ons stival . - California Film Institute

5@5: There Is a War TOTAL PROGRAM 84 MINS
Wednesday, October 10 5:00 pm 5AT510S Sequoia
Friday, October 12 5:00 pm 5AT512R Rafael
In times of war, everything seems heightened. These courageous short films encourage us to look at it all—the
tragedy, the betrayals and the moments of great love. In Michaela Danby’s poignant Tatterson (Australia 5 mins) an
uncle describes the jungle in the form of a children’s story in a letter to his young niece and nephews back home.
Set in Korea, John Arlotto’s powerful Deface (US 20 mins) explores what happens to a man when everything is
taken away. Nicole Haeusser’s The Death Strip (US 30 mins) looks at war and betrayal through a mother’s eyes. A
different, but no less brutal war is fought in Jenifer Malmqvist’s Peace Talk (Sweden 15 mins). In Fredrik Emilson’s
delightful Love and War (Sweden 14 mins) puppets act out a classic wartime love story accompanied by a lovely
romantic libretto. —Osnat Shurer
5@5: Waiting for the Miracle TOTAL PROGRAM 88 MINS
Tuesday, October 9 5:00 pm 5AT509R Rafael
Friday, October 12 5:00 pm 5AT512S Sequoia
Someone once defined a coincidence as a miracle for which God chooses not to take any credit. The only difference
between the two, it seems, is in perception itself. In Shyam Balsé’s lovely Monsoon (US 22 mins), the coming of
the rain is a cosmic sign of a father’s death. Or is it all just the rantings of an old man? Will there be time to forgive?
Forgiveness, a miracle in its own right, seems even more distant on the battlefield, when two enemy soldiers meet
alone face to face in Jason Eli Lewis’ Stars (US 14 mins). In Guido Thys’ Tanghi Argentini (Belgium 14 mins) office
Christmas presents take on new meaning. Two people born on the same day in the same hospital meet again as
adults in Rob Sorrenti’s Wednesday (UK 24 mins). A young boy watches as art, nature and great patience take flight
in Seamus McNally’s gentle To Paint the Portrait of a Bird (US 15 mins), based on the poem by Jacques Prévert. A
miracle? Perhaps. —Osnat Shurer
7 Islands and a Metro INdIA 2006 100 MINS
Saturday, October 6 1:30 pm 7ISL06R Rafael
Saturday, October 13 4:30 pm 7ISL13T 142 Throckmorton
Director Madhusree Dutta Producer Flavia Agnes Cinematographer Avijit Mukul Kishore Editors Reena Mohan, Shyamal
Karmakar Cast Harish Khanna, Vibha Chibbar Print Source Majlis
In English, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi and Bombaiya with English subtitles • Madhusree Dutta’s 7 Islands and a Metro
is a meditation on the magnificent, misery-saturated city known variously as Bom Bahia, Bombay, Mumbai. Its many
names reflect a turbulent history dating back to 1534, when the Portuguese colonized one of the seven islands
that make up the sprawling metropolis. Through remarkably poetically charged imagery and music, Dutta depicts
everyday scenes, introducing us to the city’s workers who labor in professions such as window washing, moviestunt
horseback riding, and beer-bar dancing. Threaded through their testimonies wind the words of two legendary
writers, questioning how the city’s story can be told when the ground beneath is “as restless as mercury.” The story
itself, meanwhile, continues on its own: Squatters find housing in ancient graveyards; high-rise owners push to close
centuries-old open-air markets. This eloquent film reveals a complex city “hung in pieces and parts” and rife with the
tragedies and triumphs of survival. North American Premiere —Frako Loden
14 Women US 2007 79 MINS
Sunday, October 14 12:00 pm 14WO14R Rafael
Director Mary Lambert Producers Sharon Oreck, Nicole Boxer, Mary Lambert Cinematographers Mary Lambert, Bill Pope
Editors Michelle Harrison, Stephen Kanter Print Source Vertical Films
What does it take to be one of the 14 female senators of the 109th senate? Four-term senator Barbara Mikulski,
D-Md., observes, “Just because you get tackled, doesn’t mean you get out of the game—you brush yourself off, put
that lipstick on.” With an explicitly bipartisan stance, director Mary Lambert attends to these 14 senators through
interviews, days-in-the-life and home visits. Lambert, the sister of Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and producer Nicole
Boxer, the daughter of Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., allow us an intimate view of the senators at work in committee,
at conventions and fund raising, and at dinner with their families. Civics primer as well as portraiture, 14 Women
includes a conversation with Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., about the Moscone-Milk assassinations and the launching
of her political career, and it reminds us that healthcare, education, employment and the environment are no longer
so-called women’s issues but human issues. World Premiere —Lisa Katovich
• • •Sponsored by Amiee Alan Custom Catering
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