On Screen Manitoba

INTO THE ABYSS

Fri Feb 17, 2012 at 9:00 PM
Sat Feb 18, 2012 at 9:00 PM
Sun Feb 19, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Wed Feb 22, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 7:00 PM

DIR. WERNER HERZOG | 2011 | GERMANY & CANADA | 107 MIN

Starting from a Texas triple homicide, master filmmaker Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams) probes the human psyche to explore why people kill – and why a state kills. In intimate conversations with victims’ families, a state executioner, a prison pastor, and a 28-year-old death row inmate days away from execution, Herzog achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” His investigation unveils layers of humanity, finding enlightenment in ominous territory.

Exploring an American gothic landscape, he takes us from luxury homes to impoverished trailers to prison cells. Herzog’s inquiries yield surprising moments that speak to a variety of human tendencies, including regret, redemption and irrational behaviour. As he’s done so often before, Herzog turns ominous territory into an enlightening trip.

"Ranks among Werner Herzog's finest...Suggests a cinematic equivalent of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood." - SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

CABIN FEVER: THE SECRET OF NIMH

Sun Feb 19, 2012 at 2:00 PM

DIR. DON BLUTH | 1982 | USA | 83 MIN

Based on Robert C. O'Brien's award winning children's book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, animator Don Bluth and several other animators broke away from the Disney Studio to create this imaginative story of a field-mouse named Mrs. Brisby who embarks on a journey in to save her children from the advance of the farmer's plough. She encounters a secret society of super-rodents who are working underground and enlists them in helping her on her quest.

(Please note this film is not suitable for very young children)

PLAYS WITH:
Muttonbuster! dir. Bruce Claydon, 2010, Canada, 5 min.
Young cowboys and cowgirls' first foray into rodeo competition.

SPECIAL EVENTS

ANDY SMETANKA: THE MISSOULA SORCERER

Fri Feb 17, 2012 at 7:00 PM

Writer, musician, silhouette artist and stop motion animator Andy Smetanka grew up in Montana and Minnesota and has also lived in Sweden and Finland. He started making Super 8 movies in 2002 after an inspiring trip to Winnipeg, and since 2004 has been working chiefly in animated silhouettes. His work can be seen in the music videos of The Decemberists, and in the 2007 Guy Maddin documentary feature My Winnipeg for which he was tasked with recreating episodes from that city's history. As a guest visiting artist of the WFG Training Department he will introduce a program of his remarkable animated shorts and a special screening of My Winnipeg and deliver a Master Class in Silhouette Animation. For more information on the Master Class (Feb 18 & 19) please contact Training and Community Programs Co-ordinator Darcy Fehr at 925-3456 (ext. 110) or darcy@winnipegfilmgroup.com.

ANDY SMETANKA INTRODUCES: MY WINNIPEG

Sat Feb 18, 2012 at 7:00 PM

DIR. GUY MADDIN | 2007 | CANADA | 80 MIN
Introduced by Andy Smetanka

One of Maddin’s finest works, this remarkable personal rumination on his home town features key moments in Winnipeg history from the destruction of the old Winnipeg Stadium to scenes from Maddin’s personal family history – Aunt Lil’s beauty salon, the Paddlewheel at the Bay and the loss of the old Eatons building. Animator Andy Smetanka brilliantly recreated the city’s skyline for My Winnipeg including the Bolshevik revolt and a bison stampede at Happyland, the local amusement park.

PLAYS WITH:
Winnipeg, dir. Andy Smetanka, 2007, USA, 2 min.
Animated companion piece to Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg, featuring all the vanished skylines and gingerbread contours of a "Winnipeg we no longer know." How many now-demolished buildings can you recognize?