Weeklong Runs & Special Events

Chicago premiere!
THE SECRET OF KELLS
2009, Tomm Moore, Ireland/France/Belgium, 75 min.
With the voice of Brendan Gleeson

"Absolutely luscious to behold.”--Leslie Felperin, Variety

“The story, the music, and the acting are all secondary to the absolutely brilliant animation.”--Jeremy W. Kaufmann, Ain’t It Cool News.com

Nominated for an Academy Award! From the producers of KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS and THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE comes a new film for all ages, chronicling the creation of the Book of Kells in dazzling animation that echoes the intricate beauty of the masterpiece from which it was inspired. This medieval tale of monks and Viking marauders has a boy, a forest fairy, a mysterious artist, and his feline muse at the center of a ravishing fantasy that swirls with ornate Celtic imagery and stunning color, accompanied by the haunting strains of Celtic tunes. A must-see! In English. 35mm. (BS)

THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS
2009, Werner Herzog, USA, 122 min.
With Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes

"A true feat of daring and one of the craziest films of the year."--Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

"A pulpy, glorious mess. Its maniacal unpredictability is such a blast that it reminds you just how tidy and dull most crime thrillers are these days."--A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Since Klaus Kinski died, director Werner Herzog has not been able to find an actor to match the eccentric grandeur of his vision--until now. Related to Abel Ferrara's 1992 cult classic only by its title and the scuzziness of its hero, THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS features Nicolas Cage in an already legendary over-the-top performance as a corrupt, strung-out cop chasing demons, gangsters, and singing iguanas through the dark and sleazy streets of the Big Easy in the aftermath of Katrina. 35mm. (MR)

Chicago premiere!
PRISONER OF HER PAST
2010, Gordon Quinn, USA, 57 min.

In November 2003, the Chicago Tribune ran a special report by reporter and jazz critic Howard Reich detailing how his 69-year-old mother recently began re-enacting her childhood Holocaust experiences. He had uncovered a little-known illness: late-onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The story generated tremendous reader response and became an acclaimed book, The First and Final Nightmare of Sonia Reich. Now distinguished documentarian Gordon Quinn of Kartemquin Films has made a moving and thought-provoking film that follows Reich to Poland and the Ukraine in an attempt to discover the buried truths behind his mother's trauma and the larger dimensions of her condition, which he finds recurring with remarkable similarity among survivors of Hurricane Katrina. DVCAM video. (MR)

Author/journalist/producer Howard Reich will appear in person at all screenings.

At the Tuesday 7:45 pm screening, Reich will be joined by the film's editor (and Kartemquin co-founder) Jerry Blumenthal and Chicago-based musician Jim Trompeter for a discussion of the film's soundtrack. At the Wednesday 7:45 pm screening, Reich will be joined by Chicago Tribune photographer Zbigniew Bzdak for a discussion of his dramatic images of the story. Blumenthal, director/cinematographer/co-founder Gordon Quinn, and producer Joanna Rudnick will join Reich at selected screenings.

After the 3:00 pm screening on Sunday, in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Chicago Tribune editor Gerry Kern and featuring Reich, Quinn, Blumenthal, and Rudnick.

Chicago premiere!
BREATH MADE VISIBLE
2009, Ruedi Gerber, USA, 80 min.
With Anna Halprin

Few artists have achieved such a exuberant fusion of art, body, nature, and politics as has dancer-choreographer Anna Halprin. At age 86, this still-vigorous performer recalls her remarkable life through word and dance, including her Jewish upbringing in Winnetka, IL; her early training with anatomy-oriented mentor Margaret H'Doubler; her intrepid break from the New York dance axis to her longtime base in Northern California; her enduring marriage to landscape architect Lawrence Halprin; her peak period with the San Francisco Dancers Workshop; her founding of the first interracial dance company; and her work with cancer patients, AIDS patients, and the elderly. Generous excerpts from her dances include her film performances for James Broughton, her cathartic post-illness piece "Dark Side Dance," and the once-controversial undressing-and-wrapping masterpiece "Parades & Changes." HDCAM video. (MR)

Chicago premiere!
DANCING ACROSS BORDERS
2010, Anne Bass, USA, 88 min.
With Sokvannara (Sy) Sar

In 2000, American arts patron Anne Bass was attending a temple dance in Cambodia when she was struck by the charm and talent of a 16-year-old boy, Sokvannara (Sy) Sar. She arranged for the impoverished boy to come to the United States to study ballet, even though 16 is considered far too old for a dancer to begin serious study. After initially being rejected by the School of American Ballet, Sy studied privately with Olga Kostritzky in an effort to defy the odds. Bass started filming these fascinating coaching sessions as progress reports to send to Sy's parents, but the project gradually expanded into a comprehensive documentary that encompasses the rich though devastated Cambodian cultural landscape, Sy's difficulties in adjusting to his new country, and his spectacular progress as a dancer, culminating in his brilliant performances at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. In English and Khmer with English subtitles. DigiBeta video. (MR)

Chicago premiere!
HOME
2008, Ursula Meier, Switzerland/France, 98 min.
With Isabelle Huppert, Olivier Gourmet

"For all their idiosyncrasies, Marthe, Michel and the rest of the clan never descend into caricature. That’s partly because of the very fine actors but also because the talented Ms. Meier has a particularly generous appreciation for the human comedy."--Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Director Meier describes this offbeat black comedy as the opposite of a road movie--although a road is its most important location. Marthe (Huppert), Michel (Gourmet), and their three children lead an eccentric but idyllic existence in a seemingly deserted expanse by an abandoned highway. Then the highway reopens, and their asphalt Eden turns into a nightmare. Crossing the road is now downright dangerous; the noise becomes unbearable; motorist-tossed trash piles up; and traffic jams turn the family's domestic routine into a peep show. Michel has had enough, but Marthe (another perversely resolute Huppert character) is determined to cling to their home smoggy home, no matter what it takes. In French with English subtitles. 35mm. (MR)

Back by popular demand!
Thomas Comerford in person!
THE INDIAN BOUNDARY LINE
Thomas Comerford, 2010, USA, ca. 75 min.

LAND MARKED/MARQUETTE
Thomas Comerford, 2005, USA, ca. 23 min.

Following a sold-out screening in February, we bring back the latest film by Thomas Comerford, the local musician and filmmaker who, over the last eight years, has been at work on a series of quietly observed films that contemplate the entwined social, political, and environmental histories of Chicago. THE INDIAN BOUNDARY LINE follows a road very close to Comerford's Rogers Avenue home that traces the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis boundary between the United States and "Indian Territory." DigiBeta video.

Preceded by Comerford's LAND MARKED/MARQUETTE, an examination of Chicago sites and monuments connected to 17th-century exploration by Jesuit missionary Jacques Marquette. 16mm.

Director Thomas Comerford will be present for audience discussion.

Chicago premiere!
THAT EVENING SUN
2009, Scott Teems, USA, 109 min.
With Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon

"Holbrook’s fierce, contained performance matches in depth and truthfulness his portrayal in INTO THE WILD."--Stephen Holden, The New York Times

"An exceptionally fine example of regional indie filmmaking."--Joe Leyden, Variety

Winner of the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival, THAT EVENING SUN features an auspicious writing-directing debut by Scott Teems and another amazing late-career performance by Hal Holbrook. Adapted from a short story by acclaimed Southern novelist William Gay, the Tennessee-set tale stars Holbrook as Abner Meecham, a widower who bolts from his nursing home only to find that his farm has been leased to a white-trash no 'count named Lonzo Choat (McKinnon). Abner barricades himself into the sharecropper's cabin and launches an escalating battle of wills with his nemesis. Holbrook's performance rigorously avoids feisty-old-coot clichés; McKinnon is far from a simple villain; and their final showdown is both compelling and drenched in ambivalence. 35mm widescreen. (MR)

Executive producers Larsen Jay and/or Adrian Jay and Raul Celaya will be present for audience discussion at the Friday 8:15 pm screening.

37th Annual Student Academy Awards
Regional Winners
2009-2010, Various directors, USA, ca. 180 min.
Free Admission!

Celebrate with us tonight as the regional winners in the 37th Student Academy Awards are announced. These winning films proceed to the national finals in Los Angeles next month, where an elite panel made up of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will select national winners. Films in dramatic, documentary, animated, and alternative categories represent the best in student filmmaking at a college level in the U.S. Complete program notes will be distributed at the door. Various formats. (BS)

The public is invited to a pre-show reception in our lobby beginning at 5:45 pm, with Thai food from Sonny’s Deli.

Chicago theatrical premiere!
SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION
2009, Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, USA/UK/France, 82 min.

“It’s the kind of film that will have audiences clapping and singing along. And why not? The images and stories may be familiar, but it’s history worth retelling.”--Mike Hale, The New York Times

Short-listed recently for an Academy Award nomination, SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement through its music--songs including “We Shall Overcome,” “Eyes on the Prize,” and “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” that sustained protestors and kept the spirit of the movement alive on picket lines, in jail, and through all the beatings and battles that characterized the struggle. Performers include John Legend, Wyclef Jean, The Roots, Joss Stone, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Richie Havens, Angie Stone, and more. Interviews with Civil Rights leaders include Julian Bond, Harry Belafonte, and Andrew Young. HDCAM video. (BS)