Girls on film
Your guide to the 2006 High Falls Film Festival
It’s rather hard to believe that the High Falls Film
Festival is set to unspool its sixth installment already. As HFFF furthers its
mission of highlighting the accomplishments of women in the film industry, it
continues to bring to Rochester
features, documentaries, and short films this city might not otherwise see, and
offers panels and lectures featuring those in the business of making movies.
But if you’re like most people I talk to, then you just want to know what
famous people will be in Rochester
during the festival. Read on.
The Susan B. Anthony “Failure Is Impossible” Award honorees
scheduled to attend this year are Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland (Copying Beethoven), actor Famke Janssen
(here with The Treatment but best
known as X-Men‘s Jean Grey), and
producer Lauren Shuler Donner (the upcoming Secret
Life of Bees). This year marks the inaugural Elizabeth Cady Stanton “Thorn
in the Side” Award, and the honoree is Stella Pence, co-founder of the
Telluride Film Festival. Many other filmmakers and their subjects will be in
attendance, including production designer Stuart Craig (responsible for some of
the Harry Potter series’ rich
visuals), cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney,
one of this country’s higher-profile critics of the war in Iraq.
As in past years, the audience choices for best feature film
and documentary will encore the Monday immediately following the festival at
the Little Theatre, so try to conserve some of your First Tuesday voting energy
for HFFF. Visit www.highfallsfilmfestival.com for any festival information you
might need, including complete screening and events schedules as well as
details on procuring tickets.
Here are just a smattering of the festival’s varied
selections…
Avenue Montaigne (in French with English subtitles)
Wednesday, November 8, Little Theatre, 6:45 p.m.
When last we saw the adorable Cecile de France, she of the
Jean Seberg haircut and tombstone teeth, she was drenched in blood and wielding
a chainsaw in 2005’s Gallic gorefest High
Tension. But what a difference a year makes: de France embraces her more
fluffy Amelie side as Jessica, a
small-town girl who takes a job at a cafรฉ in one of Paris’ more posh neighborhoods and proceeds
to de-jade the cynical souls who cross her path with her wide-eyed joie de vivre. There’s a concert pianist
who longs for a simpler life, a wealthy man reconnecting with his son, and, in
the funniest thread, a frazzled TV star (Valerie Lemercier, c’est magnifique) just itching for a
chance to play Simone de Beauvoir for famous American director Brian Sobinski
(played by famous American director Sydney Pollack). The French excel at making
movies like Avenue Montaigne:
touching, witty, and somehow both not enough and a little too much. But you’ll
be Googling airfare to the City of Lights
the minute you get home.
Open Window
Thursday, November 9, Dryden Theatre, 7 p.m.
Photographer Izzy (the reliably gifted Robin Tunney) and
educator Peter (Joel Edgerton, looking distractingly like Conan O’Brien) are
newly engaged when Izzy is sexually assaulted in her studio, and the remainder
of Mia Goldman’s Open Window addresses the effects of the rape on Izzy and those who love her. Izzy’s
refusal to report the crime is just the first in a series of actions that drive
a wedge between her and her fiancรฉ, who is frustrated at not being able to get
through to the increasingly remote Izzy. Shirley Knight gets some meaty scenes
with Tunney as Izzy comes to grips with her ordeal through therapy, but Cybill
Shepherd and Elliott Gould are quite irritating as Izzy’s pushy parents. And
that’s Scott Wilson, the dad from Junebug,
in a fascinating subplot about the strained relationship between Peter and his
stubborn father.
Unfolding Florence
Thursday, November 9, Little Theatre, 9 p.m.
One of those people for whom the phrase “a true original”
was most likely coined, Florence Broadhurst rose above her mud hut beginnings
in turn-of-the-century Australia to perpetually re-invent herself into such
incarnations as a stage performer, a mother, a Sydney society figure, and a
successful wallpaper designer. She lied about her English background, had a
taste for younger men, and kept her hair dyed a truly demure shade of fuchsia
well into her 70s. But in 1977 she was brutally slain at her wallpaper factory,
her murder unsolved to this day. Using interviews with friends and family,
re-enactments, and Python-esque animation, director Gillian Armstrong (the
perfect Little Women, the underrated Oscar & Lucinda) fashioned this
absorbing documentary about an enigmatic and headstrong woman whose seemingly
limitless ambition and drive afforded her a most extraordinary existence but
also likely led to her violent demise.
Little Red Flowers(in Mandarin with English subtitles)
Friday, November 10, Little Theatre, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 11, Dryden Theatre, 10:30 a.m.
I’ve never been able to understand how filmmakers are able
to elicit crack performances from anyone still struggling with both gravity and
buttons, but in the beautifully shot Little
Red Flowers, director Zhang Yuan wrangles a swarm of kindergarteners into a
compelling metaphor for individuality under Communist rule. Qiang is the
newcomer to the school, and in order to receive the titular reward (think gold
star) he must fall in line with his classmates, a task easier said than done
for this obstinate charmer, whose eye for the ladies often leads to trouble.
Occasionally Qiang is shunned by his peers, but when it comes to his attention
that one teacher might be a monster (literally, complete with tail), he organizes
them into a fact-finding mob. Qiang’s choice basically comes down to the same
one we all make: do we fall in line with everyone else or just do what we want
and face the consequences?
Air Guitar Nation
Friday, November 10, Little Theatre, 6:55 p.m.
It’s another entry into the whole documentary genre in which
a filmmaker tracks people through a competition of some sort, and it’s probably
the least socially relevant one thus far, but Air Guitar Nation is also insanely fun and surprisingly moving.
Alexandra Lipsitz’s chronicling of the American decision to invade the largely
European world of invisible axe mastery follows an aspiring actor named David
Jung (stage name: C-Diddy) as he takes the U.S. title in an attempt to win the
2003 Air Guitar Championships in Oulu, Finland. But there’s a bitter rivalry
between C-Diddy, who favors the crowd-pleasing stylings of Yngwie Malmsteen,
and — say it out loud — Bjรถrn Tรผroque (a/k/a software developer Dan Crane),
determined to take the coveted crown despite the fact that C-Diddy clobbers him
at every turn. The competitors take their craft very seriously, and Air Guitar Nation wouldn’t work if it
didn’t do the same, laughing with its subjects and not at them.
The Treatment
Friday, November 10, Dryden Theatre, 7 p.m.
Ian Holm is probably still flossing the splinters from his
teeth after his scenery-chewing turn as Dr. Morales, the รผber-Freudian analyst
enlisted to help Jake (the appealing Chris Eigeman) deal with his issues, which
now include a new relationship with a wealthy widow (Famke Janssen, elegantly
delicate) toting baggage of her own. It’s your standard romantic comedy —
maybe a little too ambitious in its subplots — but the top-notch cast,
including a wily turn by Harris Yulin as Jake’s dad, raises it above the fray.
Eigeman should be familiar to audiences as Whit Stillman’s alter-ego from early
’90s blue-blood talkathons like Barcelona, and
the intervening years seem to have softened his once-snobby features and made
him more available. Here’s hoping we see him again soon.
13 (Tzameti)(in French with English subtitles)
Friday, November 10, Little Theatre, 9 p.m.
It’s a good sign when I completely stop taking notes while
watching a film, and Gela Babluani’s debut feature caused me to drop both my
pen and my jaw. To say too much about the film would be a disservice since its
appeal, as it were, lies in its horrific unfolding, so this will be barebones: 13 (Tzameti) follows a young laborer who
thinks he’s stumbled onto a get-rich-quick scheme, which he truthfully has, but
the possible outcomes are as black and white as the film’s lushly bleak
cinematography. Some hack American is probably trying to adapt 13 (Tzameti) as I write this, so go see
the source and allow Babluani’s assured pacing to have its way with you.
American Blackout
Saturday, November 11, Little Theatre, 1 p.m.
If you’re not already hopping mad about our increasingly
shady political system, witness Ian Inaba’s scathing indictment of the recent
electoral processes in Florida and Ohio, irrefutable
evidence of the growing — and blatant — disenfranchisement of black voters.
Besides meticulously detailing the specific steps taken by the Republican party
to keep traditionally Democrat-leaning African-Americans out of the voting
booth, Inaba also trains his lens on Rep. Cynthia McKinney, serving DeKalb County, Georgia, since 1992 and a very
vocal critic of the President’s war on terror. He allows McKinney’s detractors to have their say,
though filming them as they pose proudly in front of their Hummers isn’t
entirely fair. But you’ll be awed by McKinney’s
passion for a thankless job that puts her in harm’s way, and her defiant
mano-a-mano with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is this film’s money shot.
What Remains
Saturday, November 11, Dryden Theatre, 3:30 p.m.
As Time magazine was heralding Sally Mann in 1993 as “America’s Best
Photographer” she was also under attack for her art, which featured her
astonishingly photogenic children in images some thought provocative. Stephen
Cantor expands upon his Oscar-nominated short film about Mann to trail the
artist as she prepares for her latest exhibition, a series of photographs
contemplating the nature of death and deterioration, two topics lately hitting
uncomfortably close to home for Mann. What
Remains is a portrait of a woman deriving inspiration from the everyday and
using it to challenge both us and herself.
Follow My Voice
Saturday, November 11, Little Theatre, 3:30 p.m.
The Brontรซ-monikered director Katherine Linton accomplishes
two things with one poignantly rousing documentary: she puts a face on the
lesbian-bisexual-gay-transgender teenagers who have more on their plate than
most kids, and she follows a record producer as he tackles a total labor of
love in an effort to help them. Chris Slusarenko corralled artists like
Jonathan Richman, the Bens (that’s Folds, Lee, and Kweller), and the late
Sleater-Kinney to reinterpret songs from Hedwig
and the Angry Inch for Wig in a Box,
a benefit CD assembled in hopes of raising money for the Harvey Milk School, a
New York City institution at which LBGT kids are provided a safe haven for
learning. We meet Tenaja, excommunicated by her religion but finding faith in
herself; and Angel, a lovely young woman trapped in a male body and shunned by
her family. I dare you not to tear up when Angel is elected prom queen.
But it’s totally OK if you do. Art is supposed to make you
feel something, remember?
HighFalls Film Festival 06
Schedule
Unless otherwise
noted, events take place at Little Theatre.
Wednesday, November 8
Avenue Montaigne 6:45 p.m.
Copying Beethoven, appearance by Agnieszka Holland, 7 p.m.
Dryden Theatre.
Life After Tomorrow, Q&A w/Julia Stevens, 7:05 p.m.
King Leopold’s Ghost, Q&A w/Pippa Scott, 9 p.m.
Shorts Program No. 1 9:15
p.m.
Opening Night Party 9:30 p.m.-midnight, Rochester Contemporary, 137 East Ave.
Thursday, November 9
Coffee With…, 11
a.m.-noon, The Strathallan, 550
East Ave.
Young Filmmakers
Festival 6:55 p.m.
Open Window, appearance by Shirley Knight, 7 p.m., Dryden
Theatre
Ten Canoes 7:05 p.m.
Kiss Me Not On The Eyes 7:15 p.m.
“Screenplay Live,” w/Gordy
Hoffman and Maureen Tilyou, 7:30 p.m., CurtisTheatre
Unfolding Florence 9 p.m.
Shoot The Messenger 9:20 p.m.
Goodbye Life 9:30 p.m.
Deliver Us From Evil, Q&A w/ Amy Berg, 9:30 p.m., Dryden
Theatre
Friday November 10
Coffee With… 11a.m.-noon, The Strathallan, 550
East Ave.
Little Red Flowers 6:30 p.m.
Air Guitar Nation 6:55 p.m.,
The Treatment, special appearance by Famke Janssen and Edwige
Geminel, 7 p.m., Dryden Theatre
Absolute Wilson, Q&A w/ Katharina Otto-Bernstein, 8:25 p.m.
A Coat of Snow, Q&A w/ Sonya Joy Sims, Jennifer
Christopher, Abigail Spencer and Gordy Hoffman, 9:45 p.m., Dryden Theatre
13 (Tzameti) 9 p.m.
Renaissance 11 p.m.
Saturday, November 11
“Preview of Coming
Distractions,” w/Gary Meyer, Lauren Schuler Donner, Paul Cohen and Amy
Taubin, 10:30 a.m.-noon, CurtisTheatre
Children’s Shorts 11 a.m.
Shorts Program No. 2 11:10 a.m.
“Dr. Documentary (A
Pathology of Non-Fiction Film),” Aviva Slesin, 11:15 a.m.
American Blackout, Q&A w/Anastasia King and Cynthia
Mckinney, 1 p.m.
“Stuart Craig’s
Chamber of Secrets: Harry Potter and Worlds Beyond” 1-2:30 p.m., Dryden
Theatre
Cinematographer’s Style, appearance by Ellen Kuras, 3:15 p.m.
Follow My Voice, Q&A w/Katherine Linton and Angel, 3:30
p.m.
What Remains, Q&A w/Mary Lorson, 3:30 p.m., Dryden Theatre
Livin’ Life and Freestyle:
The Art of Rhyme 5 p.m.
Women of School of Film and Animation 5:40 p.m.
The Play 6:15 p.m.
The Lives of Others, appearance by Lauren Schuler Donner , 7
p.m., Dryden Theatre
Night of The White Pants, Q&A w/Amy Talkington, 7:45 p.m.
Gala Night Party 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m., Artisan Works, 565
Blossom Rd.
The Host 10:05 p.m.
Sunday, November 12
Little Red Flowers 10:30 a.m., Dryden Theatre
21 Up America,
Q&A w/Victoria Bippart, 11 a.m.
“Documentarians Speak
Their Minds” 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., CurtisTheatre
“Pigeon (And More)
Within – The Animated Mind of Emily Hubley” 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Lauren Schuler Donner
and Richard Donner In Conversation 12:30-1:30 p.m., Dryden Theatre
KZ 1:30 p.m.
The Cats of Mirkitani, Q&A w/Linda Hattendorf, 3 p.m.
Men At Work 3:15 p.m.
When I Came Home, Q&A w/Nancy Roth, 3:35 p.m.
Shorts Program No. 3 5:15 p.m.
After The Wedding 7 p.m.
Coney andLonesome, accompanied by Alloy
Orchestra, w/appearances by Stella Pence, Caroline Ahlfors Mouris and Frank
Mouris, 7 p.m., Dryden Theatre
Monday, November 13
Best of Festival
Audience Award-Winner: Narrative 7 p.m.
Best of Festival
Audience Award-Winner: Documentary 9:15 p.m.
Little Theatre is located at 240 East Avenue; the Dryden and Curtis
theatres are located at George Eastman House, 900 East Avenue. For more information
visit www.highfallsfilmfestival.com.
— Compiled by William Matthias
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2006.
