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The Blinding Light!! SHOWS
MAY 2000
TUESDAY MAY 2
8:30pm MAYWORKS PRESENTS....... WOMEN IN TRADES CABARET with
spoken word artists, music and new video works. HAMMERING IT OUT! (USA,
2000) We see women hammering, laying concrete and telling the truth
about training, childcare, homophobia, bathrooms and other critical issues.
HAMMERING IT OUT! by Vivian Price is the story of a community-initiated lawsuit
that resulted in hundreds of women getting trained and working on a
billion-dollar freeway in Los Angeles. Many of the women went into union
apprenticeships and became active union members. But the film asks, are women
construction workers the Rosie Riveters of the present, hired for a short time
and then let go when equality is no longer enforced? Screens with PLYWOOD
GIRLS (Canada, 2000) The decades-long story of women workers in Port Alberni on
Vancouver Island who bucked the trend in a male dominated woodworking industry.
Director in attendance.
WEDNESDAY MAY 3 7 & 9pm
shows MAYWORKS PRESENTS...... 7pm NORMA
RAE (USA) An early and rare Hollywood
depiction of a working class woman's struggles. Norma Rae (Sally Fields) is a
mother of three, and like generations before her, a textile worker in the town
mill. Through her day-to-day organising of workers in this southern US town, she
confronts the games of the company and the retiscence and fear in her community.
Preceeded by brief speaker from U.N.I.T.E. on the situation of garment workers
in Vancouver.
9pm THE ORGANIZER A
working classic shot in black and white with the story of turn-of-the-century
factory workers who strike and shut down the company. The film chronicles the
drama of an organiser's attempts to inspire the workers, and the town, while
avoiding arrest by the police. A beautifully shot, compelling film that uses the
stark grey surroundings as the stage upon which the destitute working poor
struggle for survival. (Italy)
THURSDAY MAY 4
8:30pm PROJE(C)T Y IN PERSON FROM MONTREAL! PROJECT Y is a
no-holds-barred best of Montreal Independent Cinema, culled from the finest
works out of this cinema-saturated city's Concordia University, UQAM and the
University of Montreal. Works include brand new drama, animation,
pseudo-documentary, and experimental films. This is the final stop on a
cross-Canada tour of this incredible series, with Project Y representatives
appearing in person to introduce the work and talk about what makes Montreal's
image maker's tick. Included in the program are Fred Fischer's THE LAST BLOKE, a
madcap tale of the last Anglophone in Montreal after the third referendum;
Robert Swartz' STRUCK WHILE THE IRON WAS HOT; a true story of the filmmakers'
mother's brush with bankrobbers as she trips them and becomes an overnight hero;
Dan Cadieux and Sebastien Denault's THE HUMAN CONDITION, a documentary on the
human animal made by Aliens; Michel Pellan's Shan Mat, a gothic chess match with
high stakes... PLUS: Lucie Larin-Picard's RIEN, the incredible animation of Greg
Houston and Phil Karew, Adam Gray's THE EXTREMITY, Giulia Frati's
SADISINFECTENZ, Michel Simonsen's DANS UN CAFE, RIEN DE MOINS and
more!
FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY MAY
5/6/7 8:30pm THE AD AND THE EGO (sound by Negativland) + THE
SUBVERSIVE NEGATIVLAND VIDEO COMPILATION! "The Ad and the Ego is the
first comprehensive documentary on the cultural impact of advertising in
America," says Neil Postman, NYU author of AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH. "It
should be required viewing for every consumer - which means all of
us."
THE AD AND THE EGO returns after a completely sold out
show in our last program. Don't miss this chance to see it! Harold Boihem's stunning THE AD AND THE EGO traces
advertising's development from its largely descriptive 19th century origins
through today's ads which eschew rational arguments for symbols and imagery
playing directly to our emotions. Artfully intercutting clips from hundreds of
familiar television ads with insights from Stuart Ewen, Jean Kilbourne, Richard
Pollay, Sut Jhally, Bernard McGrane and other noted critics, the film performs a
cultural psychoanalysis of late 20th century America and its principal
inhabitants: Consumer Man and Woman. Making the critical connections between the
rise of consumerism, environmental degradation and our blind commitment to
economic growth at any cost, THE AD AND THE EGO "brilliantly dismantles one of
the ego's most comforting self-flatteries: that we are immune to advertising.
Consider this your first real inoculation." (Leslie Savan, Village Voice Critic
and Author, The Sponsored Life)
PLUS: NEGATIVLAND videos including GIMME THE MERMAID
featuring astounding re-interpretations of Disney's favourite icon, the
now-classic and banned U2 video featuring Casey Casem making a complete ass of
himself, and many others!
TUESDAY MAY 9 8:30pm MAYWORKS
PRESENTS.... LABOR BATTLES THE WTO This compelling picture by Steve
Zeltzer of San Franciscoís Labour Video Project conveys the anger at the heart
of the working class movement. Unlike anything else youíve seen from Seattle,
this shows the workers who stuck with the protest in the streets to brave the
police riot, a highlight of the video as Larry Shawís song ìSold Down the Riverî
is cut to footage of the cops in action. ìFills a major gap in either mass or
alternative media coverage as it gives a vivid image of union participation,
whilst revealing the differences in rank and file and union brass attitudesî.
Preceeded by Pressure Point (Canada, 1999). Discussion to follow.
WEDNESDAY MAY 10 7 & 9pm shows MAYWORKS PRESENTS.... 7pm VOICES FROM THE FRONT
LINES Produced by AgitProps, this video tells
the compelling story of Los Angelesí Labor Community Stategy Centre and their
groundbreaking work. Their multiracial working class movement has taken on the
environmental racism of oil giant Texaco, the down-sizing of General Motors and
the loss of jobs, and the anti-people plans of the Metro Transit Authority.
Screens with Green Guerillas (Philippines). The New Peopleís Army in the
Philippines join with indigenous peoples to protect their land.
9pm ABOVE THE LAW II With access to 50 hours of RCMP training tapes, the TsíPeten
Defenders have created a damning indictment of the role of the RCMP, the federal
government, and former Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh. The video looks at the
1995 Gustafsen Lake standoff and how the Canadian and provincial governments
made the land question and title issue into a law and order issue to serve their
own agenda while using land mines and tens of thousands of bullets. Discussion
to follow with Splitting the Sky. (Canada, 2000)
THURSDAY MAY 11 8:30pm SHUJI
TERAYAMAíS EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP Poet, playright, theatre director,
filmmaker, essayist, agitator and lover of all things anarchistic, chaotic, and
truthful, SHUJI TERAYAMA (1936-1983) is one of Japanís most revered and
respected artists. In the heady and extremist Japanese art scene of the late
í70s, Terayama created a number of unforgettable and highly controversial films.
EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP is his epic, sexually revolutionary and hallucinatory
work from 1972 in which ìmagical women act as the initiatory, yet protectively
maternal sexual partners to children. The children, in revolt, have condemned
their parents to death for depriving them of self-expression and sexual freedom;
they create a society in which fairies and sex education are equally important
and literally combinable.î (Amos Vogel, Film as a Subversive Art). Featuring
decadent, playful and disturbing episodes which seem to be drawn from the
theatrical improvisations of Terayamaís ìtroupeî, EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP is a
strange and breathtaking exploration of taboo and self-determination. PLUS:
Rare excerpts from a number of other Terayama works (to be announced). NOTE: As
all film prints of EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP in existence are so damaged as to be
unwatchable (negative reconstruction and new prints are apparently in the
works), this screening will consist of video projection. Presented as a part of
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY MAY 12/13 8:30pm CANADIAN
PREMIERE: PETER CALVINíS SLEEP with DIRECTOR IN PERSON! SLEEP is
Peter Calvinís stunning, restless journey into the feverish nightscapes of Los
Angeles, seen through the eyes of four characters: Johnny, an insomniac; Cass, a
sleepwalker; Sam, a narcoleptic; and Steve, a compulsive sleeper. Moving through
a dark world of sounds and images, SLEEP combines narrative with gritty
documentary, interviews with doctors, footage of sleep labs, text, and
hypnagogic abstract episodes to create a seamless dreamlike landscape. The
result is both sexy and smart, gripping and atmospheric, transcendent and pop.
Featuring Bonnie Dickenson (Little Shots of Happiness, Frisk), Tim Innes (Mod
Fuck Explosion, Hustler White), and Kerri Green (Lucas, The Goonies). Peter
Calvinís first feature SLEEP undoubtedly marks its debut director as a talent to
watch. ìSometimes analytical, sometimes abstract, and always laced with
ironic humor, SLEEP maneuvers through a nether world of sound and imagery...that
all combine to create a fluid dreamlike landscape.î Margot Gerber -
American Cinematheque
SUNDAY MAY 14 early show only: 7:30pm IDERA
PRESENTS FATHER ROY: INSIDE THE SCHOOL OF THE ASSASSINS This is the
story of the struggle to find and expose the truth behind the U.S. tax-supported
School of the Americas (SOA) told through the extraordinary life and daring
actions of Father Roy Bourgeois, a leading activist in the campaign to close the
school. Roy and two dozen others are completing Federal prison terms after
symbolically re-enacting the El Savador Jesuit murders on the grounds of Fort
Benning, Georgia, headquarters of the school. In El Salvador, those responsible
for the killings received amnesty. ëInspiring storyí Grand Rapids Press.
ëPersuasiveí Boston Globe. Guest Speakers will be in attendance. Call
IDERA at 738-8815 for more information.
TUESDAY MAY 16 7 & 9pm
shows MAYWORKS PRESENTS..... 7pm WORKING LIKE CRAZY
The six psychiatric survivors who are profiled by Canadian filmmaker
Laura Sky have created their own jobs, training, and support systems. These
productive people are part of a unique community overseen by the Ontario Council
of Alternative Businesses. Discussion follows, with speaker from Vancouverís
Kettle Friendship Society. (Canada, 1999)
9pm DETERMINATIONS An austere political/poetic/analytic film from the late eighties
that denounces the mass media trance and its creation of the illusion of
freedom. ìA driving warp speed dissection of the Squamish Five story, with a
soundtrack that alone is worth the price of admission.î (Elizabeth Aird) Music
by DOA, The Subhumans, and Gerry Hannah. (Canada, 16mm)
WEDNESDAY MAY 17 7 & 9pm MAYWORKS
PRESENTS..... 7pm MY SON THE TATTOO
ARTIST A look into the work of tattoo artists
in Vancouver, what informs their creative work, and the function of tattoos in
peopleís lives. An emotional film and a great look into the lives of some of
Vancouverís less-recognized artists. (Canada, 1999)
9pm THE TARGET SHOOTS FIRST ìA cautionary account of the personal psychological cost of
commitment to the recording industry: a riveting hidden-camera diary of director
Chris Wilchaís stint with the Columbia Record House mail-order machine - a
clueless corporate hell-tower that tapped the ex-punkís sub-cult savvy in order
to market... Grunge Rock! Finally SEE and HEAR the sleazy yuppie opportunists
who shamelessly capitalize and commodify so-called youth culture.î (Craig
Baldwin, Other Cinema)
THURSDAY MAY 18
8:30pm BYO8: THE VOYEUR EDITION In this tribute to the
home-made movie we are asking for your most intimate and up-close home movies:
puppet madness, pixelporn, self-analysis, personal obsessions, ego-rants and
paranoid personals. Grab your beaten down VHS camcorder or that old Super 8
under the bed and tell us your problems, expose your favorite parts and give us
your best profile. We like to watch, and so do you: a fair exchange! NOTE: Under
10 minutes please, VHS, 16mm and Super 8 accepted, and only $3 to get in with a
film! (plus membership, but you probably have one by now, right?)
FRIDAY & SATURDAY MAY 19/20 8:30pm CHICAGO
IS A DRAG: THE BLVD ìWhen youíre driving your car at 100 mph, youíre
not really driving it, youíre aiming it.î - Dept. of Motor Vehicles
pamphlet
While ostensibly a documentary about illegal drag racing
in the streets of Chicago, Deborah Stratmanís THE BLVD becomes much more: a
study in the addictive nature of speed, a covert examination of an inherently
American subculture, and a display of incredibly potent devotion and emotion.
ìThe BLVD defines an addictive lifestyle - the lifestyle of street drag racing
in Chicago. Secretive and controversial, it provokes varied responses, from
adulation to ardent disapproval. Most people, though, have no idea it even
exists. The BLVD is about speed. Speed as the form of ecstasy the technical
revolution has bestowed on man. Speed as the great superstition of our age. And
itís about waiting. Itís about inner-city industrial landscapes and nomadic
experiences of place. Itís about storytelling as a living medium for determining
history. Itís about obsession, and respect for anyone who transforms cars or
anything else through passion. ìThe action revolves around Timís Garage at
Fulton and Damen, a West Side meeting place for racers over the past 20 years.
Tim is a legendary ex-motorbike racer and frenetic storyteller. Throughout The
BLVD, we hear other stories from racers, bystanders, families and gamblers -
each with unique reasons for being on the scene. As we filmed, racers began to
bring out their own cameras, documenting and defining this profoundly American
sub-culture on their own terms.î - D. Stratman
SUNDAY MAY 21 8:30pm THE NARCOLEPTIC
VIDEOGRAPHER: SHOOT TO STUN In this DIY series of over-the-top and
from-the-hip videosketches, The Blinding Lightís strange-but-friendly next door
neighbour Mr. Kevin Spenst takes to the streets with unsurpassed energy and
imagination to uncover the random and erratic goings-on of the ëhood. With a Hi8
camera, a handful of ìvolunteersî (including the BLís own talented and charming
barista Braden Jones, along with Spenstís unsuspecting ESL class!) and the
street as his stage, Spenst takes two parts KIDS IN THE HALL, a dash of TOM
GREEN, blends thoroughly and drains all liquid in this ever-dry and smart
collection of short videos. Featured are THE NARCOLEPTIC JOGGER, MY ROOMMATE
THINKS HEíS A CAT, and many more!
TUESDAY MAY 23 8:30pm SUPER SUPER 8 2000 with
MELINDA STONE IN PERSON! The Super Super 8 2000 Film Festival has spent
the last year gathering together the best in startling, striking and stunning
small-gauge films sourced in the Super 8 medium. Festival Director MELINDA STONE
will be here in person all the way from San Francisco to present these works at
the Blinding Light!! for an exclusive night on her west coast tour. Along with
the films will be local favorites THE LIDO (Scott Morgan & Steve Woods of
Destroyer, Adam Gejdos, and pals) playing LIVE music to a selection of the films
in the program. Expect more surprises as well as this touring S8 favorite aims
to entertain and edify...one night only!!
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY MAY 24/25 8:30pm The
first chance to check out the latest new film and video works from the members
of Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society, Vancouverís only filmmakersí co-op
and a cornerstone of the independent filmmaking community in this city for the
last 20 years!
WEDNESDAY: NEW (Cine) WORKS I Films and videos in
this program include the charmingly quirky Watching Mrs. Pomerantz, by Steve
Rosenberg, a short drama set in the 1970s that tells the story of nine-year-old
Henry Faberís fascination with the Pomerantzís - the only neighbours in his
middle-class Jewish suburb to have an outdoor swimming pool and a mother who
looks good in a bathing suit; The Miracle, by Asghar Mossambagi, a ìstranger in
paradiseî story that revolves around two days in the life of Mahmoud, an Iranian
immigrant; Josef by David Jurasek, about an angry young man in denial of a
serious health problem who returns home to the bewilderment of his parents; Love
Can Bite Me by Faisal Lutchmedial, is a comedy about the intertwining lives of
three roommates; Tom and Barbara by Drew Taylor, is a short drama about a modern
romance; and BOX by Simon Davidson, is about Andrew, who is waiting for his
girlfriend so she can open her present. Bored and curious, he opens the
box...
THURSDAY: NEW (Cine) WORKS II Two of the latest National Screen Institute ìDrama Prizeî winners:
WHEN I WAS SEVEN by Jessica Bradford, tells the story of one small moment of
transformation in a young girlís life; and DISSONANCE by Mitchell Kezin, about
an unusual first date between a young professor and a disheveled jazz piano
player who just happens to be blind. PLUS: 10 000 DELUSIONS by Julia Kwan, a
quirky drama about a new-age multicultural couple seeking self-enlightenment in
the suburbs; EATING ME by Paula Montgomery, a satirical docudrama that looks at
the diet and fashion industries; TWENTYFOURSEVEN.COM by Jamie Smith, which
brings togethe a detective seeking a missing girl in Gastown, Kung Fu and
internet pornography; and SPALATO by Zoran Dragelj, a delirious experimental
short that uses a variety of filmic techniques to create an intimate portrait of
the filmmakerís recent visit to Split, Croatia.
FRIDAY MAY 26 8:30pm EYE OF NEWT COLLECTIVE
WITH THE HEROIC TRIO EON return to battle the underworld with their
LIVE musical accompaniment to what has been called ìa Hong Kong combination of
Batman and The Three Musketeersî. The Heroic Trio is action, sci-fi, fantasy,
and police caper all rolled into one. Anita Mui is Tung/Wonder Woman, a
mysterious crime fighter who aids the police whenever needed. Michelle Yeoh is
Ching/Invisible Woman, an unwilling disciple to an age-old Evil Master, and
Maggie Cheung is Chat/Thief Catcher, a runaway enlisted by the Evil Master who
is now a bounty hunter for hire. Fantastic sets and impressive wire-strung fight
choreography make The Heroic Trio extremely fun to watch. The outlandish and
complicated plot seems right at home here, heightened by the moody lighting and
the combined screen presence of Mui, Yeoh, and Cheung. Extreme Hong Kong action
with a live soundtrack to boot - donít miss it!
SATURDAY & SUNDAY MAY 27/28 8:30pm HEAVY
METAL PARKING LOT AND BEYOND: THE FILMS OF JEFF KRULIK AND FRIENDS Jeff
Krulik achieved cult status ten years agowith the hilariously disturbing HEAVY
METAL PARKING LOT. Since then, Jeff has been busy creating even wilder and more
astounding slices of real life along with his band of merry friends. We are
pleased to present a return engagement of this show featuring a special
selection of some of the strangest and most engaging underground films around,
including: Chuck (Devo rock video director) Statlerís seminal AINíT WE HAVING
FUN?; PUBLIC ACCESS GIBBERISH; KING OF PORN, featuring Ralph Whittington and his
incredible collection of Porn; KING OF THE FREAKS, a trailer for the story of
Johnny Eck the ìhalf-boyî who appeared in the Tod Browning masterpiece Freaks;
MR. BLASSIE GOES TO WASHINGTON, wherein the loud-mouthed self-proclaimed ìking
of menî professional wrestler is set loose on the streets of Washington, DC;
ERNEST BORGNINE ON TOUR - behind the wheel of his 40 foot bus traveling across
America; HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT, the classic Krulik film of Judas Priest fans
awaiting the concert while getting drunk, high, and stupid; NEIL DIAMOND PARKING
LOT - ten years later, the follow-up!; I Created Lancelot Link, the trailer for
this reminiscence with the creators of LANCELOT LINK, a saturday morning TV show
with chimps starring as secret agents! AND MORE!
TUESDAY MAY 30 7 & 9pm
shows MAYWORKS PRESENTS.... 7pm PAYING THE PRICE: KILLING THE
CHILDREN OF IRAQ The Canadian Premiere of a new award-winning ITV
(England) feature length documentary on the effects of the sanctions on Iraq.
Paying the Price is a reference to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albrightís
comment that maintaining sanctions are worth the deaths of Iraqui children. A
speaker will present the film. (UK, 2000)
9pm STRONG JAMAICANS, STIRRING TIMES Few of us know the long and stirring history of working class
and political struggle by Jamaican workers and their unions. Here is the story,
using music (rap, reggae, and traditional jazz), drama and humour. It combines
unseen historical film footage and creative re-enactments of major issues in
Jamaican labour history. Presented by the Canadian Auto Workers Social Justice
Fund. (Jamaica, 2000)
WEDNESDAY MAY 31 8:30pm MAYWORKS PRESENTS.... DOCKERS WRITING THE
WRONGS With the help of novelist Irvine Welsh
(Trainspotting, The Acid House) and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (The Lakes,
Cracker, Hillsborough), a small group of sacked Liverpool dockworkers wrote
their own TV show: DOCKERS. This documentary follows that unique experiment as
the budding screenwriters learn the rights and wrongs of creating a TV drama -
in their own words. (UK, 1999) Screening with MARITIME UNITY, a video about the
successful struggle of thousands of Australian workers and their families as
they bring a huge company and the government of Australia to their knees. Plus a
Speaker from the International Longshoreman & Warehouseman Union about the
situation in the port of Vancouver.
JUNE 2000
THURSDAY JUNE 1
8:30pm ALIENS and STRANGE NORTHERN FORCES: THE FILMS OF BILL
BROWN FILMMAKER IN PERSON! We are pleased to have Texan filmmaker Bill
Brown appearing in person with his smart, deadpan-diaristic and gorgeously
photographed films. Recently awarded Most Promising Filmmaker and the Screening
Committee Award at the prestigious Ann Arbor Film Festival this year for
CONFEDERATION PARK, Brown has an awe-inspiring visual and temporal sensibility.
In ROSWELL, Brown uses this well-known alien landing strip desert town as a
starting point to examine personal philosophies and theories of alien metaphor,
time machines and the tranformation of normal into abnormal. CONFEDERATION PARK
is an incredible, thoughtful rumination on the nature of ìwholeî vs ìpartî and
where we as individuals might find ourselves at any given time. Brown travels
across Canada to explore the meaning of this countryís drive to simultaneously
shatter and draw itself together. Filming unforgettable moments in St. Johnís,
Regina, Montreal and Vancouver, Brown manages to capture the tone of a traveler
excited about his destination as well as confused by its nature. ìCanada is
not sure it wants to be a country, which is partly what this film is about. An
essay on terrorist bombings and bad weather and that whole mysterious field of
physics that deals with the undetectable forces that hold things together.î Ann
Arbor Film Festival As well, Brown will bring along HUB CITY, his ode to
Buddy Holly and tornadoes as well as a few surprise shorts. Donít miss this one
opportunity to see these incredible films and meet their maker!
FRIDAY JUNE 2
8:30pm WESTERN CANADIAN PREMIERE: STEVE SANGUEDOLCEíS
SMACK Toronto filmmaker Steve Sangedolce creates provocative, smart and
ingenious works on film which brilliantly blend the personal and the universal.
With family and self-examination as central themes, Sanguedolce mesmerizes the
viewer visually but never to the detriment of the overriding thematic of a given
film. We are pleased to present the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film
SMACK, an astounding example of the pulsing textural and vivid colour spectrum
potential of hand-processing in combination with an intense and jarring tale.
Part documentary, part fiction and visually experimental, Sanguedolceís SMACK
traces the lives of three brothers as they build their lives around drugs, crime
and violence, all of which slowly tears them apart. Ranging from tales of
religious transformation to heroin overdosing, these stories are told by the
subjects themselves - at once funny, horrifying and all too real. Combined with
a surreal and jarring vision of the world through hand toned and processed
images, their world is both beautiful and terrifying. ìThe intensity of family
relationships, the lure of danger, and the hope for redemption are powerfully
present in SMACK, a fascinating, disturbing film, and Sanguedolceís most
ambitious work to dateî. (CFMDC)
SATURDAY & SUNDAY JUNE 3/4 8:30pm FOUND
MEMORIES: THE FILMS OF JOHN PRICE WORLD PREMIERE: AFTER EDEN FILMMAKER IN
PERSON We are very pleased to present one of Vancouverís best kept
secrets: the intensely personal and visually sumptuous films of John Price.
Working meticulously with the surface of the film through rephotography, optical
printing, hand processing and tinting & toning, Price has created a body of
work that is truly a testament to the power of hand-made films and a prime
example of the materiality of the celluloid parallelling the personal nature of
the work. Featured tonight will be several of Johnís earlier works which he will
introduce in person, as well as the World Premiere of his latest (and longest at
30 minutes), AFTER EDEN. Culled from materials filmed and collected for nearly a
decade, AFTER EDEN begins with a mythic folk tale and then blazes into a
travelling portrait of imaginary and remembered ruminations on life, memory,
suffering and the road. Portraits range from the junkies and prostitutes right
outside the window, to far away lands that promise something more. AFTER EDEN is
at once mystifying, mesmerizing and disturbing. Also on the program are
REMEMBRANCE, OUTLET, VIEW/WATCH/LOOK/SEE, WEST COAST REDUCTION, plus fresh
camera rolls of spectacular colour and black and white hand-processing never
before projected! Donít miss this very rare opportunity to see such an
overwhelmingly masterful body of work in one sitting.
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY JUNE
6/7 8:30pm PICTURES DON'T TELL YOU ANYTHING: ANN MARIE FLEMING IN
PERSON ìFleming makes some of the smartest, most thoroughly enjoyable
films in the country.î NOW magazine.
We are very pleased to have filmmaker, artist, writer and
animator Ann Marie Fleming here in person both to welcome her back to ìthat same
old place that she laughed aboutî and to showcase her incredible arsenal of
personal, poignant, funny and stylistically varied work. Fleming has been making
work since the late í80s and been featured at dozens of festivals around the
world, recognized for her original vision and brilliant takes on family and
memory. Tonight we are pleased to feature a number of her classic and award
winning shorts including WAVING, a poetic rumination on a complex relationship
with the filmmakerís grandmother amidst a swirl of grief, YOU TAKE CARE NOW,
Flemingís sharp and devastating film about two traumatic events in her life - a
rape and a car accident, as well as her funny and deceptively simple ADVENTURES
OF STICKGIRL series. Also featured will be ITíS ME AGAIN, an ostensible
scientific study of twins a la Peter Greenaway, which is in fact a desperate
search for meaning. PLUS: Ann Marieís NOT HAPPY, the badminton and animation
music video for now defunct Halifax Sub-Pop band JALE, and other surprises. Ann
Marie Fleming will be present to introduce the films as well as surprise you
with a live presentation like no other...donít miss it!
THURSDAY JUNE 8
8:30pm BYO8: DONíT SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER This special edition
of Bring Your Own Film Night encourages you to bring a musical instrument down
to give us some live accompaniment to your latest masterpiece on video or
celluloid. Be it saxophone, banjo, harmonica or accordian, bring down that home
movie, found footage, bad television or abandoned student film and breath new
life into it with your, er, instrument. Only $3 to get in if youíve got a
film/instrument (plus $3 membership if you havenít already got it), and please -
no complicated stage set-ups!
FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY JUNE 9/10/11
8:30pm ROBIN BOUGIEíS CINEMA SEWER SOMETHING WEIRD SHOWCASE Three
eye-popping nights of SOMETHING WEIRD rarities presented by local cartoonist and
CINEMA SEWER scribe ROBIN BOUGIE. Get your own copy of the latest CINEMA SEWER
at the shows and dig into some true strangeness, with AFROS, MACKS &
ZODIACS, BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCKSHOW, and CLASSIC CARTOON RARITIES, delightfully
demented cartoons from yesteryear!
FRIDAY: AFROS, MACKS & ZODIACS Hide yoí mamas
ëcause RUDY RAY MOORE, Mr. Dolemite himself, is fittiní to present some of the
best Black Action movie previews to put yoí ass in traction! Youíll see Foxy
Brown and Cleopatra Jones - two chicks with guts, no ifs, ands, or butts. The
dudes stood tall till their asses hit the wall! And what about that badass Fred
ìThe Hammerî Williamson - shot full oí lead and he still ainít dead! Youíll
visit The Mack, Super Fly, and Blacula - these brothers have drive and donít
take no jive! So light yoí incense, turn on the black light, sit back and dig
these Black Action coming attractions from the slick í70s including: Blacula
(ìDraculaís Soul Brother!î), Monkey Hustle (ìCool as They Come and Twice as
Sharp!î), Richard Pryor in The Mack, Dr. Black Mr. Hyde (ìA Monster He Could Not
Control had Taken Over His Very Soul!î), Pam Grier as Foxy Brown (ìA Chick with
Drive Who Donít Take No Jive!î), and MORE!
SATURDAY: BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCKSHOW 50 Brain
Slurpín, Guts & Gore Movie Trailers from the í60s and í70s including Blood
Fiend, She Freak, I Dismember Mama, Mantis in Lace, Shriek of the Mutilated,
Invasion of the Flesh Hunters, Basketcase, I Eat Your Skin, Ilsa: She Wolf of
the SS, The Gore Gore Girls, Deranged, and a whole lot more gore!
SUNDAY: CLASSIC CARTOON RARITIES Delightfully
demented cartoons from yesteryear including SUNSHINE MAKERS, HAPPY HOBOS, GYPPED
IN EGYPT, Betty Boop in NO NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO, LITTLE BLACK SAMBOís JUNGLE
JITTERS, THE PINCUSHION MAN and lots more!
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY JUNE
13/14 8:30pm 8th ANNUAL SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
Dissident, humorous, political, whimsical, fancy or meaningless, this is
the cream of the crop of films and videos for the attention-span deficient!
SASFVF is a program for the channel surfer in all of us. Made up of two minute
or shorter non-commercial works, the festival was established in 1991 and is the
oldest international showcase of its kind for short, short works. Featuring
nearly 70 extremely short films and videos from around the world, This yearís
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL will help you decide if Silenafrin
or Berzerkadryl 1044mg are right for you, lull you into a peaceful bliss with
Pond or get you the information that counts in My Penis and My Social Security
#. Cuddle up next to Anarchy Monkey, a pint-sized mascot ready to pedal punk
pleasures to the pop population of rebellious Generation X, Y, and Z and indulge
in the Tokyo-made FURI FURI. Other titles include THE BUENA VISTA FIGHT CLUB,
THE ANTI-WORRY VIDEO, BACK THAT ASS UP and plenty more.
THURSDAY JUNE 15 8:30pm EYE OF NEWT
COLLECTIVE WITH THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC EON take on the master
filmmaker Carl Dreyer in this sophisticated LIVE musical accompaniment to this
classic of world cinema. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC is truly as mythic as any
film ever shot, its artistic achievement rivaled only by its turbulent history.
Its approach to storytelling, set design, editing, and especially cinematography
(by Rudolph MatÈ, who also shot Dreyerís visionary Vampyr) radical then, and
still strikingly modern many decades later. Influenced by both German
expressionist film and the French avant-garde, Dreyerís huge set was designed
with asymmetrical doors, windows, and arches, through which MatÈís camera moves
along equally off-centered, even vertiginous, but fluid trajectories. Dreyer and
MatÈ shot their cast in bright light, without makeup, giving each wrinkle,
blemish, or tuft of hair sculptural detail.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY JUNE
16/17 8:30pm FAMILY MATTERS: HYGIENE, SEX, AND GETTING
HITCHED! An astounding collection of rare original 16mm prints featuring
lessons in menstruation, bizarre animated sex disease scare tactics, the hazards
of hasty marriage, and awkward youth. Films include VD, an astounding animated
film made up of iconic graphics warning against the hazards to be found inside
and outside the body; NATURALLY A GIRL, the classic geared towards little girls
discovering ìthe curseî; DOOMED TO FAIL, a thoroughly engaging tale of poor
choices in partners featuring a prof doing research in early American Folk music
(?!) and afrustrated wife. PLUS VANCOUVER HONEYMOON featuring our lovely city as
a ë60s backdrop to a brand new marriage, plus more surprises!
SUNDAY JUNE 18 early show only:
7:30pm IDERA PRESENTS IN THE COMPANY OF FEAR Colombia is
notorious for its politics of fear. Director Velcrow Ripper (Bones of the
Forest, Open Season) and producer Jill Sharpeís IN THE COMPANY OF FEAR explores
the power of non-violent resistance to oppose state terror, through the work of
ëProtective Accompanimentí. This is a strategy whereby foreign volunteers offer
human rights activists the un-armed protection of an international presence.
From the film: ìSan Pablo is in a region controlled by the Guerrillas, but the
paramilitaries are moving in. Just before the film crew arrived, 4 activists
were abducted in a roadblock and turned up the next day, arms, legs and heads
cut off by chain-saw. Peace Brigade volunteers stay with a local, activist Marco
who is under serious threat.î Guest Speakers will be in attendance. Call IDERA
at 738-8815 for more information.
TUESDAY TO SUNDAY JUNE 20-25 8:30pm SHIRKA URECHKOís
PineappleHeartOfGoldPeacock
Shirka Urechko, creator of the critically acclaimed MOTH,
presents PineappleHeartOfGoldPeacock, a solo multimedia dance performance
inspired in part by the philosophy of Anais Nin, in which new dance, sound and
visuals - all created/performed by Urechko - are integrated in the portrayal of
human metamorphosis. Through love we are refined. Intimate, mesmerizing and
highly energetic, PineappleHeartOfGoldPeacock combines subtlety, overt gesture
and fluid movement with brilliant imagery and potent sound. Donít miss this
exclusive five-day run! Choreography, sound and visuals by Shirka
Urechko.
Shirka Urechko works as both an independent dancer and
choreographer and has studied at the Royal WInnipeg Ballet, the School of
Contemporary Dancers and is a graduate of the Main Dance Professional Training
Program where she apprenticed with Kokoro Dance in 1998. Though strongly
influenced by her more formal studies in dance, Shirka also derives inspiration
from the natural choreography surrounding body language, the motions of nature,
as well as architecture and the structure of cities and landscapes.
TUE & WED JUNE 27/28
8:30pm REASONABLE HAND DRAWN FACSIMILE We are pleased to
present rare classics and contemporary masters of the non-camera made film.
Completely ignoring conventional photography, these filmmakers physically alter
the surface of the film using everything from the humble ink pen to scratching
tools, paints, dyes, and more to create astounding and magical images. Included
in the program will be rarely screened classics from LEN LYE including TAL
FARLOW, COLOURCRY, FREE RADICALS and PARTICLES IN SPACE, along with master STAN
BRAKHAGEís NAUGHTS and AUTUMNAL, Canadian direct-film godhead NORMAN MCLARENís
LINES VERTICAL, MOSAIC, and others. PLUS: Recent works by Pender Island
award-winning filmmaker RICHARD REEVES and a special LIVE SCRATCH ANIMATION
session by THE LIGHT FANTASTIC (aka JULIAN LAWRENCE). NOTE: Come earlier in the
week prior to the show and MAKE YOUR MARK! We will be leaving a lightbox and
film for you to scratch, paint and mark up which we will then screen on these
two evenings as part of the show. The skyís the limit so get
cracking...
THURSDAY JUNE 29
8:30pm MULTIPLEX GRAND SESSION SIX For all the uninitiated MG
virgins out there, THE MULTIPLEX GRAND is a trio of audio-visualists who engage
and astound with their brilliant sound and image scapes which use everything
from found 16mm and super 8 footage to the latest audiovisual computer software
and instrumentation technologies. This is their sixth evening at The Blinding
Light and promises to be their most dazzling yet. Come see and hear solo efforts
by veteran manipulators of sound and image 5T-3V3 (of The Battles &
Destroyer), ZERO SQUARED (of Solar System & The Miniature Pancake Band) and
LOSCIL (of Destroyer & The Battles). Integrated computer generated visuals,
film loops, video, and an assortment of sampled and live sounds are sure to
boggle all minds present. Come early and enter to win a Multiplex Users Group
CD-ROM! Special guests will also be featured (TBA). check out
http://members.home.net/multiplex for more info!
JULY 2000
FRIDAY JUNE 30 to WEDNESDAY JULY 5
8:30pm (no show monday) BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! BLAINE THURIERíS LOW
SELF ESTEEM GIRL ìWickedly funny...engaging...cathartic.î The
Nerve ìA refreshingly honest look at modern morality.î Katherine Monk,
The Vancouver Sun
Back from a wildly successful Australian tour, The
Blinding Light!! Cinema is proud to present the triumphant return of Blaine
Thurier and his first feature Low Self Esteem Girl. A one night stand with
Lois (aka Low Self Esteem Girl aka the girl who canít say no) leads a pot dealer
to believe that he holds the key to her heart in the form of a magic phrase. He
then proceeds to sell the information to his clients, effectively prostituting
our heroine without her knowledge. Meanwhile, a demon-possessed born-again
Christian falls in love with her and conspires with his youth group pastor to
convert her to the faith. Will she be a saint or a sinner? Or both? Or
neither? Pillow fights, excorcisms and back seat make-out sessions propel
this first feature from Vancouver cartoonist turned film-maker, Blaine Thurier
(Bugs, Grief, Velvets Record). Shot in glorious DV, Low Self Esteem Girl
features surprising performances by Vancouver rock legends Corrina Hammond
(Maow), Carl Newman (Superconductor, Zumpano), Dan Bejar (Destroyer) and Cindy
Wolfe (Tennesse Twin). Buy Nothing Day founder Ted Dave is really damn funny in
his screen debut.
THURSDAY JULY 6 8:30pm EYE OF NEWT COLLECTIVE:
THE GOLEM EON are back for an evening of expressionist entrancement as
they play live to the 1920 Paul Wegener classic THE GOLEM. A chilling, visually
dazzling story of the supernatural, based on a famous Jewish folktale of the
16th century. This classic of German Expressionist cinema is also a forerunner
of FRANKENSTEIN, from the way the golem is brought to life to his attraction to
a child. The sets were designed by famed architect Hans Poelzig.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY JULY
7/8/9 8:30pm FILE THIS! presents SEX WORKERS UNITE A three nite
extravaganza of sex industry worker positive films and videos. Folks have worked
in the sex industry since day one be it stripping, whoreing, escort, internet,
magazines, movies, or video - itís a forever booming industry thatís always
hiring. These three evenings put the spotlight on sex workers at work, play and
getting actively organized.
FRIDAY features a
selection from FILE THISí GREATEST HITS as well as Julia Queryís LIVE! NUDE!
GIRLS! UNITE!, which explores the unionization efforts of strippers at the Lusty
Lady strip club in San Francisco. In a largely unregulated industry known for
its exploitative and abusive treatment of workers, theirs is the first
recognized sex workers union in the U.S. Full or fit, intelligence and kick-ass
women, L!N!G!U! cuts right through preconceived notions about sex workers as
well as exploring the filmmakersí own coming out as a sex worker to her mom
during the shooting of the film!
SATURDAY will feature
more of FILE THISí GREATEST HITS - re-live the lust, the glamour, the urine...!
Also Kim Christyís SULKAS NIGHTCLUB, more than just porno (though there is lots
of sex) and theyíre even using condoms in 1989, this is the tale of a tranny
nightclub owner and then some. PLUS: Local sex-positive shorts courtesy VIDEO
OUT including TTVís THE DOMINATRIX INTERVIEW and Kagan Gohís MIND
FUCK.
SUNDAY Features the
local classic HOOKERS ON DAVIE, an extraordinary excursion into the world of
women, men, transvestites and transsexuals who openly plyed their trade along a
strip that - back in the mid-eighties when the film was made - was Vancouverís
streetwalker capital of Canada... Also, the flashback Kay Armatage classic
STRIPTEASE in which dancers are presented as speaking subjects, constructing a
job profile from the point of view of the women who do the work. PLUS other
surprises!!
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY JULY 11/12 8:30pm HALF
JAPANESE: THE BAND WHO WOULD BE KING Half Japanese was founded by
brothers Jad and David Fair in their parentsí home in 1976. When they started
the band neither could play an instrument; in the subsequent twenty-four years
Jad has led countless line-ups of the band, which still prizes amateur
enthusiasm over professionalism, and has sung hundreds of songs about monsters,
women, and good luck. Taking us on a wildly eccentric journey to the birthplace
of punk rock, THE BAND WHO WOULD BE KING unearths incredible early footage of
the band and features frank and fascinating interviews with the band and those
around them. Reviewed upon its release by most papers as a joke film akin to
SPINAL TAP, most did not realize that these guys are for real, producing huge
amounts of music, touring constantly and exerting massive influence on the bands
around them and in the future. îThe funniest rock ní roll movie since
This Is Spinal Tapî Chicago Tribune ìHas the feel of a complete put
onî -NY Times
THURSDAY JULY 13
8:30pm BEFORE YEAR ZERO: WESTERN CANADIAN PUNK ROCK
1980-2000 Local musician and filmmaker MARCUS ROGERS has painstakingly
researched and compiled an incredible tribute to Vancouverís most revered and
memorable musical adolescence with BEFORE YEAR ZERO: WESTERN CANADIAN PUNK ROCK
1980-2000. This evening will feature an astounding collection of extremely rare
punk videos hearkening back as far as 20 years ago. See ART BERGMAN and THE
YOUNG CANADIANS slamming out classics like ìHawaiiî and ìAutomanî, THE POINTED
STICKS with ìOut of Luckî, THE BRAINEATERS and ìPlanet Xî, THE SUBHUMANS and
ìSlave to my Dickî, ìDeath to the Sickoidsî and others, TANKHOG and ìI Woke Up
In Love This Morningî, and of course DOA with some incredible early concert
footage including ìItís Our Worldî and ìThe Prisonerî. Directors include Marcus
Rogers himself, John Armstrong, Peter Lipskis, and many more. Watch for special
appearances by luminaries of Vancouverís music scene...wear a safety pin in
your ear and get a buck off admission!
FRIDAY & SATURDAY JULY
14/15 8:30pm HATED: GG ALLIN AND THE MURDER JUNKIES HATED: GG
ALLIN AND THE MURDER JUNKIES is Todd Phillipsí behind the scenes view of the man
whose punk rock shows included shit-eating, bloody head-bashing, and songs like
ìI wanna rape you.î Not for the faint of heart, make no mistake: this is as
hardcore as punk will ever get. Filmed just before his death, this profile of GG
Allin is a graphic depiction of the shocking punk performer. ìCome one, come all
to the great GG Allin show! See GG eat his own feces! See GG drink from a
flowing stream of urine! See GG vomit, run around naked and drag your girlfriend
onto the stage by her hair! See GG cut himself with glass! See Dino the Naked
Drummer pose for the camera in bondage gear! See Chicken John hit himself in the
face! See GGís ambitious high school chums roll up a rotund spliff and yammer
incoherent meaningless babble! This flick makes ìPink Flamingosî look like an
episode of ìMr. Rogerís Neighborhood.î (T. Bloomfield)
SUNDAY JULY 16 early show
only: 7:30pm IDERA PRESENTS LAS MADRES DE PLAZA DE MAYO A
documentary about the protests of the mothers of the 30,000 people who
disappeared in Argentina during the wave of kidnappings, tortures, and murders
that occurred during the 1970s ìdirty warî of the Argentine military against
alleged ìleft-wing subversivesî. What emerges is an understanding of recent
Argentine history, the personal tragedy of the Mothers, and the empowerment of
women in a society where women are expected to be silent. Finally, the film
exposes a modern day Holocaust in Argentina, and the courageous resistance to
institutional terrorism which is a theme recurring in other countries ó Peru,
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Lebanon. Las Madres is a testament to the
Argentine mothers and a banner of hope in the international struggle for human
rights. Guest Speakers will be in attendance. Call IDERA at 738-8815 for more
information.
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY JULY
18/19 8:30pm THE SHIELD AROUND THE K Heather Rose Dominicís
THE SHIELD AROUND THE K profiles the birth and growth of influential
Olympia-based punk rock DIY record label K Records. Over the years, the scrappy
lilí company has launched key indie artists like Beat Happening, Love as
Laughter, Dub Narcotic Sound System, the Make Up, Lois, Microphones and
Cadallaca, as well as releasing material from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Beck
and many others. Co-founders Calvin Johnson and Candice Pedersen are
interviewed along with over twenty K artists and peers, including Mecca Normal,
Wandering Lucy, Lois, Rose Melberg, Ian MacKaye, Slim Moon, Dean Wareham and
many more. The tape includes live performances by Calvin Johnsonís Beat
Happening, rarely-seen Super-8 music videos by Patrick Maley, and footage of the
international Pop Underground Festival. A do-it-yourself video with a zine
spirit, THE SHIELD AROUND THE K gives all you always-hungry hipness-junkies a
nice fat dose of uncut indie info and sublebrity star-gazing. So take a seat,
music friends, and enjoy.
THURSDAY & FRIDAY JULY
20/21 8:30pm SONGS FOR CASSAVETES ìThereís always going to be
some person making great records that nobody hears about.î - Calvin Johnson, K
Records
Justin Mitchellís SONGS FOR CASSAVETES is an in-your-face
examination of all things underground in the American music scene today and a
smart and revealing response to those who think indie rock died when grunge
rolled over in its grave. A testament to the power of the independent voice and
what a little DIY action can build.
ìSONGS FOR CASSAVETES takes a look at the do-it-yourself
world of underground music from the perspective of those who make it happen. The
film documents the underground bands making music in the wake of the alternative
media explosion of the early nineties. Shot in black-and-white 16mm film in
locations ranging from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and Berkeley to Olympia, WA
and Washington DC, SONGS FOR CASSAVETES includes performances and interviews
with Sleater-Kinney, the Make-Up, Unwound, The Peechees, Henryís Dress, Further,
Tullycraft, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Dub Narcotic Sound System and the Hi-Fives.î -
J. Mitchell
ìThe perfect narcissistic indulgence for any
self-respecting record dork.î - Brett Burton, Philadelphia City
Paper.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY JULY 22/23 8:30pm JEFF
KRULIK'S TRIBUTE TO THE SCOTT AND GARY SHOW SEE: >The Butthole
Surfers tripping their asses off in 1984! >Teenaged Beastie Boys doing
hardcore punk from January 1984, with Kate of Luscious Jackson on drums!
>Schockabilly from March 1985 with Dr. Eugene Chadbourne and Kramer and a
near-fight in the studio! >Half of 1/2 Japanese from February 1984! and
much more! Spring 1985. A pal gives me a small review from Option
Magazine talking about a NYC show that hosts live music dance parties on screen.
Sounded good to me. Weeks after I write the address, a big box of 3/4" tapes
arrive. The first one I pull is the Butthole Surfers, circa 1984 (obviously
tripping). It was one of the most bizarre public access spectacles I had ever
seen. I loved it. What else was in that box? Half Japanese. The early Beastie
Boys. Bands I had never heard of. People having fun in the TV studio. It was all
perfect material for my quest to dominate the local cable airwaves. Little did I
know, a collaboration was born.
See, Scott Lewis and Gary Winter turned out to be guys
much like me, and when they got kicked out of every New York studio they taped
in, I invited their production down to my studio. The first one, featuring the
Velvet Monkeys (with producer Don Fleming) and 75 guests, turned into an
ìAmerican Bandstand from Hellî when the ìliveî button was mistakenly pushed.
Five hours of a live television audience running amuck and management never
called. I sure was naive back then and it was a good thing. We hosted five more
tapings over a two year period. In my opinion, these guys were way ahead of
their time, and I am proud to have collaborated on some of their work. They hung
up their television show in 1990. The last episode featured singer/songwriter
Ben Vaughn being interviewed in a menís room. Now, ten years later, it is with
great pride and pleasure I present to you a retrospective of The Scott and Gary
Show. - Jeff Krulik
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY JULY
25/26 8:30pm FUGAZIís INSTRUMENT Well known for their
anti-corporate stance as musicians, FUGAZI have managed to maintain their
integrity for over a decade as one of Americaís most impressive ìindieî bands,
consistently refusing to make rock videos and remaining on their own independent
label all the while. Far from a traditional documentary, the project is a
musical document: a portrait of musicians at work. In director Jem Cohenís
words: ìWith no desire on my part or the bandís to create a factual career
survey or any kind of promotional vehicle, the project presented an opportunity
to cut things loose. Mixing sync-sound 16mm, Super-8, video, and a wide range of
archival formats, the piece includes concert footage, studio sessions, practice,
touring, interviews and portraits of audience members from around the country.
The project was edited with band members and extensively uses soundtrack
elements provided by Fugazi specifically for the film.î
SKATE OR DIE HARDER! New directions in skateboard
cinema curated by Helen Stickler. Straight from the New York Underground
Film Festival comes this incredible collection of skate flicks curated by
skate-savvy and ìAndre The Giant Has A Posseî director Helen
Stickler.
THURSDAY & FRIDAY JULY 27/28
8:30pm SKATESHORTS! Skateboard culture that runs the gamut including: Andre the
Giant Has a Posse (Helen Stickler), the seminal treatise on skatepunk
iconography, chronicling the rise of a cult phenomenona: the widespread
visibility of stickers icon-ifying the pro-wrestler known as Andre the Giant:
the source is here. SKATOPIA (Rick Charnoski) Iis a story about a party held
in the spring of 1998. ìItís a place where people come to party and skateboard
and drive 4WD trucks and light fires and shoot guns and get naked. A few times a
year people travel from around the US to the hills of SE. Ohio in order to let
it all happen at one of the events hosted by Brewce Martin, the man responsible
for creating this ëskateboard utopiaí. anything and everything can happen at
Skatopia, and it does.î - R. Charnoski LIVE AND LET RIDE (Tara Cooper) ìA
documentary all about girls that skateboard. Through skateboarding footage,
interviews and music the documentary portrays the girls that are out there
skating everyday yet remain largely ignored by the media and sports
world...includes interviews and skating of Cara-Beth Burnside, Jen OíBrien,
Jesse Van Roechoudt, Jodi McDonald, Patty Segovia and covers events such as the
All Girl Skate Jam and The Juice Magazine Five and Alive at Riverside Park in
NYC. The video also looks at Rookie Skateboards, the all girl-owned skateboard
company based in Chinatown, NYC.î - T. Cooper THORN AND TOAD (Tobin Yelland)
ìThorn and Toad is two sides of a story about a fight. I basically filmed each
story and cut them together. Iíve known Thorn for fifteen years and Toad for
around ten.î - T. Yelland
SATURDAY & SUNDAY JULY 29/30
8:30pm CANADIAN PREMIERE:FRUIT OF THE VINE Fruit of the Vine is
a film about skateboarding in empty swimming pools. Itís not a historical
documentary but a collection of stories about those who search, find and
ultimately glean some use out of a part of the great American wasteland. Shot
entirely on super 8 film, Fruit of the Vine is the result of several road trips
taken around both the West and East coast in 2000 and features footage and
interviews from Tony Alva, Lance Mountain, Steve Alba, Tony Farmer, Steve Bailey
and many more.
ìPool skating is not hip, Tommy Hilfiger is not using it
to sell clothes, no one is getting paid to ride them. It is the element of
skateboarding which is overlooked for many different reasons. Itís illegal,
pools are difficult to find, when they are found it takes a lot of work to empty
them, they are difficult to ride and so on. For these reasons pool riding is
also the most interesting element of skateboarding and you usually find the most
interesting people skating them.î - C. Nichols, R. Charnoski.
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