Dinner & a Movie 2014
March 2014
Thank you for your support of Dinner & a Movie, the Winter Film Series of the Woods Hole Film Festival. The Captain Kidd is undergoing extensive renovations and is closed until late May, so Dinner & a Movie is on temporary hiatus.
We are in the process of scheduling screenings at the Old Woods Hole Fire Station and the Woods Hole Community Hall during April, May and June 2014. The updated screenings will be listed shortly. Check back here, like us on Facebook or sign up on our email list to receive information about upcoming screenings and events. The monthly Atria Food and Film Screenings are a great way to attend Dinner & a Movie until screenings resume at the Captain Kidd.
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DINNER & A MOVIE
2013/2014 Dates
The Woods Hole Film Festival Winter Film Series Dinner & a Movie screens independent film from the Woods Hole Film Festival and beyond.
The series takes place each year October through April at the Cap’n Kidd, Waterfront Dining Room. Dinner & a Movie is a great way to enjoy a night out with friends and family. Dinner & a Movie is held on various Saturday evenings.
The Woods Hole Film Festival winter film series Dinner & a Movie offers a great season of elegant dining with superb independent film at the Captain Kidd Restaurant located at 77 Water Street Woods Hole. For $25 per person, select from a preset menu of sumptuous food prepared specially for the evening. The price includes entree and movie, but does not include beverage, dessert, tax or tip.
When possible, the filmmakers will attend the screening. Woods Hole Film Festival patron discount available. Dinner & A Movie gift certificates make great gifts. For more information about Dinner & a Movie, contact the Woods Hole Film Festival at (508) 495-3456 or info@woodsholefilmfestival.org.
2014 Film Slate
supported in part by 
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Saturday, January 11th – MAIDENTRIP by Jillian Schlesinger, feature documentary, 2013, 81 min.
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out—camera in hand—on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to be the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone. In the wake of a year-long battle with Dutch authorities that sparked a global storm of media scrutiny, Laura now finds herself far from land, family and unwanted attention, exploring the world in search of freedom, adventure, and distant dreams of her early youth at sea. Jillian Schlesinger’s debut feature amplifies Laura’s brave, defiant voice through a mix of Laura’s own video and voice recordings at sea and intimate vérité footage from locations including the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and South Africa.
Saturday, January 18th – REBEL by Maria Aqui Carter, feature documentary, 2013, 75 min.
A feature documentary about a Cuban woman soldier and spy of the American Civil War, is a lush dramatic period piece set in the 19th Century, and based on the memoir of Loreta Velazquez who disguised herself as a man to fight in the American Civil War. Master of disguise, bewitching to both sexes, Loreta Velazquez, Havana born and New Orleans raised, would reinvent not only her identity, but her sex and her ethnicity, to soldier and spy in the American Civil War. She was a woman not only ahead of her time, she was ahead of ours – women have not been officially allowed to engage in combat in the American military and the US military has only just lifted this ban. When Loreta published her 1876 memoir critics attacked her as a prostitute and liar. For over a hundred and fifty years, Loreta has been dismissed as a hoax. But new evidence shows she was one of over a thousand secret women soldiers of the Civil War. What made Loreta so dangerous she was erased from history? It is said history is collective memory. Whose story counts? How do we choose what to remember? And how do we choose what to forget? Rebel is a detective story about a woman, a myth, and the politics of national memory.
watch a trailer of the film here
Saturday, February 1st – NORTHERN BORDERS by Jay Craven, feature narrative, 2013
Northern Borders tells the story of 10-year-old Austen Kittredge, who is sent by his father to live on his grandparents’ Vermont farm. It’s 1956, and Austen sees the farm as a magical place populated by eccentric people, including his stubborn grandparents, whose thorny marriage is known as the Forty Years’ War. A humorous and sometimes startling coming-of-age story, the film evokes Vermont’s wildness and sublime beauty, a haunted past, and an aura of enchantment. Starring Bruce Dern, Brad Heck, Genevieve Bujold, Seamas Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jessica Hecht, Kaley Ronayne, Alicia Lyn Hunt, Brent Crawford, John Shea
Saturday, February 8th – HANK AND ASHA by James E. Duff, feature narrative, 2013, 73 min.
In this charming romantic comedy, an Indian woman studying in Prague and a lonely New Yorker begin an unconventional correspondence – two strangers searching for human connection in a hyper-connected world. When their relationship deepens, they must decide whether or not to meet face to face. “Hank and Asha” is a hopeful story about identity, longing, and the irresistible appeal of entertaining life’s what-ifs. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival.
watch a trailer of the film here
Friday, February 14th – SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY SCREENING
CUTIE AND THE BOXER by Zachary Heinzerling, feature documentary, 81 min.
A reflection on love, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this candid New York story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and his artist wife, Noriko. As a rowdy, confrontational young artist in Tokyo, Ushio seemed destined for fame, but met with little commercial success after he moved to New York City in 1969, seeking international recognition. When 19-year-old Noriko moved to New York to study art, she fell in love with Ushio-abandoning her education to become the wife and assistant to an unruly, husband. Over the course of their marriage, the roles have shifted. Now 80, Ushio struggles to establish his artistic legacy, while Noriko is at last being recognized for her own art-a series of drawings entitled “Cutie,” depicting her challenging past with Ushio. Spanning four decades, the film is a moving portrait of a couple wrestling with the eternal themes of sacrifice, disappointment and aging, against a background of lives dedicated to art.
Skillfully photographed and crafted, Cutie and the Boxer moves fluidly between past and present, employing a vérité aesthetic, archival footage, and beautifully animated sequences of Noriko’s drawings. Heinzerling seamlessly inhabits their space, observing its rhythms and textures, their complex dynamic, and the creative vitality that fuels their lives. NOMINATED FOR a 2014 ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY.
Saturday, February 22nd, TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM by Morgan Neville, feature documentary
Millions know their voices, but no one knows their names. In his compelling new film TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM, award-winning director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century. Triumphant and heartbreaking in equal measure, the film is both a tribute to the unsung voices who brought shape and style to popular music and a reflection on the conflicts, sacrifices and rewards of a career spent harmonizing with others.
These gifted artists span a range of styles, genres and eras of popular music, but each has a uniquely fascinating and personal story to share of life spent in the shadows of superstardom. Along with rare archival footage and a peerless soundtrack, TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM boasts intimate interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger and Sting to name just a few. However, these world-famous figures take a backseat to the diverse array of backup singers whose lives and stories take center stage in the film. NOMINATED FOR a 2014 ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY.
Saturday, March 1st – THE GOLDEN SCALLOP by Joseph Laraja, feature narrative 2012, 83 mins.
Since 1969, the best three fried fish restaurants in the northeast have competed in the Golden Scallop Championship. The 43rd annual competition pits a food truck seeking redemption, an aging former champion and a well financed, novelty friendly fish house against each other in the truest test of short order cooking mettle. Follow the excitement, hilarity, and chaos of their journey from selection till the glory of victory or the agony of defeat. Shot entirely on Cape Cod, MA.
THE LAST SONG BEFORE THE WAR by Kiley Kraskousas, feature documentary 2013, 83 mins.
THE LAST SONG BEFORE THE WAR is a feature-length documentary/concert film that captures the inspiring rise and uncertain future of Mali”s annual Festival in the Desert. The festival history is told from the perspective of Manny Ansar, the co-founder and festival director, the Grammy-award winning musicians who perform, and the intrepid travelers from around the world who make the epic journey to attend the festival. Against the backdrop of stunning musical performances, the film subtly reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating an artistic event in such challenging economic and political times. After 12 years of success and unforgettable musical moments, the Festival in the Desert came to a halt in 2012 when Al Qaeda and militant extremists seized control of Northern Mali. THE LAST SONG BEFORE THE WAR chronicles the 2011 Festival, arguably the last edition that still captured its original goals – a global display of peace, reconciliation, and the healing power of music.
FROM NOTHING, SOMETHING by Tim Cawley, feature documentary, 79 min.
A “BRINGING SCIENCE TO THE SCREEN” event, supported in part by a grant from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. 
Everyone has ideas. But what where do they come from? And what ensures they keep coming? How do you sort the genius ideas from the useless ones? Why invest all this hope and energy into making things in the first place?
From Nothing, Something profiles creative thinkers across a variety of disciplines and finds common methods, habits, mindsets and neuroses that help bring breakthrough ideas into being. This is a thoughtful, intimate, often funny look at the creative process – straight from the brains of some of our culture’s most accomplished and inspiring talents.
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2013 film slate
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Saturday, October 26th – BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD by Rob Kuhns, feature documentary 2013.
In 1968, a young college drop-out named George A. Romero directed “Night of the Living Dead,” a low budget horror film that shocked the world, became an icon of the counterculture, and spawned a zombie industry worth billions of dollars that continues to this day. “Birth of the Living Dead,” a new documentary, shows how Romero gathered an unlikely team of Pittsburghers — policemen, iron workers, teachers, ad-men, housewives and a roller-rink owner — to shoot, with a revolutionary guerrilla, run-and-gun style, his seminal film. During that process Romero and his team created an entirely new and horribly chilling monster – one that was undead and feasted upon human flesh.
The film is also seen in the context of the singular time in which “Night” was shot. Archival footage of the Vietnam War and racial strife at home, combined with iconic music from the 60s invites viewers to experience how Romero’s tumultuous film reflected this period in American history. “Birth of the Living Dead” shows us how this young filmmaker created a world-renowned horror film that was also a profound insight into how society works.
Saturday, November 9th – STORIES WE TELL by Sarah Polley, feature documentary, 2012, 108 min.
In this inspired, genre-twisting new film, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Sarah Polley discovers that the truth depends on who’s telling it. Polley is both filmmaker and detective as she investigates the secrets kept by a family of storytellers. She playfully interviews and interrogates a cast of characters of varying reliability, eliciting refreshingly candid, yet mostly contradictory, answers to the same questions. As each relates their version of the family mythology, present-day recollections shift into nostalgia-tinged glimpses of their mother, who departed too soon, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Polley unravels the paradoxes to reveal the essence of family: always complicated, warmly messy and fiercely loving. Stories We Tell explores the elusive nature of truth and memory, but at its core is a deeply personal film about how our narratives shape and define us as individuals and families, all interconnecting to paint a profound, funny and poignant picture of the larger human story.
watch a trailer of the film here
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Saturday, November 23rd – ROBOT AND FRANK by Jake Schreler, feature narrative, 2012, 90 min.
Reserve your table here
Set in the near future, Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: against the old man’s wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. What follows is an often hilarious and heartwarming story about finding friends and family in the most unexpected places. Starring Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Peter Sarsgaard, Jeremy Sisto.
watch a trailer of the film here
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Saturday, December 7th – KISS THE WATER by Eric Steel, feature documentary, 2013, 80 min.
Reserve Your Table Here
Fishing,” wrote Norman Maclean in A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, “is a world apart from all others, and inside it are special worlds of their own.” In one of these lived Megan Boyd. From a small cottage on the rugged coast of Scotland, straddled by two world-class salmon rivers, she stared through her window to the North Sea and spun bits of feathers from exotic birds and fur from wild animals into the most incredible fishing flies — miniature, magical works of art and deadly effectiveness. But she never fished, hated the idea of killing fish. Nonetheless, word of her masterful handiwork spread. First the local lads and landed gentry, then lords from London, and finally a Prince appeared at her humble doorstep _ as if these men were her intended quarry all along. Her story had the arc of a perfectly cast line, the romance and dark mystery of a fairy tale waiting to be told.As all fishermen know, you read the surface of the river to imagine what lies beneath, unseen, unknown. Salmon do not feed in freshwater _ they have to be seduced to take a fly in their mouth.Spinning vivid interviews, precise demonstrations in the art of fly tying, sublime cinematic imagery and expressive, hand-painted animation round a deeply moving human tale, KISS THE WATER is a surprising, subtle work of documentary seduction _ and a journey to an unforgettable world. This is the second film from Eric Steel, the director of THE BRIDGE.
Saturday, December 14th – VINO VERITAS by Sarah Knight, feature narrative, 2013, 96 min.
Some people need the truth to live. Others not so much. On Halloween night, the lives of two suburban couples unravel forever under the influence of a Peruvian wine brewed from the toxic skin of blue dart tree frogs. This tribal elixir effectively reduces all inhibitions to nothing, and soon friendships and relationships are revealed to be not quite what they seemed. By turns brutally funny, wickedly honest, and unashamedly human, the film explodes personal and cultural taboos and lays bare the horror and beauty beneath our carefully composed public personas. Imagine a bobsled ride down Mt. Everest…on a moonless night…during a blizzard. That is the essence of “Vino Veritas.” Just hang on, and hope for the best.
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PAST
OCTOBER 2012
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19TH
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison by Bestor Cram
Feature Documentary | 2008 | 87 min., USA
January 1968; a year that was saturated in violence and historical change. Tucked away in a gray prison cafeteria in Northern California, isolated from the tumult outside, hard men doing hard time witnessed the making of a legendary album that would catapult a country singer to international stardom. Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison remains one of the greatest live albums ever made, and the man himself one of America’s greatest troubadours and advocates for prison reform. Forty years later, the album still resonates today with a rawness and authenticity that few recordings have ever achieved. This film will expose a lesser known “Man in Black” through an exciting, visually compelling examination of this historic concert.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26TH
The Selling
Narrative Feature | 2011 | 88 min., USA
Richard Scarry is the kind of real estate agent you want to buy a house from . . . just not the one you want selling your house. Honest and good-hearted, he talks his clients out of buying houses they can”t really afford. When his best friend, Dave Ross (Jonathan Klein), tries to convince him buy an old house to flip for a profit, he refuses. But when his sick Mom”s (Nancy Lenehan) insurance claim is denied, Richard goes along with the plan to pay for her medical treatment. It’s not long after Richard and Dave start fixing up the house that the disembodied voices start talking…the walls start bleeding…and, oh yeah, that portal to the spirit realm opens up in the closet. Facing financial ruin, Richard must get rid of the house or its ghostly inhabitants before his world falls apart.
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NOVEMBER 2012
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD
INTO THE GYRE
Into the Gyre is a documentary film following the journey of a team of scientists searching for plastic pollution in the remote Saragasso Sea. Run by the Sea Education Association (SEA), an educational institution based out of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, this expedition measured the amount of plastic in the Atlantic Ocean and studied its effects on marine ecosystems, with surprising results. Feature Documentary.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH
THE LIST
THE LIST tells the story of Kirk Johnson, a modern-day Oskar Schindler who is fighting to save Iraqis whose lives are in danger because they worked for the U.S. government and military to help rebuild Iraq. Perceived as traitors, their fates are sealed, and they are systematically hunted—killed, kidnapped, and forced into lives on the run. Frustrated by a stagnating government bureaucracy in the U.S. that fails to protect U.S.-affiliated Iraqis, Kirk begins compiling a list of their names and works with a team of lawyers to get them out of harm’s way. Bound by a sense of moral responsibility and honor, Kirk sets out to redeem a nation that has largely betrayed its Iraqi allies. Feature Documentary by Beth Murphy
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH
TRASH DANCE (SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING)
Sometimes inspiration is found in unexpected places. Choreographer Allison Orr sees beauty and grace in garbage trucks — and in the men and women who pick up our trash. She joins city sanitation workers on their daily routes to listen, learn, and ultimately to try to convince them to collaborate in a unique dance performance. Hard working, often carrying a second job, their lives are already full with work, family and dreams of their own. But some step forward, and after months of rehearsal, two dozen trash collectors and their trucks perform an extraordinary spectacle. On an abandoned airport runway, thousands of people show up to see how in the world a garbage truck can ‘dance.’ Feature Documentary by Andrew Garrison.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH
LOVE AND OTHER ANXIETIES
Faced with the reality that her only child will flee the nest for college, film-funder turned filmmaker Lyda Kuth gets anxious not only about how her daughter will fare in today’s world of love and romance, but also about her relationship with her husband of 20 years. What will life be like after her daughter leaves? What is the real meaning of love, marriage, long-term commitment? She queries non-experts and experts alike, about their successes and failures of the heart. Feature Documentary by Lyda Kuth. Lyda will attend the screening.
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7TH
THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES
The Queen of Versailles is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags to riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the largest privately owned house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff. Feature Documentary by Lauren Greenfield, 2012 Filmmaker in Residence.
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14TH
HER MASTER’S VOICE
Internationally acclaimed ventriloquist Nina Conti, takes the bereaved puppets of her mentor and erstwhile lover Ken Campbell on a pilgrimage to ‘Venthaven’ the resting place for puppets of dead ventriloquists. She gets to know her latex and wooden travelling partners along the way, and with them deconstructs herself and her lost love in this ventriloquial docu-mocumentary requiem.
Ken Campbell was a hugely respected maverick of the British Theatre, an eccentric genius who would snort out forgotten art forms. Nina was his prodigy in ventriloquism and has been said to have reinvented the art form. This film is truly unique in genre and style. Feature Documentary by Nina Conti.
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2013
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5TH
THE ENTERTAINERS
A heartwarming comedy about six piano players striving to win the World Championship of Old-Time Piano (mostly ragtime). With brilliant showmanship and skill these competitors vie for the glow of victory, for escape from the trials of their everyday lives, and for the revival of the first distinctly American popular music. With humor, passion and an unsurpassed devotion to the old-time music, these players compete to claim glory and to entertain a devoted audience. It’s a battle to the finish. With fingers flying and constant one-upmanship, the players keep raising the bar one after the other. A year of their lives is invested in the outcome, and only one can win the title. Every year these players keep going is another opportunity to remind the world that ragtime, the first truly American popular music, shouldn’t be forgotten. Feature Documentary by Michael Zimmer.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12TH
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world and as a loving yet complicated father. Feature Documentary by David Gelb.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19TH
BAY OF ALL SAINTS
In Bahia, Brazil, generations of impoverished families live in palafitas, shacks built on stilts over the ocean bay. When the government threatens to reclaim the bay in the name of ecological restoration, hundreds of families are about to lose their homes. BAY OF ALL SAINTS is a lyrical portrait of three single-mothers living in the water slums during this crisis. Their individual stories of poverty unfold through visits from Norato, their big-hearted refrigerator repairman, born and raised in the palafitas. As these women rise to fight for their future, they begin to see the bay in a whole new light. Feature Documentary by Annie Eastman
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25TH
MOONRISE KINGDOM
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff, Captain Sharp. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban; and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the boy and girl. Feature film by Wes Anderson
SATURDAY, MARCH 2ND
CARTOON COLLEGE
CARTOON COLLEGE follows a group of students at one of the most selective and grueling art schools in America: The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. A thoughtful and funny look into the world of aspiring indie cartoonists and graphic novelists, CARTOON COLLEGE is an examination of the creative process in action, demonstrating the passion and fortitude it requires when a person chooses their art over all else. Feature Documentary by Josh Melrod and Tara Wray
SATURDAY, MARCH 16TH
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN
When Britain’s leading fishing expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheikh’s vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, he immediately thinks the project is both absurd and unachievable. But when the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary latches on to it as a ‘good will’ story, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible. Feature Narrative by Lasse Hallstrom
SATURDAY, MARCH 30TH
ASHBASH: A LOVE STORY
“Why aren’t you married?” The question stalked Ashley for years. Amusing, unflinchingly honest, and deeply profound, this ultimately inspiring documentary follows one woman’s journey of self-exploration from full-on panic over being single to her epiphany that she does not have to get married; that her single life and all the many relationships are worth celebrating – in style. Ashley hosts the legendary “AshBash”, inviting 200 guests to the wedding reception she never had. Ashley toasts herself (“I know – there’s only a 50% chance this is going to work out”), lives out her dream of playing piano with a live band, and experiences her “first dance” – a hip-hop number she performs with her sister. Standing the traditional happy ending on its head, the film salutes the power of possibility, connection and joy.
Come join the party – and experience a phenomenon like no other! Documentary Feature by Heidi Sullivan. Filmmakers will attend screening.
SATURDAY, APRIL 6TH – final Dinner & a Movie for the season
MARLEY
Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.
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2011 film slate
CIRCUS DREAMS
Feature Documentary | 2011 | 82 min. by Signe Taylor
Offering an extraordinary window into the only traveling youth circus in the United States, Circus Dreams tells a heartwarming story about kids digging deep to pursue their passion. The vibrant feature documentary opens as a group of sweet, funny and extremely bendy 12 to 18-year-olds audition for Circus Smirkus, the holy grail of circus kids. The film captures the lucky chosen ones moving onto a 3-week rehearsal period in Vermont, where they are coached by performers from Ringling, Big Apple and Cirque Du Soleil. It then follows them all the way through their exhilarating and exhausting 70-performance tour through five states. Circus Dreams immerses viewers into the lives of these kids, capturing their intense work ethic, passion for performance, deep friendships and budding loves.
PROJECT NIM
Feature Documentary | 2011 | 91 min. by James Marsh
Nim is the chimpanzee who in the1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim’s extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, the film is an unflinching and unsentimental biography of an animal we tried to make human. What we learn about his true nature, and indeed our own, is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling.
FEED THE FISH
Feature Romantic Comedy by Michael Matzdorff, starring Tony Shalhoub (Monk, Cars), Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men), Kathryn Aselton, Ross Partridge
Feature Romantic Comedy | 2009 | 92 min., USA
Joe Peterson, is a burned-out kids book writer who’s approaching his mid-life crisis. With his career at a standstill and his relationship in shambles, he leaves town with his best buddy to do the Polar Bear Plunge in the dead of winter in northern Wisconsin in an attempt to reignite his fire. On his quest he meets: Axel, an inspirational mentor; The Sheriff, obsessed law enforcement professional; and Sif, his muse and a hockey player. Good thing they’re all related! Joe finds his lost passion, survives an assault by his obsessed ex-girlfriend, and tries to stay out of the way of the law. He pulls it together and finally gets the girl, and thank goodness, publishes again. But not before testing the icy waters of Lake Michigan.
RAISING RENEE
Feature Documentary | 2011 | 81 min. by Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher
RAISING RENEE tells the story of accomplished artist Beverly McIver and her casually delivered promise to take her mentally disabled sister Renee when their mother dies. The promise comes due just as Beverly’s career is exploding. Filmed over 6 years by Oscar nominees Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher, RAISING RENEE explores deep themes of family, race, class, disability and art. Intimate, humorous and candid, the film sees an act of care-giving – something that’s becoming central to a generation – through the eyes of a character unafraid to reveal the conflicted feelings that come with the job. Through the interplay of painting, cinema and everyday life, the film provides a complex view of a unique group of women, the tenacity of family bonds and the power of art to transform experience into something beyond words.
CHARLOTTE
Feature Documentary | 2010 | 96 min., Jeffrey Kusama Hinte
CHARLOTTE is a film about the extraordinary boatyard, the Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Ross Gannon and Nat Benjamin established the boatyard in 1980 with the purpose of designing, building, and maintaining traditionally built wooden boats, and in the process they transformed Vineyard Haven harbor into a mecca for wooden boat owners and enthusiasts. After a long career of designing and constructing boats for others, Nat embarks on building a 50 foot gaff rigged schooner for use by his family and friends – her name is Charlotte. The film emerges as a meditation on tradition, craftsmanship, family, community, our relationship to nature, and the love of the sea.
WE STILL LIVE HERE
Feature Documentary | 2010 | 56 min. by Anne Makepeace. WE STILL LIVE HERE: As Nutayunean tells the amazing story of the return of the Wampanoag language, the first time a language with no Native speakers has been revived in this country. Although Americans celebrate ‘the Indians’ every year at Thanksgiving, few know that their descendants are still on their homelands in Southeastern Massachusetts. Spurred on by an indomitable linguist named Jessie Little Doe, the Wampanoag are bringing their language and their culture back.
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS
Feature Documentary |2011| 90 min. by Werner Herzog. This film is a breathtaking documentary from the incomparable Werner Herzog which follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man. This unforgettable cinematic experience that provides a unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 years ago — almost twice as old as any previous discovery.
THE CITY DARK
Feature Documentary | 2011 | 83 min., Ian Cheney
After moving to NYC from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks a simple question – do we need the stars? Exploring the threat of killer asteroids in Hawaii, tracking hatching turtles along the Florida coast, and rescuing injured birds on Chicago streets, Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights – including increased breast cancer rates from exposure to light at night, and a generation of kids without a glimpse of the universe above. Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, THE CITY DARK is the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars.
