THREE FROM LACIS

THE ORNITHOLOGIST

In February and March our annual series co-sponsored by the UW’s department of Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies will represent all three regions with two great new movies and a restoration of an established masterpiece. From Brazil, the luminous Sonia Braga stars in the controversial Aquarius. Portugal’s emerging master (and LACIS series veteran) João Pedro Rodrigues has returned with the highly regarded The Ornithologist. The series ends with a new 4K restoration of Cuban director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s much-heralded 1968 classic Memories of Underdevelopment. Special thanks to our colleagues at UW LACIS: Sarah Ripp, Alberto Vargas, Sarah Ann Wells.

  • Fri., Feb. 24 | 7:00 PM
    4070 Vilas Hall

The great Braga stars as Clara, a retired music critic who is the last tenant remaining in her Recife apartment complex.  Her refusal to accept a buyout from condo developers results in a standoff that exposes Brazil’s endemic corporate corruption, while reveling in its cultural artifacts. Mendonça Filho’s moving critique of contemporary Brazilian life has sparked numerous controversies at home, and was named one of the top ten films of 2016 by The New York Times and Cahiers du Cinema.  “A sensuous memory piece about the meanings we invest in places, objects, and music; and a lovingly tailored vehicle for the ever luminous Braga” (Dennis Lim, Artforum).

  • Fri., Mar. 3 | 7:00 PM
    4070 Vilas Hall

When his kayak capsizes during an expedition, an ornithologist finds himself stranded in the lush forests of northern Portugal.  Through a series of increasingly bizarre encounters in the wilderness, his struggle to survive morphs into a psychedelic vision quest.   Drawing inspiration from the story of Saint Anthony of Lisbon, Rodrigues crafts a subversive, erotic, and wholly unpredictable odyssey, ravishingly photographed and entrancingly enigmatic. (MK)

  • Fri., Mar. 10 | 7:00 PM
    4070 Vilas Hall

This landmark production from Cuba (unreleased in the U.S. until 1973) is a satirical adaptation of the novel by Edmundo Desnoes and set between 1961 and 1962. Corrieri plays an alienated member of the bourgeoisie who has decided to remain in Havana after most of his friends, including his ex-wife, have left for the U.S. Decidedly un-radicalized, he spends most of his time pursuing women. New 4K Restoration from Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation World Cinema Project. Restoration by Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in association with Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC). Restoration funded by The George Lucas Family Foundation and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project.