AGH film series: FALL 2008
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The Last Mistress
Wednesday, September 10 @ 7:00 pm
Director Catherine Breillat, 2008, France, 104 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
The Last Mistress marks the monumental pairing of cinema's premiere provocateur, director Catherine Breillat (Romance, Fat Girl) with the most fearless and explosive actor of our generation, Asia Argento (Marie Antoinette, Boarding Gate). A penniless rogue, Ryno de Marigny, shocks 19th-century France with his engagement to the virginal gem of the aristocracy, Hermangarde, as lurid speculations of Ryno's ten-year affair with the carnal Vellini (Argento) swirl around him. A wickedly humorous depiction of human lust is revealed - overriding the brittle facade of nobility and reverence. Bolstered by Breillat's mastery of the medium and Argento's commanding performance, The Last Mistress is a highly entertaining yet incredibly provocative film that has resulted in unanimous praise from audiences and critics. 2007 T.I.F.F., 2007 Venice Film Festival. Rated 18A.
 Click here for more information about this film.
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The Tracey Fragments
Wednesday, September 24 @ 7:00 pm
Director Bruce McDonald, 2007, Canada, 80 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
*GUEST DIRECTOR Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, Highway 61) in attendance!
Fifteen-year-old Tracey Berkowitz (Ellen Page) is wearing a tattered shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny (Zie Souwand), who thinks he's a dog. Tracey's journey leads us into the dark underbelly of the city, into the emotional cesspool of her home, through the brutality of her high school, the clinical cat and mouse games with her shrink and her soaring fantasies of Billy Zero (Slim Twig) - her boyfriend and Rock 'n' Roll saviour. Her travels also put her in contact with the seedier inhabitants of the city, like Lance (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), her would-be saviour who ultimately puts her life in jeopardy. The Tracey Fragments was filmed primarily in Hamilton. Winner, Manfred-Salzgeber Prize, 2007 Berlin International Film Festival. Rated 14A.
Click here for more information about this film.
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Mongol
Wednesday, October 8 @ 7:00 pm
Director Sergei Bodrov, 2007, Russia/Mongolia/Germany/Kazakhstan, 126 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
Award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan in this stunning historical epic. Mongol delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the film paints a multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. Mongol shows us the making of an extraordinary man, and the foundation on which so much of his greatness rested: his relationship with his wife, Borte, his lifelong love and most trusted advisor. Masterfully blending action and emotion against some of the most arresting terrain on earth, Mongol is an exciting and awe-inspiring tale of survival and triumph, and a love story for the ages. 2007 T.I.F.F.; 2008 Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film Nominee. Rated 14A.
Click here for more information about this film.
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Priceless
Wednesday, October 22 @ 7:00 pm
Director Pierre Salvadori, 2008, France, 104 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
Set in the glamorous French Riviera and Monte Carlo, shy young bartender Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is mistaken for a millionaire by the beautiful seductress Irène (the arresting, Audrey Tautou, Amélie ). When Irène discovers his true identity, she quickly abandons the situation, only to find that a love-struck Jean has no intention of letting her get away. In Jean’s comical attempts to gain her affection, while quickly running out of money, he adopts his beloved's lifestyle, setting himself up as a male gigolo and moving into a luxury hotel. Rated PG.
Click here for more information about this film.
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My Mother’s Courage
*MONDAY, November 3 @ 7:00 pm
Director Michael Verhoeven, 1995, Germany/UK/Austria/Ireland, 92 min
*LOCATION: Westdale Theatre, 1014 King Street West, Hamilton
Presented in Partnership with the Hamilton Jewish Federation for Holocaust Education Week and in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht
From director Michael Verhoeven comes this stunning cinematic version of Hungarian author George Tabori's play and novel. This tribute to the human spirit is based on a true event in the life of the writer’s mother, Elsa. This is a powerful, moving and decidedly different telling of a true Holocaust story about the deportation of 4,000 Hungarian Jews from Budapest to Auschwitz in 1944. Told in flashback, the film focuses on the narrator's mother, who survived due to a mix of coincidence, courage and help from a most unexpected quarter. Pauline Collins' stellar performance as Elsa, plucked from her everyday life and thrown into the surreal nightmare of mass deportation, affords an extraordinary account of one individual's escape from death juxtaposed with that of the millions who did not survive. Winner of multiple awards including the Crystal Globe Award. Rated 14A.
Click here for more information about this film.
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Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, November 5 @ 7:00 pm
Director Deepa Mehta, 2008, Canada, 108 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
A new film by internationally acclaimed director Deepa Mehta, this is the story of a young Indian woman who finds herself creating an alternative reality in order to survive her abusive arranged marriage to an Indo-Canadian. Mehta explores the themes of imagination and mysticism, as well as domestic abuse. The part of the young bride, Chand, is played by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta and Seema Biswas, who was acclaimed for her role in Water. 2008 T.I.F.F. NR.
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Metropolis
Wednesday, November 19 @ 7:00 pm
Director Fritz Lang, 1927, Germany, 120 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
Presented in Association with the Hamilton and District Labour Council and 93.3 CFMU
Complementing the AGH exhibition Blood, Sweat and Tears: Labour in Art
Perhaps the most famous and influential of all silent films, for 75 years Metropolis, has been seen in shortened or truncated versions. Now, restored in Germany with state-of-the-art digital technology, and with the original 1927 orchestral score can be appreciated in its full glory. Metropolis takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor. The tense balance of these two societies is realized through images that are among the most famous of the 20th century. Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, Metropolis stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema. NR.
Click here for more information about this film.
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Imagine the Sound
Wednesday, November 26 @ 7:00 pm
Director Ron Mann, 1981/2007, Canada, 90 min
LOCATION: Art Gallery of Hamilton
*GUEST DIRECTOR Ron Mann in attendance!
Presented in Association with the Hamilton Music Collective
Complementing the AGH exhibition Hamilton/New York: Portraits of Sound - Photographs by Jimmy Katz
In this compelling documentary, award-winning director, Ron Mann, showcases celebrated pianists Cecil Taylor and Paul Bley, tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp, and trumpet player Bill Dixon in interviews and performances, as these prime innovators of the free jazz work of the Sixties demonstrate their determination to break down the musical barriers that characterized that decade. Not since Scorsese's The Last Waltz has a music documentary been so thorough and compatible with its subject. Alongside the dynamic performances, the film captures the diverse history and politicized roots of this unique musical genre. Imagine the Sound is an important chapter in the history of the jazz documentary. 2007 Miami Jazz Film Festival. NR.
Click here for more information about this film.
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Bottle Shock
Wednesday, December 3 @ 7:00 pm
Director Randall Miller, 2008, USA/France, 103 min
Location: Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
Shot on location in the breathtakingly beautiful Northern California wine region, Bottle Shock is the true story of an upstart band of wine makers and their dream of winning the historical 1976 blind wine tasting in Paris. When novice vintner Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) bought the Chateau Montelena, he risked everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect hand-crafted California Chardonnay. Meanwhile in Paris, struggling wine seller Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) is planning a publicity stunt to help his floundering shop: a wine tasting that would pit France’s world-famous wines against the up-and-coming ones being created in California. This dramatic comedy of a true story features an award-winning ensemble cast. 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Rated 14A.
Click here for more information about this film.
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FREE! First Friday Films at the AGH
Friday, October 3 @ 7:00 pm
International Union Films
Programme organized by the International Trade Union Confederation, Geneva, and complementing the AGH exhibition Blood, Sweat and Tears: Labour in Art
Presented in Association with the Hamilton and District Labour Council
More and more, unions around the world are using film and video to explain issues, motivate membership, persuade policy makers and educate the public. A common theme in all of these films is how working people go about securing and defending their rights, pay and conditions, in the hope of improving their lives. This programme of short films from Australia, Iran, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK speak to people in every part of the world.
Freedom Will Come -The Story of Mansour Osanloo
ITF, 2007, Iran, 8:53 min
Mansour Osanloo believes that Tehran’s bus drivers deserve a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. For that he has been thrown in prison for five years.
Our Story Our Dream
UNI/CTWU, 2007, Taiwan (Taiwanese, Chinese and English subtitles), 20 min
Members of the Chunghwa Telecom Workers’ Union take to the streets in an effort to fight privatization and preserve jobs and working conditions.
Negotia film
UNI/Negotia, 2007, Norway (Norwegian with English subtitles), 1:52 min
A highly stylised and cleverly written video aimed at educating young workers about the benefits of unions. Negotia distributes their video message by putting the clip on computer memory sticks that are passed out to students.
Stick together, we can win! The Heinemann Electric story
ACTU/ITUC, 2007, Australia, 2:30 min
When their employer used John Howard’s labour laws to get out of paying workers, Heinemann Electric staff took action.
The Value of Membership
UNI/TCO, 2007, Sweden (English and Swedish with English subtitles), 2:30 min
The Value of Membership is from a series of eight videos designed to change the public’s attitude toward trade unions featuring ordinary people sharing their thoughts.
The Equal Pay Story:
Scenes from a Turbulent History
TUC/ITUC, 2007, UK, 29 min
A historical account of the long and difficult struggle to win equal pay for women workers in early industrial Britain. This film shows how women demanded equal pay, often in the face of opposition inside and outside the trade union movement.
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Friday, December 5 @ 7:00 pm
Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer
Director Thom Andersen, 1975, USA, 58 min
Complementing the AGH exhibition, In Motion: The photography of Eadweard Muybridge
Muybridge’s studies of animal locomotion photographed with multiple cameras in the 1870s were a major forerunner of cinema; even more interesting are his subsequent studies of diverse people, photographed against neutral backgrounds. One of the best essay films ever made on a cinematic subject, this remarkable documentary combines biography, history, film theory, and philosophical reflection. Andersen’s perspectives on Muybridge are multifaceted and often surprising. Dean Stockwell narrates. Rated PG.
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Generously
sponsored by:
START TIME:
All screenings begin
at 7:00 pm unless
otherwise posted.
LOCATIONS:
(please check each film)
1) Empire Jackson Square 6 Cinemas
Jackson Square,
2 King St. W.,
downtown Hamilton.
Underground Parking is $1
with cinema validation
(after 6:00 pm).
2) Art Gallery of Hamilton
123 King St. W.,
downtown Hamilton.
3) Westdale Theatre
1014 King St. W.,
Westdale (west Hamilton).
ADMISSION:
(unless otherwise posted)
AGH Members $6
Students/Seniors $8
General $10
Tickets are available in advance from the AGH Front Desk, on-line (ends midnight prior), by phone, or at the venue after 6:30 pm on the evening of the screening. Taxes are included in the ticket price.
Call 905-527-6610 ext. 232, or e-mail film@artgalleryofhamilton.com.
AGH film is generously sponsored by Turkstra Lumber.
The AGH gratefully acknowledges Empire Theatres, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Hamilton and VIEW magazine. For current media releases, click here.
Supported by:
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