Films

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 6:30PM 

$6 MEMBERS 

$10 STUDENTS 

$12 NONMEMBERS 

 

[1995, 98 MINUTES, NR, in French with English subtitles]

La Haine (Hate) tells the story of one summer day in the lives of three friends in a Parisian low-income housing project. After an incident of police brutality against their friend and an ensuing riot, the three friends – Vinz, a Jew; Saïd, an Arab; and Hubert, an Afro-Frenchman – distract themselves and avoid the police. When one friend reveals he has found a police revolver, and fears of another riot become imminent, the young men struggle to keep their heads and stay alive. Filmed in stark black and white, with raw and brilliant performances, La Haine is a compelling human narrative.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

RAMEN PRESENTATION: 5:30 PM

FILM: 6:30 PM

[1985, 115 MINUTES, NR; in Japanese with English subtitles] 

$6 MEMBERS

$10 STUDENTS

$12 NONMEMBERS


Co-presented with Slow Food Sacramento in honor of farm-to-fork month, Tampopo has been called “one of the best food movies of all time” by eater.com. An homage to ramen, Tampopo dishes out hilarity in a series of vignettes all loosely based around the plight of a small ramen shop. Produced in the style of a Spaghetti Western (or as it was dubbed early, “Ramen Western”), Tampopo received a 4-star review from Roger Ebert who called it a “tour de force” and “universally funny.”


Before the screening, at 5:30 PM, Chef Yasushi Ueyama will demonstrate the fine art of noodle-making and sake tasting as a first course to the film Tampopo. The owner of Sacramento Slow Food Snail of Approval restaurant Shoki Ramen, Yasushi approaches the humble noodle with a passion and creativity that will whet our appetites for the movie.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6:30 PM

$6 MEMBERS

$10 STUDENT

$12 NONMEMBERS

 

[2007, 99 MINUTES, NR; in Spanish with English subtitles] 

Set in a dystopian future in the spirit of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, La Antena (“the antenna”) examines the theme of media mind control through powerful film imagery. Deeply imaginative and with references to silent-era films such as Metropolis and A Trip to the Moon, La Antena made a splash when it premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival, and went on to win several top film awards. Critics called it “a work of curious and unsettling beauty” (Times UK) and “In a word: Unmissable” (Empire Magazine). Don’t miss your chance to see this rarely screened and deeply original film.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2 PM

FREE FOR MEMBERS

FREE WITH GENERAL ADMISSION FOR NONMEMBERS

Join us for a film that demonstrates and celebrates the power of art to transform lives even in the worst circumstances. They Call Us Monsters follows the journey of three juvenile inmates living out life sentences in a Los Angeles prison, and what happens when they are invited to take a screenwriting course. As they discover their abilities and imaginations, we learn who they are, the circumstances surrounding their crimes, and how everyone has a story. A panel discussion with the filmmaker will follow the screening.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 6:30 PM

$6 MEMBERS

$10 STUDENT

$12 NONMEMBERS

 

[1992, 115 MINUTES, NR; in French and Wolof with English subtitles] 

Directed by the great Senegalese writer and filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, considered the grandfather of African cinema, Guelwaar offers a potently satiric take on Senegal – and Africa more generally – as the country and continent transitioned from colonial rule to independence. Loosely centered on the story of a political activist who is killed and whose body goes missing, Guelwaar is by turns funny and poignant, and has been lauded by critics as a masterpiece.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 6:30 PM

$6 MEMBERS

$10 STUDENT

$12 NONMEMBERS

 

[1966, 85 MINUTES, NR; in Swedish with English subtitles] 
Persona is one of those films you can watch time and again. Directed by the fiercely innovative, provocative, and enormously influential Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, Persona is a modernist masterpiece considered by many to be Bergman’s greatest work. The story of a troubled actress (Bergman’s great muse Liv Ulmann) who is cared for by a nurse (Bibi Andersson) at a beautiful seaside cottage, Persona employs gorgeously stark camera work and techniques.