Sunday, February 26 might seem a world away now that blossoms are on the trees, but the time has moved quickly at BMFI with the roll out of our spring events. I hope that you'll forgive us for the delay in posting these photos from our Oscar Party.
Over 230 guests enjoyed BMFI's fourth annual Oscar Party, which featured the Academy Awards broadcast larger-than-life on the big screen. In addition to the live simulcast of the Oscars, the event included a silent auction and a gourmet buffet dinner from JPM Catering & Events that was paired with complimentary beer selections from Victory Brewing Company. The evening was sponsored by the Delaware Valley Audi Dealers and all proceeds benefited BMFI.
We appreciate the support of our sponsors, auction donors, guests, volunteers, and staff--thank you for helping to bring a little bit of Hollywood to Bryn Mawr.
BMFI President Juliet Goodfriend dressed in Oscar gold for the theater's fourth annual Oscar Party fundraiser. Photo by Alexis Mayer.
Oscar Party guests browse the silent auction items in BMFI's arcade. Photo by Alexis Mayer.
Delaware Valley Audi Dealers sponsored BMFI's Oscar Party. Audi's Laura Zieske and Michael and Lauren Walsh of Wynnewood show off their red carpet style. Photo by Joel Perlish.
BMFI's Valerie Temple and Andrew Douglas were psyched for their night as emcees. Photo by Alexis Mayer.
Our volunteers are all-stars! Frequent volunteer Jack Rutkowski, one of the evening's bartenders, pours a glass of wine for a guest. Photo by Joel Perlish.
We hosted a raffle to win a five-night stay at an apartment in Paris. Volunteer Sara Douglas poses with the raffle display at the Oscar Party. The drawing was held on March 12, BMFI's seventh anniversary. Photo by Alexis Mayer.
Volunteer Barbara Murray of String Variations graciously provided lovely music in the arcade. Guests in the upstairs Multimedia Room enjoyed a live guitar duo. Photo by Joel Perlish.
We encouraged guests to dress in their red carpet best or come in costumes inspired by the nominated films. Gladys Saldana dressed in this vintage outfit as a tribute to Best Picture winner The Artist. Photo by Joel Perlish.
Elana Starr, the winner of BMFI's Oscar Party contest, brought her husband, Larry. Her beret is also a "nod" to the French The Artist. Photo by Joel Perlish.
This round-up of clips and fun facts celebrates Werner Herzog's eccentricities and the creative genius (or mad man?) who pushed through all of the many production difficulties on set to create Fitzcarraldo.
Now to YouTube!
Fitzcarraldo Fun Facts:
Werner Herzog's 1983 award-winner chronicles the journey of a man whose obsession with opera leads him to try to drag a steamship over a peninsula in search of the riches on the other side.
Herzog originally sought to cast Jack Nicholson as Fitzcarraldo. He began shooting with Jason Robards as Fitzcarraldo and Mick Jagger as his sidekick, Wilbur. (This character was excised when Jagger had to drop out.) Robards became very ill and was forced to leave by order of doctors. It was then that Kinski was brought in to play the titular character. See clips of Robards and Jagger in Fitzcarraldo.
In anticipation of tonight's screening of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, BMFI Programming Intern Dan Santelli caught up with Ben Taylor, author of Apocalpse on the Set: Nine Disastrous Film Productions, via email with some questions about the famously disastrous production.
Ben will be giving a one-hour introductory talk about the 1983 film at 7:30 pm. Keep reading for a sneak peek.
What motivated you to write Apocalypse on the Set?
The real motivation for writing the book was to explore and put to paper the incredible stories behind these pictures. Some were well known, others not, but the real events behind each really reads like its own story full of difficulty, failure, success, heroes and villains. The challenges of filmmaking are so unique. It seemed that taking a look at the process, as seen through these nine films, would really illuminate just how difficult it can be. The business of feature film production is a rare one in that it sits at the intersection of art, money, and ego. These nine stories all have their own cast of very real characters and present their own unusual problems but they each share the same theme of perseverance and struggle. As a result, each was a story worth telling.
You talk about the production history of movies such as Apocalypse Now, Heaven’s Gate,The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and Waterworld. What led you to incorporate Fitzcarraldo into your book?
Fitzcarraldo was an easy and natural selection for inclusion in the book because the story of the production was one that included nearly every problem that can be encountered on a film shoot. There was the lead actor Klaus Kinski, who was at best recalcitrant and at worst insane. There was the boldly ambitious director, [Werner] Herzog, who was devoutly committed to an impossible vision. There was the harsh, distant environment of the jungle in which they filmed. There were furious locals threatening death and indigenous species that were no less lethal. Fitzcarraldo can be seen as a compendium of all the problems experienced in all the other pictures discussed in the book.
One of Herzog’s frequent collaborators during this time in his career was actor Klaus Kinski. How did Kinski’s involvement affect the already troubled nature of the project?
Klaus Kinski (in white) was so reviled on set that the natives actually offered to kill him for Herzog. Later, Herzog said that he was sorry he did not accept the offer.
Kinski was a major player in the drama that unfurled during the shoot. It’s almost as if the punishing heat and other intangible challenges of the picture took on a physical form in the shape of Kinski. It is difficult to understand just where the character ends and where the real man behind him begins. Were his on-set rants really genuine emotion or was this his own esoteric method for inhabiting the role of the no less bizarre character he was hired to play? His later autobiography, All I Need is Love, is full of hateful language about Herzog that the director later explained was all for show and in fact a collaboration on their part. Kinski was an undeniable asset to the finished product, but the emotional cost of having him on set amid so many other problems was great. Though at times he seems mad, it is also apparent that there are few others that could endure such a picture from beginning to end.
Herzog required his crew to haul a steamship across land, like the character in the film, without the use of special effects. What do you think was more troublesome, Kinski or the steamship?
The steamship seemed to become the epicenter of all the other problems. The task of hoisting the ship brought delays, and the delays brought frustrations, which in turn brought short tempers and an extended stay in the jungle. These things led to Kinski’s erratic and insane behavior which only brought the director and cast closer to a breaking point. The steamship seemed to provide just the fodder necessary for Kinski to feel justified in his hysterics, and so I believe the ship, at the center of the shoot, was the most troublesome aspect of the shoot.
This steamship was transported across this mountain by the crew without the use of special effects because of Herzog's dedication to what he calls "ecstatic truth".
What particular problem(s) of Fitzcarraldo’s production phase make it unique when compared to the problems of other disastrous productions?
In all the other shoots explored in the book you will not find one with a more difficult personality than Kinski’s. This is one essential difference that makes the picture so unique when compared to the other films discussed. Additionally there is a distinct feeling that the production of Fitzcarraldo is one that was very much untethered from the traditional studio system and thus it was controlled more locally, from its location in the jungle. Having the production and the decision making simultaneously based in the jungle seems to have invited a deteriorated method of thinking. There were no rational minds sitting in air-conditioned offices. The decisions dictating the shoot were made by the same man who believed it was feasible to hoist a steam ship over a mountain. The production resembles a prison where the incarcerated become the rulers.
Thanks, Ben!
Have some questions of your own? Ask Ben tonight at his talk, which begins at 7:30 pm, before the 8:30 pm film screening.
If you missed filmmaker Deron Albright and actor/screenwriter Yao B. Nunoo's Q&A after last Tuesday's screening of The Destiny of Lesser Animals, BMFI guest blogger Diane Mina Weltman gives her take on the African crime drama and the Q&A that followed.
The Destiny of Lesser Animals: A Life Changed, A Life Improved By Diane Mina Weltman, BMFI Guest Blogger
While it proves the premise that two wrongs don’t make a right, the film The Destiny of Lesser Animalsoffers layered dilemmas among its few characters and draws the audience into events where souls are won and lost by slim ethical decisions.
Set in Ghana, the film follows a police inspector, Boniface Koomsin (played by Yao B. Nunoo), who is desperate to retrieve his stolen passport but is equally uneasy about its counterfeit origins being discovered. (He saved money for ten years to purchase the passport so he could return to the US where he had previously lived.) He decides to report that his gun has been stolen so he can attach himself to an alternate investigation which can lead him to the passport thief.
Ghana’s gritty, dense urban areas and its winding rural towns give the film a colorful, yet dusty ambience in which Koomsin seeks justice and, as with most quests, unearths more about his true intentions in the process.
Director and producer Deron Albright—a St. Joseph’s University faculty member—calls the Philadelphia-area home. He lived in Ghana with his family while he researched and ultimately produced the film. He attended the recent screening at BMFI and fielded audience questions with the film’s star and screenwriter, Yao. The film is Deron’s feature directorial debut, but one of several collaborations with Yao, who recently experienced a very personal debut when he became a new father several days before BMFI's screening.
The Destiny of Lesser Animals filmmaker Deron Albright and actor/writer Yao B. Nunoo posed in the theater after the Q&A
Asked about the process of filmmaking in Ghana, where the friends first met, Deron commented that, “my visions of Africa began with conversations with Yao and it has been an evolution ever since.” Both men sought to create a film that told a universal story and happened to be set in Ghana.
Deron said that he saw The Destiny of Lesser Animals as offering a “refreshing change” from the enormous attention the Kony 2012 video has received. “This film is a preemptive response to the video,” he added thoughtfully. “People are comfortable with a certain narrative with a film about Africa,” Deron noted. “This film moves it in another direction because it is very issue-driven.” The film was “not designed to provide easy answers, but to engender questions.”
Because it was shot on location, each background conveys social messages about poverty and the role of one’s environment. The story also addresses what Deron referred to as Africa’s “brain drain”. As African citizens leave to live and work elsewhere, “it is almost assumed not if you’re going to leave, but when.” The character of Boniface, who had tasted life in the US and even found love there, is fixated on returning. His passion evolves, often painfully, into acceptance as his fierce urge to escape Ghana morphs into a desire to nurture his birth country.
Regarding the issue of national “brain drain,” Yao stated, “It is not something that people consciously talk about, but it’s something that happens.” He added, “When you tell a story you have an obligation to focus it exactly to a message, so we chose the topic and then make subtle mention of others.”
One of actor/writer Yao B. Nunoo's favorite scenes in the film features Xolasie Mawuenyega as a beggar girl.
Asked about their favorite parts in the film, Yao noted the scenes where Boniface and a beggar girl interact. “She is introduced (into the film) at a point that gives you (the audience) a nice breathing space.” Boniface and another officer uncover the violent, merciless path of the thief, and fall short in capturing him. When he faces the beggar girl’s haunting, innocent gaze, it gives him respite from the horror around him and forces him to consider how he can influence this child’s poverty-riddled life for the better.
Deron noted the scenes between Boniface and his uncle, an elderly fisherman (played by Sandy Arkhurst), as his favorite. “I really love his performance in those scenes.” Life’s purpose plays into the conversations between the two men, and one standout exchange ends with the uncle gently reminding Boniface about carefully choosing his direction saying, “As the sun rises and sets, we are meant to grow, not diminish.” These scenes with the uncle provide the film’s conscience as Boniface’s single-minded focus gradually widens. The seaside setting is a visual reminder of the world that lies beyond the Ghana coast, with the ocean’s ebb and flow moderating conversations between a patient uncle and a restless nephew.
Deron expressed his deep gratitude to those who worked on the film, stating, “One of the most heartwarming things is finding a team to work with, and many worked for no pay.” Many local family members and friends attended BMFI’s screening, providing stateside support in full.
Gratified by the consistent warm reception the film has received, Deron is especially pleased with its appeal to all ages in Ghana. “Thirteen and fourteen year olds came to see this film,” he said, “It is a universal story of the character (Yao) trying to do something.” Yao added the film appeals to an essential human yearning, citing, “In Ghana, so many people are hungry for a reflection of self.”
Diane Mina Weltman is a BMFI member who enjoys attending performing and visual arts events and writing about them. Check out her blog, A Subject for Consideration.
BMFI continues its The Late Show series of underseen cult and classic films with Head, showing tonight at 11:30 pm. Read why Ann Capozzolo, a lifelong Monkees fan and our programming contest winner, loves the zany 1968 film.
By Ann Capozzolo, BMFI Programming Contest Winner
Seeing Head on the big screen means a lot to me right now. I’m a big Monkees fan. I’m sure you are aware that Davy Jones, the resident ‘cute one’ in the Monkees, passed away recently. So the timing of this event feels right to me. Also, I never thought I’d actually get the chance to see this movie, which is one of my all-time favorites, on the big screen.
I’ve been a fan of the Monkees since I saw the show on TV when I was eleven years old. As you can imagine, at that age I couldn’t get enough of their silly antics and catchy pop songs.
About a year later, I discovered that the Monkees made a movie after their television show was cancelled, and it was going to be on TV... at 3 AM. The timing puzzled me, but I set my VCR anyway.
When I woke up, I couldn’t wait to see what zany stuff “my” Monkees cooked up for their movie. I popped the tape in right away while eating my breakfast.
I think I stared at the screen with my mouth hanging open for the first twenty minutes. These weren’t really my Monkees. These Monkees were edgy, psychedelic, anti-war, anti-teeny bopper, basically kind of anti-everything, it seemed. And they were making references that went straight over my head. I must have found it amusing enough to muddle through until the end. But I have to say that twelve-year-old Ann was disappointed!
As I got older and could understand Head more, I came back to it again and again. I love all the psychedelic scenes and the subtle (and not so subtle) ways that the Monkees poked fun at their image and their TV show. Many of the scenes in the movie play out like a Monkees episode, but totally exaggerated and infused with dark humor.
I think that if the group wanted to blow up the entire Monkees phenomenon with this film, they did a great job of it. Just like me at twelve, I can’t imagine that typical Monkees fans at the time would have understood the film at all. On the other hand, cinephiles that may have really appreciated the film probably avoided it simply because it starred the Monkees. I’m glad that Head has gotten some recognition in recent years.
Probably the most often talked about aspect of Head is that it was written and produced by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson about two years before they teamed up again to make the classic Five Easy Pieces. Besides the Rafelson and Nicholson pairing--and, of course, all the awesome psychedelic visuals--the film also has this rebellious, loss-of-innocence feel that I think a lot of movies tried to capture at the time.
From the psychedelic imagery to the great music to a bizarre assortment of cameos, like Annette Funicello and Frank Zappa, this movie has the power to put viewers into a 1968 frame of mine. I hope you all enjoy this psychedelic, plotless cult classic as much as I do!
Ann Capozzolo won BMFI's Winter Programming Contest by suggesting Head. This post is a version of the introduction she'll be giving at tonight's screening. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnCapo.
Deron Albright’s thrilling feature directorial debutThe Destiny of Lesser Animals tells the story of Boniface Koomsin, a Ghanaian National Police Inspector who was deported from the United States a decade ago. He longs to return, but a stolen passport, a dangerous trip to the capital, and an unsolved murder stand in the way of his dream. The film was shot on location in Ghana and was written by and stars Deron's frequent collaborator, Yao B. Nunoo.
Following BMFI's screening on Tuesday, March 27 at 7:30pm, the local director will join us for an audience Q&A. In anticipation of the event, Deron took the time to answer some questions via email about teaching, collaborating, and making a home in Ghana.
Why did you want to tell this particular story? What is it about Ghana that you find fascinating?
The idea of "place" is a common thread throughout my work. I am really intrigued by the Situationist idea of "psychogeography" and how the physical spaces and social and economic conditions in which one lives impacts the sense of self, the choices one makes, and the life one lives.
When I first traveled to West Africa (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), to show "The Legend of Black Tom" at FESPACO 2007, I was overwhelmed with the sense of place and began to wonder what it might mean to set a classical genre story in a radically different milieu. Working with Yao Nunoo, Ghana became the obvious choice to pursue.
Filmmaker Deron Albright (center) with cinematographer Aaron T. Bowen
and actor/screenwriter Yao B. Nunoo on set
Once that decision was made, I poured myself into becoming as much a part of the place as I could. By the time shooting began, I had been there nearly seven months living in an apartment at the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) student hostel, had traveled around the country quite a bit, kept very in touch with the social and political happenings (including the razor-thin margin election of 2008 and government transition), and was moving daily throughout the city on a motorcycle. In short, I felt like I had a sense of place that would become very important in making the film.
It was another major collaborator on the project--producer and post-production supervisor Dede Maitre--who really helped push the edit of the film to express the sense of place for audiences who might never have been to Ghana or anyplace like it.
What were some of your favorite parts of being a Fulbright scholar in Ghana and what were some of the challenges?
There's nothing like immersing yourself completely in a place and culture so different from one's own, for better or worse! One of the surprising things to me, though, was how different my family lived relative to other foreigners. We were not "behind the walls" as most, but rather trying our best to make Ghana our home, if only for a year. This created some acute difficulties, but it is something of which I'm really proud. Living in the NAFTI Hostel Apartment left us in far less control of our domestic situation than we might have been otherwise. But, on balance, the trade-off was a good one, and when Lori and I returned a year later (for second unit and sound work) we were welcomed back by many as genuine friends. For all its differences, Ghana became as familiar a home as any other place I've lived.
Sandy Arkhurst (The Old Fisherman) with Nunoo
How did your creative relationship with Yao B. Nunoo begin? How do you collaborate?
In fall 2004, Yao answered a casting call for "The Legend of Black Tom." He was the first actor to respond, and really the only one I needed to meet! We both found ourselves very comfortable with each other on that film (which had a very successful festival run in 2006), and explicitly kept open the possibility of future projects. I think the best aspect of our relationship is the freedom we both feel to offer suggestions to the other at any step in the process, as well as the trust we have in the other's ability. Be it at the level of script or production or edit, we are willing to listen to each other and respect what the other has to say. That's not to say there aren't differences or disagreement along the way, but that's where the trust comes in. I think it really shows on the screen. On Destiny, the project from beginning to end, was so in flux, that without the belief in each other, we never would have made it.
In addition to being a filmmaker, you teach at St. Joseph’s University. What do you hope your students take away from your classes?
First and foremost, whether it is either film criticism or film making, I hope to engender a lasting appreciation for the medium. From an audience perspective, cinema's combination of storytelling and artistry (i.e., of content and form) requiring a complicated technical apparatus, all set within a specific cultural context, makes for an extraordinarily rich array of inquiry. From a filmmaking point of view, I hope that students begin to appreciate the power of the tools at their disposal, and can begin to explore how those tools can make original and meaningful work. And underlying both is the authenticity of emotion that allows filmmaker and audience the ability to connect in an important way for both.
Thanks for sharing such great insights into the film, Deron!
Do you have questions you want to ask Deron yourself? Come to the Q&A after BMFI's screening on Tuesday, March 27.
Nina Zipkin is a senior at Bryn Mawr College currently interning at BMFI.
Instead of making jokes about leprechauns and large consumptions of alcohol for Saint Patrick’s Day, I will focus my attention on films starring famous Irish actors and actresses. With the 17th just around the corner, you can celebrate your Irish heritage with a few of these films, or just admire the awesome accents from afar.
Liam Neeson Pick: Schindler’s List
In Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Liam Neeson was nominated for an Oscar for his starring role as Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved over a thousand Jews during the height of the Second World War. Based on a true story, this stirring and heartbreaking masterpiece was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won seven including Best Picture and Best Director. Most Irish Role:Gangs of New York
In Martin Scorsese’s ten-time Oscar-nominated Gangs of New York, Neeson plays Irish immigrant leader ‘Priest’ Vallon.
Cillian Murphy Pick: Sunshine
With the sun beginning to dim, a small team of astronauts are sent out to reignite the dying star and mankind’s future. Visually striking and intelligent, Danny Boyle’s Sunshine has all the makings of a sci-fi classic. Thanks in large part to strong performances from Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, and Mark Strong, this cerebral drama is both grim and touching.
Honorable Mention: 28 Days Later
In another of Boyle’s sci-fi flicks, 28 Days Later, Cillian Murphy stars as Jim, a bicycle courier who wakes to find London seemingly deserted; as Jim travels the streets, he soon learns the truth behind the abandoned city and the creatures lurking in the shadows.
Maureen O’Hara Pick/Most Irish:The Quiet Man
In this romantic comedy, Irish-born American boxer Sean Thornton (John Wayne) travels to his homeland to reclaim his family’s farm. He soon falls in love with Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara), the fiery sister of the bullying landowner. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, The Quiet Man won two, including Best Director for John Ford.
One tough broad: Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's The Quiet Man
Colin Farrell Pick:In Bruges In Bruges follows Ray (Colin Farrell), a rookie hit-man with a guilty conscious who is sent to lay low in Bruges after a hit goes awry. Accompanied by veteran assassin Ken (Brendan Gleeson), they await orders from their hot-tempered and extremely principled boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes). Instantly bored with the small town, Ray soon gets into a tangle of trouble and romance with the locals, tourists, and a film crew in this witty pitch-black comedy.
Honorable Mention:Tigerland
Farrell stars as Roland Bozz, a young man trying to fight the military system, only to find it fighting back in Joel Schumacher’s gritty war drama.
Peter O’Toole Pick:Lawrence of Arabia
In a film that has been called the epic of all epics, Peter O’Toole stars as T.E. Lawrence, a complex and controversial military figure. Sweeping and spellbinding, director David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.
Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole star in Lawrence of Arabia
Honorable Mention:Becket
In Becket, winner of the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Peter O’Toole stars as King Henry II alongside Richard Burton.
Brendan Gleeson Pick/Most Irish:The Guard
Brendan Gleeson stars as Sergeant Gerry Boyle, an unorthodox Irish cop who is forced to work with a fish-out-of-water FBI agent (Don Cheadle). Brimming with dry wit and subversive humor, The Guard is an impressive directorial debut from John Michael McDonagh that is both raw and hilarious.
So, if you’d like to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with a flick or two, give a toast (okay, just one joke) to one of these Irish stars.
Spring is upon us and gorgeous weather isn’t the only thing that Bryn Mawr Film Institute patrons can look forward to this season. The new issue of our programming guide Projections arrived yesterday at BMFI! Here’s a look at some exciting upcoming events.
Come join us for some classic cult favorites at The Late Show, our ongoing film series devoted to showcasing underseen and unusual cinema. Kiss Me Deadly (1955), a definitive Cold War-era noir thriller, will be screened on 35 mm on Friday, May 25 and don't miss Maggie Gyllenhaal’s indelible performance as Lee, an executive assistant who embarks on a not-so-conventional relationship with her boss (James Spader) in Secretary (2002) on Friday, April 27.
And speaking of office assistance, in honor of Administrative Professionals Day on Wednesday, April 25, there will be a One Night Only showing of Nine to Five, the gleeful workplace revenge comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. Join us for free coffee and a karaoke sing-along of the snappy theme song.
Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, Dabney Coleman and Jane Fonda
Another series to look out for is Author! Author!, where writers give us their insight into classic films. Ben Taylor, the author of Apocalypse on Set: Nine Disastrous Film Productions, will discuss Werner Herzog’s infamous Fitzcarraldo (1982) at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, April 3 before the film's 8:30 pm screening. Then on Tuesday, April 10, a filmed discussion featuring author Susan Orlean (who was portrayed by Meryl Streep in 2002’s Adaptation), author of Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, will be broadcast in HD before our 8:30 pm screening of The Return of Rin Tin Tin (1947).
We know that you care about the stars on screen, but what about the stars in the sky? Director Ian Cheney's new documentary about light pollution and its effect on our night sky, The City Dark, will be shown on Monday, April 23 at 7:30 pm as part of the Green on Screen series... just in time for Earth Day. Haverford senior Maya Barlev, the student coordinator for the public observing program at Strawbridge Observatory, will introduce the documentary.
Zorro (Douglas Fairbanks) faces off against his nemesis in The Mark of Zorro, showing on May 22 with a live original score!
On Tuesday, May 22, fans of silent movies are in for a treat. Douglas Fairbanks (ever the epitome of derring-do) stars as the titular hero in The Mark of Zorro (1920) and Philadelphia’s musical quintet Not-So-Silent Cinema will perform their original flamenco-based live score. Ole!
Speaking of music, "iconic" is the best way to describe the musical score from 1981’s Chariots of Fire. The inspiring film about two rival track stars at the 1924 Olympics can be seen on the big screen on Wednesday, May 23, introduced by Dr. Robert Good, Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Chief of Orthopedic Surgery for the “What’s Up, Doc?” series.
On Wednesday, May 30, the 1953 classic From Here to Eternity will be shown in conjunction with a one-night Cinema Classics Seminar, taught by BMFI’s Director of Education, Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D. The eight-time Oscar winning classic, which takes place in Hawaii before the attack on Pearl Harbor, boasts an all-star cast of Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, and Frank Sinatra. The stand-alone Cinema Classics Seminar is one of many fantastic film courses being offered this spring and summer on such diverse topics as early Walt Disney, the films of Vincente Minnelli, screenwriting, and action films.
Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in "From Here to Eternity", showing May 30.
And you could very well be watching the work of the next Scorsese or Hazanavicius if you attend the Tri-Co Film Festival on Wednesday, May 2 at 7:00 pm, where young filmmakers from Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges will be screening their work.
High school students with cinematic ambitions can spend their summer vacation at BMFI’s Summer Filmmaking Workshop, now in its fourth year. From June 25-August 2, 12 students will produce, write, direct and edit a film that will be shown on the big screen at the end of the program. Early applications are due Friday, March 30 and the final application deadline is Monday, April 30.
These are only a fraction of the programs and events that BMFI's offering this season. We hope that you'll check out a copy of Projections or visit our website for more information about our upcoming programs. We hope that you check out all of our events online at BrynMawrFilm.org. See you at the movies! BMFI members will receive Projections in their mailboxes this week, but anyone can pick up a copy at the theater.
Nina Zipkin is a senior at Bryn Mawr College currently interning at BMFI.
Last Thursday, March 1, the cafe located at Bryn Mawr Film Institute officially changed hands.
In a letter posted in the cafe, MilkBoy owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff thanked their customers for their patronage over the last five years. The pair stated that the change was "due to our expansion in Philadelphia and the relocation of our recording studio, also in Philadelphia." They added, "It was very important to us and BMFI that we hand off this business to the right operators. We feel that we have done that with the new owners. They are very excited and we encourage you to get to know them and embrace the new energy."
Natalia Carignan, the cafe's new owner, poses with cafe manager Mike O'Malley.
Under the new ownership of Natalia Carignan, patrons can expect changes to the space and menu down the line, but regulars will recognize the same friendly faces behind the counter and the cafe will continue to provide Counter Culture Coffee.
"We'll have the same great coffee and employees, but with a new feel," Natalia said. "We look forward to serving BMFI's members and filmgoers."
According to the Patch.com article about the transition, the new cafe will still offer discounts to BMFI patrons and students. If you have money left on your MilkBoy gift cards or reloadable swipe cards, you can still use them at MilkBoy Coffee's Ardmore location.
We appreciate all that MilkBoy Coffee has brought to our table (pun intended) and wish them the best for the future. It has been a pleasure having them here at Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
Bromances may be a hit in Hollywood, but what role do meaningful male friendships play in a man's life, and how can they be cultivated?
Hank Mandel, the 65-year-old subject of the new documentary Five Friends, will share his insights as part of a panel discussion about male friendships following the screening of the movie at BMFI on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30 pm. Based on Elbert Hubbard's saying, "My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, you've had a great life," director Erik Santiago’s poignant film focuses on Hank's relationships with his five closest friends.
In anticipation of the event at BMFI, Hank took the time to answer some questions about his experience working on the film:
How did you decide to share the story of your friendships?
It was a very personal process. As I looked back on my life, I was very blessed to have five amazing friends in my life dating back from 40 to 10 years--all of these men supporting and growing with me through life. I wanted my two daughters to know these friends better and understand the importance of men having intimate, healthy, and strong male relationships. I thought making a film about these friendships would be a great gift for them to have. I thought the guys might like it as well. I discussed it with my wife and together we decided it would be a good thing to do for me and the kids.
Hank Mandel and his friend Scott in the new documentary, Five Friends
What was it like being followed around by the cameras?
This was easy, they were quite invisible. Erik Santiago, the director of the film, our cinematographer Sean Conaty, and their fantastic crew were masterful over the weeks and months of shooting. We shot about 50 hours of film for what turned out to be a 67-minute documentary. The crew was young, professional, and really enjoyed the topic. It was an all-male crew, except for the second camera woman, who really found the experience exciting and interesting. She enjoyed seeing the dynamics of men in very personal relationships. It made everyone on the crew think of their own relationships with men. We had excellent and diverse places to shoot on the two coasts, which I believe made the film more interesting.
Hank Mandel (right) with his friend Charlie
How did you collaborate with director Erik Santiago to create the film?
Erik and I had known each other for about 10 years. We worked together making training films at the bank where I worked. We knew how to work closely and collaboratively, but we never expected to do anything like this. We have very different talents and have found ways to collaborate and create an exciting and engaging film. We ended up with the same vision of the film. He did an amazing job editing the film with Kyle Gilbertson which made the story of the film quite impactful as it unfolds.
We were surprised how powerful the film was for men and women when we started holding focus groups with an uncut version of the final film. We wanted to see how men and women would react to the film. It was because of these focus groups that we began to understand that "Five Friends" was much more than a film for my daughters. It was a film that both men and women found as important, relevant and profound. Focus group audiences around the country encouraged us to see the film as an significant piece of work that needed to be shared broadly with both men and women.
You have had a wide-range of work experiences. What do you see as the connecting threads between the different stages of your career?
Great question. The clearest thread is ME! I am an eclectic individual with pieces of creativity and relationships throughout my life. Growing up in New York City, I loved theater and enjoyed being in and directing plays in school and camps. I went to Ithaca College as a Theater major and worked for five years producing and directing shows for the Country Music Association when I was in my late 40s. I have my graduate degree in Social Work which in many ways is a degree in understanding yourself and others in various relationships and situations. Both of my parents died when I was 30, so I think I found male friendships to be profound and important connections to fill my parental void. They were substitutes for family, since my brother and I lived far apart and had very different interests in life.
Hank with his friend Bob in Five Friends
Is there a lesson that you’d like to impart to your daughters from this experience of making the film?
I have tried to live a life of intimacy with my family and balance work with relationships at home. I hope I have done a decent job. Both my daughters love the movie. Years ago, my oldest daughter, Briana (30), had lunch one day with me and one of my friends, Barry. She was amazed by the quality of our conversation. It opened her eyes to the possibility of emotionally in-touch men. The movie was profound for her because: (a) she knew the friends and (b) she discovered things about me and my life she did not know. We hugged each other for a long time after her screening. It was wonderful, we are very close. Lauren, my youngest daughter (22), sat on my lap and cried after the movie ended. She said, "The best part of the movie is that she could share it with her children." (Whenever and if she has some.) It was very touching! She is very creative and loving!
I think both of them see the quality of the collaborative experience with Erik and myself and how we work together and share life together. He is not one of the "Five Friends", but he and I have worked together in a way that makes us very special colleagues and "brothers". The lessons for my daughters are all about male relationships and for them to look for healthy, introspective, emotionally connected and smart men in their lives. I think they both do this now.
Is there a message or a lesson about male friendships that you hope people take away from the film? In your opinion and in your experience as a therapist, why is it a subject that’s so rarely addressed?
There are many lessons to be found in this documentary and it is wonderful that each person who sees the film finds lessons relevant to their lives. This is why the film has become so popular for men's groups, gender study programs at universities, therapy sessions, between friends, for both men and women at any age, and for the general public at movie venues. It is a story that has been needed in our society. Men are thirsty for male relationships, they just frequently do not know how to find them and nurture them. Our society often confuses male intimacy with male gay relationships. They are quite different, but have similar qualities of profound intimacy.
Hank hugs his friend Barry in a still from Five Friends
Men, in our society are often taught to be strong, hold their feeling inside and solve their own problems. Men are expected to achieve, but not expected to love other men unless it is "family love". Our society puts men in specific "strong behavior roles" that often do not meet their emotional needs and sense of isolation that men struggle with throughout their lives. Pop culture also puts men into stereotypes of being awkward, stupid, insensitive, funny and macho. This not real. It is a corner we are painted into while society provides women all the emotional opportunity and skills to be intimate with other women and men. The film Five Friends shows the audience that men are totally capable of as many complex and important emotions as women. This was a story ready and needing to be told.
Thanks for sharing such great insights into the film, Hank!
In addition to answering questions as part of the panel discussion after the film screening, Hank Mandel will also be a featured speaker at a workshop about male relationships at Widener University on Saturday, March 17.
Nina Zipkin is a senior at Bryn Mawr College currently interning at BMFI.
Welcome to BMFI's blog. We're a non-profit art house movie theater and film education center in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Check here for the scoop on upcoming films, education courses, and information about the renovation of our 1926 theater.
