Doc Days, Ingmar Bergman, and Noir Canon: May and June Programming at AFS

(AUSTIN, TEXAS – April 9, 2018) Austin Film Society (AFS) announces its May and June line-up, which features a broad focus on below-the-radar filmmakers from around the world, alongside a number of American and European classics. AFS presents its first annual Doc Days film festival in May to showcase the work of local and international documentarians. “Bergman: The Darkness” is the first part of an ongoing 2018 series commemorating 100 years since Ingmar Bergman’s birth, and celebrating the renowned auteur’s contributions to cinema. June ushers in the work of Brazilian iconoclast Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, classics of film noir, and Homo Arigato’s CONTRAST festival.

WHO:  Austin Film Society
WHAT: May and June Programming: Doc Days, Ingmar Bergman, and Noir Canon
WHERE:  AFS Cinema | 6406 N Interstate 35 Suite 3100, Austin, TX 78752
WEB:  austinfilm.org
CONTACT:  Austin Film Society / Christine Lee: christine@austinfilm.org 
Austin Film Society / Meghan Malone: meghan@austinfilm.org

Highlights include:

Doc Days, 5/10-5/13
Introducing our first annual celebration of new non-fiction films and filmmakers, Doc Days presents brand-new documentary films with visiting filmmakers from the US and abroad. The weekend will include events, parties, discussions, and moderated Q&As by Austin’s documentary film community.

Bergman: The Darkness, 5/27-6/27
This year marks the centennial of the great writer/director Ingmar Bergman. We will present two selections of his work, one in summer and one in fall. This, the first of the two series, focuses on characters in crises both godly and man-made as seen through the lens of Bergman, perhaps the filmmaker most able to express this darkness.

Noir Canon, 6/1-6/29
In Paris, after the World War II Nazi occupation, American crime and detective films flooded back into cinemas after a four-year absence. The moral and visual darkness of these films caused French critics and audiences to coin a new term, film noir, to describe them. The narrative directness, visual sophistication and dark humor that characterized these films have made film noir enduringly popular. This series shares some of the foundational films of film noir and in our pre-film introductions, we will discuss what characterizes the genre, what it meant to audiences of its time, and what it still says to us today.

CONTRAST, 6/15-6/17
Programmed by the Homo Arigato team, CONTRAST is a 3-day festival of film, music, and performance taking place at venues across the city. CONTRAST highlights boundary-pushing, genre-defying, and forward-thinking filmmaking with an emphasis on female and queer artists. AFS Cinema is a venue for the festival. See contrastfilmfest.com for details.

The full programming line-up is below.

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Visit austinfilm.org for more details and screening times. >>

New Releases
The new AFS Cinema offers daily screenings of new releases on a full schedule. Dates and times will be updated weekly. May and June new release films include:

  • RBG, Opens 5/4
    Julie Cohen & Betsy West, USA, 2018, DCP, 97 min.
    At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg’s exceptional life and career.

Newly Restored Films

  • COLD WATER, 5/25, 5/26, 5/27
    Olivier Assayas, France, 1994, DCP, 92 min. In French with English subtitles.
  • CHRONICLE OF ANNA MAGDALENA BACH, 6/10, 6/12
    Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub, Germany & Italy, 1968, DCP, 94 min. In German with English Subtitles.

The Avant Cinema series showcases a variety of experimental films which have pushed the boundaries of content and have expanded film language.

Bergman: The Darkness

  • THE SEVENTH SEAL, 5/27, 5/30
    Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1957, 35mm, 96 min. In Swedish with English Subtitles.
  • THE VIRGIN SPRING, 6/3
    Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1960, 35mm, 86 min. In Swedish with English Subtitles.
  • HOUR OF THE WOLF, 6/10
    Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1968, DCP, 90 min. In Swedish with English Subtitles.
  • THE RITE, 6/17
    Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1969, 35mm, 72 min. In Swedish with English subtitles
  • CRIES AND WHISPERS, 6/24, 6/27
    Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1973, 35mm, 91 min. In Swedish with English subtitles

Doc Nights features new documentaries.

Essential Cinema: World Animation
We are showcasing animated films from around the world, both older and contemporary. Join us as we celebrate those filmmakers who have expanded our idea of what cartoons are all about.

  • VAMPIRES IN HAVANA, 5/17-18
    Juan Padrón, Cuba, 1985, 35mm, 69 min. In Spanish with English Subtitles.
  • MIND GAME, 5/18, 5/32, 6/2
    Masaaki Yuasa & Kôji Morimoto, Japan, 2005, 103 min. In Japanese with English Subtitles.
  • BIRDBOY: THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN, 5/18, 5/24, 5/26
    Alberto Vázquez & Pedro Rivero, Spain, 2017, DCP, 76 min. In Spanish with English Subtitles.

Essential Cinema: Jungle Freaks: The Cinema Novo Of Joaquim Pedro de Andrade
Joaquim Pedro de Andrade is one of the most important figures of Brazil’s Cinema Novo period and his film MACUNAIMA (aka JUNGLE FREAKS) helped to set the tone for this style of film that, much like its musical analogue, Tropicalia, gave the psychedelic and countercultural movements that were then sweeping the world a uniquely Brazilian beat. If you love John Waters’ and Lina Wertmuller’s approach to film narrative, we think you will enjoy these films.

  • MACUNAIMA, 6/7
    Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Brazil, 1969, 35mm, 95 min. In Portuguese with English Subtitles.
  • THE CONSPIRATORS, 6/14
    Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Brazil & Italy, 1972, 35mm, 100 min. In Portuguese with English Subtitles.
  • CONJUGAL WARFARE, 6/20
    Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Brazil, 1974, 35mm, 93 min. In Portuguese with English Subtitles.
  • BRAZILWOOD MAN, 6/28
    Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Brazil, 1982, 35mm, 106 min. In Portuguese with English Subtitles.

Films of Moustapha Alassane
Pioneering Nigerien filmmaker Moustapha Alassane made some of his first forays into filmmaking experimenting with hand-drawn animation. He continued to develop animated works throughout his career, and like his live action films, his animated shorts critiqued post-independence politics and society in Niger. We’ll be presenting three animated shorts, BON VOYAGE SIM (1966), SAMBA LE GRAND (1977) and KOKOA (1985) prior to two of his live-action films, RETURN OF AN ADVENTURER and TOULA. Programs are appropriate for ages 13+.

History of Television
After the dual box-office black sabbath of ROSEMARY’S BABY and THE EXORCIST, television producers took the hint and began to fill their schedules with horror anthology shows, many of which featured a black-magic background. We’ll share some of the history of these shows and present a representative selection of clips.

Homo Arigato
Rare and beautiful queer films presented by by Mouthfeel and Young Creature.

  • THE DOOM GENERATION, 5/16
    Gregg Araki, USA, 1995, 35mm, 83 min, R
  • CONTRAST Festival, 6/15-17
  • MISANDRISTS, 6/15
    Bruce La Bruce, Germany, 2017, DCP, 91 min.
  • SHAKEDOWN, 6/16
    Leilah Weinraub, USA, 2018, Digital, 82 min
  • GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI, 6/17
    Sophie Fiennes, UK, 2017, 115 min.\

Lates are late-night weekend screenings of the new cult film canon.

  • RUN, LOLA, RUN, 5/25, 5/26, 5/29
    Tom Tykwer, Germany, 1998, 35mm, 80 min. In German with English Subtitles.
  • 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, 6/1, 6/2, 6/4
    Lau Kar-Leung, Hong Kong, 1978, DCP, 115 min, In Mandarin with English Subtitles.
  • VALERIE & HER WEEK OF WONDERS, 6/8-9, 6/11
    Jaromil Jires, Czechoslovakia, 1970, Blu-Ray, 77 min. In Czech with English Subtitles.
  • TROUBLE EVERY DAY, 6/15-16, 6/19
    Claire Denis, France, 2001, 35mm, 101 min. In French with English Subtitles.
  • MORE, 6/22-23
    Barbet Schroeder, France, 1969, DCP, 112 min. In French with English subtitles
  • KOYAANISQATSI, 6/29-30
    Godfrey Reggio, USA, 1982, DCP, 86 min.

Modern Masters showcases the great filmmakers who are making their best work right now. Explore the respective works of Lucrecia Martel and Raoul Peck (I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO).

  • ZAMA, 6/2, 6/3
    Lucrecia Martel, Argentina, 2017, DCP, 155 min. In Spanish with English Subtitles.
  • THE YOUNG KARL MARX, 6/18, 6/24
    Raoul Peck, Germany, 2017, DCP, 118 min. In German with English subtitles

Noir Canon

Sunday School family-friendly screenings include:

The Complete LONE WOLF & CUB
Originating in a manga by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, the LONE WOLF & CUB series is one of the definitive Japanese genre creations. When the Shogun’s assassin Ogami Ittō is betrayed by his own clan, he and his one-year-old son, his only surviving relative, hit the road for revenge. The great success of the films ensured that it was a long road indeed. Here we present the entire original series, which captures many different variations in tone and attitude, but always remains satisfyingly action-packed and bloody.

SPECIAL EVENTS & GUESTS

Doc Days
Featured documentaries include:

  • MINDING THE GAP, 5/10
    Bing Lui, USA, 2018, DCP, 93 min.
  • OPUNTIA, 5/11
    David Fenster, USA, 2017, DCP, 60 min.
  • DEVIL’S FREEDOM, 5/11
    Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico, 2017, DCP, 74 min. In Spanish with English Subtitles.
  • OF FATHERS AND SONS, 5/12
    Talal Derki, Germany, Syria, & Lebanon, 2017, DCP, 99 min. In Arabic with English Subtitles.
  • THE SENTENCE, 5/12
    Rudy Valdez, USA, 2018, DCP, 85 min

 

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