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Film Archive |
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The Furman Film Series archive is where you can review films that
the series has screened in the past years.
Fall, 2006
Winter, 2008
Spring, 2008
Summer, 2008
Fall, 2008
Winter, 2009
March, 2009 “Special Sneak Preview”
Spring, 2009
August, 2009 “Special Sneak Preview”
Fall, 2009
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Campfire (Israel) October 5 |
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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.
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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.
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Catch
a Fire (UK/South Africa/US) October 19 |
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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. |
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The
Bridesmaid (France) November 2 |
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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. |
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Bobby
(U.S.A.) November 16 |
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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. |
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Pan’s
Labyrinth (Spain/Mexico) November 30 |
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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.
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WINTER
'08 SEASON
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 |
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SPRING
'08 SEASON
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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SUMMER
'08 SEASON
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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. |
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FALL
'08 SEASON
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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WINTER
'09 SEASON
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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SPECIAL SNEAK
PREVIEW
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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!
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SPRING
'09 SEASON
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW
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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
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FALL
'09 SEASON
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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
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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
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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 |
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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
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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
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