Cinema Curiosa is a film series dedicated to experimental, archival and uncompromising documentary titles that challenge and enrich.
The 2005-06 Season
November 4th 2005 8:00 p.m.
IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL explores outsider art from the inside. Eschewing expert opinion, it reflects the uniqueness of its subject, employing vivid animation and experimental elements to immerse us in Darger's world and all its strange beauty. Brought to life on film, the works reverberate with universal themes: the search for meaning, control, connection, moral direction. Through Darger's eyes, film reveals this odd man to be Everyman.
This innovative feature length documentary, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jessica YU and produced by Susan WEST, explores the parallel lives of legendary outsider artist Henry Darger. Reclusive janitor by day, visionary artist by night, Darger's 15,000 page novel details the exploits of the Vivian Girls, seven angelic sisters who lead a rebellion against godless, child-enslaving men. Featuring the voices of Dakota FANNING (I AM SAM, CAT IN THE HAT) and Larry Pine (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, THE ICE STORM), the music of Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal and the work of a team of animators, this wholly original film tells the story of a hidden universe.
[Documentary 82min 2004 USA] http://www.realmsoftheunreal.com/
"FAHRENHEIT 9/ 11 and Super Size Me have grabbed all the ink, but the year's best documentary just might be IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL."
-San Francisco Bay Guardian
One of Top Ten Documentaries of the Year!
-The Village Voice 2004 Film Critics' Poll
"ABSORBING AND EXQUISITE"
-San Francisco Chronicle
"Jessica Yu's elegant new doc IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL is a spry, creative response to his oceanic talent and claustrophobic life."
-Ed Park, Village Voice
"FABULOUS! A genre-busting journey! Jessica Yu's approach to the material is brilliant!"
-Melissa Levine, San Francisco Weekly
"Darger is one of the world's best-known outsider artists, but the fact that no one interviewed in IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, Jessica Yu's excellent new documentary on his life and work, can agree on how to pronounce his name speaks volumes."
-Dave Kehr, New York Times
"A fascinating examination of a mysterious life and the truly bizarre art of that it spawned."
-Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
DIG! - December 2nd, 8:00 pm
Sundance 2004 Grand Jury Prize winning Rock-Documentary on the American bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols, and the friendship/rivalry between their respective founders.
[Directed by Ondi Timoner - 107min - US]
"Heaven-sent narrative! If universities ever start graduate programs in rock stardom, 'DIG!' will surely be a cornerstone of the curriculum."
A.O. Scott, New York Times
The Man Who Skied Down Everest - January 6th 8:00pm
This incredible, Academy Award Winner, Best Documentary, 1976 film features adventurer, poet and world-champion skier Yuichiro Miura as he and his team face the most challenging climb in the world, Mt. Everest. Possibly the first truly extreme skiing film ever produced, this is more than a simple adventure film. It is a portrait of an athlete and a world record holder, a timeless story of courage and one man's dream to do the impossible, and a document of an arduous and treacherous trek in the Himalayas that left six people dead. Finally, with its heart-pounding, death defying climax, it outdoes any reality television for sheer intensity. Previously unavailable due to legal technicalities, this groundbreaking documentary is finally available.
[Directed by Bruce Nyznik - Narrated - 84min - Japan]
Weather Underground - February 3rd 8:00pm
The remarkable story of radical politics at its most idealistic and disastrous, this Academy Award Nominated documentary interweaves extensive archival material with modern-day interviews to explore the incredible story of "The Weather Underground". As former members reflect candidly about the idealistic passion that drove them to "bring the war home," they paint a compelling portrait of troubled and revolutionary times, with unexpected and often striking connections to the current world situation.
[Directed by Sam Green - 92min - US]
F for Fake - March 3rd 8:00pm
Orson Welles' free-form documentary about fakery focuses on the notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory. Wildly inventive editing and narrative styles are on display in this Wells-directed counter culture hit!
[Written and Directed by Orson Welles - 85min - US]
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Presented by the Traverse Area District Library, Sight & Sound Department
Contact: Aaron Olson, Sight & Sound Dept. Head
610 Woodmere Ave. - Traverse City, MI 49686 - 231.932.8505
Made possible with the support of: The Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Traverse Area Arts Council