Kurdish movie night: Half Moon (Bahman Ghobadi, 2006)

By: börek - March 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday March 20th 2016, Kurdish new wave cinema: Half Moon (2006). In Sorani Kurdish and Farsi with English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begins at 9pm. Free admission.

Half Moon (Kurdish: Nîwe Mang/Nîvê Heyvê) is a 2006 film written and directed by Iranian Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi. Half Moon is a joint production of Iran, Austria, France and Iraq. This movie was commissioned by the New Crowned Hope festival, a celebration of the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the story plot has been inspired in part by Mozart’s Requiem.

Synopsis: Mamo, an old renowned Kurdish musician, has begun a journey to Iraq with his sons to perform a concert after the fall of Saddam Hossein. Kako, a middle-aged man and a huge fan of Mamo’s, enthusiastically escorts them in an orange mini bus which he has borrowed from a friend. Mamo gathers his sons one by one from different areas. The last son who joins the team insists on speaking to Mamo in private. He explains to Mamo that the Wise man of the village has predicted that Mamo should not go on the trip because, as the full moon nears, something awful will happen to him. Mamo persists on continuing his journey. He claims that he must continue his trip despite all the obstacles because he was not allowed to perform in Iraq for many years. Mamo intends to take Hesho, a female singer who lives with 1334 other women in exile, as part of his team. But the strength of Hesho’s voice has dwindled along with her self confidence. While crossing the borders, Mamo’s team faces many difficulties as their journey is wrought with adventure and disaster each step of the way. […Lees verder]

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Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Kiss Me Deadly

By: börek - March 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

Kiss_me_deadlySunday march 13th 2016, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Kiss Me Deadly, 1955. Directed by Robert Aldrich. 106 minutes. In English with English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

Private dick Mike Hammer gets more than he bargained for when one night he picks up a dazed woman on the highway who is running barefoot and is wearing nothing more than a trench coat. This chance encounter leads our confused detective down the darkest alleys he’s ever ventured, and the old Greek legend of Pandora is given an ultra-modern twist. This surreal flick is legendary for its wild mix of genres, including its cold war theme and its dynamite apocalyptic climax.

Based on the novel by Mickey Spillane and directed with a punch by Robert Aldrich (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) this is a classic film noir, and one that had a
big influence on many modern movies, such as Pulp Fiction and Alex Cox’s cult film Repo Man. Personally I see detective Mike Hammer’s sleazy, hard-nose mentality as a beautiful illustration of America’s essential nihilism. It was critically neglected when it was first released in the States, but this existential ’50s cold war paranoia thriller was instantly hailed by European critics as a masterpiece.

This will be a high-definition screening. Doors open at 8pm, intro and film start at 9pm

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Black Cat Cine presents Land and Freedom (Tierra y Libertad)

By: börek - March 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

Land_and_freedomSunday March 6th 2016, Black Cat Cine presents Land and Freedom (Tierra y Libertad) by Ken Loach, UK 1995, 109 minutes, English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

A fascinating depiction of the Spanish Civil War and the internal struggle between different factions (Stalinist, Marxist, anarchist). David Carr from Liverpool, the protagonist, wants to join the International Brigades but coincidentally ends up enlisted in an anti-soviet POUM militia on the Aragon front.
Master of social engagement movie director Ken Loach creates a strong and deeply moving portrait of young people involved in the horrors of civil war and shows how a clash of convictions can destroy a movement from within.

Interesting to know: according to Ken Loach, the most important scene of the film is the debate in an assembly of a village successfully liberated by the militia. People from the actual village where the film was shot play peasant parts and express their thoughts freely (despite language difficulties), and a debate ensues about whether or not to collectivize the village land and that of a recently shot priest.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Iranian New Wave Cinema: The Silence (1998)

By: börek - February 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

Silence_by_Mohsen_MakhmalbafSunday February 21st 2016, Iranian new wave cinema: The Silence (1998) by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begins at 9pm. Free admission.

The Silence (Persian: سکوت‎‎) is an Iranian film from 1998. It is directed by the well known Iranian film maker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The movie is about a little boy who has the onerous task of earning money for his family, but is always enchanted and distracted by music. It is set in Tajikistan.

Synopsis: Khorshid lives with his mom in a house near a river somewhere in Tajikistan. The landlord comes around every morning to ask for the rent. Khorshid has to provide the money or else they’ll have to leave. His blindness has given him an amazing skill in tuning musical instruments which gets him a job at an instrument making workshop. But the problem is That Khorshid is mesmerized by sonorous music all the time; whenever he hears a great musician play, he loses track of time and place. For this, he always gets lost and gets to work late. How is he going to make a balance between his love of music and his task as a breadwinner. […Lees verder]

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Black Cat Cine presents Venuto al Mondo

By: börek - February 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

Venuto-al-mondoSunday February 14th 2016, Special Valentine’s Day movie. Black Cat Cine presents Venuto al Mondo from Sergio Castellitto, (Italy/Spain, 2012, 127 min, English subtitles). Door opens at 20:00, movie starts at 21:00. Free admission.

‘Venuto al Mondo’ is a romantic drama directed by Sergio Castellitto, based on a novel by Margaret Mazzantini, set partly during the Balkan wars of the early 1990s.
Middle-aged Gemma (Penelope Cruz) returns with her 16-year-old son Pietro (Pietro Castellitto) to Sarajevo at the invitation of her old friend Gojko (Adnan Haskovic), once the heart of a vibrant group of artists, poets and philosophers. While sullen Pietro resists the impulse to delve into his origins, insisting he was born in Sarajevo “by mistake,” Gemma’s return to the scene of her greatest love stokes potent memories and conflicted emotions.

Not many movies get such extreme ratings: it was panned by the critics but loved by the audience (7.4 on IMDB). I liked it very much, especially the beautiful photography (excellent historical reconstruction of a debased Sarajevo under siege) and the great acting of Penelope Cruz. Also a good soundtrack with Nirvana and Bruce Springsteen. Come and see/hear for yourself!

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: The Decline of Western Civilization

By: börek - February 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

decline_of_western_civilizationSunday February 7th 2016. The Decline of Western Civilization (1981). Directed by Penelope Spheeris, 100 minutes. In English. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

This is the legendary indie documentary about the 80s American punk explosion, which is a wild cinematic gem not only for the music but also for the razor-sharp filmmaking and fascinating look at a subculture, which is packed with energy and abrasive vigor. The film has an appeal to anyone who likes the music, but also to people who know nothing about it, with an almost anthropological quality to it.

A mix of outrageous interviews interspersed with visceral concert footage, the film was mostly shot in seedy L.A. clubs and acutely captures the mood of those rebellious times. Director Penelope Spheeris (Wayne’s World) is a woman who dives into the chaos and extracts mind-boggling interviews with the “blank generation” youths who hang out at the nightclubs. She also incorporates footage of bands like Catholic Discipline, X, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Fear and The Germs as a backdrop. An incredible time-capsule, which shows that cinema is perhaps even a better way than books to record history.

This will be a high-definition screening.
Doors open at 8pm, intro and film start at 9pm

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Iranian new wave cinema: Afghan Alphabet (2002)

By: börek - January 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

20160131_iranian_new_wave_cinema_afghan_alphabetSunday January 31st 2016, Iranian new wave cinema: Afghan Alphabet (2002) by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

The Afghan Alphabet (Persian: الفبای افغان‎‎, Alefbay-e afghan) is a 2002 documentary by Mohsen Makhmalbaf showing the life of children in the Afghan villages bordering Iran, and how their life and culture were affected by the Taliban regime.

Synopsis:
Mohsen Makhmalbaf tracks the children who do not attend school in the border villages between Iran and Afghanistan with his digital camera and questions why they are not being educated. He finds girls studying in UNICEF classes in one region. One of the girls is not willing to come out of her burqa despite the fact that she has run away from Afghanistan and the Taliban are not present here. She is more afraid of the horrifying god that the Taliban have created than the Taliban.

In 2002 about 3 million Afghan refugees were living in Iran. From those about 700,000 were Afghan children who were not allowed to go to Iranian schools because of their illegal status in Iran. After this movie was made, this subject became controversial and finally the Islamic Consultative Assembly passed a bill to allow Afghani children to go to school and it resulted in 500,000 kids getting education.

More about the film: http://www.makhmalbaf.com/?q=film/afghan-alphabet

More about the director: http://www.makhmalbaf.com/?q=mohsen

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Movie night: The lost honour of Kathariana Blum

By: börek - January 1st, 2016  Filed under: Filmavond

KatharinablumSunday January 24th 2016: “Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum” by Margarethe von Trotta and Oliver Schlöndorf (1975), based on a story by Heinrich Böll (1974) written after he got attacked in the press for an article about Ulrike Meinhof.

German with (corrected) English subtitles, 106 min. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

Katharina Blum is the story of a woman who works as a housekeeper whose life is ruined by an invasive tabloid reporter and a police investigation when the man with whom she has just met and quickly fallen in love is accused of being a terrorist. She suddenly becomes a suspect in the crimes he’s being accused of.

Story and film were written and produced during a time of political controversy in West Germany, and a time when being branded a terrorist allowed the press free reign. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Honour_of_Katharina_Blum_%28film%29)

40 years later, this film is still relevant when social media takes over the role of the tabloid press.

The original subtitles of the film contain some mistakes, and they’ve been corrected for this screening.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net