.

Saturday, November 22nd 8:15 PM: Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2

The Project

Directed by Ryan Piotrowicz (2008)

The Project is a self-reflexive film focusing on three aspiring filmmakers that set out to document NYC’s inner-city struggles and confrontations.  As the film progresses, the filmmakers are confronted by several events that complicate the project’s original objectives.  No longer detached voyeurs, the filmmakers develop into active participants within this underground world of violence.

For more information on the Big Apple Film Festival, visit: 

http://www.bigapplefilmfestival.com/index.html 

By Nikki Zhang, FilmClick staff

nzhang@filmclick.com

“It’s always important for us to seek out women directors: but this year seems particularly strong. From our opening film by Gina Prince-Bythewood onwards there are significant features, documentaries, and shorts by women. It’s quite a line-up,” notes MVFF’s Director of Programming Zoe Elton. Elton proudly proclaims that this year’s program contains 56 feature films and shorts directed by women as well as a number of films that deal specifically with women’s issues and even more feature women in leading roles. Read on for a closer look into some of women’s films at this year’s festival, which runs October 2-12.

The MVFF welcomes back award-winning German director, Doris Dörrie (How to Cook Your Life, 2007 and Enlightenment Guaranteed, 2000), who brings Cherry Blossoms, the story of a loving married couple, Trudi and Rudi. When Trudi learns that her husband is ill, she cannot tell him, but takes him to Berlin to see his family for the last time. Their two grown children have little time or interest in their parents, and the couple make plans to visit their other children in Tokyo. However when Trudi unexpectedly dies, Rudi gains a new understanding of his wfe as he embarks on a solo journey to Tokyo, in the midst of the cherry blossom festival, a celebration of beauty, impermanence, and new beginnings. This 127 minute film plays Friday, October 3, at 9:30 PM and Monday, October 6, at7:00 PM.

Photo courtesy of equinoxefilms.com

The MVFF also welcomes back Swiss-born, Quebec-based director, Léa Pool, who screened The Blue Butterfly in 2004 and also won international, critical acclaim for her 1998 film Emporte-Moi, translated Set Me Free. This year Pool brings MVFF Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s (Maman est Chez le Coiffeur), which takes place in a small Quebec town during the summer of 1966 in which siblings Élise (Marianne Fortier), Coco (Élie Dupuis), and Benoit (Hugo St-Onge-Paquin) seem to have the ideal, carefree childhood. But when Simone (Céline Bonnier), their warm, feisty mother who is a Radio-Canada TV journalist, learns that the father is having an affair, she transfers her work to London, promising the children they will join her shortly. Accurately capturing the miscommunication that occurs between child and parent, the film tells a story of lost innocence and the children who try to keep their family afloat. This 99 minute film shows on Friday, October 10 at 7:00 PM and Sunday, October 12, at 1:30 PM.

photo courtesy of MVFF

Director Jennifer Lynch (director of Boxing Helena, 1993), daughter of notorious iconoclastic filmmaker, David Lynch, screens her gruesome and creepy psychological thriller Surveillance that showed this year at Cannes. Her film tells the story of two FBI agents, Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Samm Hallaway (Bill Oullman) who hunt a serial killer in a small, desolate town in the Santa Fe desert, with the help of three people who escaped his last slaughter: Bobbi (Pell James), a young coke-head, Stephanie (Ryan Simpkins), an eight-year-old girl who has just witness her parents brutal murder, and Jack Bennet (Kent Harper), a fellow-police officer who is strong but nevertheless shaken by the gory events. Through flashbacks full of lies and deceit, the truth becomes progressively more clear, and frightening. Lynch’s 97 minute thriller plays Wednesday, October 8 at 9:45 PM and Saturday, October 11, at 9:45 PM.

photo courtesyof MVFF

Actress Amy Redford (daughter of Robert), who studied acting in the bay area, directs The Guitar. The film follows the story of a young woman who lives in Manhattan, Melody Wilder (Saffron Burrows), who loses her job, boyfriend, and finds out she has terminal cancer all in one morning. Instead of giving into her desolate fate, Mel seizes the opportunity to live life to its fullest by savoring her deepest desires, in the fulfillment of what many merely wish they could do, but never dare to try. This ninety-three minute film is based on a true story and is playing Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, October 11 at 8:00 PM.

Returning director Pola Rapaport’s (Family Secret, MVFF 2000) documentary, Hair: Let the Sun Shine In pays homage to the 1960’s musical that captured the history and political power of a decade. Proclaimed as a “movement” and not a show, by actor Ben Vereeen of the original cast, the film takes us into the backstage of the writers, directors, and visionaries of the legendary piece of theater. The documentary shares the songs and uses past and present footage of the 40-year old musical to reveal the plays transcendent historical relevance in the era of Bush and the Iraq war. The 100 minute piece is preceded by two shorts, firstly, Jay Rosenblatt’s I Just Wanted to Be Somebody (US, 10 mins), an open letter to Anita Bryant, the American pop singer who, in 1977, led a crusade against homosexuality. Secondly Kara Herold’s Bachelorette, 34 (US 10 mins), is a comedy about a mother who goes on a heartfelt, hilarious mission to find a mate for her filmmaker daughter. Show times: Monday October 6, 9:30Pm and Saturday, October 11 at 4:00 PM.

photo courtesy of  childrenoftheamazon.com

Brazlilian filmmaker Denise Zmekhol’s active cinema, Children of the Amazon, uses pictures of the Surui and Negarote tribes that she took 15 years ago, and returns to the Amazon to document their dramatically different way of life. Plagued by rain forest deforestation that threatens their existence, the now grown children that she photograph struggle to balance their native traditions and the infringing influence of Western society. As footpaths give way to highways, the film teaches us how the combined effort of indigenous peoples, rubber tapers, and their allies have begun to preserve and defend the rain forest. Ultimately the film shows us that all people have a connection to the land, and a responsibility to one another. This 72 minute documentary shows on Saturday, October 4 at 7:15 PM and Sunday, October 5, at 4:00 PM.

We, the People: A Documentary Film Festival showcases films that intend to inform Americans about the economic and social issues that effect their fellow citizens at three venues in Los Angeles from October 16-18.   Who are we?  How do we come together? What do we, the people, stand for?  The festival hopes to start a dialogue with viewers about these questions through the films they present and discussions after screenings.

Thursday, October 16: Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock; Admission: $5

The first evening will showcase a series of documentaries offering intimate snapshots of social outcasts and misfits that inlcude residents of a secluded North Carolina island community, illegal alien college students living in Los Angeles, truckers’ realities on the road, and a politically progressive publisher in the middle of conservative Mormon Utah.

Lost Colony – directed by Lisa Bertini (2007)

A short documentary following a few days in the lives of residents of Crusoe Island, North Carolina, who are known for suspicion of outsiders and subsistence living along the Waccamaw River. Because of the centuries-old isolation, residents have a unique lifestyle and (nearly intelligible) dialect, similar to what you would find in the ‘hollers’ of mountains.

Without Papers – directed by Florencia Krochik/Gabriel Sanchez (2008)

This documentary chronicles the lives of two illegal aliens attending college in Los Angeles as they struggle to overcome their undocumented status.

Little America – directed by Jessie Kahnweiler/Brittany Johnston (2008)

A glimpse into the world of truck drivers. Often ignored within mainstream society this film offers a look at what it’s like to live your life behind the wheel.

Brave New West – directed by Doug Hawes-Davis (2008)

The American West has a new, albeit unlikely hero. “Old West” meets “New West” in the work of independent writer, publisher, artist, and activist Jim Stiles, whose independent paper boasts, “Hopelessly clinging to the past.”

Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock will host the festival’s first evening. The Center presents innovative and multicultural arts programming to the communities of Northeast Los Angeles, targeting nontraditional and under-served audiences, and providing access to excellent arts education for local youth and contemporary art experiences to all in the community.

For more information about Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock visit http://www.centerartseaglerock.org

Friday, October 17: Echo Park Film Center; Admission: $5

The three documentary shorts and two one-hour features for the second evening of the festival collectively look at broader issues of family dysfunction, economic struggles in small-town America, emerging activism concerning HIV/AIDS education and the left wing of the Christian movement.

Ubergangszeit – directed by Renee Patt (2008)

This documentary is a portrait of a man and his work, and how it has become his identity.

Misunderstood Child – directed by Delceta Barnfield (2007)

A teenage girl, Delceta, documents her dysfunctional family and crowded house with lots of responsibilities. She’s misunderstood.

Seen, But Not Heard – directed by Cyrille Phipps (2007)

Seen, But Not Heard is a short documentary that will explore the historical antecedents, current trends, and emerging activism concerning HIV/AIDS and women of African decent. Through raw and revealing personal accounts and comprehensive investigative journalism, Seen, But Not Heard seeks to challenge, inform, and inspire viewers to look past the daunting HIV/AIDS statistics - to see and hear the real stories of women of color whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS.

Left Ahead – directed by Brooke Barnett (2008)

This documentary film tells the stories of three different Southern churches and the common faith that leads them in daring directions.

This American Gothic – directed by Sasha Waters Freyer (2008)

This American Gothic weaves together a cultural history of one of the most famous paintings in the world with a quirky portrait of Eldon, Iowa, population 998, site of the house that inspired it. The film follows local boosters over two years as they work towards their dream of a Gothic House Visitor Center to attract tourists and save their dying small town.

This evening’s screening will take place at Echo Park Film Center (EPFC), a volunteer-run, non-profit media arts organization located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. EPFC provides equal and affordable access to film/video education and resources.

For more information about Echo Park Film Center visit http://www.echoparkfilmcenter.org

Saturday, October 18: Self Help Graphics; Admission: $5

The final evening of films will showcase different levels of community activism – from individual, community and corporate perspectives. Whether picketing, petitioning or lobbying to Congress, the rallying effort within these films will be used as a springboard for discussion related to enabling Self Help Graphics’ sustainability in the community.

In addition, Trade&Row, in collaboration with The East LA Society of Film and Arts (http://www.telasofa.org), will feature film shorts on the theme What My Community Means to Me produced by filmmakers 13-19 years old who will be recognized for their contributions to the Annual Youth Film Festival Competition. The youth festival was produced in collaboration with Cinema Pobre, Spanish American Institute (SAI), Bienvenidos and International Humanities Center. 

Wolf at the Door – directed by Robert Emmons (2008)

Artist Jeff Filbert fights to save his Benson St. studio in Camden, NJ, from being demolished by eminent domain laws.

In Bed with a Mosquito – directed by Sarah Frank (2008)

In Bed with a Mosquito is an intimate portrait of activism and aging in New York City.

Free the River Park – directed by Tara Nurin (2008)

The People Will Prevail. This is a story of a community’s determination to rebuke belligerent big business, which proves to be no match against the power of the people.

Rising Tide – directed by George Valencia (2008)

Despite his promise of “No new taxes,” in 1990 President George H.W. Bush signed a budget package which included a new Luxury Tax. Among those impacted by the new tax were the employees of Viking Yachts in New Jersey. After the suicide of one of their employees, Viking’s owners, Bill and Bob Healey, mounted an aggressive campaign to repeal the Luxury Tax.

Self Help Graphics (SHG) is a nationally recognized center for Latino arts that develops and nurtures artists in printmaking. SHG seeks to advance Latino art broadly through programming, exhibitions and outreach to diverse audiences in East Los Angeles and beyond. SHG seeks to identify and engage young and emerging artists from the community in all aspects of its activities.

For more information about Self Help Graphics visit http://www.selfhelpgraphics.com

posted by Christopher Potter, FilmClick.com producer, http://www.filmclick.com/cspotter,  cpotter@filmclick.com

 
Reel Sisters Film Festival
September 26 - 28, 2008
Brooklyn, New York, New York

The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series screens a dynamic selection of more than 25 films directed, produced and written by women of color from across the globe from September 26 - 28 at the Kumble Theater for Performing Arts in the heart of downtown Brooklyn at Long Island University.  Here are a few highlights:

The Souls of Black Girls

The Souls of Black Girls by Daphne Valerius opens the festival at 6 PM on Friday, September 26.  The documentary takes a critical look at media images-how they are instituted, established and controlled.  The documentary also examines the relationship between the historical and existing media images of women of color and raises the question of whether they may be suffering from a self-image disorder as a result of trying to attain the standards of beauty that are celebrated in media images. The film is followed by a panel discussion where Regina King and Michaela Angela Davis will join other guests to discuss the negative portrayal of women of color in the media.

Belly of the Basin

A double documentary block on Saturday at 4:45 PM called Remembering Katrina features two films where Hurricane Katrina survivors share their courageous stories.  Belly of the Basin, by Tina Morton and Roxana Walker-Canton, looks at the sensationalized media coverage of Hurricane Katrina for months after the hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast.  Audiences around the world watched as the media portrayed demoralizing images of African Americans “looting” in the midst of the chaos of survival. The film asks New Orleans to tell its story through the voices of ordinary residents from black, indigenous, and poor communities. Belly of the Basin poses questions about the value of human life in relationship to race, class, and politics.

Finding Common Ground in New Orleans

A film by Walidah Imarisha, Finding Common Ground in New Orleans, examines the effects that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have had on New Orleans and the surrounding area.  The landscape of a city devastated and trying to rebuild in the light of criminal governmental neglect comes to light through compelling and often heart wrenching interviews with residents, survivors, activists, volunteers and officials. This film includes exclusive footage shot in the makeshift bus station jail known as, Camp Amtrak, and interviews with officials at the jail about the city‚ criminal justice system, or lack thereof. The documentary is able, through the lens of personal accounts that speak to broader issues and concerns, to capture the pain, the loss and the hope of New Orleans.

Southern Cross

On Saturday, September 27 at 12 PM try to catch Southern Cross, a film by Kameishia Wooten depicting the tension caused within a home when a seven-year-old, African-American girl brings home a confederate flag pillow during Sunday dinner.  This pillow creates a division between her parents about whether or not she should learn about the history of slavery.

Check out the website for more of the great films playing at this year’s festival.  Award-winning director Neema Barnette, a former Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award winner, is this year’s guest film curator.

Reel Sisters will offer a $5 discount to FilmClick members for people who use the Discount Code: FilmClick908. Ticket prices are Friday  - $20, Saturday - $15  and Sunday - $15 (deduct $5 off the price). For Tickets call the Kumble Theater Box office at (718) 488-1624.

The festival will be held from Sept. 26 to 28 at the Kumble Theater for Performing Arts, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus (DeKalb & Flatbush Aves.).  The festival schedule is available at http://www.reelsisters.org/schedule08.html.

by Christopher Potter, FilmClick.com producer, http://www.filmclick.com/cspotter,  cpotter@filmclick.com