19 november - 5 december 2004
Your chance to see the latest features and documentaries before they go on national release and to catch others in special one-off UK screenings. Plus a selection of special High Definition Digital Presentations
Set in the postwar London of drab interiors and rationing, VERA DRAKE explores the extraordinary life of mother, housewife, cleaner and illegal abortionist Vera Drake. In typical Leigh fashion (LIFE IS SWEET, NAKED, CAREER GIRLS) it is the personal rather than the political that takes the main frame and VERA
DRAKE focuses mainly on the minutiae of the eponymous woman’s everyday life. Vera works for a handful of affluent families and we see her cleaning their
homes, stepped over and almost upon without resentment or comment. At home she is happily married to Stan, a garage mechanic working in his brother Frank’s
business, and is mother to two children, Sid a haberdasher and the painfully shy Ethel, a factory worker. They appear a close-knit family held together by
Vera, a genuinely caring individual who seems to enjoy her load. Her nightly work as an abortionist is seemingly just another thing she does in her busy life,
but one for which she will pay dearly.Supported by an all-star cast of Leigh regulars, Imelda Staunton (BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) takes on
her first role for Leigh as the central character imbuing Vera with an innocence and dignity at odds with the moral ambiguity of her work. As always, Leigh orchestrates
a set of finely tuned and detailed performances that give the film its weight and honesty, whilst regular photographer Dick Pope superbly captures the muted
tones of 1950s London.Winner of the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Director: Mike Leigh. Starring: Imelda Staunton, Philip Davis, Peter Wight, Adrian Scarborough, Heather Craney, Daniel Mays, Alex Kelly, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Ruth Sheen, Jim Broadbent. UK 2004. 125 mins.
Trevor Reznick (Christian Bale) has not slept for a
year. His every waking minute has become an unremitting nightmare of confusion,
paranoia, guilt, anxiety and terror – each of which is part of an escalating
series of clues that will lead to the source of his mysterious affliction.
THE MACHINIST is an entirely unexpected thriller about possibly the most challenging
subject matter to dramatise – insomnia. Christian Bale gives a truly
remarkable performance, nothing less than a total transformation, having lost
more than 30kg for the role. With a highly inventive screenplay from Scott
Kosar and assured direction from Brad Anderson, THE MACHINIST is sure to linger
in the mind of the viewer long after the closing credits.
Director: Brad Anderson. Cast: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian and Michael Ironside. USA 2004. English. 102 minutes.
LE CLAN is essentially a family tragedy told in three chapters. The film opens with Marc, the middle brother of three. He adulates his older brother Christophe whilst holding his younger brother Olivier in contempt. In the second segment Christophe has recently been released from prison and is on a rehabilitation programme. Wishing to go straight, he turns his back on his teenage ideals and thus alienates Marc who feels he no longer has a brother to look up to. Finally Olivier, the youngest child attempts to break free from the brothers, searching out new horizons with a substitute brother Hisham. Stylish and powerful, through these three stories a tale of revenge emerges in which each brother is forced to take a stand, once and for all, in relation to each other.
Director: Gael Morel. Starring: Nicolas Cazale, Stephane Rideau, Thomas Dumerchez, Salim Kechiouche. France 2003. French with English subtitles. 90 mins.
An enormously likeable first feature, DUCK SEASON follows on from recent Mexican hits such as Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN with its own brand of earthy humour. Flama And Moko are fourteen years old and have everything ready for a perfect Sunday afternoon: a parentless apartment, video games and money for a pizza. However a sequence of events and interruptions soon conspire against them. A lesson in adolescent friendship and love, Eimbcke’s film is both economic and hip his previous directorial work on music videos has clearly paid off. Shot largely in one apartment using three fledgling actors DUCK SEASON is a rare triumph in low budget film-making, reminiscent of early Jim Jarmusch.
Director: Fernando Eimbcke. Starring: Enrique Arreola, Diego Catano, Daniel Miranda, Danny Perea. Mexico 2004. Spanish with English subtitles. 90 mins.
Essentially an examination of youthful rebellion, THE EDUKATORS is an intelligent, witty and highly original crime drama. Friends Jan (Daniel Brühl, GOOD BYE, LENIN!) and Peter (Stipe Erceg) are a pair of leftist activists with their own special way of striking out against the economic injustices of the world. They break into the mansion homes of the wealthy and instead of stealing anything they move bits of furniture, put the stereo in the fridge, or objects d’art down the toilet. They then leave crediting ‘The Edukators’ with their nocturnal activities. Peter’s girlfriend Jule is brought in on their deeds when she finds herself homeless and seriously in debt after crashing, uninsured, into a rich businessman’s Mercedes. They decide to seek revenge on the man, Hardenberg, by breaking into his home but their plan escalates when they are caught in the act and they end up kidnapping him instead, taking him to a cabin in the mountains to think out their next move. Once there the plot shifts as the three young radicals find that Hardenberg is not quite the man they think he is. Directed with great flair and invention and played with considerable charm by the young leads, THE EDUKATORS was a big hit at this year’s Cannes where it played in competition.
Director: Hans Weingartner. Starring: Daniel BrUhl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg, Burghart Klaussner. Austra/ Ger 2004. German with English subtitles. 124 mins.
Based on Ian McEwan’s prize-winning novel, ENDURING LOVE is a superior thriller about two men whose lives become inextricably linked after they both witness a freak ballooning accident. Joe (Daniel Craig, THE ROAD TO PERDITION) is a rational minded professor whose imminent proposal of marriage to his loving girlfriend (Samantha Morton, CODE 46) is interrupted by an event that brings the obsessive Jed (Rhys Ifans, NOTTING HILL) into his life. Director Roger Michell (THE MOTHER) elicits strong yet understated performances from his impressive leads (Bill Nighy offers customarily excellent support), allowing the film to sustain an impressive credibility. Increasingly tense, the film builds towards a shattering and disturbing conclusion. Author McEwan apparently wholeheartedly approves.
Director: Roger Michell Starring: Daniel Craig, Samantha Morton, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy. UK 2004. 100 mins.
With his second film in the martial arts genre Zhang Yimou (HERO) has crafted a true gem. Every bit as breathtaking as CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON to which it will draw easy comparison, THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is a perfect combination of thrilling action, beautifully choreographed fight sequences, glorious locations and romance. Set in 859 in the waning days of the Tang Dynasty a revolutionary alliance known as the House Of Flying Daggers has emerged. Their leader has been assassinated, but a mysterious new leader has already replaced him. Two police captains are despatched to find the new leader. Their search begins at The Peony Pavilion with a blind dancer called Mei (Zhang Ziyi, CROUCHING TIGER), who they believe is the daughter of the old leader. Mei is arrested but when she won’t talk the captains hatch a plan in which one of them, Jin, poses as a lone warrior and aids Mei’s escape, thinking Mei will lead them to the headquarters of the alliance. What is not planned, however, is that Mei and Jin will fall deeply in love causing the plan to crumble and loyalties to spectacularly divide.
Director: Zhang Yimou. Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Song Dandan. Hong Kong/ China 2003. Mandarin with English subtitles. 119mins.
Two friends, Max and Beck, try to earn a living selling trinkets on the streets of Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. Max is a smooth-talking womaniser who dreams of emigrating to Germany to join his grandmother; Beck is naïve and shy and dreams of true love. Max’s lessons in love appear to finally be working when Beck falls for a woman in red. However, her arrival on the scene coincides with the bankruptcy of their company, forcing them both to re-evaluate their lives. For his debut feature Nariman Turebayev has fashioned a delightful and subtle comedy while still tackling such post-Soviet generation issues as migration and economic hardship. Light on dialogue, LITTLE MEN is full of visual details revealing the hidden feelings of the two friends and life in this rapidly changing society. This refreshing and charming tale provides further proof of the quality and depth of Kazakh cinema after last year’s ‘Independence Days’ UK touring programme.
Director: Nariman Turebayev. Starring: Erjan Bekmuratov, Oleg Kerimov. Kazakhstan/France 2003. Russian with English subtitles. 85mins.
Similar in theme and tone to Andrei Zvyaginstev’s THE RETURN, a father and son journey across the Russian landscape with the aim of visiting
the father’s sister in the Crimea. Travelling by train and on foot they pay for their journey by carrying out odd jobs as they go. However, following a drinking session, the father is wounded by a gun shot from a man who hired them to fix his roof. Taken in by a lonely healer Xenia, the man decides to stay, leaving the son to journey on alone.
“Beautifully scripted and directed by first time directors Boris Khlebnikov and Alexei Popogrebsky, the simple account of the journey is given added strength through the use of unusual subjective viewpoints and an imagery and observation that is genuinely poetic.” London Film Festival.
PLUS SHORT FILM: TRAM NUMBER 9 Director: Stepan Koval. Ukraine 2003. 9mins. Award-winning animation from Ukraine.
PLUS SHORT FILM: TRAM NUMBER 9 Director: Stepan Koval. Ukraine 2003. 9mins. Award-winning animation from Ukraine.
Directors: Boris khlebnikov, Alexei Popogrebsky. Starring: Gleb Puskepalis, Agrippina Steklova. Russia 2003. Russian with English subtitiles.105 mins.
Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is just sixteen, on the brink of womanhood but essentially a confused teenager. When she is caught making a clumsy pass at her mother’s boyfriend their relationship breaks down. Feeling her only option is to leave, she runs away to the snowy ski resort of Jindabyne where she finds herself drawn to a young farmer’s son, Joe (Sam Worthington). But Joe is emotionally uptight and their tentative relationship falters.
Standing apart from the run of the mill rites of passage dramas, Shortland directs her first feature with a photographer’s eye and sense
of style. At times heart-stoppingly beautiful, SOMERSAULT is reminiscent of the recent work of British director Lynne Ramsey (RATCATCHER). Keeping the narrative understated Shortland elicits some assured performances from her cast, particularly Cornish and Worthington, to deliver a film about the sexual politics of teenagers that actually rings true. “One of the striking new talents at this year’s Cannes Film Festival” Screen International
Director: Cate Shortland. Starring: Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran, Erik Thomson, Nathaniel Dean, Hollie Andrew, Olivia Pigeot. Australia 2004. 106 mins.
Director: Lynne Hershman Leeson. Starring Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Davies, James Urbaniek, Karen Black. USA 2004. 85 mins.
A High Definition Digital Presentation
Anxious to use artificial intelligence robots to improve the world, mousy bio-geneticist Dr Rosetta Stone (Swinton) undertakes a dangerous and secret experiment, cloning three Self-Replicating Automatons (SRA’s) - Ruby, Marine and Olive, all flawlessly played with considerable verve by the great Tilda Swinton - in her own image. The SRA’s survival is dependent on regular injections of the male Y chromosome found only in spermatozoa which Ruby, the most adventurous of the trio, obtains from unwitting male ‘victims’ during nightly excursions armed only with red condoms and pick up lines from old movies. Beautifully shot on high definition video, TEKNOLUST is great fun and maintains a sharp satirical edge whilst grappling with some of the big philosophical questions. “If you forced Mary Shelley, Timothy Leary, Camille Paglia and John Waters to collaborate on a film, you’d still fail to duplicate the witty and timely madness of TEKNOLUST… like FRANKENSTEIN with all-female parts.” Wired Magazine
Director: Cate Shortland. Starring:
Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran, Erik Thomson, Nathaniel Dean, Hollie Andrew, Olivia Pigeot. Australia 2004. 106 mins.
Director: Lynne Hershman Leeson. Starring Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Davies, James Urbaniek, Karen Black. USA 2004. 85 mins.
Set during the same era as last year’s Tom Cruise vehicle THE LAST SAMURAI, WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN is a vastly superior samurai picture, which explores one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods from a highly personal perspective. Kanichiro Yoshimura, a samurai swordsman, is forced to leave his rural clan and family in order to seek higher wages in the city. He joins the Shinsengumi clan who are fiercely loyal to the Shogunate and the samurai code of life, whilst protecting the Emperor. When in a bid to modernise Japan the Emperor abolishes the Shogunate the men are forced to choose sides culminating in bloody battles between the sword-wielding samurais and the newly formed Emperor’s troops. Told in flashback WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN is a truly engaging combination of meaty drama and expertly choreographed, breathtaking sword-play. Keeping a tight focus on character and individual story director Yojiro Takita delivers a classic samurai film capable of a real emotional punch as well as satisfying the more bloodthirsty elements of the genre.
Director: Yojiro Takita. Starring: Kichi Nakai, Koichi Sato, Yui Natsukawa, Takehiro Murata. Japan 2003. Japanese with English subtitles. 143 mins.
Stéphanie is a transsexual prostitute working the streets of Paris. With the news that her mother is dying she returns home in order to nurse her, a journey that rekindles memories of her rural childhood when she was a boy. Her life in Paris could not be more of a contrast. She shares her home and bed with her Russian immigrant boyfriend Mikhani, who does menial jobs for money, and a FrenchArab Jamel, an ex-soldier who hustles in railway stations to make ends meet. The three exist on the fringes of society turning to each other for solace and to fill the gaps in each of their tenuous lives. Working with gifted cinematographer Agnes Godard (BEAU TRAVAIL), Lifshitz (PRESQUE RIEN) delivers a mournful yet strikingly beautiful film. WILD SIDE dispels with plot presenting its three protagonists as they are, living and searching for love, affection and loyalty. An emotional, provocative and almost ethereal piece of film-making, which is both touching and disturbing to watch.
Director: SEbastien Lifshitz. Starring: Stéphanie Michelini, Yasmine Belmadi, Edouard Nikitine, Josiane Stoleru. France 2004. French with English subtitles. 93 mins. Director: Nicole Kassell. Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kara Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt. USA 2003. 85 mins.
Walter (Kevin Bacon), a convicted paedophile, has just been released from prison after serving a twelve-year sentence. Returning to his hometown, he is set up with a job in a woodyard by his brother-in- law. Though determined to keep himself to himself, he meets Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick) who solicits a relationship with him. However, the watchful eyes of colleagues and constant visits from a local detective make starting a new life in the old town all the more difficult. Undoubtedly a controversial subject for a first feature, Kassell delivers a well crafted
and finely accomplished film aided by Bacon, (also executive producer) who delivers a performance of exceptional depth imbuing his character with a humanity and eliciting sympathy, despite his crimes.
Director: Nicole Kassell. Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kara Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt. USA 2003. 85 mins.
JOINT TICKET £9.80
Not since the classic DEATHLINE (1972) has there been a horror movie set in the London Underground. So get ready to whisper ‘Mind the doors’ again because Chris Smith’s feature debut CREEP unleashes a new wave of subway shock and subterranean fear. Unable to find a taxi home, chic model agency booker Kate (Franka Potenete, star of RUN LOLA RUN and ANATOMIE) heads to Charing Cross station to catch the last tube train. Drifting off to sleep while waiting, she suddenly awakens to find herself completely alone. Rescue seems at hand when a late night train finally pulls into the platform but a near rape sends her running into the dark tunnels looking for a way out. Deep down in the crumbling system, complete with cobwebbed nooks and crannies unused since World War II, lurks her worst nightmare - something unspeakable that in its makeshift surgery has already committed the most horrific crimes. Graced by a tremendous performance from BOURNE IDENTITY star Potente, CREEP is a Ghost Train journey through Hell.
We are delighted to welcome the director Chris Smith for a Q&A session after the screening.
Director: Christopher Smith. starring: Franka Potente, Sean Harris, Vas Blackwood, Jeremy Sheffield, Ken Campbell, Paul Rattray, Kelly Scott, Craig Fackrell. UK/GER 2004. 95 mins.
The fine line between fiction and reality is explored, blurred and bloodied by director Julian (DARKLANDS) Richards in THE LAST HORROR MOVIE, an unusual tale of
the unexpected. Wedding photographer Max Parry (Kevin Howarth giving a truly terrifying performance) is a serial killer who uses a horror video rental to lure his victims to their wincingly nasty demises. And what begins as a teen slasher transforms into a disturbing journey through the demented mind of an assassin who has acquired the taste for human flesh. Parry is determined to direct an intelligent film about murder while actually committing the murders himself and his master plan is to make his ‘snuff’ entertainment the last horror movie his prey will ever see. Shot on digital video for a hyper-real atmosphere, and assuredly directed by Richards to keep the bright final twist obscured from view until it emerges as a sharp shock to the system, THE LAST HORROR MOVIE is one of the best British movies of recent years. We are delighted to welcome the director Julian Richards and leading actor Kevin Howarth to introduce the screening. www.frightfest.co.uk
Director: Julian Richards. starring: Kevin Howarth, Mark Stevenson, Jim Bywater, Antonia Beamish, Jonathan Coote, Christabel Muir, John Berlyne, Chris Adamson, Mandy Gordon, Rita Davies, Lisa Renée, Joe Morley, Jamie Langthorne. UK 2003. 80 mins.
A HIGH DEFINITION DIGITAL RESTORATION
In the role that made him one of the faces of Swinging London in the 60s, David Hemmings stars as Thomas, an aimless fashion photographer gripped with a new sense of purpose when he enlarges a picture that may - or may not - prove that a murder has taken place. The film opens with a leisurely tour of the capital’s mod scene with its mini-orgies, empty thrills and sensation-seeking portrayed in typical Antonioni fashion as revealing a spiritual lack in modern life. With the taking of a photograph of a couple in a park (including the mysterious Vanessa Redgrave), this vagueness is powerfully transformed into suspense, culminating in the famous silent sequence of ever-increasing close-ups, as Thomas searches for the solution to the mystery. Winner of the Palme D’Or at Cannes in 1967, BLOW UP was re-presented there in a digital format in 2004 - just as it is shown here.
In the role that made him one of the faces of Swinging London in the 60s, David Hemmings stars as Thomas, an aimless fashion photographer gripped with a new sense of purpose when he enlarges a picture that may - or may not - prove that a murder has taken place. The film opens with a leisurely tour of the capital’s mod scene with its mini-orgies, empty thrills and sensation-seeking portrayed in typical Antonioni fashion as revealing a spiritual lack in modern life. With the taking of a photograph of a couple in a park (including the mysterious Vanessa Redgrave), this vagueness is powerfully transformed into suspense, culminating in the famous silent sequence of ever-increasing close-ups, as Thomas searches for the solution to the mystery. Winner of the Palme D’Or at Cannes in 1967, BLOW UP was re-presented there in a digital format in 2004 - just as it is shown here.
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni. Starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, Jane Birkin. UK /Italy 1966. 111 mins.
Enthusiasts invariably make good subjects. Joe Bussard is a real enthusiast, with a passion for collecting records, not just any records but what Joe refers to as 'real' music, American blues, gospel, jazz and hillbilly recorded on 78rpm throughout the 20s and 30s. Joe has something like 25,000 of them, but then he has been collecting for fifty years, rescuing records from basements all across the USA. His collection includes some of the great names, Charley Patton, The Carter Family, Son House and many others, alongside recordings of cowboys down in El Paso and music literally taken from the streets and recorded in tin can microphones in makeshift studios. DESPERATE MAN BLUES is part a guided musical tour and part character study, building a portrait of the collector who has literally moved to his own beat throughout his life. An engaging and intimate documentary in which Joe and the music are equally compelling stars. Special ticket price £4 / £3.70 DoY members
Director: Edward Gillan. Starring: Joe Bussard. Australia 2003. 52 mins.
Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury prize in the documentary section, DIG! is the most interesting and entertaining film about the music industry in years. An insightful, passionate and sometimes poignant look at the fortunes of two bands, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. Lead by Anton Newcombe the BJM were determined to start a music revolution, Courtney Taylor of the Dandys (who narrates the film) was right alongside him, the two bands gigged together and planned to build a shared studio. Undoubtedly Newcombe had the musical talent, but his ability to push the self-destruct button left a string of missed opportunities and misfortunes in his wake, whilst The Dandy Warhols signed to Capitol and became big in Europe. DIG! maintains all the rawness of a classic rock documentary whilst intelligently assessing the possibility of remaining creative and original in such a profit-driven world.
Director: Ondi Timoner. Starring: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols. USA 2003. 110 mins.
From the director of celebrated skater doc DOGTOWN AND THE Z BOYS, RIDING GIANTS is a beautiful trip along surfing’s timeline, from its early Polynesian roots to its rebirth in the 20th century. Investigating the development of a fledgling surf culture along the coast of Southern California in the 1940s, we are introduced to the group of extraordinary adventurers who emerged: surfers who, not satisfied with the mere recreational and social aspects of the sport, began searching for bigger and bigger waves, pushing the boundaries of performance to explore the reality of the ‘unridden’. RIDING GIANTS is the story of these big wave riders, of where and how their quest began, of the fearless characters who throughout the eras chased their dreams out into the blue water.
Director: Stacy Peralta. starring: Darrick Doerner, Laird John Hamilton, Dave Kalama USA/France 2004. 105 mins.
Edited from footage shot over two nights at the opulently adorned Empress Ballroom Blackpool, THE WHITE STRIPES UNDER BLACKPOOL LIGHTS captures the multi-platinum, Grammy award winning, rock band at the height of their musical powers. The brilliance of The White Stripes live is rooted in how two people can create wild rock ‘n’ roll with one guitar and one bad drum kit. Using the space between the notes, two people locked into the sound lift the heavy blues songs beyond their given place and take them skyward while remaining artsy and understated. For those that have witnessed their live majesty, this suitably frills - free film is a potent reminder, for those yet to do so, this is the next best thing.
‘THE BEST LIVE BAND ON THE PLANET RIGHT NOW’ MOJO
Director: Dick Carruthers, Starring: The White Stripes. UK 2004. 77mins.