The next two weeks are stacked with top-notch documentaries, from two acclaimed filmmakers, Ibtisam Mara'ana from Israel, and Henry Corra from the US. Both will be visiting The Picture House in person with their latest efforts, respectively 77 Steps and The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan. College students get in for free!
Ryan Gosling gets a week to wreak havoc at The Picture House main hall with his turn as a moody stuntman in the action thriller Driver and the Black Power movement is seen through new eyes in The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975.
Also on the horizon is Carole Burko's cinematic feast, Heirloom Meals, Thanksgiving, a tasty way to ring in the holiday!
topDOCS presents
77 STEPS
Dir. Ibtisam Mara'ana (56min, Israel, 2011)
77 Steps is a cinematic self-portrait and centers on Mara'ana's relationship with Jonathan, a Canadian-born Jewish immigrant. Against the backdrop of increasing Israeli and Palestinian conflict, Mara'ana trains her camera inward, capturing her personal struggle as she attempts to reconcile her Muslim heritage with her current life in Tel Aviv. Equal parts intimate love story and wide-reaching social commentary, 77 Steps is more than just a compelling study of one couple's quest towards mutual understanding: it’s a tense meditation on one of the world's most heated political quagmires.
With Director Ibtisam Mara'ana in Person!
77 Steps presented in partnership with The Other Israel Film Festival
"Fast-paced, vibrant and full of color as the city in which it takes place, 77 Steps is a film that explores questions of identity and relationships with intelligence, honesty and sensitivity." -Ayelet Dakel, Midnight East
*topDOCS is generously supported by Frank V. Sica
Wednesday, November 2, 7:00pm
Advance Tickets/At Door Price: General Admission $13 / $16 | Seniors, Students $11 / $14
Members: Everyday low price of $10 (at the door or in advance)
More Information and Tickets :: Trailer
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topDOCS presents
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF
MCKINLEY NOLAN
Dir. Henry Corra (77min, USA, 2011)
Private McKinley Nolan vanished 40 years ago on the Cambodian frontier. Henry Corra's haunting meditation on war, memory and love follows the search, taking unexpected twists and turns along the way. After retired Army Lieutenant Dan Smith thinks he sees McKinley in a small Vietnamese town, devoted younger brother Michael travels from rural Texas to Vietnam to try to unravel the story. He meets the Vietnamese family McKinley married into as well as members of the Khmer Rouge who knew him. Though the search does not resolve all of the family's questions, deeper issues of family ties, cover-ups and remarkable personal histories are revealed.
Director Henry Corra in conversation with author and film critic
Michael Atkinson (Film Comment, Village Voice) after the screening.
"Instantly one of the most moving and utterly compelling documentaries of recent years." -Collin Parker, New York Examiner
*topDOCS is generously supported by Frank V. Sica
Thursday, November 10, 7:00pm
Advance Tickets/At Door Price: General Admission $13 / $16 | Seniors $11 / $14
Members: Everyday low price of $10 (at the door or in advance)
College Students FREE with ID!
More Information and Tickets :: Trailer
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DRIVE
Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn (100min, USA, 2011) - Rated R
Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist intended to pay off Standard's protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals. But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk-that they're coming straight for Irene and her son-Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.
"Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn neatly manage the hat trick of paying homage to those wheelmen of yore while reinvigorating the genre with style, smarts and flashes of wit." -Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Playing in the Main Hall: October 28-Nov 3
Advance Tickets/At Door Price: General Admission $9 / $12 | Seniors, Students, Child $8 / $10 Members: Everyday low price of $6 (at the door or in advance)
Showtimes & More Information :: Trailer
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THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE
1967-1975
Dir. Göran Olsson (100min, Sweden, 2011) - Unrated
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 mobilizes a treasure trove of 16mm material shot by Swedish journalists who came to the US drawn by stories of urban unrest and revolution. Gaining access to many of the leaders of the Black Power Movement-Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Angela Davis and Eldridge Cleaver among them-the filmmakers captured them in intimate moments and remarkably unguarded interviews. Thirty years later, this lush collection was found languishing in the basement of Swedish Television. Director Göran Olsson and co-producer Danny Glover bring this footage to light in a mosaic of images, music and narration chronicling the evolution one of our nation's most indelible turning points, the Black Power movement. Music by Questlove and Om'Mas Keith, and commentary from from Erykah Badu, Harry Belafonte, Talib Kweli, and Melvin Van Peebles.
"This chronicle of pride and social upheaval is filled with vintage images and important voices." -Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
Playing in the Screening Room: Oct 28-Nov 3
Advance Tickets/At Door Price: General Public $8 / $6
Members: Everyday low price of $5 (at the door or in advance)
Showtimes & More Information :: Trailer
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HEIRLOOM MEALS, THANKSGIVING
Dir. Carole Murko (60min, USA, 2011) - Unrated
Heirloom Meals is a storytelling show about treasured family recipes, stories, and tips...savoring yesterday¹s traditions today. Murko¹s love of food and strong interviewing skills translated easily to camera as they filmed the special. The Thanksgiving Special features people from across the country and across cultures, as they talk about their favorite Thanksgiving recipes and memories. Featured interviews range from a direct descendant of the pilgrims to a newly minted citizen; from a Midwestern housewife to a Southern gentleman to an Italian grandmother. In an interview with a butcher who sells only local pasture-raised meats, we learn the importance of sustainable farming and of buying local food.
Director Carole Murko in Person!
Pete and Gerry's Heirloom Eggs and Alex Elman Wine Treasures provide the food and beverage for a seasonal pre-screening reception.
***Please bring a non-perishable food item.
We will be collecting for the local food bank***
Wednesday, November 16, 7:00pm
Advance Tickets/At Door Price: General Admission $13 / $16 | Seniors $11 / $14
Members: Everyday low price of $10 (at the door or in advance)