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

Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: The Naked Civil Servant

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

TheNakedCivilServantSunday January 17th 2016, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: The Naked Civil Servant (1975). Directed by Jack Gold, 78 minutes. In English with English subtitles. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

This is a extraordinary portrait, focusing on the story of Quentin Crisp, a gay man living in conservative England from the 1920s to the ’70s. This real-life story is simple but profound. It portrays how people lived in loneliness during those dark and desperate days, when homosexuality was illegal and still considered a mental illness. Gangs would go around beating up anyone in the streets who they suspected was gay. The effeminate Crisp refused to be intimidated, and wore make-up in public. He saw value in being an outsider, and he dedicated his life to living without compromise.

This movie stars John Hurt (The Elephant Man, Alien, 1984) in the lead role. Crisp was dressed with broad-brimmed fedoras and flowing scarves. He wore make-up so naturally that it’s difficult to imagine him any other way. He had a chequered life, sometimes even working as a rent-boy (male prostitute) in order to survive. He had an incredible resilience – he would never bat an eye when he was attacked publicly, and always responded with grace. He would raise to prominence only later in his life, through sheer flamboyance and wit. For example, he ended up playing the part of Queen Elizabeth in Sally Potter’s film Orlando. Since he was a terminal social outcast, he always defended otherness rather than inclusion. […Lees verder]

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Black Cat Cine presents Citizenfour & Terminal F: Chasing Edward Snowden

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

citizenfour_flyerSunday January 10th 2016, Black Cat Cine presents Citizenfour & Terminal F: Chasing Edward Snowden. Both films with English subtitles. Door opens at 20:00, movie starts at 20:30! Free admission.

Joe’s Garage screens two documentaries about Edward Snowden, the NSA whistle blower who shocked the world by revealing thousands of classified documents showing how far our privacy is invaded by our governments. A must see for everybody who wants to know what’s really going on behind all the smokescreens and disinformation.

CITIZENFOUR

Edward Snowden – hero or traitor? Filmmaker Laura Poitras paints a terrifying picture of the loss of liberty involved in the widespread government gathering of all our communications on a daily basis. Alarming and essential – anyone with a phone should see it. (Laura Poitras, USA, 2014, 1:53, English subs)

TERMINAL F: Chasing Edward Snowden

Covers the escape of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to Russia, after leaking information about surveillance programs used to spy on people around the world. Presents the journalists who had access to Snowden and also members of WikiLeaks, who helped him get away. (John Goetz & Poul-Erik Heilbuth, Danmark, 2015, 0:58, English subs)

Movie starts at 20:30!

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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Black and White movie night: Saturday night sunday morning (1960)

By: börek - December 1st, 2015  Filed under: Filmavond

Saturday_Night_Sunday_MorningSunday December 27th 2015, Black and White movie night: Saturday Night Sunday Morning (1960). Director Karl Weisz. Door opens at 8pm, film begin at 9pm. Free admission.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a 1960 British film produced by Tony Richardson. It is an adaptation of the1958 novel of the same name by Alan Sillitoe. Sillitoe wrote the screenplay adaptation and the film was directed by Karel Reisz.

Arthur Seaton is a young machinist at a Nottingham factory. He is determined not to be tied down to living a life of domestic drudgery like the people around him, including his parents, whom he describes as “dead from the neck up”. He spends his wages at weekends on drinking and having a good time.

Arthur is having an affair with Brenda, the wife of an older colleague. He also begins a relationship with Doreen, a single woman closer to his age. When Brenda gets pregnant, Arthur asks his Aunt Ada for advice on aborting the child as abortions in the United Kingdom were not legalised until 1967.

None of Ada’s advice works and Brenda decides that she will keep the child and suffer the consequences. There is a terrifying scene where Brenda’s husband finds out about her pregnancy and affair with Arthur. He enlists the help of his brother and a fellow soldier to chase Arthur down through a town carnival and give him a severe beating. Arthur is trapped on an amusement ride as the two soldiers menacingly stand and wait for him.

Brenda resumes her normal life – taking care of her husband and children while Arthur slowly recovers. After recovering, Arthur returns to work but knows he can never see Brenda (or his soon to be born child) again. The film ends with Arthur and Doreen discussing marriage and the prospect of a new home together.

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