April 19–26, 2001

cover story| the festival of independents

Programming

Something’s Happening to Robin Stark

Sunday, April 29

International House • 2:00
3701 chestnut St., 215-387-5125

Worlds of Women

Word Play (Beta, 5 min.) • Melicia’s World (Beta, 5 min.) • He Say She Say (Beta, 14 min.) • Eye of God (16mm, 5 min.) • Eating the Wolf (16mm, 17 min.) • kiss it up to god (16mm, 24 min.) • Angel in the Village (Beta, 35 min.)

Glimpses of several women and the actions that bring focus into their lives and the world around them: In Word Play, experimental animator Lynne Tomlinson creates her world using clay on glass. These five animated spots use language in fun, colorful and descriptive ways. Melicia Santana, 17-year-old first-time writer/director of Melicia’s World: Family and Friends, said, "I made this video because I was raised around my uncles and saw how their lives were. This made me think about my son, and how I do not want my son’s life to be like my uncles." Candid views and striking images fill this five-minute look at a single teenage mother in the city. He Say She Say was shot in four hours at University City High School using real students; girls take to fisticuffs in settling their differences. Plot takes a back seat in this stunning depiction of life at an inner-city school. Directed by Ira Abromovitz and Vince Mola with the help of community organizations and Temple’s Full Circle Theater. Eye of God by Hernán Reyes is the story of a mother and daughter who must learn to reconcile their faith in God with the reality of sexual abuse. Eating the Wolf is a psychological crime drama by plumber-turned-director Andrew Geltzer. The story fuses sexual desire and psychological imbalances in a triangle of love, anger, aggression and revenge. Church, State, Family… Esther Richardson returns home one sunny 4th of July weekend to confront the enigmas of life in Caran Hartsfield’s kiss it up to god. Caran has won several honors and awards, including a second place win for this film at the Cannes Film Festival. An Angel in the Village (an Emmy Award winner!) is a beautiful documentary about the life and work of internationally renowned Chinese-American artist and activist, Lily Yeh. Director Glen Holsten and producer Frances McElroy use colorful scenescapes and interviews to show how Lily has used art and people to create social change in North Philadelphia and Nairobi, Kenya.

Ritz East • 7:15
Second St., between Chestnut and Walnut sts., 215-925-7900

Also: Ritz East • May 1 • 12:30

American Chai

(East Coast Premiere, 35mm, 92 min.)

Remember in college when you were into music and playing in a rock band, all the while telling your hard-working, immigrant parents you were pre-med, studying to be a doctor? Sureel, a music major, has been living this life of deception to shield his old-world Indian parents from the new-world truth. Now that he’s about to graduate, the lies and restrictions Sureel has grown up with may bring him to an all-time low. Cultural tradition, musical influences and dreams all collide in this heartfelt coming-of-age comedy about a first generation Indian-American college boy. Winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival (Park City, Utah), the film offers outstanding production, performances and local band Fathead in a charming and insightful story for everyone. This first feature by writer/director Anurag Mehta (Cherry Hill resident and first generation Indian-American) is the latest in a growing tradition of outstanding feature filmmakers to come out of the Philadelphia area.

	When Dancers Go Bowling

Monday, April 30

Studio Theatre • 7:15
@ Annenberg Center
3680 Walnut St., 215-898-6791

Wrong Turns Not Forgotten

Tableau Vivante (Beta, 4 min.: 30 sec.) • OMEN (Beta, 11 min.) • Severed Souls (Beta, 26 min.) • Mr. Tomorrow (Beta, 2 min.: 39 sec.) • Prison Dialogues (Beta, 55 min.)

The characters in this mixed program of animation, documentary and experimental film might have chosen to be elsewhere, in another time and another place if given a second chance. Tableau Vivante by Sergio Schadel is a brief visit (in stop-motion animation) with a writer whose piece is reduced to "nothing of worth" as he succumbs to the death of the creative spirit — watch out for the tentacles from the dark below! Omen is an experimental short by renowned filmmaker Peter Rose, who wandered into an abandoned prison to film this one; it carries you along on a current of sound and image into unknown territory, where simple moments of observation morph into mysterious conjugations of light and shadow. Severed Souls explores the mystery surrounding the case of Corrine Sykes, the first African-American woman to be executed in the State of Pennsylvania. Director Tina Morton spent five years researching personal recollections of seniors who lived through the trial and swift execution of the young "colored" maid accused of murdering her employer. Even 50 years later, a sense of mystery and non-closure surrounds this story. Jon Michals’ animated short Mr. Tomorrow is a fable about what happens when you keep putting things off — be warned! The program closes with a work by award-winning documentary maker George McCollough. In Prison Dialogues, inmates serving life sentences at Graterford State Correctional Institute discuss their lives behind bars in an effort to stem the tide of younger offenders entering the prison system, where some as young as 13 years old are serving hard time.

Tuesday, May 1

International House • 9:15

Dance, Dance, Dance

Limón: A Life Beyond Words (Beta, 58 min.) • When Dancers Go Bowling (Beta, 17 min.) • Standing on the Edge, We Dance (Beta, 40 min.)

Does movement float your boat? Well, in this program, it will sink your bowling ball, too! In Limón: A Life Beyond Words, the accomplished Mexican-American choreographer is revealed as a man who dealt with his bicultural conflicts and gifts through dance. You’ll see rare early footage and photographs of Limón and his work. Directed by Malachi Roth and produced by Ann Vachon and Jeff Levy-Hinte. Then, what happens when an accomplished choreographer, an editor and a motion-on-the-fly cinematographer take a bunch of oddball dancers bowling? Through the wry humor and deadpan narration of a 1960s bowling instruction record, When Dancers Go Bowling, directed by Michael DeMirjian and Amanda Rabin, takes you to the alley and drops you in the motion: stylish, fun and visually ingenious. Carmella Vassor’s documentary Standing On The Edge, We Dance combines vivid dance footage of the electrifying Philadelphia Dance Company with a look at the challenging life and times of Joan Myers Brown, maverick artistic director and founder of Philadanco. Candid interviews and performance clips demonstrate the grace and gritty drive that brought this company to the unimagined realm of what can be.

Wednesday, May 2

International House • 5:00

Philadelphia: Hot Pepper/ Sweet Pepper

Todo el Mundo, Dance! (Beta, 30 min.) • Big Tea Party’s Unconventional Coverage: The Message and the Means (Beta, 26 min.) • Crosstown (Beta, 35 min.) • Life Stories from Philadelphia (Beta, 26 min.)

As these films demonstrate, activism and cultural history in Philadelphia are right up there with pretzels and cheesesteaks. Todo el Mundo, Dance!, a Youth Documentary History Project produced by Scribe Video Center and directed by five youth media makers, explores the history of social dance in the Latino and African-American communities in Philadelphia. Travel the streets of the city and witness rich varieties of dance from salsa and merengue to traditional African dance and hip-hop. Big Tea Party’s Unconventional Coverage: The Message and the Means takes you to ground zero at the Republican National Convention. This unblinking, thought-provoking segment will give you a feel for what activists, police and the city went through in planning for the Convention. Directed by Elizabeth Fiend, Valerie Keller and Gretjen Clausing. Crosstown, a documentary by Miriam Camitta, is the story of the community-led fight in Philadelphia in the ’60s and ’70s against a highway proposed for South Street. Life Stories From Philadelphia, a treat from Termite TV Collective, has natives and newcomers to Philadelphia tell their life stories in five minutes while riding to work on the train, tailgating at the stadium and looking for books in the library. Five minutes to share passions, poems and philosophies — and their love of beer! Directed by Anula Shetty, Carl Lee, Dorothea Braemer and Michael Kuetemeyer.

Thursday, May 3

International House • 9:30

Something’s Happening to Robin Stark

(World Premiere, Digital Beta, 108 min.)

In this tale of magical realism, terminally ill Robin Stark realizes when death comes for her that he has already stopped off at husband Jay’s blood-soaked, wrecked car — and made some sort of deal. This darkly humorous tale of imperfect love and relentless fight for life or death marks yet another powerful new voice in Philadelphia’s homegrown feature film scene. Directed by Gage Johnston, and shot in stunning super 16mm by David Deneen, the film also boasts a host of local favorites like Jennifer Childs, Peter Pryor and Pearce Bunting, with a musical score by Fred Goldfine. Brought to you in Digital Beta by Videosmith 215-238-5050.

Plus: The Monk and the Tiger (Beta, 4 min.: 30 sec.)

One day, after meditating, a Buddhist monk walks down a path and meets a starving female tiger. The monk’s selfless actions in this short animated piece by Micah Chambers Goldberg will put you in the proper mindset for the feature presentation.

Friday, May 4

Ritz at the Bourse • 6:15
400 Ranstead St., 215-925-7900

Everything For a Reason

(16mm, 88 min.)

In this first feature by Greek-American director Vlas Parlapanides (produced by his brother Charles), Manny Papadopoulos, a young aspiring writer, meets Eve Stephanopoulos, the girl of his dreams. But it’s summer at the Jersey shore, and Manny does not want a serious relationship to interfere with his career. This "little Greek film" is a charming feel-good story of character, humor, romance and captivating cinematography and editing.

Plus: That Special Monkey (16mm, 5 min.)

Enlightened by a menu in a Chinese restaurant, Steve and his friends set out to find That Special Monkey, an outstanding animated short by Sean McBride. A whimsical, beat-driven story in which humans take on the roles of animals.