FEBRUARY
Friday 7
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street)
Agnieszka Holland’s EUROPA, EUROPA (1987, Poland)
Based on true events, this is the story of a Jewish teenage boy’s struggle to survive the Holocaust by disguising himself as a member of the Hitler Youth. An epic journey that gives a nuanced view of Germany during WWII.
Warning: realistic war violence
Why we are showing this film:
This film compliments Downfall, helping you see the complexity of WWII. The sudden invasion by the Germans into Poland and the reversal of Russia’s loyalty in the war led to chaos on the borders of all neighboring states. In this tale of a jewish boy trying to escape the Nazis he is befriended by Russians, Germans, and ironically winds up in a school for the Nazi elite, all the while making desperate attempts to hide his heritage. Along the way the people who help him form a panoramic look at the intimate minutia of war.
About the director:
Holland has a long and fruitful career and is considered one of the most accomplished film makers in the world. Her early work in Poland with directors Zanussi and Wajda, led to her own films which won steady awards all over Europe, but were seen by very small audiences. To Kill a Priest helped her American audience grow, and led to her coming to the U.S. The Secret Garden brought her international renown. Her collaboration with Krzysztof Kieslowski on Three Colors: Blue and Three Colors: Red; the accolades for her film In Darkness; and her direction of many episodes of popular television series (The Wire, Treme, and True Detective) have added to her considerable reputation.
Friday 14
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street)
Sofia Coppola's THE BEGUILED (2017, USA)
This Cine Club is generously sponsored by Art & Film alumna Kelli Dutto & family.
A wounded Civil War soldier takes refuge in an all-female boarding school. At first the students seem eager to help him recover, but as sexual tensions arise his fate becomes endangered.
Warning: violence and sexual assault
Why we are showing this film:
The choices directors make about material can transform a clichéd, over the top thriller into something nuanced and subtle. The Beguiled has a vision and a group of fine actors to see it through. Take a 1971 pot-boiler bodice-ripper, place it in a women’s perspective rather than a man’s, add sensitive acting, give attention to period detail and an astute psychological twist: Viola! You win a best director award at Cannes!
About The Director:
We are showing two films in the Coppola Family repertory to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments they made in film. Coppola began her career as an actress in her father’s third Godfather film, but quickly struck out on her own. Her first film The Virgin Suicides showed her skill in working with young actresses, and her second film, Lost in Translation give her an Oscar for best screenplay. She continued with Marie Antionette, Somewhere (top prize at the Venice Film Festival) and The Bling Ring.
Saturday 15
Art Saturday @ Minnesota Street Project
Pre-production photo from Sally Potter’s Orlando
11 am Meet outside Philz Coffee (1258 Minnesota St.)
11:15 Walking tour of Minnesota Street Project and nearby galleries (Anglim Gilbert, Rena Bransten, McEvoy Foundation, and more)
1 pm Picnic lunch at Esprit Park
Friday 21
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street)
William Oldroyd's LADY MACBETH (2017, UK)
A young, newlywed woman is confined to her house and starved for company until she begins a passionate affair with a young groom. Lady Macbeth mixes issues of race with themes of female repression and vengeance.
Warning: nudity and simulated sex
Why we are showing this film:
We are excited to share with you one of the most impressive film debuts of the last few years. This brilliant film has elements seldom seen in period drama. We never catch any glimpse of the oppressed in the endless trail of period films that have illustrated English life in the 16th and 17th centuries. That is one element that makes this film stand out. It’s take on the conditions of women, on racism, and on the grim social interaction in the Highlands of Scotland are riveting, and the solution one woman takes to remedy her bleak situation are startling. Brilliant performances, stunning atmosphere and a look at the past that will stick with you.
About the director:
William Oldroyd is a brilliant theater director and Lady Macbeth is his first and only feature. He followed this with a three minute short Best which won him a prize at Sundance, and he is currently finishing Body Cross. He is the perfect example of a talented, independent artist who works slowly but without fail produces timeless work.
Friday 28
Cine Club @ SF Art Institute (800 Chestnut Street)
Katheryn Bigelow's THE HURT LOCKER (2008, USA)
This powerful take on the U.S. war in Iraq is seen from the point of view of a soldier in a bomb disposal unit. Viscerally exciting, full of suspense and surprise, this film explores the moral complications of war into a series of agonizing set pieces.
Warning: realistic wartime violence
Why we are showing this film:
Few people can tell you how many years the U.S. has been involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because most people would rather forget about it and what tragic toll it takes for the young people sent to serve their country. Many soldiers who aren’t killed come home mentally shattered and traumatized, and this film explains clearly where that trauma comes from. The film served as a powerful wake-up call that few people want but everyone needs.
About the director:
Bigelow graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute where she studied painting and went on to apprentice with artists like Richard Serra. She spent some time being a starving artist, crashing in an artist’s loft in NYC where she met Julian Schnabel (Diving Bell and the Butterfly). While teaching at CCA she made her first short film, The Set Up. Her first feature Loveless was shot in 1981, and she continued to forge forward in Hollywood, directing a number of action films, all violent and splashy. It was not until her film The Hurt Locker received its Academy Award did her reputation soar. Today she is considered one of the most important directors in film.
Saturday 29
Art Saturday @ The Exploratorium
Another great Art Saturday at The Exploratorium! Join us at 11 to see some amazing films from their extensive media archives, followed by lunch and then a visit to the new shows including Aperture Lucida, an artwork and optical device that challenges and astounds our perception in novel ways. Aperture Lucida presents as a blank, monolithic cube centered in a large white space. As you approach the structure, a holographic ball of light appears, seemingly projecting out of the cube. The astonishing effect is achieved without circuitry or digital technology!
11 am Meet outside the Kanbar Forum (next to the gift shop) in the Exploratorium at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero.
Art Saturday lunches are generously sponsored by Mission AOC I, LLC.