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Show - V li' - .- ;. .i J ' i ; 4 -- , r - j l ': I .iff:' I ; w 12, -w:;r -s f 'r r--. -,,-..,.'., 2, :"-.'rwJ -v3 A M ' f E?'-'". .w, J " " 1 1 ... t - f V t w Ttr'w.Bjih." -J Film Festival Fever TT"! ilm and Video professionals from all over the world jn wil1 be focusing on Park City this week. Ideas will be exchanged, partnerships will be formed, deals will be whispered about and sealed, careers will be launched, films will be analyzed and critiqued, unknown new directors will become established, some of the independents will be welcomed into the industry, some will become more independent than ever. But what of the average movie-goer who finds himself in the midst of this hurricane of excitement otherwise known as the U.S. Independent Film and Video Festival. The Festival presents local residents with a perplexing problem. pro-blem. They are expected to carry on their normal workaday lives while trying to absorb more movies than they usually attend at-tend in three years. Take it from a veteran there is no way to absorb it all. Leave it to Roger Ebert to worry about seeing everything. tJ ar from suggesting that locals ignore the barrage of culture and exotic stimulation, we would rather present pre-sent a few suggestions for maximizing one's enjoyment enjoy-ment of the Festival. We don't want to see anyone moping about what they missed nor do we want to see our fragile community com-munity suffering from stimulus overload a very real danger akin to the Arts Festival Fatigue. First let us share some of our own experiences last year. Full of naive enthusiasm, we purchased 20 or so vouchers and proceeded pro-ceeded to examine the schedule. In a collossal over-estimation of our viewing capacity, we booked ourselves for six films in one day. It was more of an endurance test than an artistic experience. ex-perience. We also mashed our way through the crowds to see what we heard were the hot items. In fact, we were so busy standing in lines and sitting our through films which eventu?lly came back to town that we missed many of the seminars and discussions. Continue to page 4 h urn and video It esuval I, A..;. jt ' ' , 1 f ' . 1 . r . - . csu, J ,i ,VV ' :he changing meaning of life and work for three generations genera-tions of Appalachian coal miners. Movingly told by the men themselves, the film is an intimate portrait of three miners, each at a critical juncture of his career, each trying to resign themselves to the inevitability of work and the consequences that are inherent to it. It is a deeply engrossing, highly emphathetic film, a most painterly, almost romantic look at life below the surface. (Running time: 59 minutes). Booming Shows some of the human consequences of living a mobile existence. For several residents of Shirley Creek and Medicine Bend, Wyo. life is a constant trek from one energy boom town to the next. Living in mobile homes, under extreme ex-treme conditions, men and women try to lead normal lives. The irony of the film is that the harsh and desolate landscape is contrasted by the positive attitude and inner reserve of the inhabi-1 inhabi-1 tants. (Running time: 60 minutes). f Brighton Beach Is a I neighborhood in Brooklyn, I N.Y. that has been called a t poor man's paradise. It is a I city by the sea, down the 9 boardwalk from Coney Is- land. The film is about I survival, uprootedness, into-I into-I lerance; how the melting pot won't melt. But more, it is a film about dignity drawn from meager resources. It is a captivating visual portrait of one of Brooklyn's most colorful neighborhoods.(Run-ning neighborhoods.(Run-ning time: 55 minutes). The Case of The Legless Veteran Is the real life story of an ordinary citizen blacklisted because of his political beliefs. A victim of the political persecutions promoted by the "red scare." James Kutcher's story is a valuable and cautionary tale, always worth remembering. The story is skillfully related with period footage, including a particularly particu-larly poignant clip of young Ronald Reagan, undaunted and somehow unchanged. (Running time: 60 minutes). El Salvador: Another Vietnam? Viet-nam? A heartbreaking review re-view of recent events in that deeply torn nation in light of the Reagan administration's decision to draw the line against Communist interference interfer-ence in Central America. It is a film that exposes the dangers inherent in the U.S. policy to support the regime in power. It is a record of the mounting indignation, frustration frus-tration and terror that is sweeping "the people's of El Salvador. A very important impor-tant film. (Running time: 60 minutes). cont. to pg. 6 The United States Film and Video Festival has named Producer-Director Stanley Kramer the recipient of its John Ford Medallion, to be awarded at the 1982 Festival. The John Ford Medallion, awarded for exceptional contribution to the film industry, has previously honored John Wayne, Frank Capra and Henry Fonda. More Documentaries brilliant. A stubborn film about New York City and the people who flood to it in search of fame and fortune with only their faces and figures to offer. (Running time: 125 minutes). Soldier Girls Follows three female recruits through three months of basic training in the U.S. Army. The film crystallizes the anomalies inherent in training for war in peace time. The idiocy of war is infinitely better defined by this compulsive "peace time" record than by a dozen vaunted extravaganzas. It is a well-structured and well- shot film that includes footage that is absolutely eye-boggling. It shouldn't be missed. (Running time: 87 minutes). The Third Coast A revealing and quite funny look at Houston, Tex., the city that epitomizes the late great theme of the frontier. As one young Texan puts it, "Everything you could possibly pos-sibly want is right here in Houston." And that's just one viewpoint of many to be found in this rollicking portrait of a city dominated by bad taste and deliverate excess. (Running time: 55 minutes). We'Are The Guinea Pigs Is a powerful anti- nuclear film that focuses on the violent effects of the catastrophe at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor. It is a film about betrayal, about "acceptable limits", about the absolute terror that is seen in the eyes of parents as they watch and wonder about the long term generational genera-tional effects of radiation on their young children. This is a valuable and enlightenig film, one that should be seen by everyone that is concerned concer-ned with nuclear power. (Running time: 90 minutes). cont. to pg. 10 cont. from 5 Gates of Heaven The outrageously funny exploration explora-tion of a particularly American Ameri-can phenomonen, pet cemeteries. ceme-teries. The film investigates the various passions people possess for their pets, including the comforting notion that there really is a doggy heaven. This award-winning award-winning film gives us a slice of Americana that will gently nudge its way into your heart. Please leave the four-legged creatures at home. (Running time: 83 minutes). Heartworn Highways A telling tribute to the down and out drifters and outlaws who sing their songs and stories, this film examines country western performers. Most of these singers come from the Texas tradition, toting guns and guitars, and slugging down straight Ken-' tucky bourbon. It is a bittersweet portrait of men in search of their message. (Running time: 88 minutes). In Our Water There are an estimated 50,000 hazardous hazar-dous waste sites in the United States. Most of them are either leaking or will leak in the near future. In South Brunswick, N.J., Frank Kaler and his family are. convinced there is something wrong with their water: vegetables cooked in it turn colors, skin lesions appear after bathing in it. The health department claims that it is drinkable, but it is later determined to be some of the most toxic drinking water in the country. This stunning film is about the chemical pollution of the nation's drinking water. It is also a stirring call to action. (Running time: 60 minutes). A Lady Named Baybie Focuses on the indomitable 64 year old Baybie Hoover and her closest friend, Virginia "Ginger" Brown. Both blind, the women "pitched" their way from Wichita, Kan., to New York City, by singing religious music on the street with tin cups in hand. The film is a loving portrait of Baybie's warm, wise, ever-enduring spirit. (Running time: 58 minutes). Model A metaphorical film about the ups and downs of the fashion industry as seen through the lens of Frederick Wiseman as he focuses on a top modeling agency Zoli's of New York. The film is sardonic, wry, innocent, sophisticated, fascinating fas-cinating and in the end, Documentaries, cont. cont. from j6 The Weavers' Reunion In November of 1980, the famous folksinging group The Weavers (Pete Secger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman) were reunited after 25 years for two sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall in new York City. That celebrated concert is the centerpiece of the film, featuring many of their old songs which made them the biggest American recording artists of the 1950s. The Weavers sang about love, work and freedom. For a group that was driven into obscurity because of the blacklist, this reunion is a historic and triumphant return. re-turn. (Running time: 75 minutes). The Willmar 8 This film tells the inspiring story of eight unassuming, apolitical, church-going women-bank-workers in the small midwes-tern midwes-tern town of Willmar, Minn., who most unexpectedly found themselves in the forefront of the fight for working women's rights when they were passed over for promotion because they were women, one too many times. It is a moving and effective vehicle for promoting promot-ing public understanding of the problems of sex discrimination dis-crimination faced by working women. A revealing and perceptive film. (Running time: 55 minutes). |
