AFS Cinema is officially reopening on Thursday, July 15! In celebration, all AFS Members are invited to an exclusive members-only weekend, July 9-11, before the grand reopening. During this soft opening weekend, popcorn is on us and all other drinks and snacks will be half off.
Tickets for this weekend go on sale to AFS Members on Friday, June 18 at 1 PM at the member price. Join or renew your membership today to be invited to this exclusive weekend!
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Premiere & Inner Circle Member Exclusive:
Friday, July 9, 7 PM
Premiere & Inner Circle members should contact Taylor@austinfilm.org to RSVP.
Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 2000, DCP, 99 min., in Cantonese and Shanghainese with English subtitles
This period romance, set in 1962 is, as you are probably aware, a masterpiece. It is far from Wong’s earlier manic style, but it gives the viewer something to look at and contemplate every moment of screen time. The two lovers, whose spouses are themselves having an affair, are played by the luminous stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung. In terms of color and detail and the joy of looking at beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes in beautiful rooms, it succeeds right away, but it is also, like HAPPY TOGETHER, a film of performances and closely observed humanity. This is the work of an already accomplished filmmaker as he attains a new high ground, kind of like a world class singer who adds an octave to his range.
PICCADILLY
Saturday, July 10, 4:30 PM
Saturday, July 10, 8 PM
E. A. Dupont, UK, 1929, DCP, 89 min, Silent with musical score
To the public, London’s bustling Piccadilly nightclub all is glamour and romance. The headlining act is the dance team of Vic and Mabel and they keep the customers rolling in. But then Vic quits the show and on the same night the club owner observes the Chinese dishwasher Shosho (Anna May Wong) entertaining the kitchen staff with her exotic and sensual dance moves. She is fired for disrupting service but the club owner can’t seem to forget her and she is rehired, this time as the headline entertainer, provoking jealousy and vindictiveness. The Chinese-American Wong is just astonishing in the best role she had in her long career.
THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS
Sunday, July 11, 2:30 PM
LOVE Member Exclusive Screening:
Sunday, July 11, 6:00 PM
Walon Green, USA, 1978, DCP, 97 min.
A deeply psychedelic exploration of the mysteries of plant life filled with some of the most breathtaking time-lapse footage ever shot. With a philosophical background and design style that leaves no doubt about the filmmakers’ commitment to entheogenic substances. That should be enough, right? Well, on top of that, throw in an absolutely amazing soundtrack by Stevie Wonder at his most experimental. It’s a mindblower. Take your vitamins before you watch this one.
