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Trekkies
Sunday, October 10
An uproariously funny look at the most devoted group of fans of any television and/or movie series —Boxoffice
An affectionate, hilarious salute to the legions of Star Trek fans, narrated by Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation).
(Roger Nygard, 1997, 87 min.)
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The Last Days
In person: Holocaust survivor Renee Firestone
Thursday, October 14
The first feature documentary produced by Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, this Academy Award-winning documentary recounts the Hungarian Holocaust in the words of five of its survivors including Renee Firestone and Congressman Tom Lantos.
(James Moll, 1998, 88 min.)
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The King of Masks
Presented with the Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Symposia in Jewish Studies
Sunday, October 17
A charming story masterfully told. —Time
Visually arresting and dramatically powerful, and winner of over 40 international awards, this touching, exquisite tale tracks an aging artist in search of a protégé in rural 1930s China.
(Wu Tianming, 1996, 101 min.)
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Buena Vista Social Club
Thursday, October 21
An impassioned assertion of an unquenchable lust for life. —New York Times
German director Wim Wenders made this poetic documentary about Cuban music legends whose heartwarming comeback was orchestrated by composer/musician Ry Cooder. Filmed in Havana, Amsterdam and New York City.
(1999, 105 min.)
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The Winslow Boy
Sunday, October 24
A ravishing romance. —Rolling Stone
David Mamet’s adaptation of a Terence Rattigan play reveals the impact on a bourgeois family of pursuing a court case against the British crown to clear the name of its teenage son. With Nigel Hawthorne and Jeremy Northam.
(1999, 110 min.)
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The Blair Witch Project
Friday, October 29
The terror is fierce and palpable in this first-of-a-kind film. —San Francisco Chronicle
A cult phenomenon, this highly original horror film unfolds as a quasi-documentary. Three young filmmakers disappear in the Maryland woods while exploring the legend of the Blair Witch.
(Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez, 1999, 87 min.)
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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Special screening with live piano music by Michael Mortilla
Sunday, October 31
The progenitor of German Expressionist cinema, this silent film is revitalized by a new 35mm print. Its surreal elements include a sleepwalking murderer, macabre set design and lighting. Stars Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt.
(Robert Wiene, 1919, 69 min.)
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After Life
Sunday, November 7
Brilliant, humorous, transcendently compassionate. —New York Times
Maker of the film Maborosi, Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu provides a touching vision of the hereafter. The recently departed report to a shabby movie studio to reenact the single memory they will carry to eternity.
(1998, 118 min.)
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Genghis Blues
In person: Filmmaker and UCSB alumnus Roko Belic
Thursday, November 11
A good-hearted, wonderfully revealing film. —New York Times
Paul Pena, a blind San Francisco-based blues musician, takes up Tuvan throat singing after a chance listen on the radio. This enchanting film documents his personal transformation and his musical journey to remote Central Asia.
(Roko & Adrian Belic, 1999, 88 min.)
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La Ciudad (The City)
Invited guest: filmmaker David Riker
Thursday, November 18
A fresh and serious new work, completely engaging. —Toronto Film Festival
This documentary about illegal immigrants in Manhattan’s Latin American neighborhoods chronicles people striving for fulfillment amid poverty and anonymity. A film about the tragedies and redemptions of everyday life.
(David Riker, 1998, 88 min.)
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Leila
Sunday, November 21
Another gem from Iran, uncompromising and realistic. —Boxoffice
From Iran’s cinematic master Dariush Mehrjui comes this provocative and beautifully acted film about a modern couple grappling with powerful, traditional family and marriage mores. Stars Leila Hatami.
(Dariush Mehrjui, 1997, 129 min.)
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Eternity and a Day
Thursday, December 2
Genuinely hypnotic. —New York Times
This Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize-winner explores mortality and isolation as a dying poet forms an attachment to a child on the run from kidnappers. From celebrated Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos, featuring Bruno Ganz.
(1998, 132 min.)
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| Films sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent, K-LITE 101.7 FM, Blue Agave, KCSB 91.9 FM, The Daily Nexus, and Mercury Lounge. |
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