sembene remembrance on walker blog

The Walker's retrospective on Ousmane Sembene ended this weekend, and to commemorate the event they invited local videomaker Aleshia Mueller to say a few words on the artist:

Hailed as the father of African cinema, Sembene was also seen as an artistic and cinematic revolutionary. He was a passionate anti-colonialist and injected true Senegalese culture and common routines into his films. Up until Mandabi in 1968, the mentality was that a film had to be made in French, but Sembene was committed to promoting his national language and culture. Drawing on his roots, he gathered lost voices and brought them back to life. He emphasized, “Art is political. Without art, there are no free men.”

Most of my knowledge surrounding Sembene comes more from essays than his movies.  With that I would add that his films not only provoked Europeans and former colonial powers, but they even questioned Senegalese assumptions about their own heritage.

carlos at st anthony

Remember how you were planning on spending Halloween afternoon holed up in the Walker to take in Assayas' 330-minute 2010 feature Carlos, that is until you came down with a 24-hour bug known as post-halloween-party hangover?  Well, Tom Schmidt, you are in luck cause our dear friends at the Film Society are bringing it back to the cities in all it's 5-hour glory, starting tomorrow at St Anthony:

Carlos - Full Version (NR) runtime 5 hr 30 mins	Fri - Sun: 1:00 PM
Carlos - Short Version (NR) runtime 5 hr 30 mins	Mon - Wed: 7:05, 9:45 Thu: 9:45 PM

I'm guessing that second runtime is a typo. From Film Society:

CARLOS tells the story of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez who, for two decades, was one of the most wanted terrorists on the planet. Between 1974, in London, where he tried to assassinate a British businessman; and 1994, when he was arrested in Khartoum, he lived several lives under various pseudonyms, weaving his way through the complexities of international politics of the period. Who was Carlos? How did his various multi-layered identities fit together? Who was he before engaging body and soul in a never-ending struggle? The drama is built around these questions. 

last weekend of chaplin films at trylon

This weekend will be the last in Take-Up's month-long Charlie Chaplin series.  For those turned off by silent films, The Great Dictator is filled with sounds, not to mention always hilarious Chaplin gags and spoofs on Nazi Germany.  Peep 'em at the Trylon this Thanksgiving weekend, y'all!

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Here Comes The Tramp: The Films of Charlie Chaplin The Kid The Trylon Thu Nov 25 7:00 Fri Nov 26 9:20 Sat Nov 27 7:00  (1921, 35mm, 73min) Chaplin's first feature—a touching comedy that sees the Tramp and the titular child as partners in crime. When the state tries to take the kid away, Charlie stops at nothing to get him back. Considered Chaplin's most autobiographical picture. With the short film "A Day's Pleasure" (1919).

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Here Comes The Tramp: The Films of Charlie Chaplin The Great Dictator The Trylon Thu Nov 25 8:30 Fri Nov 26 7:00 Sat Nov 27 8:30  (1940, 35mm, 124min) Charles Chaplin's riotous blast against the Nazi war machine sees the Little Tramp in a case of mistaken identity—a Jewish barber becomes Hitler! Among his many successes, Dictator was Chaplin's biggest hit.

It's the music, dum-dum!

haunted cop shot at trylon tomorrow

Trash Film Debauchery's got another b-movie flick for you, only this one's by Wong-Kar Wai, Best Director at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival:

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Trash Film Debauchery Haunted Cop Shop The Trylon Wed Nov 24 7:30  (1987, Jeffrey Lau, DVD) Before he hit the big time with Chungking Express, acclaimed art house director Wong Kar-Wai produced this knockabout scream-fest, starring a young Jacky Cheung who went on to star in most of Wong’s biggest films. This case pits a precinct against a horde of vampire foes. Surprisingly creepy, often hilarious, and sometimes wildly tasteless, this 1987 oddity contains lots of exorcisms, acrobatic feats and a grisly game of mahjong.

Umm, I don't see this anywhere in Criterion Collection.  What's the hold up, chief?

39 steps & royal tennenbaums at st anthony

Hitchcock fans descend upon St Anthony this week as The Film Society of Minneapolis-St Paul presents his much-loved British spy thriller The 39 Steps.  Oh, and there's also a Wes Anderson film with a wonderful ensemble blah blah blah.  Here's showtimes!:

The Royal Tenenbaums (R) runtime 1 hr 49 mins

Mon - Wed: 9:15 PM Thu: 4:00, 7:00, 9:15

39 Steps (NR) runtime 1 hr 26 mins

Mon - Wed: (5:15), 7:15

Alec Baldwin is everywhere these days, am I right?

valhalla rising at trylon tonight

The second showing of Valhalla Rising, Take-Up's first in their "Premiere Tuesday" series, screens tonight at 7:00 and 8:50 at the Trylon.

For years, the fearsome figure known only as One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen - PUSHER, FLAME & CITRON, CASINO ROYALE) has defeated everyone he's encountered, but he's treated more like an animal than a warrior. The only person he has any relationship with is the young boy who brings him food and water daily. Constantly caged and shackled, One Eye has drawn the attention of a new force now sweeping the countryside and displacing the society's leaders: Christians.

seed hunter at bell museum tonight

Tonight brings us all the third event in a partnership between Take-Up productions and the Bell Museum for their Thursday night film series about collectors:

Australian scientist Ken Street, a real life version of Indiana Jones, and his team of ‘gene detectives’ hunt for the genetic traits that allow crops to withstand the impact of 21st-century global warming. The film traces his efforts from Syriah to the Arctic Circle, where he deposits his bounty of seed in the newly-constructed seed bank known as the 'doomsday vault.'

Film starts at 7.  Tix are $5.

local doc trampoline at the heights tonight

The Heights is screening the locally-made documentary Trampoline tonight at 7:30:

Mark Wojahn received the 2009 McKnight Film Fellowship for his efforts on Trampoline and his What America Need Films. Trampoline was edited by Channel Z films, the same MN post-house, who cut the Independent Spirit Award winning film "Sweetland". Jim Stanger subtly cuts this story of a Minneapolis family torn apart by teenage rebellion and a stepfather who has lost his way.  The documentary has a great Minnesota soundtrack from the bands; the Red Pens, Aby Wolf, Mystery Palace, M.anifest and Solid Gold. Its wonderful sound score was composed by the Minneapolis Ashe & Spencer's, Richard Werbowenko. The film has already been receiving Spirit Award votes for the Chaz and Roger Ebert Truer than Fiction Award. There will be a special post screening Q&A after the movie with the director, cast & crew. 

Check out the film website here.

H/T - MN Film & TV Board.

enemies of the people tonight, tickets going fast

From the Asian Film Festival website:

Enemies of the People turns the camera onto Nuon Chea aka Brother Number Two, the highest ranking Khmer Rouge leader still alive today. The Khmer Rouge was one of the twentieth century's most brutal regimes. While in power, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of approximately 1.7 million people by execution, starvation and forced labor in camps that were later described as the Killing Fields.

In the film, one of Cambodia's best investigative journalists, Thet Sambath, persuades Nuon Chea to admit, for the first time, how he and Pol Pot (the two supreme powers in the Khmer Rouge state) decided to kill party members whom they considered 'Enemies of the People'. The mystery of the Killing Fields is unveiled as the men and women who perpetrated the massacres break a 30-year silence to give testimony never before seen or heard.

The movie will be followed up by a panel discussion with the film's director Rob Lemkin.

Enemies of the People has screened at countless festivals throughout the country, but the prize that speaks volumes about it's quality is its Special Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at this year's Sundance. Most fans of the movie mention how the film scores an interview with the most powerful living member of the Khmer Rouge, Noun Chea, set to stand trial for his crimes next year.  But equally compelling are the countless interviews with the otherwise peace-loving farmers and peasants who were forced to carry out the killings.  As Stephen Holden points out, the film is a "disquieting testament to the fact that ordinary individuals under extreme pressure will carry out the most monstrous crimes."

These sorts of discussions and films with little chance of mass distribution are what make these types of cultural events indispensable to any arts-loving community.  Get your tickets here before they sell out.


Enemies of the People Movie Trailer from Rob Lemkin on Vimeo.

trylon premiere tuesdays presents valhalla rising

Don't forget that tonight is the start of Trylon's new Premiere Tuesday series.  Tonight's event begins at 7:00, followed by another screening at 8:50, with the showing of Valhalla Rising:

Trylon Premiere Tuesdays

Valhalla Rising

The Trylon

Tue Nov 09 7:00 8:50 Tue Nov 23 7:00 8:50 
(2009, Nicolas Winding Refn, BD, 93min) For years, the fearsome figure known only as One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen - PUSHER, FLAME & CITRON, CASINO ROYALE) has defeated everyone he's encountered, but he's treated more like an animal than a warrior. The only person he has any relationship with is the young boy who brings him food and water daily. Constantly caged and shackled, One Eye has drawn the attention of a new force now sweeping the countryside and displacing the society's leaders: Christians.

free screenings at asian film festival

Film festivals can be a bit overwhelming.  Looking over schedules, I often am unsure where to even begin. Looking at this year's Asian Film Festival schedule, that's running until this Saturday, one item definitely caught my eyes: the words "free screening."  Starting tonight, there are a few select movies showing a second time for free.  For the apprehensive film fan, free screenings are usually a good place to start.  Get your thrift on with these free flicks:

Pinoy Sunday, Mon @ 5pm
The Things We Carry, Tues @ 4:45
The Mikado Project, Tues @ 5pm
The People I've Slept With, Wed @ 5pm
Raspberry Magic, Wed @ 5:15
Dev D, Thur @ 4:30
Gulabi Talkies, Fri @ 2


All movies are playing at St Anthony.

asian film festival premieres tonight

Tonight is the premiere of the 2010 Asian Film Festival entitled, "In Search of Asia."  The festival runs from tonight until November 13th with loads of movies screening at St Anthony Main.  Tonight is the opening film That Girl in Yellow Boots followed by the opening night party at Honey.  This Indian film by Anurag Kashyap was received warmly by audiences at both Venice and Toronto.  From the fest's website:

"That Girl in Yellow Boots" tells the story of Ruth (played by co-writer, Kalki Koechlin), a young woman from Brighton (ENGLAND) who travels to the bustling city of Mumbai (INDIA) in search of her long lost Indian father. But Ruth's search soon takes her down a dark path as she becomes entangled in the seedy underside of life in Mumbai.

Nearly broke, and following a series of less than pleasant encounters with a host of unsavory characters, she is forced to work at a massage parlor which offers sexual favors to its clientele. The films narrative unfolds with twists and turns around every corner, (meaning no viewer will find this film "predictable") and ultimately, Ruth must confront the explosive truth about her father, the only man, she believes, truly loves her.

The director will be present at the screening. Come back to this site for more info on the fest in the days to come.