ons stival . - California Film Institute

Irina Palm beLGIUM/LUxeMbOURG/UK/GeRMANy/FRANce 2007 103 MINS
Saturday, October 6 8:45 pm IRIN06S Sequoia
Monday, October 8 9:45 pm IRIN08S Sequoia
Director Sam Garbarski Producer Sebastien Delloye Screenwriters Philippe Blasband, Martin Herron, Sam Garbarski
Cinematographer Christopher Beaucarne Editor Ludo Troch Cast Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, Kevin Bishop, Siobhán
Hewlett, Dorka Gryllus, Jenny Agutter Print Source Strand Releasing
Marianne Faithfull goes from shy widowed grandma to superstar sex worker in this funny and charming film set in
London’s Soho district. When Maggie (Faithfull) learns that her grandson needs an expensive life-saving operation,
she knows desperate measures are necessary. In this case, desperate measures appear as a Hostess Wanted
sign in front of the Sexy World club. And before you can say “Mitchell Brothers,” middle-aged Maggie has morphed
into Irina Palm, the most popular companion of club regulars. With laser-like focus, Maggie winds her way through
an unknown world of London’s underbelly, meeting a wild crew of new friends while alienating some of her fiftysomething
peers back in the suburbs. Filmmaker Garbarski perfectly balances comedy and drama as Faithfull
delivers a hilarious, heartfelt performance that captures the amusing and awkward fish-out-of-water reality of an
old-fashioned matriarch plunged into a seedy sea of sex and sin. US Premiere
• • •Sponsored by Marin French Cheese Company
Iron Ladies of Liberia US/LIbeRIA 2007 74 MINS
Friday, October 5 6:30 pm IRON05R Rafael
Sunday, October 7 3:45 pm IRON07T 142 Throckmorton
Directors Daniel Junge, Siatta Scott Johnson Producers Henry Ansbacher, Jonathan Stack Cinematographer Daniel Junge
Editor Davis Coombe Print Source Just Media
After surviving a 14-year civil war and a government riddled with corruption, the African nation of Liberia elected
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to be the country’s first woman president and lift it from debt and devastation. Filmmakers
Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson explore a historic transition from authoritarianism to democracy in this joyous,
inspirational testimony of the political power of women’s leadership and diplomacy. We watch the newly elected
head of state during the first year of her presidency, as she populates her cabinet with strong women, including her
ministers of finance, justice and commerce; together, these “iron ladies” tackle indolent bureaucracy, black markets
and the omnipresent threat of violent riots. Expertly straddling the dual public identites of “Old Ma” and Chief
Executive, President Sirleaf teaches generations of Liberians trained to rule and be ruled by violence and fear that
the expression “compassion is revolutionary” is far more than a slogan. —Sara Schieron
• • • Presented in association with the Museum of the African Diaspora
Jellyfish (Meduzot) FRANce/ISRAeL 2007 78 MINS
Saturday, October 6 7:15 pm JELL06R Rafael
Saturday, October 13 8:00 pm JELL13S Sequoia
Directors Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen Producers Yael Fogiel, Amir Harel, Ayelet Kit Screenwriters Shira Geffen, Etgar Korot
Cinematographer Antoine Héberlé Editors François Gédigier, Sasha Franklin Cast Sarah Adler, Nicole Leidman, Gera Sandler,
Noa Knoller Print Source Zeitgeist Films
In Hebrew with English subtitles • This highly cinematic seriocomic ensemble piece adds a touch of whimsy to its
exploration of existential loneliness. Various intertwined story strands share the themes of the human need for love
and of our inability to communicate, as a panoply of protagonists wander through contemporary Tel Aviv in search
of meaningful connections and discover that frolics, friendships and family ties aren’t quite as nurturing as a solid
sense of self and a well-timed visit from the ice-cream man. Acclaimed fiction writers–turned–co-directors Etgar
Keret and Shira Geffen have made a fluid transition to film, winning this year’s Camera d’Or for best first feature at
the Cannes Film Festival. A wistful, wonderfully wise rumination on hope and happenstance, Jellyfish, like its titular
creature, appears delicate and amorphous yet stings when you least expect it. —Steven Jenkins
• • • Presented in association with the San Francisco Israel Center
• • •Sponsored by Comcast
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten IReLANd/UK 2006 124 MINS
Friday, October 12 6:30 pm JOES12S Sequoia
Sunday, October 14 7:30 pm JOES14R Rafael
Director Julien Temple Producers Amanda Temple, Anna Campeau, Alan Moloney Cinematographer Ben Cole Editors Mark
Reynolds, Tobias Zaldua, Niven Howie Print Source IFC First Take
Son of a diplomat pines away in a British boarding school, dreams of becoming a rock star and graduates at the top
of the class of ’77, the rag-tag collection of punk and New Wave bands that challenged the corporate music world.
That’s just part of the mythical life of singer, guitarist and songwriter Joe Strummer, whose politico-punk rock band
the Clash became one of the most influential rock outfits of the modern era. Filmmaker Julien Temple (The Great
Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle) has crafted here perhaps the best-filmed account of the British punk scene. Structured as
a fireside wake, featuring Jim Jarmusch, Johnny Depp, Pearl Harbour, Bono, John Cusack and more, and including
riveting rare film footage of home movies of Strummer and his nascent band and onscreen interviews old and new,
Joe Strummer rekindles the fiery musical cauldron that spawned some of the most vital music of the Reagan years.
—Greg Cahill
• • •The October 12 screening will be followed by a live music event with Pearl Harbour. Separate ticket required. See page 25 for more information.
• • •Sponsored by Scheyer/SF
online | mvff.com
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