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SEED: THE UNTOLD STORY Q&A’s Opening Weekend

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SEED: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000-year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food.
Both directors, Jon Betz and Taggart Siegel, will be doing Q & As after the 4:50, 7:20, and 10:00 pm shows Friday, September 30 and September October 1 at the MONICA FILM CENTER.

Jon Betz will be doing a Q & A after the 11:00 am show in PASADENA ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2.

Taggart Siegel will be doing a Q & A after the 11:00 am show in CLAREMONT ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7fjRZQJXmc

SILVER SKIES Q&A’s this Weekend

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With humor and compassion, Silver Skies chronicles the unexpected events that occur when a group of eccentric seniors have their lives turned upside down by the sale of their beloved apartment complex.

Q&A schedule: at the Fine Arts after the 7:20pm screening on Friday 9/30 and at the Town Center after the 4:40pm and 7:20pm screenings on Saturday, October 1.  
These are the cast members who will be in attendance:
Friday: Barbara Bain, Valerie Perrine, Mariette Hartley, Jack McGee and Jack Betts.
Saturday: Barbara Bain, Mariette Hartley, Jack McGee.
Director Rosemary Rodriguez and producer Nestor Rodriguez  will also be in attendance at both theaters at all three screenings.

KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE Filmmaker in Person Opening Weekend at the NoHo 7.

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A gripping, nonfiction psychological thriller, Robert Greene’s KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE follows actress Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards, The Girlfriend Experience, LISTEN UP PHILIP) as she prepares for her next role: playing Christine Chubbuck, a Florida newscaster who committed suicide live on-air in 1974. As Kate investigates Chubbuck’s story (long rumored to be the inspiration for the classic Hollywood film NETWORK), uncovering new clues and information, she becomes increasingly obsessed with her subject. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE is a cinematic mystery that forces us to question everything we see and everything we’re led to believe.

KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE filmmaker Robert Greene will participate in Q&A’s after the 7 PM screenings at the NoHo 7 on Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17. The Friday Q&A will be moderated by Sundance Documentary Film Program Director Tabitha Jackson. The Saturday Q&A will be moderated by filmmaker Jeff Malmberg (MARWENCOL) and will include Keegan DeWitt, who composed the music for KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE . These Q&A’s are sponsored by the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism.

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https://vimeo.com/174542987

DANCER’s Sergei Polunin, filmmaker Steven Cantor and artsmeme.com’s Debra Levine at the Monica Film Center September 9 for two Q&A’s.

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We are thrilled to open the new documentary Dancer next week at the Monica Film Center and Playhouse 7. Dancer Sergei Polunin, the film’s subject, and Dancer director Steven Cantor will participate in a Q&A after the 5:20 and 7:40 PM screenings at the Monicas on Friday, September 9 and the 12:40 and 3 PM shows on Saturday the 10th. Dance critic Debra Levine, founder of artsmeme.com, will moderate the Friday Q&A’s.

Party animal, bad boy, ballet genius – Sergei Polunin confounds stereotypes just as his dancing defies belief. Blessed with impossible talent, he was born to be an international star but it was a destiny that nearly eluded him. After an unprecedented rise to the top, the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principle stunned the dance world when he walked away from a seemingly unstoppable career at the age of 22. The rigors of ballet discipline and the burden of stardom drove this vulnerable young man to the brink of self-destruction. Saved – if not tamed – by his mentor Igor Zelensky, Polunin is dancing again and dazzling audiences in Russia. But now he is ready to enter a bigger stage. Urban rebel, iconoclast, airborne angel, Polunin will turn ballet, “a dying art form,” on its head.

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Directed by award-winning documentarian Steven Cantor, Dancer offers a uniquely personal portrait of a most singular man and dancer. From archive footage of Polunin training at the age of six to be an Olympic gymnast, to intimate material shot by his parents, and in-depth interviews with family, friends, colleagues through to footage of Sergei’s life on and off the stage now, we witness every step of Sergei’s journey. We also interview his detractors – those who say that his training methods and preference for practicing alone, do not make him a company player. Polunin is a controversial, divisive character and he is shown in all his complexity.

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The film is also a showcase for his extraordinary physical and emotional range. Dance features throughout. The centerpiece of the film, as seen through the lens of David LaChapelle, shot in Hawaii: Polunin dancing to Hozier’s song “Take Me to Church” was leaked online during the Dancer production in February 2015 and generated over 10 million YouTube views within two months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCwc265NnDI

Director’s statement:

“How do you come to terms with a life definition that was created for you? When you’re the greatest in the world, what else is there left to achieve? To live for? Twenty-five-year-old, world-renowned ballet star, Sergei Polunin, has defined his life through his art, only to question his existence at the opportunity to become legendary.  Dancer is an intimate reflection of a talented and charming, but also complex and enigmatic ballet star at a vulnerable crossroads. By tracing through the memories of his life— particularly family and childhood sacrifices in destitute Ukraine— his complicated story unfolds, revealing a young man on the brink. Dancer weaves its narrative arc through archival footage, passionate dance sequences and present day verite scenes and interviews with important figures in Sergei’s life, as well as a remarkable stockpile of family photos and footage taken mostly by Sergei’s hard-driving mother, Galina. Ultimately, the film reveals a complicated, tattooed, young man, with skeletons, a sad past, and a beautiful artistic talent. As Sergei faces an uncertain future of his choosing, does he stick with dance or does he retire on top? The raw, remarkable dancer who captivates our eyes on screen and stage, will show the world where he ultimately decides to turn.”

THE SEVENTH FIRE Q&A and Panel Discussion at the Royal Opening Night.

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From executive producers Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre comes The Seventh Fire, a fascinating new documentary. When Rob Brown, a Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation, is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community. As Rob reckons with his past, his seventeen-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future: becoming the most powerful and feared Native gangster on the reservation.

The Seventh Fire executive producer Chris Eyre, director Jack Riccobono, and main subject Rob Brown will participate in a special Q&A after the 7:30pm screening at the Royal on Friday, July 29.

Chris Eyre – Executive Producer of The Seventh Fire.  Chris Eyre, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is a film director and producer who as of 2012 is chairman of the film department at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

Rob Brown – Film subject of The Seventh Fire.  Rob is a former Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation – and, in the film, is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community.

Naomi Ackerman – Naomi is founder and director of the Advot Project, a registered 501(c) 3 that uses theater to facilitate social change. Her educational curriculum, “Relationships 101,” is currently being implemented in public and private high schools as well as in juvenile detention camps in Southern California.

Fabian Debora – Homeboy’s Director of Substance Abuse—would be a perfect fit for this. Fabian is also an incredibly talented and accomplished artist. His work has been featured across Los Angeles and he also conducts classes for Homeboy trainees regularly at his Downtown studio. Fabian himself was previously gang involved before transforming his life through the Homeboy program.

Joanelle Romero – Joanelle is an award winner director, producer, and writer of American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian, that made the Academy’s Documentary Branch preliminary shortlist.  This is the first and only film to date that addresses the American Indian and Jewish Holocausts.  Romero is the only native filmmaker to be so close to an Oscar nod.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrWxijGmj-s

 

They flew through the air with the greatest of ease: Trapeze artists and the director of THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC in person for Q&A’s

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THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC, a fascinating look at the world of the flying trapeze, centers on one of the greatest acts in circus history, The Flying Gaonas. First performing on a trampoline, the Gaonas went on to become the star attraction for the best circuses in the world, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. Long-time Broadway director (and trapeze flyer) Tom Moore brings their story to life through interviews with family members and colorful archival material.

Meet them and the THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC filmmaker in person:

Monday, 20th, NoHo
Richie Gaona & Mercedes Gallup (partner), Jose Gaona, Alex Gaona, Masha Nordbye, Corinna Gamma (Photographer) and DIR Tom Moore.
On Tuesday, 21st, Pasadena
Richie Gaona & Mercedes Gallup, Jose Gaona, Masha Nordbye, and DIR Tom Moore
On Wedesday, 22st, Santa Monica
Richie Gaona & Mercedes Gallup, Jose Gaona, Corinna Gamma, Masha Nordbye, and DIR Tom Moore

Anniversary Classics in June: William Friedkin with THE FRENCH CONNECTION and Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris (Bernardo and Riff!) with WEST SIDE STORY

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I love New York in June. How about you? Well, this month we have two superb New York movies as part of our Anniversary Classics and some of the key talent behind them in person to talk about it.

William Friedkin
William Friedkin

This year marks the 45th anniversary of THE FRENCH CONNECTION, the gritty and gripping police thriller that won five Academy Awards in 1971, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Gene Hackman, Best Screenplay and Best Director for our special guest, William Friedkin. One of the key figures in the American cinematic renaissance of the 1970s, Mr. Friedkin has directed such films as The Birthday Party, The Boys in the Band, the enormously successful The Exorcist, Sorcerer, To Live and Die in L.A., Rules of Engagement, and the more recent Killer Joe.

We’ll screen THE FRENCH CONNECTION on June 18 at the Fine Arts Theatre. Beyond its adrenaline-fueled chase scenes, the movie boasts acute characterizations and potent social commentary about the moral compromises that may be endemic to police work. It also stands as one of the most vivid renditions of a decaying New York City ever committed to celluloid. Roy Scheider and Bunuel favorite Fernando Rey (as the suave European criminal kingpin) co-star. Reviews were ecstatic. Judith Crist called it “a movie-movie supreme.” Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that THE FRENCH CONNECTION was “a slam-bang, suspenseful, plain-spoken, sardonically funny, furiously paced melodrama.” Even highbrow Stanley Kauffmann, writing in The New Republic, hailed “the most exciting picture I’ve seen since Z.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwBbkSTfKa8

riffJune 29 won’t be just any night, because we’ll be celebrating the 55th anniversary of WEST SIDE STORY at the Fine Arts with Bernardo and Riff themselves, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. NOTE: Unfortunately, George Chakiris had to cancel for health reasons. One of the most honored and commercially successful of all movie musicals, WEST SIDE STORY earned a near-record 10 Academy Awards in 1961. The film version of the groundbreaking stage musical that re-imagined Romeo and Juliet in contemporary New York City retained and deepened the play’s emotional impact by bringing together a show business all-star team. The show’s director and choreographer, Jerome Robbins, worked with veteran filmmaker Robert Wise to transform the theatrical experience into electrifying cinema. Robbins and Wise reworked the classic Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim score and came up with fresh casting ideas for this ever timely story of racial prejudice and conflict. The stars of the movie included Natalie Wood, Oscar nominee Mr. Tamblyn, Oscar winner Mr. Chakiris, and Oscar winner Rita Moreno.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFahVIspakE

Our screening will be followed by a Q&A with the charismatic leaders of the movie’s rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Mr. Chakiris (Bernardo) had been a dancer in several 1950s musicals, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and White Christmas. Following his Oscar-winning performance in WEST SIDE STORY, he appeared in such films as Diamond Head with Charlton Heston, Flight from Ashiya with Yul Brynner, and the Jacques Demy musical The Young Girls of Rochefort, co-starring Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly. He also has extensive credits in theater and television.  West-Side-Story-DI-3-1

George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn
George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn

Russ Tamblyn (Riff) played Elizabeth Taylor’s younger brother in Father of the Bride in 1950. He displayed his dance abilities in such musicals as Hit the Deck and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and earned an Oscar nomination for his dramatic turn in the 1957 film, Peyton Place. His later work includes The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, the horror classic, The Haunting (also directed by Robert Wise), David Lynch’s cult TV series, Twin Peaks, and a cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

Both Q&A’s will be moderated by Los Angeles Film Critics Association president Stephen Farber.

Oscar-Nominated director of THE IDOL in Person for Q&A’s in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.

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hany-2190-3THE IDOL director Hany Abu-Assad will participate in Q&As following the 5:00 and 7:40 PM shows and introduce the 10:15 PM show on Friday, May 27 at the Monica Film Center. He will also do Q&As following the 4:30 and 7:10 PM shows in at the Fine Arts on Saturday, May 28th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF0Fh3WU5LI