Great Neck Arts Center - classes and programs in visual arts (including painting and ceramics), drama, music, dance (including ballet, hip-hop, modern, ballroom), fencing and film.

WINTER '08 SEASON

February 7

Bonneville *preview*

Jessica Lange, Joan Allen and Kathy Bates hit the road in a story about three friends who “come of age” for a second time on a trip across the great American West. But what began as a simple trip will end up becoming a chance to rediscover themselves, their friendship, the importance of promises – and of letting go. Official Selection Toronto FF ‘06

Q&A with director producers Robert May and Lauren Timmons

Moderated by Laura Blum

February 28

Last Jews of Libya

Narrated by Isabella Rossellini, this film documents the final decades of a centuries-old Sephardic Jewish community through the lives of the remarkable Roumani family. Thirty-six thousand Jews lived in Libya at the end of World War II, but not a single one remains today. A tale of war, cultural dislocation, and one family's ultimate perseverance.

Q&A with director Vivienne Roumani-Denn

March 6

Sleepwalking *preview*

Produced by and starring Charlize Theron, this family drama follows the struggle of an 11-year-old girl who is having a hard time coming to grips with her mother (Theron) who has abandoned her. Also stars Woody Harrelson and Dennis Hopper. Sundance FF ‘08

Print courtesy Overture Films

Q&A with Leonard Quart PhD

March 13

Steal a Pencil for Me

This compelling documentary feature film by Academy Award® nominee Michèle Ohayon is about the power of love and the ability of humankind to rise above unimaginable suffering as a husband Jack, wife Manja, and lover Ina all find themselves at the same concentration camp during WWII.

Q&A with Jack and Ina

March 27

Holly

An American expatriate has been 'comfortably numb' in Cambodia for years when he encounters Holly, a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl sold to a child trafficker. Patrick embarks on a frantic search through both the beautiful and sordid faces of the country, in an attempt to bring her to safety. “A work of serious, contemplative outrage” – NY Sun

Q&A with writer/producer Guy Jacobsen

SPRING '08 SEASON

May 1

SON OF RAMBOW *preview*

The breakout hit of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, Son of Rambow captivated audiences with its brilliant portrait of childhood imagination and ingenuity. This nostalgic trip back to the 1980s evokes an era where, for the first time, young minds had access to technology that allowed them to record their own stories while paying homage to the heroes from the movies that inspired them.

Print courtesy Paramount Vantage
2007, Color, France/UK, 96 min

May 15

FREAKS

Rare screening of Tod Browning’s 1932 cult classic. Banned for over 30 years in the UK! Trapeze artist Cleopatra ruffles the feathers of the side show performers when she marries and tries to poison her midget husband Hans for his inheritance. Once they learn of her plot, Hans' friends execute a fitting revenge!

Q&A with film scholar Chris Sharrett

PLUS “Freaks” vintage memorabilia exhibit after Q&A, courtesy of Tommy Stanziola

May 29

MONGOL *preview*

Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this movie is an epic story of a young Genghis Khan and how events in his early life lead him to become a legendary conqueror. As a boy he passes through starvation, humiliations and even slavery, but later with the help of his love Borte he overcomes all of his childhood hardships to become one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known.

Print courtesy Picturehouse
2007, Color, Germany/Russia/Mongolia, Kazakhstan, 120 min

June 12

CHOP SHOP

Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani sets his story of a 12-year-old Latino boy in the no-man’s-land of Willet’s Point, a 20-block stretch of junkyards and chop shops, overshadowed by Shea Stadium’s giant billboard: “Make Dreams Happen.” In a neo-realist style, the film suggests that for many New York City is closer to a third world country than a land of infinite opportunity.

Q&A with dir. Ramin Bahrani
2007, US, Color, 84 min

June 19

LA QUESTION HUMAINE/HEARTBEAT DETECTOR

A European-Michael Clayton, Heartbeat Detector unfolds a quietly riveting mystery of blackmail and intrigue, as the long-buried secrets of high-powered corporate executives threaten to bring them down. Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) stars as a psychologist working in the Human Resources Department of multinational petrochemical corporation, who discovers long-buried connections to the Third Reich. Michael Lonsdale also stars.

2007, France, Color, 143 min

SUMMER '08 SEASON

JULY 28

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

Adaptation of the acclaimed mini-series and book, this provocative and suspenseful drama tells an evocative story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in the pre-WWII era. In the film, Charles Ryder becomes entranced with the noble Marchmain family. The rise and fall of Charles infatuations reflect the decline of a decadent era in England between the wars. Emma Thompson co-stars.

AUGUST 4

GROCER’S SON

This surprise French box-office hit is about the coming-of-age of a man re-discovering life and love in the countryside. Antoine is forced to leave the city to return to his family in Provence. His father is sick, so he must assume the lifestyle he thought left behind. He gradually warms up to the country and his encounters with the villagers, who initially seem stubborn and gruff, but ultimately prove to be funny and endearing.

AUGUST 11

BLINDERS

Tourists from around the world travel to ride in one of New York’s legendary horse-drawn carriages. Through original footage taken with hidden cameras and interviews with carriage drivers, veterinarians, accident witnesses, animal rights activists, politicians, ‘Blinders’ takes viewers behind the scenes to expose the truth behind the tradition.

Q&A with dir. Donny Moss

AUGUST 18

LOVE COMES LATELY

Based on the short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Showing no signs of slowing down as he nears 80, a prolific writer pursues his interests with youthful vigor but neglects his life partner. As the lines between real-life events, fiction and autobiographical writing completely blur, Kohn is forced to confront questions about his life’s now-fleeting future.

AUGUST 25

THE TRAITOR *preview*

When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn (Don Cheadle). Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue.

FALL '08 SEASON

OCTOBER 16

TRUMBO

Director Peter Askin and writer Christopher Trumbo present a unique, star-studded film about Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and his heroic journey from Hollywood royalty to blacklisted writer to Academy Award winner.

Our Guest Speaker will be Director Peter Askin.

OCTOBER 23

THIRD MIRACLE

Agnieszka Holland directs this riveting film starring Ed Harris, which tells the story of a skeptical Bishop and a broken priest sent as Postulator to investigate the beatification of a simple, devout woman whose death caused a statue of the Virgin Mary to bleed upon and cure a girl with terminal lupus.

The novel’s author Richard Vetere will be our featured guest speaker.

OCTOBER 30

THE FIRST BASKET *preview*

The First Basket is the first comprehensive documentary to examine both the role that Jewish players had in the evolution of the game, and the impact that basketball played in the assimilation of American Jews.

Director David Vyorst will be our guest speaker.

NOVEMBER 6

MOMMA’S MAN

Director Azael Jacobs chronicles the increasingly anxious dilemma of a young husband and father who stops off at his parents' loft during a business trip to New York and finds himself emotionally unable to leave.

Our guest speaker will be David Schwartz, Chief Curator at the Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, NY.

NOVEMBER 13

MY MEXICAN SHIVA

A film by Alejandro Springall in Spanish, Yiddish and Hebrew with English subtitles. Set in Polanco, a Jewish quarter of Mexico City, My Mexican Shivah is a gentle comedy about how the death of a man results in the celebration of his life.

WINTER '09 SEASON

JANUARY 15

THEATER OF WAR

Two summers ago, New York’s Public Theater presented a remarkable new version of Bertolt Brecht’s epic masterpiece Mother Courage in Central Park, with a towering performance by Meryl Streep in the title role. Freshly adapted by Tony Kushner, and co-starring Kevin Kline, in Theater of War this production becomes the backdrop for a rare glimpse into the creative process of Streep, a compelling look at Brecht’s life, and a fascinating examination of the relationship between art, politics, and war that is more relevant today than ever.

Special guest speaker: New York Times film critic NATHAN LEE.

JANUARY 29

TWO LIVES PLUS ONE

Eliane Weiss (played by acclaimed French actress Emmanuelle Devos) is a Parisian schoolteacher overwhelmed by her family and job. She writes and draws in her journal whenever she can steal a few moments to herself. When Eliane suddenly buys a laptop, starts writing a novel, and meets an attractive publisher, everyone in her world is thrown completely off-kilter. This charming and wonderfully perceptive film depicts one woman’s quest to understand herself, her family, and the feelings and dreams that bind them together. New York Jewish Film Festival Selection, 2009.

Special guest speaker: film writer and author LAWRENCE LEVI.

FEBRUARY 12

TWO LOVERS

A classic romantic drama set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, Two Lovers features Joaquin Phoenix as a troubled young man torn between two women – Gwyneth Paltrow, his exotic and impetuous neighbor, and Vinessa Shaw, the lovely and caring daughter of a family friend. As pressure from his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov) to commit to Shaw mounts, Phoenix is forced to make an impossible decision – or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him.

Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival, 2008.

Special guest speaker: Museum of the Moving Image Chief Curator David Schwartz.

FEBRUARY 26

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

The only feature film made by the extraordinarily talented young Romanian director Cristian Nemescu, California Dreamin’ is based on the true story of American troops (led by Armand Assante's Captain Jones) on their way to Kosovo in the late 1990s. Their train is stalled in the middle of a tiny Romanian village by an overzealous customs inspector, and the locals pull out all the stops with over-the-top pro-USA festivities. A love story, war movie, and comedy rolled into one, this film has something for everyone, but above all betrays the enduring compassion of its director. Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix Winner, “Un Certain Regard,” 2007.

Special guest speaker: Mihai Chirilov, Artistic Director of the Transylvania International Film Festival .

Please note: Because of its running time, this film will begin at 7:00 pm rather than at 7:30.

Special thanks to the Romanian Cultural Institute.

MARCH 12

SITA SINGS THE BLUES

Who ever said animated movies couldn’t be for adults? This brilliantly inventive film – dubbed “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told” -- tells the tales of Sita, a Hindu goddess stolen away from her beloved husband Rama, and Nina, a modern American woman whose husband moves to India and dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate this musical take on the Indian epic Ramayana, set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, creating a funny, visually dazzling experience like nothing else you’ve ever seen.

Special guest speakers: Sita Sings the Blues stars and collaborators ASEEM CHHABRA and REENA SHAH.

SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW

MARCH 16

THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD

Buck Howard, “mentalist extraordinaire,” once spent his days in the limelight, with a marquee act in Vegas and 61 appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Now, he performs in faded, half-empty community centers--but with the help of a new assistant, a fiery publicist, and a bold stroke of fate, Buck Howard is about to mount the comeback of a lifetime. John Malkovich gives a hilarious performance as the egomaniacal entertainer, and Colin Hanks (son of Tom, who produced and also appears in the film) is the perfect foil as his assistant in this charming, warm-hearted, and very funny love letter to old school entertainment.

With a SPECIAL LIVE PERFORMANCE by mentalist and psychic entertainer SEBASTIAN BLACK after the film!

SPRING '09 SEASON

March 26

LYMELIFE

Set in Long Island during the late 1970s, the Scorsese-produced comedy-drama Lymelife is a bright story about the dark side of suburban paradise. Both a coming-of-age tale about the adolescence of a 15-year-old boy (Rory Culkin) in love with his neighbor, and a portrait of two marriages crumbling under the stress of real estate, a sudden outbreak of Lyme disease, and a messy affair between Alec Baldwin (in a pitch-perfect performance) and Cynthia Nixon (as an uptight flirt), Lymelife is a funny, poignant look at the American dream, in all of its dysfunctional splendor.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: DYLAN SKOLNICK, Co-Director of the Cinema Arts Centre.

April 2

THE WINDOW

80-year-old Antonio has been waiting for years for the return of his estranged son, now a famous piano virtuoso. The day has finally come, and Antonio pushes his faithful caretakers to make sure that everything in the Patagonian home where he lives is perfect – until he decides to go on a secret journey of his own. This beautiful and moving Argentinean film uses a small story to speak volumes about time, nostalgia, and the poetry of everyday life.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: ED GONZALEZ, film critic and co-founder of Slant Magazine.

April 20

JERICHOW

(Please note: this screening is on a Monday rather than a Thursday)

Loosely based on the classic American film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice, Jerichow is a sexy German thriller about a beautiful blond, her brutish husband, and the handsome stranger that enters their lives. The tangled web of money and desire that results quickly heads into dangerous territory in this coolly minimalist film, packed with tension until its final seconds.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: JOHN ANDERSON, film critic for Variety, The New York Times, Newsday, and other publications.

May 7

SPEEDY

With live piano accompaniment!

In a special presentation as part of Play Ball!, GNAC’s celebration of baseball and the arts, a restored print of the classic 1928 silent comedy Speedy – starring comedian Harold Lloyd as a young man whose love of baseball keeps causing him to lose jobs, and featuring a hilarious cameo by Babe Ruth himself in the climactic cab race to Yankee Stadium – will be shown with a wonderful original score, performed live by its composer, pianist Steve Sterner.

With Babe Ruth's granddaughter LINDA RUTH TOSETTI and famed sports executive and author RAY NEGRON in person!

Special guest speakers: Film critic MARSHALL FINE and composer/musician STEVE STERNER.

After the film and Q&A, LINDA RUTH TOSETTI will autograph baseballs in the lobby, and RAY NEGRON will sign copies of his books, The Greatest Story Never Told and One Last Time: Good-Bye to Yankee Stadium.

May 21

SÉRAPHINE

The sweeping winner of seven Cesar awards (French Oscars), Séraphine vividly recounts the tragic story of turn-of-the-century French painter Séraphine Louis, a humble servant who becomes a gifted self-taught painter. When a daring critic and collector offers this eccentric woman her first exhibition, Séraphine (brought to extraordinary life by actress Yolande Moreau) is quickly ushered into a strange new world.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: Art Historian JENIFER P. BORUM

SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW

AUGUST 17

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, is the most powerful and polarizing figure in fashion. Hidden behind her trademark bob and sunglasses, she has never allowed anyone to scrutinize the inner workings of her magazine. Until now. With unprecedented access, The September Issue, directed and produced by R.J. Cutler, takes the viewer behind the scenes to witness the making of the September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine, which weighed nearly five pounds and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever produced. An intimate, funny, and surprising look at Anna Wintour and her team of larger-than-life editors, The September Issue shows the creation of this must-have issue by the people who rule the world of fashion.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: director R.J. CUTLER

FALL '09 SEASON

September 16

THE BOYS ARE BACK

(Please note: this screening is on a Wednesday rather than a Thursday)

Starring Clive Owen and based on the acclaimed memoir by Simon Carr, The Boys Are Back is a poignant, wryly confessional tale of fatherhood that evokes both the fragility and wonders of family life. It follows a wisecracking sportswriter (Owen) who, in the wake of his wife’s tragic death, finds himself in a sudden state of single parenthood. Raising two boys—a curious six year-old and a rebel teen from a previous marriage—on his own, life becomes exuberant, reckless, and on the constant verge of disaster for Owen, who must grow up, in his own way, alongside his two sons. Directed by Oscar nominee Scott Hicks (Shine).

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: film producer and critic LAURA BLUM

September 24

THE HORSE BOY

An intensely personal yet epic journey, The Horse Boy follows one Texas couple and their autistic son as they trek on horseback through Outer Mongolia in a desperate attempt to treat his condition with shamanic healing. Part travel adventure, part insight into shamanic tradition, and part intimate look at the autistic mind, this inspiring film tells one family’s extraordinary story, while also giving voice to the thousands who display amazing courage and creativity everyday in the battle against this mysterious and heartbreaking epidemic. Based on the best-selling book of the same name.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: Newport International Film Festival Artistic Director and Sarasota Film Festival Director of Programming TOM HALL

October 8

DISENGAGEMENT

Renowned French actress Juliette Binoche gives an incredible performance as Ana, a woman reunited with her estranged Israeli stepbrother, Uli (played by Israeli heartthrob Liron Levo) when he travels to France after their father’s death. When Uli must return home to resume his work as a policeman, forcibly “disengaging” Israeli settlers from Gaza, Ana decides to go with him to search for the daughter she gave up at birth twenty years ago. Crossing frontiers by car, train, and boat, Ana and Uli are caught up in the turmoil and emotion of both the political situation and their equally complex personal struggles in this exhilarating new film by acclaimed Israeli director Amos Gitai.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: RAY PRIVETT, author of Amos Gitai: Exile and Atonement

October 22

THE MAID

Frumpy domestic servant Raquel has faithfully served the Valdes family for 23 years. Neither truly a member of the family nor simply a servant, she inhabits a vague space somewhere in between. Threatened when the family decides to bring on extra help, Raquel engages in a series of increasingly desperate acts to hold onto her position – until she meets her match in a spirited young woman named Lucy. Winner of the World Cinema Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Maid is a penetrating and insightful comedic drama about family, class, and self-discovery.

Long Island premiere!

Special guest speaker: CARLOS A. GUTIÉRREZ, co-founding Director of Cinema Tropical

November 5

THE MESSENGER

A powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps toward a normal life, The Messenger stars Ben Foster as a US Army officer, just back from Iraq, who must work with another officer (Woody Harrelson) in the Army’s Casualty Notification Service to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers. When Foster finds himself drawn to a woman (Samantha Morton) after delivering the news of her husband’s death, the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, and moving portrait of grief, friendship, and survival. Directed by Israeli-born filmmaker Oren Moverman.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: DAVID SCHWARTZ, Chief Curator of the Museum of the Moving Image

WINTER 2010 SEASON

January 28

A MATTER OF SIZE

In this sweet, light-hearted Israeli comedy, four overweight friends living in Ramle are fed up with dieting and the weight-loss club they belong to. When one of them, Herzl, loses his job as a chef and starts washing dishes at a Japanese restaurant, he discovers the world of sumo wrestling, in which large people like himself are honored and celebrated. He convinces his friends to train as sumo wrestlers with him, and through this process they realize that, no matter what their size, true happiness will only come once they learn to accept themselves. A hit at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and the opening night film of the recent New York Israel Film Festival, A Matter Of Size was also nominated for 14 Israeli Academy “Ofir” Awards in 2009.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: TALI CHERIZLI, Director of Film and Media for the Consulate General of Israel in New York

February 11

THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF

A love story at its core, The Yellow Handkerchief is about three strangers of two generations who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Oscar-winner William Hurt is an ex-con who hitches a ride in a convertible with two teenagers (Twilight star Kristen Stewart and Eddie Redmayne). Hurt is unsure if his ex-wife at home (Maria Bello) will take him back, and Stewart has family troubles of her own, but ultimately, the bonds forged during their journey reveal the possibility of second chances at life and love in this humanistic and emotionally rich film. Based on a short story by renowned writer Pete Hamill.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: DAVID SCHWARTZ, Chief Curator of the Museum of the Moving Image

February 24

THE ART OF THE STEAL

A sensation at the recent Toronto and New York film festivals, The Art Of The Steal is a documentary that plays like a thriller, following the slow-motion heist of the Barnes Foundation’s collection of modern and post-Impressionist art, valued at over 25 billion dollars, by the powers that be. This incredible collection, which included masterpieces by Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse, was built by art world outsider Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who then left it to a university after his death – a fact that did not resonate well with Philadelphia’s political and financial power brokers, who spent 25 years scheming to remove the collection, in a fascinating and complex battle for control brought to life by this remarkable film.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: DAVID D’ARCY, art critic featured in The Art of the Steal

March 4

MID-AUGUST LUNCH

An utterly charming Italian tale of good food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships, Mid-August Lunch follows broke, middle-aged Gianni, who resides with his 93-year-old mother in their ancient apartment. The condo debts are mounting, but if Gianni looks after the building manager’s mother during Italy’s biggest summer holiday, all will be forgiven. Then the manager also shows up with an auntie, and then a doctor friend appears with his mother in tow… Can Gianni keep four such lively mamas well fed and happy in these cramped quarters? Winner of numerous prizes at international festivals, Mid-August Lunch is both a warmly vibrant family drama and a delicately balanced comedy of manners.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: SAMUEL GHELLI, Assistant Professor of Italian and Italian Culture at York College

March 18

THE GREATEST

Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan star as a married couple trying to recover from the death of their teenage son in this deeply moving and beautifully wrought drama about a family coming back to life after tragedy. Sarandon has trouble coping with the devastating news, while Brosnan tries to make up for past mistakes and keep the family together, when, one night, their son’s high school crush Rose (An Education’s Carey Mulligan) shows up at their doorstep, pregnant and disowned by her own family. While things will never be the same for each of them, together they come to recognize that, with love, the life of a family can carry on. Opening Night Film of the 2009 Hamptons International Film Festival.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: RAFER GUZMAN, film critic for Newsday

SPRING 2010 SEASON

April 29

LOOKING FOR ERIC

A comic and uplifting film by renowned British auteur and Palme d’Or winner Ken Loach, Looking for Eric tells the tale of a soccer-obsessed Manchester postman whose chaotic family and failed second marriage are driving him into a mid-life crisis. That is, until he strikes up an imaginary friendship with his idol, the legendary French footballer Eric Cantona (playing himself), famous not only for his brilliant playing, but for his frequently hilarious philosophizing on and off the field. Official Selection, 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: film critic ANDY KAUFMAN

May 6

RACING DREAMS

An award-winning coming-of-age story about three kids who dream of one day racing in NASCAR, in Racing Dreams Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Marshall Curry takes us into the lives of Annabeth (11 years old), Josh (12), and Brandon (13). While competing for the championship in “the Little League for professional racing,” these remarkable kids must simultaneously navigate the treacherous road between childhood and young adulthood, a journey that is exciting, humorous, and enormously entertaining for all ages. Winner, Best Documentary, 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: Racing Dreams director MARSHALL CURRY

May 27

ONDINE

A fairy tale mixes with the real world in Ondine, a lyrical and atmospheric new film directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and set in his native Ireland. Colin Farrell plays a simple fisherman who catches a beautiful and mysterious woman in his trawler’s nets. Although she at first appears to be dead, the woman soon comes to life, leading Farrell’s ailing, yet irrepressible daughter Annie to believe she is a mermaid. Gradually, Farrell comes to think that the fantastical might be possible and that this woman from the sea might be a myth come true.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: Slant Magazine Film Editor ED GONZALEZ

June 10

ALAMAR

Set in the Mexican Caribbean’s largest coral reef, Banco Chinchorro, Almar (To the Sea) is a visually stunning and deeply moving portrait of one summer that a young boy spends with his Mexican father. Coming from Rome, where he lives with his Italian mother, the boy stays in his father’s reed-roofed cabin, perched on poles standing in the water, learning to fish and live off the reef, as depicted in gorgeous underwater photography. The poignant bond that develops between father and son is a testament to a sublime experience that will remain with the boy forever.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: Museum of the Moving Image Chief Curator DAVID SCHWARTZ

June 17

I AM LOVE

Tilda Swinton gives an unforgettable performance in I Am Love, a grand Italian melodrama that tells the story of the wealthy Recchi family, whose lives are undergoing sweeping changes. The family patriarch has decided to name a successor to the reigns of his massive textiles company, surprising everyone by splitting power between his son and grandson. But at the same time his son’s wife (Swinton), a Russian immigrant who has adopted the luxurious culture of Milan, falls quickly and deeply in love with her son’s best friend, embarking on a passionate love affair that will change her family forever.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: film critic and scholar MEGAN RATNER

SUMMER 2010 SEASON

July 12

COUNTDOWN TO ZERO

From the producers of An Inconvenient Truth, Countdown to Zero is a gripping look at the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapon capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Featuring an array of important international statesmen, including President Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf, and Tony Blair, Countdown to Zero makes an absolutely compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: JONATHAN GRANOFF, President of the Global Security Institute

Special guest respondents: MARGARET MELKONIAN, Executive Director, Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives; SHIRLEY ROMAINE, Great Neck SANE/Peace Action

July 26

THE EXTRA MAN

A sophisticated and moving comedy, The Extra Man stars Paul Dano as a lonely dreamer who moves to New York and rents a room in the ramshackle apartment of Kevin Kline, a penniless and eccentric playwright. When he’s not dancing alone to obscure music or singing operettas, Kline is performing the duties of an “extra man,” or a social escort for the wealthy widows of Manhattan high society. These two men develop a volatile mentor/apprentice relationship, and, through a series of urban adventures, form a memorable bond that bridges their differences. Co-starring Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: Movieline chief film critic STEPHANIE ZACHARECK

August 2

LAST TRAIN HOME

Every spring, China’s cities are plunged into chaos as 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the Chinese New Year, a mass exodus that is the world’s largest human migration. Last Train Home follows one couple who has embarked on this journey for over two decades. Like so many of China’s rural poor, they left behind their two infant children for grueling factory jobs. Their daughter Qin — now a restless and rebellious teenager — both resents their absence and longs for her own freedom away from school. Emotionally engaging and starkly beautiful, Last Train Home uses one family to capture the human cost of China’s ascendance as a superpower.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: DAVID SCHWARTZ, Chief Curator of the Museum of the Moving Image

August 16

A FILM UNFINISHED

At the end of WWII, 60 minutes of raw film was discovered in an East German archive. Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply “Ghetto,” the footage was of an unfinished Nazi propaganda film. One more reel was discovered years later. A FILM UNFINISHED presents the film in its entirety, carefully noting fictionalized sequences (including a staged dinner party) falsely showing “the good life” enjoyed by Jewish urbanites, probing deep into the making of this now-infamous Nazi propaganda film. A film of enormous importance, A FILM UNFINISHED exposes the efforts of its perpetrators to propel their agenda and cast it in a favorable light, and ends up being one of the most powerful Holocaust films in recent memory.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: GABRIEL SANDERS, Deputy Editor of Tablet Magazine

August 23

MY DOG TULIP

Featuring the voices of Christopher Plummer, Isabella Rosselini, and Lynn Redgrave (in the last film she ever made), My Dog Tulip is a hilarious and poignant animated film based on the beloved British novel by J.R. Ackerley, which provides a bittersweet retrospective account of Ackerley’s 14-year relationship with his pet Alsatian. In vivid and humorous detail, and using gorgeous and wildly imaginative animation techniques, the movie shows Tulip’s often erratic behavior as well as Ackerley’s determined efforts to ensure an existence of perfect happiness for her, in what ultimately emerges as a beautiful love story between man and dog.

Sneak preview!

Special guest speaker: My Dog Tulip producer NORMAN TWAIN

Fall 2010 SEASON

SEPTEMBER 30

CONVICTION

Based on a true story, a working mother named Betty Anne Waters, puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders. This film spotlights the supreme devotion of family.

Director: Tony Goldwyn, Writer: Pamela Gray, Cast: Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher; Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Programmer's note: Director Tony Goldwyn (the grandson of famous producer Samuel Goldwyn) is both a recognized director and actor, having the distinction of playing Neil Armstrong in HBO's “From the Earth to the Moon” and then later directing Armstrong himself in “A Walk on the Moon”. This combination of talents comes in handy with this film's all-star, award-winning cast. In trying times there are always examples like Betty Anne Waters for inspiration and we thank our friends at Fox for making this dramatic screening possible.

View the trailer for CONVICTION here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCwlaLyjtcA

Special guest speaker: OLGA AKSELROD from THE INNOCENCE PROJECT

OCTOBER 7

NOWHERE BOY

Before he was a Beatle, John Lennon was a teenager who lived with his aunt Mimi even though his mother, the infamous Julia, was within walking distance. This film, based on true events, examines the impact on his life and personality of these two dominant females. In addition, the film shows the first meeting of Lennon with future Beatle Paul McCartney and the development of their friendship and musical partnership, based on recollections from the biography of Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird.

Director: Sam Taylor-Wood, Writers: Julia Baird (memoir), Matt Greenhalgh (screenplay), Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, Thomas Brodie Sangster; Distributor: The Weinstein Company

Programmer's note: The film was shot on location in Liverpool and at the infamous Ealing Studios and was nominated for four British Academy Film Awards. The film's US release will coincide with the celebrations accompanying the 70^thanniversary of John Lennon's birth (October 9, 1940). Come watch what critics are calling a breakthrough performance for Aaron Johnson as a teenage John Lennon.

View the trailer for NOWHERE BOY here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyS2EYJngt0

Speaker: TOM FRANGIONE trivia master & host of BeatleFest.

OCTOBER 21

127 HOURS (Oscar-winner Danny Boyle's new film!!)

127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder pins his arm against a rock wall in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clemence Poesy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet? (rated R) SNEAK PREVIEW!

Director: Danny Boyle; Writers: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy… based on Aron Ralston's best-selling book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place." Cast: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara; Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Programmer's note: This film is based on the true story of a fight for life and thus it has very graphic sequences that might be too intense for some audience members. Although this is the case - this film is excellent and was one of the top films reviewed in Toronto from the Oscar-winner Danny Boyle. It is an honor to be able to screen the film. It's not for the squeamish but don't be afraid. It's worth it! From all critical predictions, this will be nominated for Oscar. We thank Fox Searchlight for being gracious enough to make it happen!

This movie is rated R for intense scenes.

View the trailer for 127 Hours here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWWcQC0ZxIM

Special guest speaker: LUKE DEMPSEY, editor of Aron Ralston's best-selling book Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

OCTOBER 28

CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER (Oscar-winner Alex Gibney's new film!!)

An in-depth look at the rise and fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, including interviews with the scandalized, former politician. SNEAK PREVIEW!

Writer/Director: Alex Gibney; Featuring: Eliot Spitzer, Joe Bruno, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, Ken Langone. Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

Programmer's note: This film screened in Toronto to rave reviews and our NY audience will find it especially entertaining having read about the events in our local papers as they happened. The documentary, by the man who directed the Oscar-winning TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE and ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM raises some of the most absorbing questions pertaining to modern day politics and the consequences of our modern value system. You will LOVE IT, and from all critical predictions, this one is headed for best documentary Oscar nomination! (Gibney's no stranger to awards) Big thanks to our friends at Magnolia Pictures for giving us this great film!

This movie is rated R for language and brief sexual imagery.

View Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQ-9ksRuDk

Special guest speaker: PLUMMY TUCKER, editor of Client 9. As film people know, editors of documentaries know the whole story because they've seen all the footage! Alex Gibney recommended Plummy personally to represent the film. Note she is also editor of numerous studio films and we can't wait for you to meet her!

November 11

THE KING'S SPEECH (Winner of this year's Toronto and Hamptons film festival audience awards!!)

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox, Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

Director: Tom Hooper; Writer: David Seidler; Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter & Guy Pierce.

Programmer's note: This film won Toronto and the Hamptons for a reason. It's fantastic. Prepare for another set of standout performances in a film surely headed for Award season royalty. Many thanks to the Weinstein Company for making it happen!

View the trailer on the official website: http://kings-speech.movie-trailer.com/

Special guest speaker: EDWINA SANDYS world-renowned artist and granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill. Over the last twenty years, the UN has installed five monumental sculptures by Edwina Sandys at its centers around the world. Her knowledge of history from this perspective is invaluable and fascinating. You don't want to miss this one!

WINTER 2011 SERIES

JANUARY 13

THE COMPANY MEN

A year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.

Director: John Wells (One Hour Photo, Far From Heaven, ER, West Wing)

Cast: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Rosemarie DeWitt

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

*Nominated for BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD at the 2010 GOTHAM AWARDS

*Nominated: Satellite Award for best actor in a supporting role: Tommy Lee Jones

View the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPohmhNFwi4

JANUARY 27

THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

A tragi-comedy centered on the HR manager of Israel's largest industrial bakery, who sets out to save the reputation of his business and prevent the publication of a defamatory article.

Director: Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree, The Syrian Bride)

Screenplay: Noah Stollman based on the novel by Abramam B. Jehoshua;

Cast: Mark Ivanir, Gila Almagor, Reymond Amsalem, Noah Silver

Distributor: Film Movement

*Israel's official submission to the Academy Awards for best foreign-language film.

*Winner for Best Director, Best Screenplay and BEST FILM at the 2010 Israeli Academy Awards!

*Winner - audience award - Locarno Film Festival 2010

View the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrEtcFQakT4&feature=related

Special guest speaker: ISAAC ZABLOCKI, the Director of the Israel Film Center at the JCC in Manhattan.

FEBRUARY 10

SAVIORS IN THE NIGHT

Sometimes a film comes along with extraordinary subject matter that deserves our attention. This German film based on a true story came highly recommended and we will be screening it on FEBRUARY 10.

SAVIORS IN THE NIGHT (UNTER BAUERN) is based on the memories of Marga Spiegel. In her narrative, published in 1965, she describes how courageous farmers in southern Münsterland hid her, her husband Siegfried {named Menne} and their little daughter Karin from 1943 until 1945, thus saving them from deportation to the extermination camps in the East. Without reservation, the farmers offer the refugees their protection. They risk their own lives, and, if necessary, even that of their families.

In Yad Vashem the farmers' names are immortalized: Heinrich Aschoff, Hubert Pentrop, Bernhard Südfeld, Heinrich Silkenböhmer, Bernhard Sickmann.

Winner - Audience Award (Best Feature Fiction), Boston Jewish Film Festival

Country of Origin: Germany, France

Original Language: German, French, English

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Special guest speakers: DR. ARTHUR FLUG, Executive Director of the Harriet & Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Archives at Queensborough Community College; and holocaust survivor HANNE LIEBMANN, whose moving story is strikingly parallel to the protagonist in SAVIORS IN THE NIGHT.

FEBRUARY 24

WIN WIN

Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything.

Writer / Director: Tom McCarthy (Director: The Station Agent, The Visitor; Actor: The Wire, Meet the Parents trilogy, Fair Game; Writer: story for Pixar's UP)

Cast: Paul Giamatti (Sideways, John Adams, Barney's Version), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, The Hangover); Bobby Cannavale (The Station Agent, The Other Guys)

Distributor: Fox Seachlight

Brand new buzz movie at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival!

This film is so new there is no poster or trailer yet! Stay tuned!

MARCH 10

CEREMONY

A young, delusional, unsuccessful children's book writer crashes the wedding of the older woman he wants back… with mixed results. (This fun twist on a romantic comedy centers around a Gatsby-esque wedding and was shot primarily on Long Island!)

Director: Max Winkler

Cast: Uma Thurman, Michael Angarano, Lee Pace
Executive producer: Jason Reitman (Up In The Air, Juno)

*Official selection & premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

*Official selection Hamptons Film Festival.

View an official clip of the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tds-74vvsGQ

Watch a news story on CEREMONY's premiere in Toronto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug8FNfETxxE

SPRING 2011 SERIES

MARCH 17

VIDAL SASSOON: THE MOVIE

(*In association with the 15th annual Sephardic Jewish Film Festival)

Vidal Sassoon is more than just a hairdresser – he's a rock star, an artist, a craftsman who “changed the world with a pair of scissors”. With the geometric, Bauhaus-inspired hairdos he pioneered in the 1960s and his “wash and wear” philosophy that liberated generations of women from the tyranny of the salon, Sassoon revolutionized the art of hairstyling and left an indelible mark on popular culture. This documentary traces with visual gusto the life of a self-made man whose passion and perseverance took him from a Jewish orphanage in London to the absolute pinnacle of his craft.

Documentary. 1hr 30mins

Writer/Director: Craig Teper

Producer: Jackie Gilbert Bauer

VIEW THE TRAILER HERE!

Special guest speakers: Writer/Director CRAIG TEPER and Vidal's friend and protégé CHRISTOPHER PLUCK.

MARCH 31

BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK

For decades, this Schwinn-riding cultural anthropologist has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the Times Style section in his columns "On the Street" and "Evening Hours." Bill Cunningham New York is a delicate, funny and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace.

Director: Richard Press

*Opening Night – New Directors/New Films Film Festival - New York
*Winner – Audience Award – Best Documentary – Melbourne FF
*Winner – Audience Award – Best Documentary - Sydney FF
*Winner – Best Storytelling for Documentaries – Nantucket FF
*Winner – Best First Documentary – Abu Dhabi Film Festival

Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYqiLJBXbss

See the Esquire review: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/endorsement/bill-cunningham-new-york-review-032510

APRIL 7

QUEEN TO PLAY (JOUEUSE)

Oscar winner Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) and the luminous Sandrine Bonnaire (Vagabond) square off in this stylish and sophisticated dramedy of newfound passions and mid-life triumphs, set on the postcard-perfect isle of Corsica. Lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Hélène (Bonnaire) discovers she has a knack for chess. This obsession – much to the chagrin of her husband and teenage daughter – leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor (Kline, in his first French-speaking role) – a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives.

Director: Caroline Bottaro

Watch the charming trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RcBGcMJY7Y

And read the great Variety review here:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940159/

APRIL 14

INCENDIES

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

*ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE 2011*

*WINNER BEST FILM: Venice Days, Venice Vilm Festival

*WINNER BEST CANADIAN FILM: Toronto Film Festival

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Telluride Film Festival

*NEW DIRECTORS/NEW FILMS: MOMA

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDf-XuYid1A

APRIL 28

POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS:

THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD

A funny, crowd-pleasing, eye-opening documentary that takes you behind the scenes of branding, advertising and product placement in films that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.

Director: Morgan Spurlock

*WORLD PREMIERE: SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2011

*ROGUE AWARD WINNER: Ashland Independence Film Festival 2011

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: South By Southwest Film Festival 2011

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Miami Film Festival 2011

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Hot Docs Film Festival 2011

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9vu3dUMQ1s

SUMMER 2011 SEASON

JULY 11

SARAH'S KEY

Based on the international hit novel by Tatiana De Rosnay

Synopsis: Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard – their secret hiding place – and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released. Sixty seven years later, Sarah’s story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

Sneak preview screening!

Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Neils Aresrup, Aidan Quinn

Writer/Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Distributor: The Weinstein Company; in French, 111 mins

*Winner, Tokyo Film Festival Audience Award!

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzDZ9e3mGRE

Special guest speaker: RENEE WIENER, who as a teenager saw her father seized by the Nazis and joined the French Resistance, smuggling arms and finding safe havens for countless children who needed to escape to safety – and just last year was awarded the medal of “Commandeur” in the French Legion of Honor for her courageous acts.

JULY 25

SENNA

The story of Ayrton Senna, perhaps the greatest race car driver who ever lived, is an epic tale that literally twists at every turn. In the mid 1980s, Senna, a young, gifted driver, exploded onto the world of Formula One racing. As a Brazilian in a predominantly European sport, a purist in a world polluted with backroom deals, and a man of faith in an arena filled with cynicism, Senna had to fight hard — both on and off the track. Facing titanic struggles, he conquered Formula One and became a global icon who was idolized in his home country.

Told solely through the use of archival footage, Asif Kapadia’s documentary is a thrill ride worthy of its daring subject. Adrenaline will be pumping as cameras from inside Senna’s car put you smack-dab in the driver’s seat. Buckle your seat belt; Senna will take you on a ride you do not want to miss!

Director: Asif Kapadia

*WINNER of of the Sundance 2011 World Cinema Audience Documentary Award!!

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6rvBiYBL-w&feature=fvst

Special guest speaker: JOHN ANDERSON, film critic for Variety, Newsday and America magazine. He appears regularly in the New York Times, and he has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Film Comment, Artforum, and the Village Voice. He is a past member of the selection committee of the New York Film Festival and the author of “Sundancing” (Avon), “Edward Yang” (University of Illinois) and – with Laura Kim – “I Wake Up Screening” (Billboard Books). With David Sterritt, he edited “The B List”, the most recent book by the National Society of Film Critics. He is the current chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle, and a member of the National Society of Film Critics.

John has reviewed SENNA for Variety and is now writing more on the film and has wonderful insights to share.

The Q&A will be handled by Gold Coast Executive Producer and Curator at Large L. Somi Roy (an esteemed programmer at Lincoln Center, MOMA and the Gold Coast International Film Festival).

AUGUST 8

BOB AND THE MONSTER

*Back by popular demand! Redux screening of the WINNER of the Gold Coast International Film Festival Audience Award!

Synopsis: Six years in the making, Bob and The Monster follows outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest, through his life-threatening struggle with addiction, to his transformation into one of the most influential and controversial drug counselors in the US today. The film crafts contemporary footage, animation and compelling interviews with archival performances and personal videos from Bob’s past to reveal the complex layers of this troubled, but hopeful soul. Testimony from his peers, including Courtney Love, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, members of Jane’s Addiction, Fishbone and Guns n’ Roses add texture, but it’s the depth of Bob’s music, interwoven throughout the film, that illuminates this unforgettable and inspirational story.

Director: Keirda Bahruth

Featuring: Bob Forrest, Anthony Keidas, Flea (+ The Red Hot Chili Peppers)

See the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD8tb_wx18w

Special guest speaker: NEAL BOULTON, best known for his work as influencer of nearly 30 magazines and newspapers, TV personality, and Sylvestor Stallone collaborator, had a secret: he was a heroin addict. “Success was the easiest thing to hide my addiction behind — until it wasn’t.” After six rehabs, four psych wards and several arrests, Boulton began to get clean and launched his 31st publication: HeroinLife.com, an online heroin addiction recovery magazine that New York called, “Brilliant”.

AUGUST 15

MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE

Back by popular demand! The winner of the Gold Coast International Film Festival's Feature Narrative Audience Award!

Sneak pre-release preview!

Synopsis: Germain (Depardieu) is a large, unmarried and almost illiterate man in his fifties. Marguerite is a tiny elderly woman with a passion for the written word. When Germain happens to sit beside Marguerite on a park bench and she reads him extracts from her novels, an unlikely friendship develops. Under Marguerite’s tutelage, Germain discovers a love of literature and with it, a wisdom that confounds his friends at the bistro, who have always treated him like an idiot. As Marguerite begins to lose her eyesight, Germain sees an opportunity to use his love for this sweet and mischievous grandma to improve both his own life and hers.

Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Gisele Casadesus

Director: Jean Becker

Distributor: Cohen Media Group; In French, 82 minutes

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7Qm_nDvpZ0

AUGUST 22

THE DEBT

Sneak preview!

Director: John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Waking Ned Devine)

Cast: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain

Synopsis: The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Academy Award winner Helen Mirren) and Stefan (two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds of HBO's “Rome”). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain (“The Tree of Life”), Marton Csokas (“Dream House”), and Sam Worthington (“Avatar”, “Clash of the Titans”) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen of “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace”) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations.

View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFp28r9sqUw

Running time 113 minutes, in English

Distributed by Focus Features

FALL 2011 SEASON

OCTOBER 6

THE WOMEN ON THE 6^TH FLOOR

The number one French comedy hit comes to the North Shore! This is how they do The Help in France!

Synopsis: Paris, 1960. Jean-Louis (Fabrice Luchini, Potiche) lives a bourgeois existence absorbed in his work, cohabitating peacefully with his neurotic socialite wife Suzanne (Sandrine Kiberlain, Mademoiselle Chambon) while their children are away at boarding school. The couple’s world is turned upside-down when they hire a Spanish maid, Maria (Natalia Verbeke). Through Maria, Jean-Louis is introduced to an alternative reality just a few floors up on the building’s sixth floor, the servants’ quarters. He befriends a group of sassy Spanish maids (Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Berta Ojea, Nuria Sole, Concha Calan), refugees of the Franco regime, who teach him there’s more to life than stocks and bonds. The women’s influence on the house brings change… muy rápido!

Cast: Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain, Natalia Verbeke, Carmen Maura

Director: Philippe Le Guay

Narrative. In French. 104 minutes.

View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L0DgnkbduI

OCTOBER 19

MARGIN CALL

***** This film will be shown on Wednesday due to the holiday on Thursday. Please check your calendar! *****

Check out the all-star Sundance fave and fictional cousin to Oscar-winner Inside Job!

Synopsis: Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, Margin Call is an entangling thriller involving the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When an entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster. Writer/director J.C. Chandor's enthralling first feature is a stark and bravely authentic portrayal of the financial industry and its denizens as they confront the decisions that shape our global future.

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell. With Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci.

Writer/Director: JC Chandor

Narrative. In English. 109 minutes.

View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DqFRsPrns&ob=av3e

NOVEMBER 3

77 STEPS

Synopsis: The personal journey of the director, Ibitsam Salh Mara'ana, who leaves her Arab-Muslim village and moves to Tel-Aviv. Ibtisam and Jonathan meet as newcomers to Tel Aviv, both of them strangers in the city, far from the familiar and their families. They are both searching for a sense of belonging and home. Together they to try to create a new identity. Ibtisam struggles with her Palestinian identity in the shadow of the 2009 Gaza war, Jonathan during this time grapples with his Jewish identity and Zionist dream. They do not relinquish their relationship, yet something has gone sour. Jonathan‘s mother refuses to meet his girlfriend who doesn't fulfil her dream of a Jewish Bride. Ibtisam is also unable to reveal her relationship to her mother and keeps it a secret.

One day, Jonathan’s 90 year old grandfather comes from Canada on a nostalgic trip to Kibbutz Ein-Dor, which he helped found in 1948. He brings with him pain, loss, immense love and a great sense of humor. Ibtisam and Jonathan join him on his trip. It becomes an individual journey for each one of them – one that takes them backwards in time and forward into the unknown, to memories and dreams, Nakba and Independence. It is a journey that will change everything for them.

Director: Ibitsam Salh Mara'ana

Special speaker: Director Ibitsam Salh Mara'ana will be visiting from Israel to discuss her film and we are honored to have her as our guest.

Israel. 60 minutes. With English subtitles.

This screening in association with our friends at:

View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSqH5y9t6HE

NOVEMBER 10

*** BONUS FREE SCREENING FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY! ***

THE ARTIST

Synopsis: Hollywood 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. THE ARTIST tells the story of their interlinked destinies.

Notes: The Artist is a silent (with music) film, shot in black and white. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival where male lead Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award. It was filmed in Los Angeles using extensive research to perfect the filmmaking and storytelling style from the era. It was one of the top films of this year's Toronto Film Festival and if justice has a place in the universe, it will be a contender for the best picture Oscar. This film is an instant classic and one of the best films of the past decade.

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller

Silent with English title cards. 100 minutes. Black and White. From The Weinstein Company.

View the trailer here:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/theartist/

*If you want to subscribe to the last 4 films of the series, you can do so by calling the Arts Center and thus be eligible to attend the bonus screening of The Artist.

NOVEMBER 17

THE DESCENDANTS

*Preview of this Toronto Film Festival HIT!!

Synopsis: From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning SIDEWAYS, set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

Directed by: Alexander Payne
Screenplay by: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Based on the novel by: Kaui Hart Hemmings
Produced by: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel, Patricia Hastie

Narrative. In English. 115 minutes.

View the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHNXJ1K4yA

DECEMBER 1

HOT COFFEE

The Sundance favorite and HBO film continues its grassroots effort to get the word out. You must be a part of this thought-provoking, fantastic film!

Synopsis: Most people think they know the “McDonald's Coffee case”, but what they don't know is that corporations have spent millions distorting the case to promote tort reform. Hot Coffee reveals how big business, aided by the media, brewed a dangerous concoction of manipulation and lies to protect corporate interests. By following four people whose lives were devastated by the attacks on our courts, the film challenges the assumptions Americans hold about “jackpot justice”.

Director/Producer: Susan Saladoff

Documentary. In English. 88 Minutes.

View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBKRjxeQnT4

SERVING LONG ISLAND AND THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA SINCE 1995

113 Middle Neck Road | Great Neck, NY 11021 | (516) 829-2570

NEXT FEATURE: INDIGENES Feb 15, 07 See this advanced screening of the winner of Cannes 2006 for Best Actor. The film explores the intricate struggle of colonized North Africans who fight for France’s republican ideals in World War II.
		Rachel Gerlik, a widowed mother of two beautiful teenage daughters, wants to join a new religious settlement in the West Bank. However, the committee won’t approve her unless she demonstrates that her family can meet its religious and ideological standards. When her youngest daughter is accused of seducing some boys from her youth movement, Rachel is forced to weigh her allegiances. Speaker: Film scholar Leonard Quart PhD.

	Catch a Fire (UK/South Africa/US) October 19
		ADVANCED SCREENING This political thriller is based on the true story of Patrick Chamusso, an ordinary man forced to resort to terror in extraordinary circumstances. A story of one man's struggle amongst a nation's, set in apartheid South Africa, climaxing in the present day. Tim Robbins plays a charismatic policeman who investigates Patrick and his family. Speaker: Dr. Natie Kopelowitz, was born and raised in South Africa, and was a member of an anti-apartheid student group.


	The Bridesmaid (France) November 2
		It’s love at first sight when bridesmaid Senta falls for Philippe at his younger sister’s wedding. Though their passion for each other is as obvious as it is unquestionable, Philippe soon discovers that Senta’s life is shrouded in mystery. When she asks Philippe for a terrible proof of his love, Philippe must come to terms with who his lover might really be. Directed by New Wave master Claude Chabrol.
	Bobby (U.S.A.) November 16
		ADVANCED SCREENING BOBBY revisits the night Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. The story is about how the lives of those at the hotel that evening intersected and will take place against the backdrop of the cultural issues gripping the county at the time, including racism, sexual inequality, and class differences. This film features an all-star cast with Laurence Fishburne, Helen Hunt, and more. Speaker: Christopher Sharrett, Professor of Communication and Film Studies at Seton Hall University, is a well-known lecturer on political assassinations, and from 1976 to 1979 he was a consultant to the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

	Pan’s Labyrinth (Spain/Mexico) November 30
		ADVANCED SCREENING PAN'S LABYRINTH is a fanciful and chilling story set against the backdrop of a fascist regime in 1944 rural Spain. The film centers on Ofelia, a lonely and dreamy child living with her mother and adoptive father; a military officer tasked with ridding the area of rebels. With post-war repression at its height, Ofelia must come to terms with her world through a fable of her own creation. Speaker: Filmmaker Roberto Bentivegna most recently directed the short The Last Man in Brooklyn.


	Campfire (Israel) October 5