film@list.co.uk
FESTIVAL
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL GFT, Glasgow, until Thu 4 Jul
Believe it or not this festival has been going for 13 years. Until 27 of this month, 33 timely and powerful films from around the world are being shown in New York. And the GET is to get a slice of this action.
Dig beneath the ridiculous 11/9 rhetoric of their brochure and you’ll see there are some truly magnificent pieces of humanitarian cinema showing in the Big Apple. Costa Gavras’ Amen is the master’s new movie which purports to deal with the Vatican’s complicity in the Holocaust and stars La Haine star Matthieu Kassovitz., Ken Loach’s underrated Navigators is showing as is the absolutely fantastic sounding The Trials Of Henry Kissinger, an investigative documentary from the US by Alex Gibney and Eugene Jarecki that focuses on Christopher Hitchen’s allegations against the Austro-Hungarian beast. There are also films from Afghanistan, Italy, Israel, Palestine
and Mexico.
Not that any of that matters to us suckers here in the old country because the touring BFI version of the festival has delivered a rather paltry three films to the GET (later to travel on to the Edinburgh Filmhouse). But
ahh my friend what films.
Lebanon Dream (15, 60min, COO. ) is the new-ish film from Nurit Kedar the acclaimed female director of Borders. Shot in 2000 it follows the fortunes of Lebanese merchant Samir Fahat and his adventures across the borders of South Lebanon and Israel. It is a
EROTIC THRILLER KILLING ME SOFTLY (18) 100min 0
It's hard to believe that Chen Kaige. the director of Farewell My Concuhine. is responsible for this attempt at a glossy erotic thriller. Make no mistake. Killing Me Softly is a very bad movie. It's not just run-of-the-mill bad. it's gloriously. spectaCularly and hilariously bad. Heather Graham stars as Alice. an American woman liVing in London and shacked up with Jason Hughes (Warren from This Life). When she meets mysterious stranger Joseph Fiennes at a pedestrian crossing. she's completely smitten and, in no time at all, the two of them are rutting like badgers back at his place. After an amusing courtship in which Fiennes runs like an ostrich and then beats a man half to death before proposmg. the two of them get married. Only then does Alice begin to wonder if she
26 THE LIST 2f) Jan‘s-'1 Jul 707‘)?
X"-
James Nachtwey, the subject of War Photographer
fascinating time capsule of a film especially considering
the subsequent events. Jenny Leask, Documentary Programmer for the Edinburgh Film Festival considers Unfinished
Symphony(15, 59min, .0...) to be one of the finest documentaries she has ever programmed. A lyrical journey back to the Vietnam war, this looks at the 3 day protest march staged by newly returned veterans that took place in Massachusetts over Memorial Day weekend in 1971. With interjections from political historian Howard Zinn this is unmissable.
War Photographer (15 96min 0... ) won an Oscar this year for best feature documentary. In a year that saw the blanket patronisation of American black actors who should have been recognised for their achievements a long time ago this should really have been a bad thing. But this is a delight, Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei followed photographer James Nachtwey through various war zones to make the film. This goes to the very heart of Western media voyeurism.
If your not too busy planning holidays to Nike world
something else worth checking out at the GFT is Social
Space a forum for discussion on unfashionable themes like globalisation, political activism and the environment. It takes place the last Sunday of every month and this month it is screening the excellent
Promises (PG, 106min, 000. ). A film from a very far off
hasn't. in fact. married a psychopath. As far as deliciously awful moVies go. this is a masterwork. Terrible script. a ludicrous plot. two utterly charisma free central performances and. to top it all off. some hilariously dodgy sex scenes of the (IOII'I'll'y—lIIIS-(ll-Il()lll(}
2001 that looks at the lives of seven Israeli and Palestinian children from Jerusalem. (Paul Dale)
I Lebanon Dream is showrng on Thu 20 Jun, Unfinished Symphony is showmg on Wed 26 (2 Thu 27 Jun and War Photographer is showrng on Wed 3 <2 Thu 4 July.
So bad, it’s good
variety. And that's before you even get to the one truely horrific scene in the film: the moment Graham reveals her Arran Jumper wedding dress. A true camp classic in the making. (Matthew Turner)
Rough cuts
Lights, camera, action . . .
ROUGH CUTS HAS BEEN TO check out the first of the student degree shows. Telford College TV operations final show was the usual mix of enthusiasm and incompetence but Robert Glasford’s Falls a Shadow and some of the work by Tony McGarry and Graeme Lloyd made it worth the trip. Good luck to all at Telford.
APOLOGIES FOR SOME
bum information last week. Apparently the Grosvenor in Glasgow is not closing but is simply closing for full scale refurbishment and WIN eventually feature two screens and some food and drink establishments. MOVIE MAIL (www.moviem.co.uk), a fantastic new video and DVD distributor, has just re- released some great old Scottish documentaries including two absolute classics: Drifters and West Highland. The others are North British, Diamonds were Forever; Waverley Steps and Shunter Black.
Alvins: a film from Telford’s final show
REEL TO REEL. THE
student filmmakers version of the Oscars is on Saturday 27th June at the UGC City Centre Glasgow. Things kick off at 2pm With a selection of the films being shown followed by an award ceremony. trophies. cash DTIZBS and booze. Free tickets are available from the Cinema Or the Virgin Megastore on Buchannan St.
WE HAVE TEN PAIRS 0F tickets to give away for Dogtown and Z-Boys at the Cameo, Edinburgh (see feature, page 14). Along with the two tickets, the winners will get two tubs of popcorn and two drinks of their choice. The first ten people to get down to the Cameo and present their copy of the magazine to the box office will get the tickets. Usual rules apply.