altertheater

[altertheater]

[Cinemacephale] Hola ¿estás sola?, The Girl who Stole the Sun, Remembrance of Things Past, Night of Iguana, I Get knocked Down

Jeffrey's underground cinemas All films in English or with English subtitles Chris Marker and Yannick Bellon find inspiration exploring the past Greetings everyone, I'm sad to report the CANCELLATION of I GET KNOCKED DOWN this coming Saturday, because the newly formed TAKLAND has been evicted. People in the Amsterdam city council like to talk about the need of 'free spaces' in this city, but when people create free spaces _for_ the city, they bring the police in to throw them out. What can I say? Something is terribly wrong in the mindset of the city government and it's shameful. They are 'liberal' only in terms of the marketplace. They want a total monopoly over space, finance and our reality-- and they allow no real alternatives to emerge. They are perfectly content with shooting down people's dreams (except those in big business). There are so many empty spaces in this city--if these young people were given 1% of the leeway that's given to investment firms like 'global asset manager' Blackrock, this place would flourish. At least that's my two cents, it's the way I see it. BUT that's not the end of the story... Since the people at Takland had to be out yesterday, they simply occupied the place next door. That just goes to show you how many empty spaces there are in this town. The rooms in the new space are much smaller, but we will screen the film there anyway on both Wednesday and Thursday. _This week still..._ First off, don't forget that tonight (Thursday, June 8) I will be back at the WIHH with Tom Dicillo's lively black comedy LIVING IN OBLIVION starring Steve Buscemi. Starts at 21:00, and it's free. _Coming next week...._ We start the week off on Sunday when I'll be back at Joe's Garage with a forgotten Spanish flick called HI, ARE YOU ALONE? about two young women trying to find their way in this wild world. It's got a summer vibe and a sense of adventure. It feels a bit like a fresh breeze from the south. Seems like it was never shown outside of Spain, so this is your chance to catch it. On Monday at DNA we will conjure up two special 45 minute films--REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST by Chris Marker and Yannick Bellon, and the Senegalese film THE GIRL WHO STOLE THE SUN. Both movies are deeply loved by those who know them, but because of their short length (45 minutes each) they are rarely screened in this increasingly standardized world of ours. The first film is in lavish black-and-white and is inspiring, and the other is in lush sensual African colors and is beautifully righteous. Then on Tuesday at Cavia we will jump into John Huston's NIGHT OF THE IGUANA. This is a Hollywood film from the early 1960s, a time when things were getting pretty damn weird. It stars Richard Burton as a defrocked priest who is on the edge of his life, refusing to put up with the world becoming a tourist trap. Penned by the equally warped Tennessee Williams, this flick is full of absurd atmospheres and behavior, with a lot of bizarre metaphors. Also starring Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr. Finally on both Wednesday and Thursday you can catch me of course at the New Takland right next door to the old takland, with a screening of I GET KNOCKED DOWN (but I get up again, You are never gonna keep me down) by Dunstan Bruce of the band Chumbawamba. A great little flick that asks loads of questions, especially about the need of alternatives and community these days. This will be the prefect place to screen this surreal, humorous, inspiring documentary. Hope to see you! - Jeffrey SUNDAY JUNE 11 Hola ¿estás sola? Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema MONDAY JUNE 12 REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST THE GIRL WHO STOLE THE SUN Cinemanita TUESDAY JUNE 13 THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA Cine Interzone WEDNESDAY + THURSDAY JUNE 14 + 15 I GET KNOCKED DOWN New Takland Details below.... ------------------------- SUNDAY JUNE 11 HI, ARE YOU ALONE? 1995 (Hola, ¿estás sola?) Directed by Iciar Bollaín 92 minutes In Spanish with English subtitles This is a sort of a summer road movie about two young women in their early twenties, and it's directed by a woman - Iciar Bollaín - in her directorial debut. Both of the main characters come from dysfunctional families, so at one point they decide to cut loose. They pack their backpacks and start hitchhiking to the south of Spain.The film has a social realist edge, since it is about unsustainable lives, and the lack of money and housing. They collect furniture off the street and drag it home, and do cheap precarious labor, mostly catering to the english-speaking tourism that was hitting Spain hard in the 90s. But it also feels more grounded in realism because our characters aren't stereotypes. Niña and Trini make unusual decisions, both in terms of life-choices and their sexuality. Billed as a comedy, it is actually more of a tragicomedy involving painful and confronting situations. In other words, it's not a big comedy to make you forget about the world, but a small one that helps you deal with the ironies of real life. The young women encapsulate the "ni-ni generation" of 1990s Spain--ni estudia ni trabaja (not studying, not seriously working). They aren't really educated, and don't even have the words to explain the quest they're embarking on. But below this poverty of ideas lies a deep humanity and a clear sense that adventures and 'personal growth' are pointless unless they're a shared experience. The script was penned by the director together with the renowned director Julio Medem (The Red Squirrel). The two actresses that carry this flick are Silke and especially Candela Peña. Together with a few supporting male characters, these two girls made waves in the summer of 1995. And then they were forgotten, pretty much forever. CAN DIALECTICS BREAK BRICKS CINEMA @ Joe's Garage Pretoriusstraat 43 Film starts @ 20:30 Free admission ------------------------- MONDAY JUNE 12 REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS TO COME 2001 Directed by Yannick Bellon and Chris Marker 42 minutes In English In theory this is a cinematic portrait of female photographer Denise Bellon, but actually directors Yannick Bellon and Chris Marker use her images to go beyond an individual story, and explore the world around us. In this case, they use Denise Bellon's photographs to document history between 1935 and 1955. For many people French director Chris Marker was the leading exponent of what has been called the essay-film, and that is the breezy form this flick takes. It features his usual female narrator Alexandra Stewart (who has an amazingly grave, yet seductive quality to her voice). The format of the essay-film prevents the narrative from becoming too logical, dry and pedantic, and allows it to flip around like crazy in space and time, free to follow off-the-cuff associations, and punctuate the journey with insights and poetry. Along the way we touch upon the Spanish-civil War, the explosion of the surrealist art movement, the development of movie culture in France, the rise of right-wing fascism in Europe, World War II, the history of Paris and the radical changes of the 1950s, etc., using Denise Bellon's photography as a source of inspiration and documentation. In this way, they are able to touch upon the intimate and the historical at the same time, and make connections between the two. This film was created together with photographer Denise Bellon's daughter Yannick--a profound filmmaker in her own right who made crucial films, but has never been given credit for her work and vision. I hate to say this, but mostly director Agnes Varda grabbed all the attention, leaving many other female directors behind and unrecognized... including Yannick. Sure, that's the way the media works--it always sensationalizes a single individual... but that doesn't mean someone like Varda had to go along with it. Yannick died four years ago, without even a whisper of her passing. + THE GIRL WHO STOLE THE SUN 1999 Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty 43 minutes In Wolof and French, with English subtitles Some people consider this to be the best African movie ever made. Clocking in at 43 minutes it could be considered a short movie, but given its range and depth, it's totally a feature film. It follows the life of a young girl living on the streets of Dakar, who takes a job selling newspapers in a boy-dominated world. As one viewer put it, this girl can "kick ass". With a great music score, lush cinematography and a bold spirit, this was Senegalese director Mambéty's swan's song. This film is about many things, but above everything else it is about the younger generation who give color to life and fight for their future (like the people of Takland). As the director put it, it is "a hymn to the courage of street children." CINEMANITA @ De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111 (Hugo de Grootplein) Film starts at 20:30 Membership: 3 Euros for the evening ------------------------- TUESDAY JUNE 13 THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA 1964 Directed by John Huston 125 minutes In English After the conservative 1950s, in the mid-1960s you can see America was changing big time. New, unorthodox, and simple weird themes began to be introduced into Hollywood movies. This flick has razor-sharp dialogue that cuts to the bone, and in the end it is about taking a good look at yourself and seeing who you really are. Directed by the legendary John Huston, with a text written by Tennessee Williams, it focuses on themes of disillusionment and the need for perseverance despite any odds you are facing. The mood of this film is volcanic... it has so much tension under the surface it feels like it could explode at any moment. It starts off in a tourist bus rambling through Mexico, led by a defrocked priest (Richard Burton) who had previously had a break-down while giving a sermon and was thrown out of his own church. The American tourists know nothing about the history or culture of the Mexican sites they are visiting, and are just taken from one cheap flea-ridden tourist trap to another. That sets the major themes in motion... the hypocrisy of institutions (like the church) and false dreams of the modern world (in the form of dull, unadventurous tourism). Everything is done with a biting humor, and a bit of absurdity that often borders on surrealism. Tennessee Williams was both queer as in 'strange', and queer as in 'gay.' The latter isn't so evident in the story except for his penchant for hanging onto outcasts as a kind of savior for a deadly superficial world. The script along with John Huston's tour-de-force directing and a mind-boggling cast of actors ( Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon) shows us the craft and magic that Hollywood movies once were capable of. The film stays witty and relevant these days--after all--isn't almost everyone being reduced to a tourist in today's world? Jumping around the world on cheap planes, going places we know nothing about, trying to be as comfortable as possible, falling for the palm trees and chintzy kitsch. What a bunch of gringos we have become! Maybe it's time we start taking risks again and living. At least, if nothing else, this flick takes all the air out of our holy dream of tourism. Great performances from the actors, and it's a wild ride. This will be a high-definition screening. CINE INTERZONE @ Cavia Van Hallstraat 52-B (Go through the courtyard and up the staircase) Doors open at 20.00, film starts at 20:30 Membership for the evening: 3 Euros ------------------------- WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY JUNE 14 + 15 I GET KNOCKED DOWN 2021 Directed by Dunstan Bruce & Sophie Robinson 88 minutes In English with English subtitles This is a documentary with eerie surreal passages by Dunstan Bruce & Sophie Robinson. It's largely about Durstan's band Chumbawamba, which was socially active in the 1980s, at a time when there were huge earth-shaking social movements ripping across England. Today he finds himself stranded in a world wrecked by the tarantulas of neoliberalism, a vacuous public space where no one seems to even notice we are living in a sci-fi world, let alone care. This film is his battle with disillusionment, and his attempt to ignite a spark again. Yes, there are music clips of Chumbawamba, including their massive international hit when they shot into fame, only to be consumed by it... but more importantly this film provokes loads of questions. The music of the band is only used as a springboard to see the larger picture. It is a critique of how our society works, and the need for community and creating new alternative cultures again. It is a movie with thoughtfulness, along with enough emotional punch to kick up a storm. On hand in the film we also have Penny Rimbaud and filmmaker Ken Loach. I leave you with a few words from Durstan about his film: "I want this story to resonate, to be a cri-de-coeur and a kick up the arse. Now, more than ever, we need artists, musicians, in fact everyone to not only speak out but to be part of this whole culture of resistance. Hopefully it speaks to the disenfranchised, those people who have become disillusioned, who know there is something wrong with the world but feel powerless, isolated and confused. I want the film to spark discussion, engage activists and non-activists alike in the process and inspire cinema-goers to get involved again." Once again, the new space is much smaller, so seating is very limited. That is why we spread the screening over two nights. Also, if you have a pillow to bring along they will be useful! NEW TAKLAND--Taksteeg 6 Doors open at 20.00, film starts at 20:30 Free screening! https://zapier.com/engine/hydrate/292397/.eJxtldcO68gNhl_F8PVRoGpJ5069V6sHgaDebElWlxb77vHZDbAbJHfDIYck8P3k_HbPhn4p-iVezrG4_7xT9x_3pp-XpM-KuMnvPyGcQBEUQn7cs3Vehvc6F9MfDpiEERL_cU-ybFi_Cf5-VzbFK4_75P0rZbIsSVa_v0Xmb_JuT6Zqvv_87f4u5jmp_qxyhwiCJCA8S6A0TTMC_kb-_d3Pf_52_yOO0oU2l4ksECT2JZhI0xo9QdWpFyy5INU2r-kYzpx4aed1eogjjh1GBFWxQZYt1tuGBD9owE73Cm4sr4qdGCRmx2W3edZDm2DciNuRFdJEn5ZOC3S17oxV9Xq2retZQWbVytZRyqt4AieCvMwsDTrOVkORT4fIiAWfiCauHBu8TeJPQT67xejYwcxASelW9ZAlEfRDQTCpR_na2O1hw5TloIsXxuy-DsMGeqLK8o9N9jvf1laTs16QpqpcTbX5CglDjk5iw7bDh173BzPAXKCXbt2E7arNFR_Xdm4lzqrqa-S3tjcYNBBW4MZLeeDpRrtuVmnreBgxUCfyLlsRziwIS6fsqH88iyLjJp0ZJZhvt200vy0eiL5UVtEdbVh7PAhvilDPF6XNYZuwtl4mPf-RWujL6j-oy_kmDq_kVnwFNN_mX0cQ_Uc7FtX99x__RZA84JSx3tzzGAcZabi3BUQhfuHvtL0UV9A7vy9Jt1dNZN6qOh_ZAaoP1Fckt7WynuxtaRfGNCPzzhO4XkpQ06RE85WU0IqSMpC6S1AVJ20TTS1NlJd1leSNh28VB1ecjYJgD6MK0lLBcM5OY-TI4G32OYDGlWVbov7gu09VhUeVZcVDmQU2LpDA_DSERIZiC3EmiQXzsVUMxdUxake8DXH5ZAM73rKhIc6jUkQYLxu2Ip2iUwwGZtlI9HFl146Izk7Ikcj7z6YFtWVm8AllS6F2YivYzGw_Nrhlrmp_4yoJNsVWGvYLv7jeRTcnctVPaVtze5WNuHzOEElR2ZVx5sU8lIH-eBrHROoFP_06zGqm8HEKD3F0-IoPtkMzzYWrcxMAdMcWzcQSaPdrKIb6L4J1keTFdANu_5ca4apTPXI85od-HALKcYyjOQ7rU9stE4Iq7yQ7nwfpM5oYKkuOCBIjqoEm6FLdSO4MR9IhvOZH1IHeW0sjBH01XGsxcEKWA69GRCWb0KHBrP5ZsAojDalHHpn8IqwY6FRw5wqXb4tqFp-BrAFn7UHt5JxswUGM7GRaxnSt2_l-YtBQI-XaxlIa8wAkPYae6yzCiWhKMutwBUGaWIod1dGekErTXDCu8egYevkqCtyrNJKInqtbuhBb7nzaTdgYcXTPbhb5SLATUTGz7lMMlFrKs-tJezfi4X5cTGlrevjAyfsTUoiByAENYM7gKubmeZ5P9ldjTXvWIOVGmBAcWtznjQ6XxajNQ1WjvnrA-8UKJyQ3WwRNh_NwNClt6k1Z-4kZqlNcUBYpMSKSuESc8L-oNbeqWG5dP2Rdkd_yYe9v2Bfg_06deQb9Y_2o_kXiTQzpDb4XepDu5naFJgxJali_8K27dJS9YloVaAEZvBFSligVyic5u-g0nmysAOw2QuF0CDwjBUVDf9AD_LwGT3FqcJKgB90lrKH37xG5tAkZAZIHIVqnVuaE1YA4vZVOU7oD08IjRa9Dk_ar6rh0dxCBznSMNFeosQtOJI6lOMbrHVUA6aoU1KJgQgcRHywvpy9p3YskDojL7PsSzBYJwQ5CRBIEFlF2N_idR7fyO8-EbxCKuGPpSoC2x2y4i-RPKlybN2PIUbe0OdrM9eW3n9hHA-Ba5SVyM-PhZaY-5Y3snjjljeFiTdVlENalB08tjURzA-3EcANnm1xMI9cMxxMH21N8r23FDFQxI4keyOxradkT1aOJrrO5nzI3QzgT5vX1L35OXdz0pqqXm1HefhlStSZ9coP-H0RCiI2wagQrjF9HSxnp2RaN-MLaiijjWIsC0FhZ6cVXo5OtouNVOF9tmmzED1dYCR-PBT6NvdMf3dRy4wA8CNbY60p4hC4ioNcnjfbZMgxGuaZkmQ7maewfy0Gs-LtNPv2TB9A-2NznlSms8yDsGtYH2ohYxGR5CHB6_C0Apo1MiNuGWffBcyaFRMckd6GBdmC7tnoSIgu8pG1f4XiYCfkML5CUfH0irQbP4dUmzWt_PMMa2Ln2PVASRFhUD4d5j_HPWIWQbPK34LIfFXmRJP3iyZI-Bl53MyJP3bwpdn11KeQNP988ekb6EHPmt3WmdEI_8DoHnjsO8yKkkFxwVHFrh4Hgsw6c7Di5PuYah4IaTNvpe8DBJzpD2Ke2zdY4zmeHVgMF5DzCdDIjHukF_G11LnUBvJpleRVA1UwvYK8H4PsF5sAvx7z2f7L81--__xstVSWw:1qDnM5:__0FVbBFgibdUWrrsRNWcJD8qYc/