ons stival . - California Film Institute

92
MVFF T u r n i n g 3 0
world cinema
children’s filmfest
us cinema
us cinema
Frozen Life JAPAN 2007 106 MINS
Friday, October 12 9:45 pm FROZ12R Rafael
Sunday, October 14 11:30 am FROZ14S Sequoia
Director/Editor shin Producer Noriaki Shimizu Screenwriters shin, Naoto Kitahara Cinematographer Kenichi Negishi JSC
Cast Yuuri, Junkichi Sawamura, Ryo Katayama, Akira Fujino, Zenki Kitajima, Kaichi Yamaguchi Print Source Frozen Life Production
Committee
In English and Japanese with English subtitles • Director shin’s beautifully photographed first feature film is a
delightfully unpredictable tale of love, loss and mistaken identity. Grieving over the loss of her husband, a woman
named Riri receives an unexpected package on her birthday, containing a single item that turns her already fragile
world upside-down. This event causes her to pack her beloved Theremin and move to the vacant family home in
the countryside, to try to come to terms with the past. As she’s settling in, a mysterious young man, Wataru, shows
up on her doorstep. He seems interested only in photographing traditional Japanese architecture, but it becomes
apparent that he has a hidden agenda that concerns Riri’s late husband. As past ties between Riri and Wataru
begin to unfold, events gravitate toward one climactic moment that will change their lives forever. A touching human
drama, Frozen Life will resonate long after you leave the theater. —Kelly Clement
• • • Presented in association with the Japan Information Center and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
• • •Sponsored by Ora Restaurant
Gilles (Buitenspel) beLGIUM 2005 100 MINS
Friday, October 5 4:00 pm GILL05R Rafael
Wednesday, October 10 4:30 pm GILL10S Sequoia
Director Jan Verheyen Producer Dirk Impens Screenwriter Ed Vanderweyden Cinematographer Danny Elsen Editor Philip
Ravoet Cast Ilya Van Malderghem, Filip Peeters, Joke Devynck Print Source Dirk Impens
In Flemish with English subtitles • An offside ruling in soccer can be complicated and subjective, and for 12-yearold
Gilles it’s more than a game penalty. Gilles is a talented soccer player whose father Bert’s passionate support
and coaching feed their dream that Gilles will make the Red Devils pro team. When Bert’s enthusiasm causes a
heart attack, a grieving Gilles finds a way to bring his father back to life so that he (but no one else) sees his dad
everywhere, especially when playing soccer. But there’s a down side to Bert’s continuing presence: When Gilles
learns that soccer might jeopardize his future, Bert still pushes Gilles to keep playing. Is this Gilles’ desire too, or
only his father’s? While his mother urges him to quit and his friends offer encouragement, in the end Gilles must rule
a buitenspel (“offside” in Dutch), either as his penalty or his father’s trap. Ages 9+ —Roberta McNair
Go Together US 2007 94 MINS
Saturday, October 13 9:15 pm GOTO13R Rafael
Director/Screenwriter Rob Nilsson Producers Denney Dey, Rob Nilsson Cinematographer Mickey Freeman Editors Nadine
Laule, Chikara Motomura Cast Denny Dey, Michelle Allen, Robert Viharo, Paige Olson, Kieron McCartney, Michael Edo Keane Print
Source Citizen Cinema
In this last installment of his 9@Night series, Rob Nilsson (Opening, Pan, MVFF 2006) conjures a remarkably
haunting, expressionist homage to cinema. 9@Night antihero, Malafide (Robert Viharo), undergoes an identity-swap,
and so does his counterfeit cash. Seeking respite from the streets, Malafide watches scenes from his own life (clips
from earlier Nilsson films) unspool as psychic-cinematic projections on the screen of Oakland’s historic Parkway
Theater. Meanwhile, the challenge of a life in the film industry is explored through the strained sexual relationship
of theater-owners Denny and Michelle, who struggle to keep the Parkway out of the hands of the pornographers
and swindlers. Michelle needs what Denny cannot provide: something “amazing”; something as powerful as pure,
unadulterated “total cinema.” In a beautiful climax of fiction-meets-reality and past-meets-present, she gets her wish.
As viewers of this cinematic love song to the passionate art of filmmaking, so do we. See also program note for
Used, page 108. World Premiere —Karen Davis
Gone Baby Gone US 2007 114 MINS
Tuesday, October 9 7:00 pm GONE09C Cinema
Director Ben Affleck Producers Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Alan Ladd, Jr., Danton Rissner Screenwriters Ben Affleck, Aaron
Stockard Cinematographer Jon Toll Editor William Goldenberg Cast Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed
Harris, Amy Ryan Print Source Miramax Films
A decade after his screenwriting Oscar win for Good Will Hunting, Ben Affleck returns to his Boston roots with
a dynamic directorial debut and a screenplay he adapted from a Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) novel—a potent
combination reinforced by a powerhouse cast led by younger brother Casey Affleck, as private detective Patrick
Kenzie. Kenzie and partner Angie (Michelle Monaghan) are hired to assist with the investigation of a missing fouryear-old
neighborhood girl. But a seemingly familiar tale of child abduction twists and turns, beginning with a lessthan-model
mother with a drug habit, a police chief (Morgan Freeman) desperate to avenge his own daughter’s
murder years earlier, and a tough, New Orleans–born detective (Ed Harris) who doesn’t always play by the rules.
Much like in Mystic River, an explosive undercurrent ripples through this blue-collar community in which broken
families and broken dreams make for rough edges, quick tempers and some very bad decisions. —Joanne Parsont
• • •Sponsored by Jennifer Coslett MacCready
2007 MVFF TICKETS | 877.874.MVFF (6833)