Greetings to all my wonderful and dear friends!
I am an avid film fanatic and always flourish at the new and independent films released throughout the world. However, as a fellow female filmmaker I am always eager to promote films directed by women who have endured and made the dream of directing a feature film come to live. I urge you all to attend as many screening as the AFI Film Festival draws close and runs from October 30th to November 9th, so go SEE A FILM!!
http://filmguide.afifest.com/tixSYS/2008/filmguide/title.php/?Genre=WOMANWOMENDIRECTORS AT AFI FEST
3 WOMEN
SE ZAN
2008 Iran 94 MIN
DIR: Manijeh Hekmat
CAST: Niki Karimi, Pegah Ahangarani, Babak Hamidian, Maryam Bubani, Reza Kianian, Atila Pesiani, Saber Abar, Shahrokh Forutanian, Nazanin Ahmadi
Minou, an expert weaver, grows so obsessed with repairing a valuable old rug that she barely notices when her daughter disappears. Minou sets off on a quest, through one of Iran's most remote regions, that may both reunite her with her daughter and help her discover herself.
Sunday, November 9, 12:45 pm, Arclight 09
Friday, November 7, 9:45 pm, Arclight 09
AGILE, MOBILE, HOSTILE: A YEAR WITH ANDRE WILLIAMS
2008 USA 88 MIN
DIR: Tricia Todd, Eric Matthies
He's written and recorded numerous hits and worked with Berry Gordy, Ike Turner and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. But Andre Williams has also struggled with addiction, poverty and homelessness. This documentary follows as he embarks upon another comeback and faces up to years of reckless living.
Friday, November 7, 9:40 pm, Arclight 08
Sunday, November 9, 3:00 pm, Arclight 08
ALONE IN FOUR WALLS
ALLEIN IN VIER WANDEN
2008 Germany 85 MIN
DIR: Alexandra Westmeier
This meticulous, eye-opening and beautifully shot documentary introduces us to young teens incarcerated in a tough reform school located in the Russian Urals. Though these kids have, indeed, stolen and even killed, they also share the same dreams and passions as young people everywhere.
Wednesday, November 5, 9:20 pm, Arclight 08
Friday, November 7, 12:15 pm, Arclight 08
GOGOL BORDELLO NON-STOP
2008 USA 87 MIN
DIR: Margarita Jimeno
CAST: Eugene Hutz, Oren Kaplan, Sergey Ryabtsev, Jurij Lemeshev, Eliot Ferguson
Hailing from five countries, and led by the irrepressible Eugene Hütz, the members of a band that's exploded into an international sensation tell their stories and share their music. This doc elevates the concert film into a full-blown exploration of music, identity and global politics.
Saturday, November 1, 7:10 pm, Arclight 09
Wednesday, November 5, 12:30 pm, Arclight 13
THE HEADLESS WOMAN
LA MUJER SIN CABEZA
2008 Argentina / Spain / France / Italy 87 MIN
DIR: Lucrecia Martel
CAST: Maria Onetto, Ines Efron, Cesar Bordon, Claudia Cantero, Daniel Genoud, Guillermo Arengo, Maria Vaner
This haunting and precise film from the award-winning director of LA CIENAGA and THE HOLY GIRL follows the psychological impact on a woman who hits something (someone?) with her car, and discovers a hidden, intangible reality beneath the everyday surface of her life.
Thursday, November 6, 9:50 pm, Arclight 13
Saturday, November 8, 3:30 pm, Arclight 13
IMAGINADORES
2008 Argentina 83 MIN
DIR: Daniela Fiore
This documentary exploration of Argentinean comic books reveals the history, highlights and undercurrents of a major cultural staple as it moves into the 21st century. In addition to showing existing cartoons, the film animates some of the country's classic comic characters.
Wednesday, November 5, 7:00 pm, Arclight 08
Thursday, November 6, 12:15 pm, Arclight 08
INTIMACIES OF SHAKESPEARE AND VICTOR HUGO
INTIMIDADES DE SHAKESPEARE Y VICTOR HUGO
2008 Mexico 83 MIN
DIR: Yulene Olaizola
CAST: Rosa Elena Carvajal, Florencia Vega Moctezuma
A filmmaker uncovers the true tale of her grandmother Rose Elena's friendship with Jorge, the strange, transsexual and perhaps schizophrenic man who rented a room from her. Could Jorge, Rose Elena's close companion, have been responsible for a string of unsolved murders in Mexico City?
Thursday, November 6, 7:00 pm, Arclight 08
Friday, November 7, 3:15 pm, Arclight 08
NATIVE DANCER
2008 Kazakhstan / Russia / France 87 MIN
DIR: Guka Omarova
CAST: Nesipkul Omarbekova, Farkhat Amankulov, Tolepbergen Baisakalov, Almat Ayanov, Asel Abutova
Aidai has deep powers: she can find lost souls and heal the ailing. But when a mob-driven venture forces her off her land, she is pulled into a brutal battle. Part gangster thriller, part spiritual journey, this film reveals the effects of encroaching capitalism on traditional ways of life.
Saturday, November 1, 12:30 pm, Arclight 08
Sunday, November 9, 12:15 pm, Arclight 14
NILOOFAR
2008 France / Iran / Lebanon 82 MIN
DIR: Sabine El Gemayel
CAST: Roya Nownahali, Shahab Hosseini, Hengameh Ghaziani, Mobina Ayenedar, Amir Aghai, Sadegh Safai, Fatemeh Motamed Aria
What is an intellectually curious 12-year-old girl to do in a village where females are forbidden to enter school? And where she is treated as property to be sold to the first prospective husband? This gripping psychological tale provides a shocking window into Iranian culture.
Saturday, November 1, 9:30 pm, Arclight 09
Monday, November 3, 12:00 pm, Arclight 08
PERFECT LIFE (plays with CRY ME A RIVER)
WAMMEI SHENHUO
2008 China / Hong Kong 97 MIN
DIR: Emily Tang
CAST: Yao Qianyu, Cheng Taisheng, Jenny Tse
A troubled young woman finally gets the chance to escape her dreary industrial town, by helping a disabled man carry a painting to a city near Hong Kong. Befriending another refugee, she traverses a city that typifies a modern, increasingly urban China in transition. Preceded by short film CRY ME A RIVER.
Monday, November 3, 7:00 pm, Arclight 14
Saturday, November 8, 3:45 pm, Arclight 08
PRODIGAL SONS
2008 USA 90 MIN
DIR: Kim Reed
This is a family reunion film like no other. It involves two rivals who were once like brothers, and are now like brother and sister and the DNA of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. This film is an unforgettable, moving first-person excursion into family dynamics, identity, gender and the past.
Saturday, November 1, 9:30 pm, Arclight 08
Monday, November 3, 12:45 pm, Arclight 09
PROPER EYES
POR SUS PROPIOS OJOS
2008 Argentina 80 MIN
DIR: Liliana Paolinelli
CAST: Ana Carabajal, Luisa Nunez, Maximiliano Gallo, Mara Santucho
In one of the most acclaimed debut features of the year, Alicia, a film student, begins a documentary about the wives and daughters of inmates at a local jail. The problem: no one will agree to be on camera, except for one woman who first puts Alicia in a compromising situation.
Monday, November 3, 9:40 pm, Arclight 09
Wednesday, November 5, 3:45 pm, Arclight 09
A QUIET LITTLE MARRIAGE
2008 USA 83 MIN
DIR: Mo Perkins
CAST: Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cy Carter, Jimmi Simpson, Charlie Day, Melanie Lynskey, Michael O’Neill, Lucy Devito
This assured, nuanced debut feature tells the story of Olive, who, after her father is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, decides she's in a hurry to have a baby. Her husband Dax, however, is dead set against it. So she takes matters into her own hand, putting their happy marriage at risk.
Friday, November 7, 7:00 pm, Mann 06
Saturday, November 8, 3:45 pm, Mann 03
LA RABIA
2008 Argentina 83 MIN
DIR: Albertina Carri
CAST: Analia Couceyro, Javier Lorenzo, Victor Hugo Carrizo, Nazarena Duarte, Gonzalo Perez
This sharply focused, sexually charged masterpiece by the director of LOS RUBIOS translates themes from Greek tragedy onto the pampas of Argentina. The story follows two families who head towards disaster after one farmer transforms a perceived insult into a vicious rivalry and unearths deep secrets.
Thursday, November 6, 7:15 pm, Arclight 13
Friday, November 7, 3:30 pm, Arclight 13
SUGAR
2008 USA 118 MIN
DIR: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
CAST: Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Andre Holland, Michael Gaston, Jaime Tirelli, Jose Rijo, Ann Whitney, Richard Bull, Ellary Porterfield, Alina Vargas, Kelvin Leonardo Garcia, and Joendy Pena Brown
This follow-up to HALF NELSON miraculously juggles a story that seems to evolve organically—it follows a gifted Dominican baseball player makes it to the American minor leagues—with an inspired visual style in which every frame is carefully, gorgeously composed. An offbeat, engaging new masterpiece of American indie cinema.
Thursday, November 6, 7:00 pm, Arclight 10
Friday, November 7, 3:00 pm, Arclight 14
TWO - LEGGED HORSE
ASBE DU-PA
2008 Iran 101 MIN
DIR: Samira Makhmalbaf
CAST: Ziya Mirza Mohamad, Haron Ahad, Gol Gotai Karimi, Khojeh Nader
The latest from the director of THE APPLE and BLACKBOARDS tells a story of class dynamics in war-torn Afghanistan. A father holds a contest to hire a boy to carry his son, who lost his legs. The winner, however, finds himself treated increasingly like an animal.
Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 pm, Arclight 10
Wednesday, November 5, 3:15 pm, Arclight 13
UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US
2008 Norway 93 MIN
DIR: Aaron Aites, Audrey Ewell
Blurring the line between performance, art, activism and terror, a group of "black metal" musicians recorded albums, burned churches and even killed each other. This film examines the movement's birth and explosive growth, asking, “Is violence a viable artistic response to our destructive, consumption-mad culture?”
Wednesday, November 5, 3:00 pm, Mann 06
Friday, October 31, 7:45 pm, Arclight 13
WENDY AND LUCY
2008 USA 80 MIN
DIR: Kelly Reichardt
CAST: Michelle Williams, Will Patton, John Robinson, Larry Fessenden, Will Oldham, Walter Dalton
A woman's life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job when her car breaks down, her dog is taken to the pound and her financial situation collapses. The latest from Reichardt (OLD JOY) affirms her status as cinema's poet laureate of the American working class.
Saturday, November 1, 3:30 pm, Arclight 10
Saturday, November 8, 7:45 pm, Arclight 13
WITCH HUNT
2008 USA 91 MIN
DIR: Don Hardy, Dana Nachman
Who wouldn't want a legal system that was tough on crime? Unfortunately, as this startling documentary reminds us, the rush to punish the guilty often has devastating effects on the innocent, including the several fathers and mothers sent to prison by Bakersfield's overzealous DA.
Sunday, November 2, 7:10 pm, Arclight 08
Monday, November 3, 3:15 pm, Arclight 08
Order tickets by phone or online
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Screenings are at the ArcLight Hollywood and other Hollywood locations
ArcLight Hollywood address: 6360 Sunset Boulevard at Ivar