ons stival . - California Film Institute

96
MVFF T u r n i n g 3 0
us cinema
world cinema
us cinema
v(ision)fest
Juncture US 2007 106 MINS
Saturday, October 6 9:15 pm JUNC06R Rafael
Saturday, October 13 9:00 pm JUNC13T 142 Throckmorton
Director James Seale Producers Kevin V. Duncan, James Seale Screenwriter Robert Gosnell Cinematographer Richard Lerner
Editors Peder Morgenthaler, James Seale Cast Kristine Blackport, John Hutton, Bill LeVasseur Print Source Front Range Films
Anna Carter’s life is a nightmare come true. Diagnosed with a terminal illness at 28, Anna’s jet-setting lifestyle has
come crashing down. The respected director of a national foundation that funds programs to help children, she has
always strived to make life better for kids. But now she sees the world through different eyes. Using her prestigious
job as a cover, Anna travels the country, searching for criminals that have slipped through cracks in the justice
system and then dispensing her own style of brutal retribution. As the police close in and death knocks at her door,
will she complete her plan? And will she be considered a hero ... or a sociopath? The uncompromising story of an
ordinary woman turned vigilante, Juncture is a controversial, fast-paced action-thriller that casts a harsh light on the
darkness, perversion and greed lurking just beneath the surface of society. World Premiere —Kelly Clement
Kenny AUSTRALIA 99 MINS
Friday, October 5 6:30 pm KENN05S Sequoia
Wednesday, October 10 9:45 pm KENN10S Sequoia
Director/Editor Clayton Jacobson Producers Rohan Timlock, Clayton Jacobson Screenwriters Clayton Jacobson, Shane
Jacobson Cinematographers Clayton Jacobson, Sean Lander Cast Shane Jacobson Print Source Lightning Entertainment
At first glance, Kenny is an extraordinary piece of nonfiction working-class social realism replete with an unforgettable
everyman protagonist who empties portable toilets for a living Down Under. Indeed, the lisping, rotund, deliciously
outspoken Kenny Smyth is endearingly real in his humble and earnest proletarian gravitas, as he travels to music
festivals, air shows, parades, carnivals, drag races and even Nashville, Tennessee, plying his unenviable yet
fascinating trade. But the sheer brilliance of filmmaker Clayton Jacobson’s wildly entertaining narrative feature is
that it’s fictional, employing the standard trickery of the mockumentary in a time when the blurring of reality and
fiction is more confounding than ever. A superb, warm and humorous portrait of the artist as a middle-aged porta-loo
specialist from Melbourne, Australia (wonderfully played by Jacobson’s sibling, Shane Jacobson), Kenny is winsome
proof that the mockumentary hasn’t exhausted its filmic capacity. —Andrew Bailey
• • •Sponsored by Qantas Airways
The Kite Runner US 2007 122 MINS
Sunday, October 14 5:00 pm KITE14S Sequoia $25
Sunday, October 14 5:15 pm KIT214S Sequoia $25
Director Marc Forster Producers William Horberg, Walter F. Parks, Rebecca Yeldman, E. Bennett Walsh Screenwriter David
Benioff Cinematographer Roberto Schaefer Editor Matt Chesse Cast Shaun Toub, Khalid Abdalla, Nasser Memarzia, Said
Taghmaoui Print Source Paramount Vantage
CLOSING NIGHT • In English and Dari with English subtitles • Director Marc Forster’s (Finding Neverland, MVFF
2004) reverent envisioning of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel is that rare example of refined literary adaptation,
which makes a beloved book transcendent on screen. This heartrending story of friendship and redemption begins
in Afghanistan in 1978, where two boys are inseparable, but unequal: Amir is the privileged son of a wealthy
businessman, Hassan his loyal servant—and a member of the disdained Hazara minority. Their social inequality, and
a brutal incident, ultimately tarnish their joyful youth, and when the Soviets invade in 1979, Amir and his father flee
the country, completing the boys’ separation. As an adult, Amir finds the past resurfacing, along with long-buried
feelings of shame. But an unexpected opportunity to “be good again,” takes him on a perilous journey back to his
war-torn homeland, where carefree children once finessed kites across the rooftops of Kabul. —Joanne Parsont
• • • For Closing Night event information, see page 23.
• • •Sponsored by Lucasfilm, Ltd.
Kiviuq cANAdA 2007 72 MINS
Sunday, October 7 1:30 pm KIV07T 142 Throckmorton
Monday, October 8 7:30 pm KIV08R Rafael
Director/Screenwriter John Houston Producer Kirt Ejesiak Cinematographer Dave Albiston Editor John Brett Cast Lamech
Kadloo, Annie Peterloosie, June Shappa, Samson Quinangnaq, Henry Evaloarjuk Print Source Drumsong Communications Inc.
In Inuktitut with English subtitles • Renowned Canadian director John Houston tells the story of the Inuit culture’s
celebrated epic hero, the prophet and shaman Kiviuq. The tale of Kiviuq, who was born when the world began,
is considered “the secret Bible” in Inuit tradition, and Houston—who is known worldwide for making movies that
celebrate Inuit culture—relates this millennia-old tale as told to him by Inuit elders. In a unique performance piece,
spoken in Inuktitut and filmed in one room, Houston lets the Inuit arts of music, dance, song and storytelling reveal
a timeless story about bravery, betrayal and survival. Not only does this intriguing work preserve a rich history in
danger of being lost, it also instructs viewers which paths to take and which paths to avoid, no matter what century
they live in. US Premiere —Nora Isaacs
2007 MVFF TICKETS | 877.874.MVFF (6833)