Baltic Film Series

Fri.30.Jul | 2010 | 7:00 pm
UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave. | Madison | free

Baltic Way
dir: Arunas Matelis and Audrius Stonys
Lithuania | 1990 | 35mm | b/w | 10 min

The Soviet Empire crumbles and the new Baltic Republics are born. The filmmakers wanted to capture the countries’ first breath of freedom on camera: in places, in bodies, in the looks of people enraptured in the exaltation of liberty. But 20 years later things look a little different…

Noroutine
dir: Jurate Samulionyte
Lithuania | 2008 | Beta SP | color | 15 min

With Saulius Cepla | The endless routine of middle-aged office worker Henrikas comes to an end when he finds a long white ribbon and follows it to a “noroutine.” 80,000 still photos are animated into a flight of sheer, cinematographic fancy, with Cepla’s great performance at the center. Winner of the Silver Crane for the best Lithuanian short film in 2008.

Vogelfrei
dir: Janis Kalejs, Gatis Smits, Janis Putnins, Anna Viduleja
Latvia | 2007 | 35mm | color | 95 min | in Latvian with English subtitles

With Igors Suhoverhovs, Karlis Spravniks, Karlis Spravniks | Four vignettes from Teodor’s life as told by four young and talented Latvian directors capture the innocence of youth, the freedom and choice of adulthood, and the regret of old age. Loosely connected by several defining moments throughout Teodor’s journey, this engaging film won the Latvian film prizes for Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay in 2007. Played at the 2009 Wisconsin Film Festival.
trailer | Cinematheque web site

Baltic Film Series
Balkonas
Balcony
dir: Giedrė Beinoriūtė
Lithuania | 2008 | Beta SP | color | 48 min | in Lithuanian with English subtitles

Sat.31.Jul | 2010 | 5:00 pm
UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave. | Madison | free

After his parents’ divorce, 11-year-old Rolanas and his father move in next door to Emilija (also 11) and her parents (also apparently on the verge of divorce). Despite their shyness, the children forge a friendship across the apartment wall, from their respective balconies. But after a nearly tragic accident, Rolanas must find a different way to talk to his friend.

In conjunction with the Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI) hosted by the UW’s Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia (CREECA) the Cinematheque will show a sampling of films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The series will include animation, shorts and features by famous as well as emerging filmmakers, and will illustrate new trends and latest developments in Baltic filmmaking.
trailer | Cinematheque web site

Baltic Film Series
Par dzimteniti
Three Men and a Fishpond
dir: Maris Maskalans and Laila Pakalnina
Latvia | 2008 | Beta SP | color | 52 min | in Latvian with English subtitles

Sat.31.Jul | 2010 | 6:00 pm
UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave. | Madison | free

Three elderly bachelors idle away their time amidst semi-wild nature, with only a TV set to keep them informed about the outside world. The occasional visitor drops by, but our guys seem to prefer birds and fish to human beings.
trailer | Cinematheque web site

Baltic Film Series
Disko ja tuumasõda
Disco and Atomic War
dir: Kiur Aarma and Jaak Kilmi
Estonia | 2009 | DigiBeta | b/w & color | 80 min | in Estonian and Russian with English subtitles

Sat.31.Jul | 2010 | 7:00 pm
UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave. | Madison | free

What happens when a totalitarian regime stands face to face with the heroes of popular culture? According to Disco and Atomic War — a lighthearted and yet entirely convincing “documentary” blend of dramatic reconstructions and archival footage — the regime loses.
trailer | Cinematheque web site

Hausu
Hausu
dir: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Japan | 1977 | 35mm | 87 min

Fri.30.Jul–Sun.1.Aug | 2010 | check listings
Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St. | Madison

How to describe Nobuhiko Obayahshi’s 1977 movie House? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby Doo as directed by Dario Argento? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home, only to come face to face with evil spirits, bloodthirsty pianos, and a demonic housecat. Too absurd to be genuinely terrifying, yet too nightmarish to be merely comic, House seems like it was beamed to Earth from another planet. Or perhaps the mind of a child: the director fashioned the script after the eccentric musings of his eleven-year-old daughter, then employed all the tricks in his analog arsenal (mattes, animation, and collage) to make them a visually astonishing, raucous reality.
trailer | Union film series

Lakeside Cinema
Back to the Future
dir: Robert Zemeckis
USA | 1985 | DVD | 115 min

Mon.2.Aug | 2010 | 9:00 pm
Memorial Union Terrace (outdoor), 800 Langdon St. | Madison | free

When teenager Marty McFly is blasted to 1955 in the DeLorean time machine created by the eccentric Doc Brown, he finds himself mixed up in a time-shattering chain reaction that could vaporize his future and leave him trapped in the past. Powered by innovative special effects, unforgettable songs, and non-stop action, Back to the Future is an unrivaled adventure that stands the test of time.
trailer | Union film series

from the 2010 Wisconsin Film Festival

Baraboo
dir: Mary Sweeney
USA | 2009 | 99 min

1–2.Aug | 2010 | 2:00 pm (Sun) and 7:00 pm (Mon)
Gard Theatre, 111 E. Jefferson St. | Spring Green

On the outskirts of town are Petersen’s Cabins, the kind of a rundown campground motel you can see from the highway. For those in need of a cheap, maybe not permanent, place to stay, Petersen’s becomes home. Jane runs the place (Brenda DeVita in a delicate performance), spending her days tending the nearby single-pump gas station and her nights trying to rein in her sulky teenage son Chris. She shows the signs of tough resolve that comes from struggling to make ends meet and from past harms, but she’s also a kind of calming beacon for the motel’s residents. There’s a spark between Jane and Bob, a Gulf War vet who teaches tourists how to fish, but it takes the arrival of brisk, steadfast Bernice (Milwaukee stage veteran Ruth Schudson) for the motel’s occupants to finally connect. “A film of serene composure and painterly vistas of the American heartland, it captures the gentle ebb and flow of human existence in small-town Wisconsin….Sweeney emerges throughout as a confident humanist storyteller, crafting her film from beautiful images, gentle music and accomplished performances.” — Allen Hunter. Screen Daily. This is writer/director Mary Sweeney’s first feature, following acclaim for editing Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Lost Highway, The Straight Story (which she also wrote), and Mulholland Drive. She is a UW–Madison alumnus and part-time Madison resident. 2009 Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2009 Galway Film Fleadh. Winner, Golden Badger, 2010 Wisconsin Film Festival.
trailer | film site

Betty Boop Festival Wisconsin
5–8.Aug | 2010 | Wisconsin Rapids
The festival will mark the anniversary of Betty Boop’s animation debut on August 9, 1930 and honors Grim Natwick, Wisconsin Rapids’ native son and Betty’s original top animator at Fleischer Studios, for his lifelong achievements.
bettyboopfestivalwi.com

Best of Rooftop Cinema
Fri.6.Aug | 2010 | 9:00 pm
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State Street (outside) | Madison

Summer is wonderful when you’re on the rooftop. Celebrate the final days of summer by enjoying refreshments from Fresco and music by the Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, followed by the museum’s first-ever August rooftop film screening. “Best of Rooftop Cinema” will begin at approximately 9 pm. MMoCA Nights feature $5 refreshments from Fresco and a cash bar. The evenings are free for members and $5 for non-members.
MMoCA Nights info page

Lakeside Cinema
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
dir: Robert Zemeckis
USA | 1989 | DVD | 90 min

Mon.9.Aug | 2010 | 9:00 pm
Memorial Union Terrace (outdoor), 800 Langdon St. | Madison | free

When best friends Bill S. Preston and Ted Logan are in danger of being separated and having their band, Wyld Stallyns, broken up because they’re failing history, a time-traveler from the future gives them a telephone booth so they can travel through time and ace their history report.
trailer | Union film series

Lakeside Cinema
Superbad
dir: Greg Mottola
USA | 2007 | DVD | 114 min

Mon.16.Aug | 2010 | 9:00 pm
Memorial Union Terrace (outdoor), 800 Langdon St. | Madison | free

Two socially inept teenage boys are about to graduate high school. Theirs is a ridiculously dependent friendship, but now they’ve gotten into different colleges and are forced to contemplate life apart. Evan is a sweet, smart, and generally terrified. Seth is foul-mouth, volatile, and all-consumed with the topic of human sexuality. This is the story of their misguided attempts to reverse a lifelong losing streak with the ladies in one panic-driven night…that awful, humiliating night you cherish for the rest of your life.
trailer | Union film series

Lakeside Cinema
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
dir: John Hughes
USA | 1986 | DVD | 103 min

Mon.23.Aug | 2010 | 9:00 pm
Memorial Union Terrace (outdoor), 800 Langdon St. | Madison | free

For Ferris Bueller, skipping school is nothing new, but this time he’s got the entire school believing he’s on the verge of death. On this special day off, Ferris invites his friend Cameron Fry and girlfriend Sloane Peterson to join him, while taking Cameron’s father’s precious Ferrari for transportation. All the while, principal Ed Rooney is determined to prove Ferris is faking his illness and Ferris’s agitated sister Jeanie is trying to catch Ferris off guard. Ferris enjoys his day with his friends, until the mileage of the Ferrari reads one too many miles driven and Cameron has a blow out.
trailer | Union film series

Milwaukee Film Festival
23.Sep – 3.Oct | 2010 | Milwaukee
milwaukee-film.org

Midwest Ski Film Festival
Oct | 2010 | Milwaukee
mwsff.com

Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival
21–24.Oct | 2010 | Milwaukee
uwm.edu/arts/programs/film/lgbtfilm

Edgerton Sterling North Book and Film Festival
22–23.Oct | 2010 | Edgerton
edgertonbookfestival.com

Flyway Film Festival
21–24.Oct | 2010 | Pepin
accepting submissions to July 31; check their web site for details
flywayfilmfestival.org

Milwaukee Short Film Festival
29–30.Oct | 2010 | Milwaukee
milwaukeeindependentfilmsociety.org

Central Wisconsin Film Festival
5–7.Nov | 2010 | Stevens Point & Amherst
accepting submissions to September 1; check their web site for details
cwfilmfest.org

Big Water Film Festival
5–7.Nov | 2010 | Washburn
accepting submissions to August 15; check their web site for details
bigwaterfilmfestival.org

Beloit International Film Festival
17–21.Feb | 2011 | Beloit
beloitfilmfest.com

Wildwood Film Festival
Apr | 2011 | Appleton
UW Fox Valley Communication Arts Center
wildwoodfilmfest.com

Milwaukee Underground Film Festival
Apr | 2011 | Milwaukee
filmmilwaukee.org