Hey there Everyone!
It’s catch-up week! This week for our Monday Night at the Movies, return after weeks to the Coolidge Corner Theatre to catch the 7:30 screening of HEAD-ON before it leaves on Tuesday. Click on the title to read Diane Young’s terrific review of this German/Turkish co-production. Remember, Monday is Chlotrudis night at the Coolidge. Show your membership card and receive a discount! Check out the synopsis below.
Head-On (Gegen Die Wand)
dir. Fatih Akin w/Birol Unel, Sibel Kekilli, Catrin Striebeck, in German & Turkish w/subtitles, 2h5m
Director Fatih Akin presents a raw, powerful love story that has been winning universal critical acclaim. 40-year-old Cahit is brought to a clinic after attempting suicide. There he meets Sibel, a young woman desperately trying to escape from her strict Turkish family. They engage in a platonic marriage of convenience, but soon Cahit comes to find Sibel’s vibrant free spirit to be his saving grace. Sibel is busy enjoying her newfound freedom, but gradually she comes to realize that she loves Cahit as well. But before they can truly be together, an incident of jealous violence tests their fledgling romance. HEAD-ON doesn’t shy away from the bleaker aspects of life, but in the end the film is beautifully melancholic, showing how even when life is filled with unexpected drama, it is love that can truly restore the soul.
It’s a big week for the Coolidge as Wednesday night sees the presentation of the Coolidge Award to internationally acclaimed cinematographer vittario Storaro. After a weekend of films wrapping up a career overview of Storaro’s work, the Coolidge will hold an award ceremony that includes testimonials from filmmakers and scholars; selected scenes from Vittorio Storaro’s body of work; live music and dance performances; and the presentation of the second Coolidge Award. Those of you who are fortunate enough to have Thursday off should definitely check out the Writing with Light discussion on Cinematography featuring acclaimed directors of photography Sotraro, Albert Maysles (GREY GARDENS), Maryse Alberti (HAPPINESS) and more. The seminar begins at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday night join us at the Harvard Film Archive for a special pre-release screening of YES, the latest film by Sally Potter (ORLANDO) starring Joan Allen. YES is the story of a passionate love affair between an American woman (Allen) and a Middle-Eastern man (Simon Abkarian), in which they confront some of the greatest conflicts of our generation: religious, political, and sexual. Sam Neill plays the betrayed and betraying politician husband and Shirley Henderson a philosophical cleaner who witnesses the trail of dirt and heartbreak the lovers leave behind them as they embark on a journey that takes them from London and Belfast to Beirut and Havana. This free event features a special Q&A with Potter, followed by a reception with the filmmaker. This is sure to sell out, and starts at the early screening time of 6:00 p.m., so do try to get there early. I will be in line between 5:15 and 5:30, so let me know if you’ll be coming and I’ll look out for you.
Please make note of two very exciting events taking place this week at Gerry Peary’s BU Cinematheque. Thursday night features a rare appearance by director Todd Solondz who will be pre-screening his new film PALINDROMES!
See you at the movies!
Playing this week, April 1 – 7.
Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Area Theatrical Premiere
The Animation Show
Harvard Book Store Presents:
Ian McEwan (Fri.)
Jonathan Safran Foer (Wed.)
SurfNite 2005: A Benefit for SurfAid International’s Tsunami Relief Efforts
A Brokedown Melody (Thu.)
Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Head-On
Academy Award Nominated Shorts
Millions
Watermarks
Coolidge Award retrospective of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro
Ishtar (Fri.)
Flamenco (Sat.)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (Sat.)
Tango (Sun.)
GALA AWARD CEREMONY featuring Vittorio Storaro (Wed.)
Cinematographer Panel fearting Vittorio Storaro, Albert Maysles and more (Thu.)
Reds with Q&A by Vittorio Storaro (Thu.)
Midnite Madness
The Animation Show (Fri. & Sat.)
Balagan
Punk Rock Premieres (Thu.)
FEI Theatres Capitol Theatres, Arlington
A Very Long Engagement (ineligible)
Finding Neverland
Bride & Prejudice
Sideways
Closer (ineligible)
FEI Theatres Somerville Theatres, Somerville
Sideways
Bad Education
Closer (ineligible)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (ineligible)
Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
California Stars: Los Angeles on Film
Los Angeles Plays Itself (Fri. & Sun.)
The Decay of Fiction & Water and Power (Sat.)
Visions from the South: Korean Cinema 1960-2005
Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (Mon.)
Black and White on Screen
A Taste of Honey (Mon.)
Fashion and Film
The Bride Wore Red (Tue.)
Film and Autobiography
Trying to Kiss the Moon (Tue.)
Frames of Mind
Rashomon (Wed.)
Alain Resnais
Hiroshima Mon Amour (Wed.)
Director Sally Potter in Person
Yes (Thu.)
Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Born into Brothels
Millions
Downfall
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
Sideways Nominated for FOUR Chlotrudis Awards, including Best Cast!
Finding Neverland
Paper Clips
Million Dollar Baby (ineligible)
Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Lost Embrace
Off the Map
Steamboy
Millions
Walk on Water
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
dot the i
Downfall
Born into Brothels
Hotel Rwanda
Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Melinda and Melinda
Downfall
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Bride & Prejudice
Born into Brothels
Million Dollar Baby (ineligible) (ineligible)
Loew’s Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Melinda and Melinda
The Upside of Anger
Schultze Gets the Blues
Million Dollar Baby (ineligible)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Fourth Boston Turkish Film Festival
Dry Summer (Fri.)
The Girl with the Red Scarf (Fri.)
The Bride (Sat.)
Mushin Bey (Sat.)
What’s a Human Anyway (Sun.)
Spanish Cinema
In the City (Sat.)
Art on Film
Antonio Gaudi (Mon.)
Pre-release Screening
Palindromes w/ director Todd Solondz Present
The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
West Newton Cinema, West Newton
Lost Embrace
Walk on Water
Hotel Rwanda
The Chorus
Schultze Gets the Blues
Paper Clips
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
SPECIAL EVENTS
THE BU CINEMATHEQUE RETURNS! APRIL 2005 SCHEDULE
These are the last two showings of the semester!
Thursday, April 7-AN EVENING WITH TODD SOL0NDZ
635 Comm.Ave, Room 102, 7 pm (Across the street from the BU College of Communication)
Solondz, the much celebrated, also deeply controversial, independent filmmaker, in Boston for the April 15 opening of Palindromes, his new work, comes to BU for a screening of his breakthrough hit, Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), and to discuss a career which includes Happiness (1998) and Storytelling (2001). In Welcome to the Dollhouse, young Heather Matarazzo deals with the horrors of American suburbia, an unsupportive family, and the perils of junior high school. Is Solondz an unforgiving misanthrope or a fierce, brilliant satirist in the tradition of Mark Twain?
Friday, April 8-AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL EPSTEIN BU College of Communication, 640 Comm. Ave., Room B-05, 7 pm
The New York-based Epstein, an Academy Award nominee, has carved a distinguished career making penetrating documentaries about Hollywood subjects: Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, Alfred Hitchcock and David O.
Selznick,, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist. His newest film is his funniest, liveliest, and most eye-opening: Final Cut: the Making and Unmaking of Heaven’s Gate (2004). It’s the wild saga of the 1980 Michael Cimino movie so financially out of control’20 times more expensive than planned!– that it closed down a Hollywood studio. Here’s what really happened on the set, unbelievable if there weren’t eye witnesses.
SEE the behind-the-scenes documentary, SEE the actual film, which is far, far better than its crazy reputation! (The French adore it!)
Heaven’s Gate plays Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10, at the Brattle in a newly restored original 35mm cut, all 220 minutes of it. From Michael Cimino, the filmmaker of The Deerhunter, comes this vast, mighty epic of the Old West starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, and Isabelle Huppert.
Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President
On the rise acting sensation Ellen Page received the third award of distinction, the Breakthrough Award. Chlotrudis this year broke somewhat with tradition to award Ms. Page in anticipation of near-future career success, having spotted the young Canadian actress hold her own in MARION BRIDGE and her Genie-nominated turn in WILBY WONDERFUL (both written by previous Trudy winner, Daniel MacIvor), Members have no doubt that, once her latest film, HARD CANDY screens nationwide later this year, Ellen Page’s name will be on the lips of many. The film made a splash at Sundance, where it generated controversy, much conversation and universal acclaim for her lead performance.
I hope those of you who attended last weekend’s 11th Annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony had a terrific time! I’ve heard comments such as, “the best Chlotrudis Awards ever!” to multiple comments on the “best after-party ever!” It’s great to hear that kind of feedback, despite the fact that we were woefully under-attended. Still, it was a terrific audience, and those of you who couldn’t make it, I hope to see you at next year’s event (and lots of times in between!) Our three guests, Lucas Belvaux, Ellen Page, and John O’Brien were absolutely delightful, and all our guest presenters, and Chlotrudis participants did an outstanding job. You can get a sneak preview of some of the terrific photos taken by ace photographer (and all around sweet guy) Brandon Constant on your left. That’s Kate Pike, Emily Pike (on video), Michael Colford, Scot Colford, Merri Lavine, and Janet Young (in the foreground) during the opening multimedia extravaganza. Look for results and the rest of the pictures on the web over the weekend!
The real excitement is coming up this weekend, with the Chlotrudis Society of Independent Film’s WILBY Weekend and 11th Annual Awards Ceremony! The weekend kicks off on Friday and Saturday when Chlotrudis and the Brattle Film Foundation co-present 
collect the Breakthrough Award, won last year by the fabulous Kerry Washington. Other guests include Belgian writer/director/actor Lucas Belvaux, whose films 
To celebrate the young actress’ auspicious beginning, the Chlotrudis Society will also present Ellen Page with its Breakthrough Award as part of its 11th Annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 20th. In addition to the astounding work Ms. Page has evidenced in her Canadian features, CSIF is looking to the near future when she surprises American in HARD CANDY, a raw and controversial film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The public is invited to attend – festivities begin at 5pm, and admission is $15. Ms. Page joins French director Lucas Belvaux (
Join us this Sunday, March 13 for the Sunday Eye Opener, 11:00 a.m. at the Brattle Theatre. This week’s screening features the lovely documentary, SUNSET STORY. Lucille Alpert and Irja Lloyd are the main subjects of SUNSET STORY, a wonderful documentary by Laura Gabbert that may make you laugh and cry ‘ and may change your mind about age and aging. You probably won’t find two more fascinating camera subjects, two livelier conversationalists or two richer, more rewarding, more engaging and inspiring companions in any movie, fiction or non-fiction, this year. SUNSET STORY has been shot with minimal resources but with maximum heart and soul. It’s a film ‘ and a pair of people ‘ you won’t soon forget.
This week we’re thrilled to feature this provocative new documentary that covers an unseen aspect of the U.S. war in Iraq. GUNNER PALACE reveals the complex realities of the situation in Iraq not seen on the nightly news. Told first-hand by U.S. troops, GUNNER PALACE presents a thought provoking portrait of a dangerous and chaotic war that is personal, highly emotional, sometimes disturbing, surprisingly amusing … and thoroughly fascinating. Filmmaker Michael Tucker, who lived with 2/3 Field Artillery, a.k.a. “The Gunners” for two months, captures the lives and humanity of these soldiers whose barracks are the bombed-out pleasure palace of Uday Hussein (nicknamed Gunner Palace), situated in the heart of the most volatile section of Baghdad. With total access to all operations and activities, Tucker’s insider footage provides a rare look at the day-to-day lives of these soldiers on the ground — whether swimming in Uday’s pool and playing golf on his putting green or executing raids on suspected terrorists, enduring roadside bombs, mortar attacks, RPGs and snipers.
Chlotrudis will present John O’Brien its Maverick Award, given to a member of the film community who best exemplifies that description. Based in Vermont, O’Brien has mined his hometown of Tunbridge for inspiration, location shooting and even casting for his last three movies, including this year’s 
Lucas Belvaux, on the other hand, opted for the highest degree of difficulty with his threesome of films by adding actor to his job description along with writer/director. Moreover,