Guests In Person!
FILM GEEK
One of the most talented directors to emerge in the final decade of the 20th Century, Nancy Savoca will join us in person on September 28 to introduce and talk about her independently produced 1994 gem Household Saints, and again on September 29 when she will present an episode from Roberto Rossellini’s L’amore (1948) and discuss its impact on her work. Nancy Savoca’s appearance is presented with the support of the Anonymous Fund and the Department of French and Italian at UW-Madison.
The title of Richard Shepard’s new cinematic memoir is Film Geek, a term that describes the obsessive moviegoer Shepard in New York City of the 1970s and 1980s before he entered film school and later became the Emmy-winning director of shows like Ugly Betty, Girls, and The Handmaid’s Tale, and movies like The Matador and The Perfection. Shepard will be with us on September 12 to show Film Geek, and again on September 13 to introduce Friday the 13th Part III in 3-D, a movie with thrills that provided a memorable moviegoing experience to the young Shepard.
Just before Halloween, on October 25, the Cinematheque screens a rare 35mm print of the harrowing Italian “found footage” horror Cannibal Holocaust, with an introduction and post-screening discussion with Nathan Wardinski, author of the new book Dissecting Cannibal Holocaust. Then, on October 26, a double feature of the inventive 2023 creepfest Dark Harvest, followed by one of its inspirations, Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Both films will be introduced by Dark Harvest screenwriter Michael Gilio.
On November 8, the Cinematheque will welcome filmmaker Kiera Faber for the world premiere of her hypnotic, visionary work of stop-motion animation, The Garden Sees Fire. The program will include six other works of animation and experimental cinema, followed by a discussion with Kiera Faber.
- Fri., Sep. 6 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
In an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, Donna and Michael (remarkable breakout performances from Sciorra and Eldard) are about to get married, but Michael would much rather be hanging out with his friends than settling down with Donna. With echoes of early Scorsese and Barry Levinson, this clear-eyed, utterly charming, yet totally unsentimental comedy-drama ushered in the American-Indie boom of the 1990s. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival, director Nancy Savoca’s feature debut is a fresh-faced, foul-mouthed slice of life. 35mm print courtesy of the Sundance Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. (BR)
- Thu., Sep. 12 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
This marvelously entertaining essay/memoir film by Emmy-winning television and film director Richard Shepard chronicles his youthful obsession with moviegoing in New York City of the 1970s and 1980s at beloved, now-vanished theaters. Constructed from over 200 film clips, including Shepard's early Super 8mm creations, Shepard’s story of his development as a cinephile and cineaste is interwoven with a poignant exploration of his enigmatic father. Shepard will appear in person to introduce Film Geek and participate in a post-screening discussion.
- Fri., Sep. 13 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
The third chapter in the hugely successful horror franchise continues the exploits of Jason Voorhees, the phantom of Camp Crystal Lake. Jason, here donning the hockey mask for the first time, slices and dices his way through another assemblage of not-so happy campers. The terrific 3-D effects, including a vast number of jutting blades, never looked better than in this new digital restoration. Filmmaker Richard Shepard (Film Geek) will be on hand to introduce this genre classic.
- Fri., Sep. 20 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
San Francisco, 1963. About to be shipped off to Vietnam, Eddie Birdlace (Phoenix) participates in a cruel game with his fellow marines: whoever brings the “ugliest date” to a party on their final night of liberty wins. Birdlace settles on Rose (Taylor), a sensitive aspiring poet and folk singer, and while their time together begins unpleasantly, the evening eventually leads to a genuine and tender connection between the young couple. In director Nancy Savoca’s first movie for a major studio, “The jolt is in the intricate expressivity Savoca brings to the story, with a repertoire of precise and painterly images that highlight performances of assertive yet graceful physicality” (Richard Brody, The New Yorker).
- Fri., Sep. 27 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Deep in the heart of Italo-American NYC, butcher Joseph Santangelo (D’Onofrio) brings home his wife Catherine (Ullman) after “winning” her in a pinochle game, only to be confronted by his mother's religiously superstitious objections. Years later, Joe and Catherine’s daughter Teresa (Taylor), dedicatedly dreams of serving God. The third feature from co-writer/director Nancy Savoca was adapted from a novel by Francine Prose into a movie that is “Transcendent...without a second that isn't blessed by the grace of its special humor and tenderness" (Roger Ebert). Savoca will appear in person for a special introduction and a post-screening discussion!
- Sat., Sep. 28 | 2:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Alone in her apartment, a desperate, nameless woman (Magnani) engages in a final phone conversation with her ex-lover. An adaptation of a one-act, one-character play by Jean Cocteau (later remade by Pedro Almodovar and Tilda Swinton), La voce umana is the first part of a two-part anthology and showcase for the great Magnani. The short film was selected for screening by filmmaker Nancy Savoca, who will introduce La voce umana and discuss how it provided inspiration for her own work.
- Fri., Oct. 25 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
Employing a “found footage” device that predates The Blair Witch Project by 20 years, Cannibal Holocaust tells of four documentary filmmakers who meet a brutal end at the hands of a savage South American tribe of cannibals. Director Deodato’s approach to this material is so intensely graphic and realistic that he and the film’s producer were arrested upon its release, and the film was seized. Film scholar Nathan Wardinski, author of Dissecting Cannibal Holocaust, will join us for a post-screening discussion and Q&A. Viewer discretion advised.
- Sat., Oct. 26 | 6:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
In 1962, teenage boys in a small, Midwestern farm town compete to defeat Sawtooth Jack, a deadly, candy-filled demon who annually rises from a corn patch on Halloween to wreak havoc. But the parents know more about this creepy tradition than they’re letting on and it’s up to rebellious teens Richie and Kelly to uncover the truth. Adapting a novel by Norman Partridge, director Slade (30 Days of Night, Hard Candy) and screenwriter Michael Gilio (Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) have conjured up an imaginative, allegorical horror tale that combines elements of Halloween III: Season of the Witch and Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery.” “Buckets of gore and exceptional creature design - Dark Harvest delivers October ickiness with a crooked smile” (Matt Donato, Paste Magazine). Michael Gilio will be on hand to introduce and talk about Dark Harvest after the screening.
- Sat., Oct. 26 | 8:30 PM4070 Vilas Hall
A cadaverous toy manufacturer (O’Herlihy) hatches an evil plot to destroy trick-or-treating children through the manufacturing of diabolical rubber masks. It’s up to our divorced doctor hero (Atkins) to stop the madman’s plan. This is the one film in the Halloween franchise that does not feature the stalking killer Michael Myers, though series creator John Carpenter did return as producer and co-composer of the cool synth score. Original and creepy, this cult favorite will be introduced by one of its superfans, screenwriter Michael Gilio (Dark Harvest).
- Fri., Nov. 8 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
In a mystical forest, a cycle of insatiable consumption begins to change the ecology of the wooded area. A visionary, dark masterpiece of stop-motion animation, The Garden Sees Fire (2024, 15 min.) is the latest work from the gifted filmmaker Kiera Faber. The artist will join us in person for the World Premiere of The Garden Sees Fire and offer a retrospective that begins with her experimental short films man-i-fest (2005, 3 min.), Children of God (2006, 4 min.), Evils (2006, 6 min.), T is for Turnip (2015, 3 min.), and her other highly accomplished stop-motion gems Living Organics (2009, 10 min.) and Obscurer (2018, 19 min.).
- Thu., Dec. 5 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
This sharp, witty exploration of Manhattan's fading debutante society, follows the romantic misadventures of a young outsider who finds himself entangled with a group of privileged Park Avenue socialites during the holiday season. As they gather nightly to debate love, honor, and their class’s looming decline, writer/director Whit Stillman’s debut film offers a satirical yet tender portrait of adolescent anxiety and self-discovery amid the rituals of the elite. With its deft, literate dialogue and comically highbrow observations, Metropolitan became a surprise hit of the 1990s and earned Stillman an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Whit Stillman will join us in person for a post-screening discussion!