We were heartbroken this week to learn that one of our much-loved
shining stars of the Texas film community, Al Reinert, passed away over the
holiday. While Al was perhaps best known for his Academy Award-nominated
screenplay, APOLLO 13, he was a passionate non-fiction storyteller who worked
closely with our artist services team here at AFS on several recent
documentaries, including AN UNREAL DREAM
(2013), about the false imprisonment of Texan Michael Morton, and the John
James Audubon film, AUDUBON (2016).
Al’s 1989 immersive, poetic documentary about the Apollo
missions, FOR ALL MANKIND (nominated for an Academy Award), is as unforgettable
as the man himself. We had the great pleasure of hosting what we expected to be
a semi-regular retrospective screening of the film several years ago, not
realizing at the time it would be the last time we’d have Al in attendance. You
can watch the fascinating Q&A here, with Al and a truly incredible group of
retired Apollo mission ground controllers. This will remain one of our most
special memories of our work with Al.
Science on Screen: FOR ALL MANKIND
We will miss our friend, who was endlessly warm, kind-hearted and curious. Despite the fact that he could have been a Hollywood insider, he felt more at home in the hills of Wimberley than southern California. He followed his own passions in filmmaking, which led him to make beautiful and unusual films on subjects that fascinated him. In short, he was the consummate Texas filmmaker—big-hearted and creatively adventurous. You can read more about Al, his life and work, in this obituary from the Houston Chronicle.
You learn a lot of names in film school: Godard, Garbo, Griffith. But, regardless of the talent of these towering figures, the one name associated with nearly every iconic film of the twentieth century is one you rarely come across but that changed the history of cinema forever: Edith Head. Even with the foresight that her career spanned over 400 films, when you truly break it down, it is staggering the impact Edith made on Hollywood and the individuals who at one point in their career were fitted, seen, and admired in an Edith Head original. Ruling the Costume Design departments at Paramount and Universal Studios for nearly 6 decades and garnering 35 Oscar nominations and winning 8 — the most of any woman in history — Edith Head is not only the most influential costume designer of the twentieth century but one of the most influential artists as well. Fashion would simply not be what it is today were it not for Edith and her tirelessly inventive and sophisticated palette.
Barbara Stanwyck wearing an Edith Head original in THE LADY EVE
Our Edith Head’s Hollywood series begins (tonight, January 3rd) with THE LADY EVE, starring Barbara Stanwyck. Preston Sturges’ deliriously inventive 1941 screwball comedy allows Stanwyck the perfect opportunity to show off her virtuosic talents by playing two wildly different characters: con artist Jean Harrington and aristocrat Lady Eve Sidwich. Regardless of Stanwyck’s talents, pulling off a double performance in 1941 was a difficult task and, at that time, there was only one person capable of providing the necessary materials: Edith Head. Stanwyck elegantly drifts from Jean to Eve while draped in Edith’s marvelous costumes and spouting out the kind of lines only Sturges knew how to write. Stanwyck insisted to producer Samuel Goldwyn that Edith Head be commissioned to create her costumes and, years later, would continue to request that Edith be loaned out to work for Warner Bros. Though these later collaborations produced interesting and certainly worthwhile designs, their initial work on THE LADY EVE remains the benchmark for what can be done when comedy, charisma, and craftsmanship are blended to such perfection that anything seems possible.
“From then on I had Edith Head’s name written into every contract, no matter what studio I was working for.”– Barbara Stanwyck
Edith Head on The Lady Eve:
“THE LADY EVE changed both our lives. It was Barbara’s first high fashion picture and her biggest transition in costuming. She was already a top star and had an image long before I got to her. She was always playing plain Janes, women to whom clothes meant nothing. Yet Barbara was quite trim and had a better shape than most of the other actresses around. She possessed what some designers considered to be a figure “problem” – a long waist and a comparatively low rear end. By widening the waistbands on the front in her gowns and narrowing them slightly in the back, I could still put her in straight skirts, something other designers were afraid to do, because they thought she might look too heavy in the seat. Since she wasn’t the least bit heavy, I just took advantage of her long waist to create an optical illusion.”
“For her gambler character I had used sharp contrasts – black on white, all black, all white, to make her appear a tad coarse. Naturally I chose much richer, more luxurious fabrics (later in the film). I left the sequins and the glitter to the lady gambler in the beginning.”
“I had used Spanish motifs on much of THE LADY EVE wardrobe… Barbara looked sensational in poncho and serape styles and she was so sexy in the clothes that suddenly Latin American fashions swept the country.”
Edith Head’s Hollywood runs January 3-31 at AFS Cinema. Get tickets today.
This week we emerge from holiday hibernation into an all new year, and we’re already hearing some rumors that it is going to be the Best Year of All Time. If SHOPLIFTERS, the new film from Hirokazu Kore-eda, is any indication, we’re inclined to believe it. We are proud to present this film, which won of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and has found its way onto virtually every critic’s year-end list (also Barack Obama’s, somehow). We won’t say much about it – it’s a movie about a family that lives on the edge of society – but we will encourage you to see it at the AFS Cinema with people you love.
“It’s a pretty amazing neo-neo-realist film about a family of very poor people in a city in Japan who make a living hand-to-mouth: stealing, hustling, begging, living however they can. Things happen over the course of the family’s life of course, which I won’t spoil here. A really nice, really wonderful, well-acted film.” – AFS Film Programmer Lars Nilsen
“SHOPLIFTERS achieves that ultimate goal of art as expressed by the artist Robert Filliou: It’s art that makes life more interesting than art.” – Slate
“Kore-eda has the sensitive, calibrated touch of a master safecracker, and he’s a virtuoso of emotional and narrative buildup.” – New York Times
“This soft-spoken, cinematic treasure about a family of thieves highlights the quietly devastating artistry of Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. It’s impossible to experience the deep-seated compassion of this film and not be moved to tears.” – Rolling Stone
“For the bulk of ‘Shoplifters,’ Kore-eda works in a beautiful register that feels both detailed and genuine at the same time.” – RogerEbert.com
As the year winds down, end-of-year critics lists begin popping up everywhere, focusing on the best new releases of 2018. For us at AFS, we’re exploring new and classic films daily at AFS Cinema. So, for our end of year wrap up, we asked the AFS staff about which film discoveries stuck out most with them. We showed a lot of films this year (over 400 individual titles) so there’s plenty of variety among the selections.
What were your favorite discoveries at AFS Cinema this past year? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
CONTEMPORARY COLOR
Rebecca Campbell, CEO
Contemporary Color (2016)
This was a feast for the ears and eyes and turned me on to color guard, a sport of the arts I wasn’t familiar with prior to watching this film.
One Sings, The Other Doesn’t (1977)
Agnes Varda is a genius. This film brings alive the rallying cry of 60s feminism, “the personal is political.”
The Florida Project (2017)
Addresses the plight of being stuck in poverty in a way that’s full of humor and empathy.
The Gospel According to Andre (2018)
It’s always fascinating to see into the lives of iconic people from industries like fashion.
The Secret Life of Lance Letscher (2017)
This is a loving portrait that provides a look into the methods and the mind of a brilliant artist.
My 2019 film resolution: more Miyazaki films, and sneaking away for the 4:15 show on occasion.
HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING
Holly Herrick, Head of Film & Creative Media
HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING (2018)
This played in our inaugural Doc Days festival, and the Q&A with RaMell via Skype was one of the highlights of the weekend. Doc Days is returning for year 2 in early June!
MRS. HYDE (2017)
A terrific new release from France, starring Isabelle Huppert in an unconventional role.
Films of Moustapha Alassane
I had never seen this foundational Nigerien director’s work until we worked with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy to bring a limited retrospective to Austin. His features TOULA and RETURN OF AN ADVENTURER should be in the global cinema canon and are ripe for re-release– it was pretty thrilling to present them at AFS even in their un-restored versions.
COLD WATER (1994)
This was one of the highlights of my year. Long unavailable in the US, I had only seen this film on TV in France. Presenting this with director Olivier Assayas in person last March was not only a highlight of my year but of my career in film programming.
Films of Jiri Trnka
I watched a few dozen of his short animations to curate the shorts program that we brought to the cinema in November. They are all incredible, particularly THE HAND, which is one of the best films I’ve ever seen about authoritarianism.
CURE
Gabe Chicoine, Marketing Associate
CURE (1997)
The perfect restraint of this horror/mystery about a serial killer who hypnotizes others into committing his murders cemented my respect for Kiyoshi Kurosawa (PULSE) as a master of art horror.
DIVA (1981)
Vespa chases through the glistening neon streets of 1980s Paris. A plot that hinges on a purloined cassette tape that could either contain a bootlegged aria or a crooked cop’s confession. All set to an immersive score by Vladimir Cosma – what’s not to love?
PERFECT BLUE (1998)
There is a meticulous virtuosity to PERFECT BLUE that earns it’s title. Everything is impeccable, from the colorful, yet cold aesthetic of the animation to the carefully-wound plot that unfolds like a master labyrinth.
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA (2017)
This documentary about the latest chapter in the legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s career–in which he turns his gaze both inward after a cancer diagnosis, and outward at the changing climate that threatens the future of his country–unlocked new perspectives on how one can approach art and life.
THEY’RE COMING TO GET YOU (1972)
The 35mm presentation of Sergio Martino’s potent cocktail of occult rituals, pseudo-psychology and black-gloved murders was elevated by an excellent live demonstration of the instruments used in giallo soundtracks.
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS
Charles Wright, Production & Programming Associate
Midnight Express (1978)
Great film, it’s brutal and beautiful at the same time.
Pillow Talk (1959)
Simple concept that is very well executed and probably not something that would never be thought of considering modern technology and current social norms.
MFKZ (2018)
Weird, a whole lot of fun… but weird.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Its a modern classic that I have seen many times and will watch again many more times… yet some how the movie was better on the big screen at the cinema.
The Warriors (1979)
I love this movie, I’ve watched it several times this year alone. I loved the experience of seeing it on the big screen for the first time at AFS Cinema. It was a nearly religious experience for me and I thank everyone there who made it happen.
New Years Resolutions: Make it to the cinema at least once a month. Watch more than Horror, SciFi and Super Hero genre movies.
BURNING
Yolanda Gamble, Youth Media Specialist
Burning (2018)
South Korean cinema just continues to rise and captivate so hope to see more of that in 2019!
Minding the Gap (2018)
I’m excited about Bing Liu, as an emerging Asian-American filmmaker voice and to see more from him.
Searching (2018)
The filmmaker Q&A on this one was my favorite of the year. To hear the production process from start to finish and how they were able to get John Cho to star in their film was fascinating and stuck with me.
The Big Heat (1953)
Definitely, the Noir Canon. That was one of my favorite series and I’ve discovered a new love for those good old fashioned who done its.
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
I’ve discovered Miziyaki late in life and I’m catching up. I also liked AKIRA when we showed it!
My 2019 film resolution: Recently, I watched COFFY (1973) for the first time. I’ll be diving into more Blaxplotation cinema into 2019. Included on the list: FOXY BROWN, SUPERFLY, CLEOPATRA JONES.
THE ADDICTION
Graham Young, Equipment Specialist
The Addiction (1995)
Embarrassed I hadn’t seen this before. I’m a huge Abel Ferrara fan. This is one of his best films.
Fascination (1979)
I’ve watched 7 films from director Jean Rollin this year. It all started with THE NUDE VAMPIRE and FASCINATION at the AFS cinema.
Night and the City (1950)
Jules Dassin doesn’t get enough credit. His films are amazing and NIGHT IN THE CITY is no exception. Richard Widmark’s performance is spectacular.
Out of the Past (1947)
The noiriest film noir of all time.
The Rite (1969)
This really took me by surprise. You can’t call yourself a Bergman fan unless you’ve seen THE RITE. Don’t sleep on this one!
My 2019 film resolution: Watch the films of Jacques Demy, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Jacques Rivette, David “The Rock” Nelson, and Bruno Mattei.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT
Ellie Kotapish, Development Manager
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)
I saw this on New Year’s Day at the Cinema and bawled like a baby at the end.
KEDI (2016)
Loved seeing the documentary again at the Cinema, and it was great partnering with APA!
THE FINAL YEAR (2017)
Seeing this film was a sad but inspiring experience. One of my favorite docs of the year!
MINDING THE GAP (2018)
I caught this during our first Doc Days festival, and I was very impressed with the filmmaker. The footage and story were very impressive!
NEVER GOIN’ BACK (2018)
I found this film super relatable since I grew up in a small suburb of Fort Worth, where arts & culture lacked. Augustine Frizzell was great during the Q&A!
My 2019 film resolution: See more international films! I tend to fixate on documentaries and American dramas, but luckily AFS programs tons of international series a year.
THE WARRIORS
Shannon Kors, Sales Manager
THE WARRIORS (1979)
Because even though I am a child of the 80s, I managed to miss this one and loved discovering it in all its camp.
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
Somehow I never saw it even though it’s a well-known classic. It lived up to all its hype!
KUSAMA: INFINITY (2018)
A superb documentary about an amazing artist; inspired my Halloween costume this year!
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE
Chris Engberg, Manager, Austin Studios
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE (2017)
This was my first Aki Kaurismäki exposure. I’ve since visited his earlier work, which is much in the same vain. All concisely assembled and bleakly enjoyable.
BEGGERS OF LIFE (1928)
I love early cinema and opportunities to see great silent films on the big screen. Louise Brooks blew me away in this. I hope we get to see more silents in the future!
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978)
We were asked our top five of of the year. I’ve been going down the list chronologically and am still in January here. This movie floored me! I think this one isn’t as widely seen as it should be by people of a younger generation.
PAPER MOON (1973)
Another one I probably should’ve seen years ago but hadn’t. A flawless movie and so glad to experience at the AFS Cinema.
THE LONE WOLF & CUB [series]
Slight cheat since this is six movies. Engaging, sensational, violent, touching, wildly inappropriate, foul, fun — these had it all!
BOMB CITY
Austin Culp, Marketing Strategist
BOMB CITY (2018)
Growing up in Amarillo, this was a story that I was very familiar with. Watching the big screen version of added a whole new layer to my understanding of the events.
BURNING (2018)
I had been waiting for this one since it premiered at Cannes. Once I finally saw it, I was not disappointed. Slow moving, yet fully engrossing. Some of the best scenes of the year.
WAIT TILL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE (1952)
Any of the Jewels in the Wasteland screenings hosted by Richard Linklater that I made it to were memorable. So add in Karina Longworth, host of You Must Remember This, and you’ll have an event you’ll never forget. Plus the movie is just unbelievable for all the stops that it pulls out.
BABY FACE (1933)
If I could, I’d mark down the entire pre-code series as a highlight for 2018. Looking back at the ’30s, there’s always a rosy glow feeling that every one was pure and saintly back then. This film says “nah, not quite” and I enjoyed every minute of it.
SUSPIRIA (1977)
I somehow missed the new restoration when it played it 2017, so when more screenings were added in April of 2018, I had to go. It’s an experience that I wouldn’t want to have anywhere other than a movie theater.
It’s that time of the season to grab a warm drink, cozy up, and watch holiday classics with your loved ones. We asked the AFS staff what their go-to holiday films are for this season. Read on below to hear what they had to say. In addition to our staff, we polled our Instagram followers for their favorites, too. Did your favorite not make the list? Be sure to tell us on Facebook or Instagram what’s missing!
NATIONAL LAMPOON CHRISTMAS VACATION: This movies brings back so many nostalgic memories for me. As a kid, my family would watch it all together and laugh at the same parts. This film captures so beautifully the joy, insanity, and warmth of the holiday season.
ELF: For me, it’s a holiday classic. The film is so simple and innocent. There is such a genuine purity in Buddy the Elf and he reminds us all of the kid inside us!
SCROOGED: This showcases the ’80s so well. I love the ostentatiousness of this movie. It’s an over-the-top Christmas movie filled with the bitterness and loneliness that can come with the holidays. Both the film and Bill Murray are great.
Graham Young, Equipment Specialist
EYES WIDE SHUT:Stanley Kubrick could film Christmas lights like nobody’s business. Stunningly beautiful film. My favorite “bleak” Christmas movie.
FANNY & ALEXANDER: One day I hope to host a Christmas party that’s half as good as the Ekdahl family. What a night!
SCROOGE: Alastair Sim’s portrayal of Ebeneezer Scrooge is my favorite. The film’s cinematography and optical effects are out of this world.
Lars Nilsen, Lead Film Programmer
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Everyone knows about IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but I sometimes wonder if I am seeing it through a different lens than many others, who call it “sentimental,” a “tear jerker, ” etc. I think it’s a really dark, really emotionally honest film, and the pain that many Americans were feeling at the end of WWII (including James Stewart, a highly decorated flyer and bomber commander), gives it a resonance that we still feel today.
DONOVAN’S REEF: I am not sure how many people have seen the late John Ford film DONOVAN’S REEF, which takes place over the holidays on a tropical island. It is sort of a last reunion for many of Ford’s stock company and everyone is having a good time. It is also a film about overcoming racial prejudice and uniting families. A couple of moments fly in out of nowhere to choke me up, especially the Christmas service in a decrepit chapel. Ford’s poetic eye for staging never deserted him.
Ellie Kotapish, Development Manager
WHITE CHRISTMAS: This movie is very nostalgic for me. I grew up watching with my family, and we continue to do so every holiday season!
Shannon Kors, Sales Manager
THE FAMILY STONE: Amazing writing. Great cast. Heartfelt story.
THE HOLIDAY: This is one of the best/worst holiday movies. Cameron Diaz is not at the top of her acting game, but this is an easy-to-watch Nancy Meyers film where everyone ends up happy.
EMMET OTTER’S JUGBAND CHRISTMAS: It has such a nostalgic aspect to it since it was constantly on HBO when I was growing up. The puppetry alone is incredible!
Instagram Followers
We took it to Instagram to ask our followers which films they love to watch around the holidays. Below you’ll find a solid list of classics, little-known holiday films, and some that are sentimental non-holiday watches.
2046
A CHRISTMAS STORY
ALIEN
BLACK CHRISTMAS
BLAST OF SILENCE
BRAZIL
CAROL
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT
CHRISTMAS VACATION
CHRISTMAS, AGAIN
CITY OF LOST CHILDREN
DIE HARD
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
ELF
EMMITT OTTER’S JUGBAND CHRISTMAS
ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS
EYES WIDE SHUT
FAMILY STONE
FANNY AND ALEXANDER
FUNNY GAMES
GREMLINS
HARRY POTTER SERIES
HOME ALONE
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
IN BRUGES
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
KRAMPUS
LITTLE WOMEN
LOVE ACTUALLY
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
MIXED NUTS
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
PRANCER
RARE EXPORTS
ROCKY
ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER
SCROOGED
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT
SISTERS
SURF NAZIS MUST DIE
THE APARTMENT
THE BISHOP’S WIFE
THE HEBREW HAMMER
THE MAGIC CHRISTMAS TREE
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
THE THIN MAN
TRADING PLACES
WHITE CHRISTMAS
Let us know what your favorite holiday films are on Facebook and Instagram!
CHEF FLYNN opens at AFS Cinema on Friday, December 7th. There will be a Skype Q&A with director Cameron Yates and subject Chef Flynn on Sunday at the 3:30 PM show. Tickets are available now!
“I would say that I’m the last person in the world to care about a foodie documentary, but CHEF FLYNN is a documentary about family, talent, and letting go, far more than it is a film about creme brûlée. It’s a film about a really interesting family. The fact that this family was documenting everything from Flynn’s birth is what makes it so incredible. It’s just incredible that this kid knew what he wanted to do from the time he was four years old.” – AFS Lead Film Programmer Lars Nilsen
While many of his peers were still playing with toy cars, Flynn McGarry was creating remarkable gastronomic delights at his home in Studio City, California. Enjoying unwavering support from his mother Meg, an artist who documented every step of his distinctive journey, he devoted himself entirely to his creative passion. Flynn loved to prepare elaborate dinners for friends and family and soon became known as the “Teen Chef,” establishing his own supper club at age 12 and being featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story at age 15. Before he was 16, he had staged in top restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, and Europe. But critics soon emerged who challenged Flynn’s rapid ascent in the culinary world, threatening to distract him from his dream. Pairing Meg’s exhaustive home videos with intimate vérité footage, director Cameron Yates (THE CANAL STREET MADAM) creates a collage of Flynn’s singular focus and one-of-a-kind childhood. The result is a uniquely comprehensive portrait of a young star’s rise as seen from the inside.
This Sunday, we’ll launch our new Jazz on Film series, programmed by documentarian and University of Texas Professor Dr. Paul Stekler. The series dives into jazz and the people who make this music and live by its rhythms. Here’s AFS Lead Film Programmer Lars Nilsen on the series.
How did how did this Jazz series come together?
University of Texas Professor and filmmaker Paul Stekler walked up to me at a screening and said “let’s do a series about New Orleans music.” I suggested instead of doing that, because I feel like we’ve kind of covered a lot of that in our past Les Blank shows, how about we sort of expand the whole thing and then look at jazz films. So I researched the availability of any possible titles we might play in a jazz on film series. He made his suggestions, I made my suggestions, and we sort of brought it together as sort of a final package. We ended up refining the series down just to three titles, or three show times I should say, over four titles. The common denominator is jazz music in some way or another, although it’s a fairly diverse bunch of styles of jazz that we cover in the series.
On: LETS GET LOST
So the first film, LET’S GET LOST, goes far beyond just the style of jazz. LET’S GET LOST is about Chet Baker, a jazz trumpeter from the Cool California jazz scene that evolved after bop had come and gone. A sort of post bop evolved on the West Coast, which became “Cool jazz,” mainly white musicians operating out of Los Angeles around Shelly Manne’s nightclub. These musicians had found their own sort of style. We might have looked at “Birth Of The Cool,” Miles Davis’s album, as sort of a blueprint for this style of jazz, it’s sometimes fairly harmonically complex but not volcanic in its inventiveness. Chet Baker emerged from the scene as sort of a star for a lot of reasons, partly because he was an excellent jazz musician, trumpeter, singer, and interpreter of songs. But, then there was also a photographer named William Claxton who had taken these photos of him that are just among the most beautiful photographs ever taken. Baker was as handsome as a movie star, maybe handsomer, and so he became a star both because of the quality of his music and because of his sort of movie star image. That’s really what that movie, LET’S GET LOST, is about. It’s not just about Chet Baker as musician, it’s about Chet Baker as this ruined photographic subject. The film was made by different photographer, Bruce Weber, and what he is documenting is Chet Baker, not this young handsome man, but an old man who looks like a ruin, who looks almost like when we see Piranesi’s etchings of the ruins of Rome that are still beautiful, but they’re ruins. Chet Baker in this film is still beautiful but he’s a ruin, and he’s not only visually a ruin, he’s a ruin when we hear his music. His embouchure for blowing on the trumpet isn’t quite there anymore, his singing voice is no longer this clear beautiful sound it has guitar, it’s an old man’s voice. That’s what that movie is about, it’s about the sort of ruined beauty that is still beauty.
ON: PIANO PLAYERS RARELY EVER PLAY TOGETHER & JACKIE McLEAN ON MARS
PIANO PLAYERS RARELY EVER PLAY TOGETHER is about three generations of New Orleans piano players: Tuts Washington, Professor Longhair, and Allen Toussaint. With those three playing together, we observe how musical traditions have wended through these generations, how musical traditions change as they’re adopted by a particular person’s personality, and how that person’s personality becomes absorbed in the musical tradition. So when we hear Allen Toussaint playing the piano, he is playing piano as Allen Toussaint, but also as Tuts Washington, Professor Longhair, and also as a whole line of people whose names we don’t know because they were before recorded history. So that’s what the film’s about: it’s both piano playing and then the tradition. We also see a good deal of New Orleans tradition in the film. We also get to see what comes with a jazz life, which is to say a life of improvisation, a life of fun, a life of celebration, and a life of dealing with one’s considerable troubles by having fun and plenty of music.
On that same bill is JACKIE MCLEAN ON MARS, which is a film about Jackie McLean who is a an excellent post-bop musician from the East Coast who, in order to sort of hustle a living together, has taken a job teaching at State University of New York. He’s teaching a jazz class and we observe one of his classes and how he talks to the students. In an interesting sort of way, it’s a parallel to the New Orleans documentary because we hear something of the jazz acculturation as he attempts to pass it on to another generation of students. We hear the imperfection of an academic setting for putting this over, and it becomes a comic tension in the thing that he’s dropping all of this amazing science on these students in this very sort of hip lingo and hip language and there’s a difficulty in communicating it. So it’s called JACKIE MCLEAN ON MARS because it’s almost like his head space is from a completely different planet. I don’t even know if he plays music in that movie. It’s just about the jazz culture and trying to communicate jazz culture across generations.
On: I CALLED HIM MORGAN
I CALLED HIM MORGAN is the most recent film made in this whole series. It was made a couple years ago by Swedish filmmaker Kasper Colin. It is about jazz, a jazz lifestyle, and a manslaughter that happens. The great jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, who recorded for Blue Note, was also part of a post-bop/hard-bop generation. He was killed by his wife in an altercation in a bar on a cold winter night, and the film—I would say in a way sort of influenced by podcasts like Serial—goes through and talks about the many facets of the killing and the death and, at the same time, we go through and we understand a lot about Lee Morgan’s life as it leads up to it. It’s a life that is building towards tragedy. Like almost everybody else that we examine in this series, he had drug problems. That’s an overriding theme in this series is drugs and people dealing with drugs, people beating drugs, etc.
HOW ARE JAZZ AND FILM SIMILAR ART FORMS?
Jazz is probably the greatest indigenous American art form, an art form created by African Americans, many of whom were brought here during slave times. As an art form, there’s so much contradiction bound up in it, in that people who have been oppressed, who were enslaved, who came to this country in chains in many cases, gave America its highest flowering of culture. There’s not even a close second place. It’s so important that we understand this art form. If I asked a lot of young people what you think of jazz, they would probably think of smooth jazz and Kenny G, so I do think it’s important to sort of have a grounding and an understanding that this is an art form that America should be really proud of.
Film, and in particular documentary, is an art form that Americans can feel very strongly about having had a hand in creating. Americans have elevated the documentary to an art form in the last century. So these two art forms coming together should justly give us pride in our American heritage, as complicated it may be, and inspire us to sort of move forward as Americans and value our artists and support the arts.
If you had to recommend one album per artist profiled in this series, which album would you recommend?
Chet Baker: “Playboys” with Art Pepper is a session that shows off Baker’s tone and power alongside his friend and fellow junkie, altoist Art Pepper, who went down the same road of drug addiction as his friend Baker but lived to tell about it – also the LET’S GET LOST soundtrack album, which provides quite a contrast to the energy of Baker’s youth.
Professor Longhair: “Rock n’ Roll Gumbo” – with Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown on guitar. This is a session made late in life after not recording for many years, and it is just on fire with energy and invention. I think it is the best Professor Longhair record and one of the best New Orleans piano records of all.
Allen Toussaint: Many to choose from, including some of the finest soul records of the ’70s, but for his piano playing, “The Wild Sound Of New Orleans”
Jackie McLean: “One Step Beyond” – Jackie McLean came up as a bop saxophonist and, as hard bop cooled off, and began incorporating new harmonic textures , McLean was right there in the midst of it, listening and leading. “One Step Beyond” features McLean’s fierce, bop-inflected tone in an extremely modern setting, alongside vibist Bobby Hutcherson, trombonist Grachan Moncur, and driven by the beat of 17-year old master drummer Tony Williams.
Lee Morgan: “Sidewinder” – Among the most popular artists on Blue Note Records in the ’60s, trumpeter Lee Morgan helped to bring the blues back into post bop. His music, which features some of the dynamics of his mentor Art Blakey’s hard bop sound, also appealed to R&B audiences, and Morgan’s proud and sometimes truculent personality comes through in his playing.
Australian Short Film Today screens their new short film lineup at AFS Cinema on Wednesday, November 28. Join us early for an Aussie reception, then stay after the film for a conversation between AFS Founder Richard Linklater and the program’s producer, Chris Beale. Members get in free! Get tickets.
Coming up on November 28, AFS presents Australian Short Film Today, a collection of shorts from the land down under. From Jane Campion’s student film PEEL to the Academy Award-nominated THE ELEVEN O’CLOCK, the program represents the continent’s unique filmmaking scene. We had the opportunity to speak with Chris Beale, producer of Australian Short Film Today.
AFS: You served on the selection committee of the Australian Short Film Today program. Tell us about the process.
Chris Beale: We tracked about 1,000 films, saw over 230, and narrowed the number down to 35 for the selection committee, and they selected the 9 films we are screening. It was a huge labor of love.
What makes this evening a not-to-be-missed film event?
You’ll see a wide range of well-made films dealing with serious as well as light themes, and you’ll see unusual characters and hear unusual stories, threaded with an Australian sense of fun. Australians are great storytellers.
Also, it is not often you see a retrospective of a short film. We are showing legendary director Jane Campion’s student film PEEL. It won best short film at Cannes in 1986. I met Jane at Lincoln Center last year and asked her permission to screen her short, and she said yes, although we also needed the permission of AFTERS (Australian Film Television & Radio School) where Jane made the film. We’ve screened films from AFTERS before and they have been generous to us with their films.
What themes did you see this year?
One theme is that – apart from Jane’s film – there is only one student film in this year’s program (ADELE). This is a change from past years. This reflects the emergence of small production houses and crowdfunding, as well as new socially-oriented producers such as the production company behind KILL OFF, and we’re also seeing established screenwriters and actors producing and directing their own shorts as a calling card for a feature film directorship.
Can you talk about one particular short within the program that you think audiences will particularly enjoy?
Well, it’s hard to choose one because they are all so different. I think the audience will enjoy THE ELEVEN O’CLOCK, a cleverly-written comedy in which the psychologist’s patient thinks he is the psychiatrist. This short was nominated for a U.S. Academy Award this year. But so many others have won audiences’ hearts: ADELE, KILL OFF and LIBRARY OF LOVE for example. There is a keen following for WELCOME HOME ALLEN, a poignant film about a group of Viking warriors returning from an ancient war to a modern world. I don’t fully understand this film but I love it.
In what ways do the selected films reflect the changing society of Australia?
This year’s shorts reflect the rapidly changing nature of Australian society. It’s now mostly an inclusive society. There are two films this year that include immigrants to Australia from Africa. The female lead character from the Congo in ADELE is at high school in Australia and trapped in an arranged marriage, so she is a prisoner of that unattractive part of African tradition. Will she escape from that? The supporting male character from the Sudan in KILL OFF interacts with a young Australian girl with an intellectual disability (who is actually played by an American actress). He is the one adult who connects with her best, based on their shared passion for Krump.
Australian Short Film Today has been in existence for years. Can you talk about trends you are seeing in Australian film; shorts, in particular?
Australia has a small but highly developed film industry, with a small local box office. As a result, Australia exports movies as well as highly-trained actors and skilled directors all over the world.
Australian shorts are very diverse and cover a wide range of topics. While feature films dominate, I think short films occupy a bigger mindset for the film-going audience’s consciousness in Australia than in most other countries.
One trend is that short films are getting longer, and longer is not necessarily better. This is perhaps due to increased funding for shorts from state funding agencies and crowdfunding. I generally like to see shorts work within a 7-12 minute timeframe, so in constructing a 90-minute program we focus on those. It is hard to make a good short. The filmmaker has to draw the audience in quickly, deliver the story, and end quickly. Good short filmmaking is an art in itself.
What is the history of the Australian Short Film Today? How did you get involved in this program? Why was this touring program created?
Australian Short Film Today was founded in 1992 by a dear friend who had been a kindergarten teacher and the first on-air presenter of Romper Room on Australian television. She started it as a one-night stand in New York, and it became one of my favorite nights of the year. She had an artistic mind and it was anything but a children’s program. When she died in 2015, I felt I had to carry it on. After curating the first edition three years ago, I thought we should take the program to other cities to share the films broadly. This year the program will be shown in 8 cities including London, Paris and Berlin.
What is the importance of this touring program to Australian filmmakers and the Australian film industry?
The touring program is important in showcasing the talents of young filmmakers and increasing their global exposure. Our mission is to help them get that exposure.
What’s on your Austin to-do list when you are in town? Any favorite places that you always visit?
On my to-do list is dinner at Emmer & Rye. It’s one of the best restaurants in the country in my opinion.
About Chris Beale:
Chris and Francesca Beale are Australian expats who live in New York. Directly and through the Chris and Francesca Beale Foundation they support the arts, particularly film and ballet. They support Australian Short Film Today, an international traveling showcase of Australian film talent, and Australian International Screen Forum in New York, which connects Australian feature film screen talent with US film, television and digital production and distribution companies.
‘Tis the season to pack up and hit the road for the holidays. There’s no better time than now to start listening to new podcasts to keep you entertained along the way. We asked the staff here at AFS for podcast recommendations to hold you over for the next six weeks. Shameless plug: you can always listen to the AFS Viewfinders podcast here and anywhere else you can stream podcasts (iTunes, Spotify, etc).
P.S. On December 6, we’ll be joined by Karina Longworth, one of the top podcasters around. Longworth’s You Must Remember This podcast delves into stories of classic Hollywood and its idols, including Jane Fonda, Joan Crawford, Jean Seberg, and many, many more. Longworth will host a rare 35mm screening of WAIT TILL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE, then sit down for a conversation with Richard Linklater. This is a can’t miss event. Get your tickets here.
Without further adieu…
Lars Nilsen, Lead Film Programmer
You Must Remember This is in the top rank of movie podcasts, and Karina Longworth is bringing the literature and lore of Hollywood to the masses in new ways, and making new connections with audiences. Classic Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes dramas are often as compelling as the onscreen ones, and Karina brings that to life.
Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast can be maddeningly juvenile, but the guests are a pretty amazing cross-section of the film and TV nostalgia circuit. Expect to hear a lot of well-rehearsed stories/lies from people who have spent a lot of time on the convention floor signing autographs, but in-between enjoy the hourlong conversations with some fairly fascinating people who are scarcely interviewed elsewhere – people like Rosanna Arquette, Keith Carradine, Richard Donner and others.
The Best Show with Tom Scharpling is the podcast outgrowth of Scharpling’s earlier WFMU show of the same name. Scharpling, a comedy writer and director, is very quick and funny, and his shows are a master-class in how to do comedy without a trace of hackishness. There are call-ins, special guests from all disciplines, and regular “character” call-ins from the mind of Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster. It’s a long (3-4) hour hang-out type show, and, for me anyway, has become an unmissable weekly routine.
The Carson Podcast is totally not for everyone. Every week a different guest is interviewed about Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” run. One week it will be Angie Dickinson, another week it will be Carson’s cue-card man, the next week it is Ed McMahon’s daughter. I don’t even especially care all that much about Carson or the show but the stories are super-interesting. From listening to this podcast for a year and a half, I feel that a virtual hologram of the show’s 30 year history has been etched into my brain, and I like it.
Cole Roulain and Ericca Long, hosts of The Magic Lantern Podcast, are sort of the Nick and Nora Charles of movie podcasting. They are a married couple whose enthusiasm and respect for each others’ opinions and feelings is the animating spirit of the show. There are no facile opinions here, no parroting of publicity angles; these two engage with films both old and new with open minds and open hearts. It’s a joy to hear this much sincerity and intelligent consideration of films. After listening to two or three of these, Cole and Ericca begin to feel like treasured, trusted old friends whose advice and opinions we look forward to immensely.
Christine Lee, Director of Marketing and Communications
I recommend Homecoming, a narrative podcast with A-list talent including Catherine Keener and David Schwimmer. The story lures you in and keeps you guessing throughout — it makes for compelling and fun listening. It reminded me of my Serial (season one!) addiction. An Amazon Original TV adaptation just launched, with Julia Roberts as the lead. Can’t wait to see how it compares to the podcast!
Shannon Kors, Sales Manager
The DGA Director’s Cutis an intimate conversation usually between a filmmaker (writer/director/actor, etc) and a currently released film director. It’s a great conversation with some behind-the-scenes of the creative process with an audience Q&A section as well. Very similar to a Rick-moderated conversation with another filmmaker.
Max Benitez, Production Services Specialist
Like many cultural phenomena, what was once niche programming is now an NPR podcast. Stretch and Bobbito had global reach before the internet and their 90’s radio show discovered artists like Jay Z and Wu-Tang Clan. Kids in my Chicago high school would pass around bootleg tapes of their show recorded off the New York City airwaves. Now Stretch and Bob’s interviews range from filmmaker Jonah Hill to singer Erykah Badu to graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez.
I also listen to Fresh Air(WHYY) and The Business (KCRW) faithfully, too. But it’s also nice to hear boisterousness that sounds like hanging out with old friends.
Michael Thielvoldt, Program Manager
I love Karina Longworth’s show You Must Remember This. Additionally, though, I listen to Film Spotting, Slate’s Spoiler Special, and the film relevant episodes of Studio 360 and The Turnaround. For anyone with the ambition to hunt down a retired podcast there used to be a great series titled Watching the Directors, created and hosted by Joe and Melissa Johnson, that looked at a different director and her/his auteur signature per episode. This is definitely worth listening to if you can find it.
Chris Engberg, Manager, Austin Studios
I Was There Too with Matt Gourley is great. Interviews with people involved in some way or another in giant films, classics, etc. Matt Gourley also hosts podcasts with Paul F. Tompkins, Andy Daly, and other big comedy types — all great but not as film centric as this.
Austin Culp, Marketing Strategist
I’ve been making it a weekly habit to listen to Unspooled, hosted by Amy Nicholson (of the Canon) and Paul Scheer (from “The League” and many other projects). They’re doing a week-by-week review of the AFI Top 100 list from 2007, going behind-the-scenes of film and interviewing fans, friends, and those tangentially related to the film (the current owner of the boat from THE AFRICAN QUEEN).
MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. opens Wednesday, November 21 at AFS Cinema. Buy Tickets.
Drawn from a cache of personal video recordings from the past 22 years, director Steve Loveridge’s Sundance award winning MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. is a startlingly personal profile of the critically acclaimed artist, chronicling her remarkable journey from refugee immigrant to pop star.
She began as Matangi. Daughter of the founder of Sri Lanka’s armed Tamil resistance, she hid from the government in the face of a vicious and bloody civil war. When her family fled to the UK, she became Maya, a precocious and creative immigrant teenager in London. Finally, the world met her as M.I.A. when she emerged on the global stage, having created a mashup, cut-and-paste identity that pulled from every corner of her journey along the way; a sonic sketchbook that blended Tamil politics, art school punk, hip-hop beats and the unwavering, ultra-confident voice of a burgeoning multicultural youth.
Never one to compromise on her vision, Maya kept her camera rolling throughout. MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. provides unparalleled, intimate access to the artist in her battles with the music industry and mainstream media as her success and fame explodes, becoming one of the most recognizable, outspoken and provocative voices in music today.
HERE’S WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
“This is not a normal pop documentary, because M.I.A. is not a normal pop star.”
—THE ATLANTIC
“Inspires deep respect for the fierce and independent artist that is M.I.A., a person whose voice is necessary, now more than ever.”
—LOS ANGELES TIMES
“M.I.A.’s status as a pioneering, outspoken, determined brown woman is yet to be fully celebrated. When that time comes, this doc will be waiting to influence and inspire in equal measure.”
—TIME OUT
“The time feels suddenly ripe for the West to reassess her perspective anew, to see not irrelevance but foresight.”
— VULTURE
“It belies a pair of long-standing contemporary challenges: which members of the entertainment industry have license to cross the political commentary divide? And exactly how do these people, usually women or minorities, make their voices on personally important issues heard without being ostracized or mocked?” —NPR
If animation moves you, we’re showing an incredible amount of it this month at AFS Cinema. From our retrospective of Czech puppeteer Jiri Trnka, to classics like THE LAST UNICORN, to contemporary anime such as LIZ AND THE BLUE BIRD, MFKZ, PAPRIKA, and MIRAI.
In 2000, when 23 year old Don Hertzfeldt made the short film REJECTED, he never could have dreamed that his hours of labor with a 35mm camera, paper and pens would change the way animated short films were perceived in the new century. Directly and indirectly, the film created a new consciousness of humor and visual storytelling that went way up-market with Adult Swim and helped Hertzfeldt become the important and thoughtful filmmaker he has become since.
Here is REJECTED at last in an HD remaster. Enjoy.
For this AFS Viewfinders podcast, Lars Nilsen speaks with Writer/Producer Zack Carlson (Destroy All Movies, DAMSEL, JUNGLE TRAP), who presents a Walter Hill series at AFS Cinema this November. This podcast covers filmmaker Walter Hill (THE WARRIORS, STREETS OF FIRE), including his directing choices and casting THE WARRIORS ensemble. On top of that, the conversation cracks open the entire action movie genre—from LETHAL WEAPON to PREDATOR—discussing just what makes an action movie work (and not work), including characters, authenticity, stunts, and special effects. Plug in and sit down for this hour-long discourse between Zack Carlson and Lars Nilsen.
As a piece of bonus content, you can get a flavor for the series in this video where Zack goes over what makes Walter Hill stand out from other filmmakers.
