ons stival . - California Film Institute

The Secrets ISRAeL/FRANce 2006 120 MINS
Thursday, October 11 8:45 pm SECR11S Sequoia
Saturday, October 13 9:30 pm SECR13R Rafael
Director Avi Nesher Producers Avi Nesher, David Silber Screenwriter Hadar Galron Cinematographer Michel Abramowicz
Editor Isaac Sehayek Cast Fanny Ardant, Ania Bukstein, Michal Shtamler Print Source United King Films
In Hebrew and French with English subtitles • Set in Safed in Northern Israel where the mystical texts of the
Kaballah were first interpreted and studied, three women meet on the road to redemption. Naomi knows her sacred
texts better than her own heart. Michelle’s passion needs purpose. Ailing Anouk brings them together. Each seeks
reconciliation with G-d and her own female essence. Daughter of an esteemed rabbi, Naomi tricks her father,
postponing an arranged marriage to attend a seminary for women. Her father does not know that she harbors the
desire to be a rabbi herself. She and Michelle deliver food for the soul to Anouk. Raiding forbidden Kaballah texts,
they create the rituals to release her from her painful past. As Naomi and Michelle’s bond intensifies, old secrets are
revealed and new ones must be kept. They risk all to fulfill their commitment to their sick friend and to each other. To
err is human; to forgive, divine. US Premiere —Carol Harada
• • • Presented in association with the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest
Soldiers of Conscience US 2007 86 MINS
Friday, October 5 8:30 pm SOLD05T 142 Throckmorton
Sunday, October 7 11:00 am SOLD07R Rafael
Directors/Producers Gary Weimberg, Catherine Ryan Cinematographer Kevin O’Brien Editors Gary Weimberg, Josh Peterson
Print Source Luna Productions
ACTIVE CINEMA MOVEMENT • How does a patriotic West Point graduate become a conscientious objector?
How does a person trained to kill deal with the moral consequences of taking a human life? These fascinating
questions are the core of this philosophical documentary. Using the Iraq war as a backdrop, filmmakers Catherine
Ryan and Gary Weimberg (Three Women and a Chateau, MVFF 2006) delve deep into the hearts of soldiers who
joined up for love of country, were asked to kill for that love and were unable to pull the trigger. Intimate interviews
with several soldiers reveal the different paths that brought them to the battlefield and then to the difficult and drastic
decision to become a conscientious objector, opposed to all war, in the midst of combat. Narrated by Peter Coyote,
Soldiers of Conscience transcends general politics to uncover weightier thinking about free will, morality and life
during wartime. —Brendan Peterson
• • • Presented in association with the Episcopal Diocese of California and the Marin Interfaith Council
Stages (Tussenstand) NeTheRLANdS 2007 80 MINS
Friday, October 5 8:30 pm STAG05R Rafael
Sunday, October 7 1:30 pm STAG07S Sequoia
Director Mijke de Jong Producers Joost de Vries, Leontine Petit Screenwriters Jolein Laarman, Mijke de Jong Cinematographer
Ton Peters Editor Dorith Vinken Cast Elsie de Brauw, Marcel Musters, Stijn Koomen Print Source Lemming Film
In Dutch with English subtitles • Roos and Martin are intellectual, middle-aged and divorced. Despite their
estrangement, they find plenty of time to rehash the details, and consequences, of their relationship over dinner and
drinks, in Mijke de Jong’s chatty, intimate family drama. While the two cry, taunt, reminisce and even exchange blows,
their teenage son Isaac becomes increasingly isolated, avoiding contact with his family and the outside world, in
favor of sneaking into nearby homes while the neighbors are away. A unique mix of formalism and verité, the film
intersperses a series of conversations with spare tableaus featuring the morose Isaac. Using extreme close-ups and
positioning actors partially out of frame, director de Jong masters the anxious fatalism that plagues his characters,
and—as Roos and Martin try to find a way to move on with their lives that doesn’t require them to leave their family
behind—makes Stages an exceptional chamber piece. US Premiere —Aaron Lazenby
Starting Out in the Evening US 2006 105 MINS
Saturday, October 6 9:00 pm STAR06S Sequoia
Thursday, October 11 7:00 pm STAR11S Sequoia
Director Andrew Wagner Producers Nancy Israel, Fred Parnes, Gary Winick, Jake Abraham Screenwriters Andrew Wagner, Fred
Parnes Cinematographer Harlan Bosmajian Editor Gena Bleier Cast Frank Langella, Lauren Ambrose, Lili Taylor, Adrian Lester,
Karl Bury, Anitha Gandhi Print Source Roadside Attractions
Anchored by the award-winning performance of Frank Langella and filled with fascinating insights into the life of a
writer, Starting Out in the Evening is a sweet, sad, spellbinding exploration of cross-generational longing and desire.
Leonard Schiller (Langella) is a lonely, aging, prominent New York City author who has seen better days. Heather
Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose) is an energetic graduate student who plans to save Leonard from obscurity by reviewing
his out-of-print work in her master’s thesis. Over time, this intellectual odd couple form an unexpected bond, as they
debate everything from artistic inspiration to the fine line between fact and fiction. Meanwhile, Leonard’s daughter,
Ariel (Lili Taylor), struggles with her own aging and intimacy issues. Director Andrew Wagner focuses on intimate
moments, thoughtful conversations and on Langella’s sublime, subtle acting to craft a delicate, deep tale about the
volatile nature of writing, love and family. —Brendan Peterson
• • •Sponsored by Qantas Airways
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