From May 6-21, the Walker Art Center presents
Women with Vision: Amid Chaos
. In times unsettled by war, economic injustice, and social unrest, filmmakers find new ways to map the chaos while also unfolding stories of love or telling of the consequences of deceit. The 12th annual Women with Vision festival presents an array of international features and documentaries, many that have garnered awards and won over audiences worldwide, that reflect on the personal side of global conflict with engaging, timely, and poignant perspectives. Anchored by such works of contemporary world cinema, the festival will also showcase films from 1917 to 1983 that address the economic and romantic concerns of “working girls”—a young woman who embarks on an archetypal journey to the city to find a job and, hopefully, a husband. And acknowledging a unique moment in the Walker’s history—settling into a new home and taking time to look both to the future and our past—visionary collaborators Molly Davies and Sage Cowles are welcomed back for an exploration of how space, time, and presence interact when film and performance blend, last performed on the Walker stage in 1980.
Highlights of this year’s festival include the opening-night presentation of the 2005 Sundance Dramatic Audience Award-winning film Brothers (Brødre), directed by Susanne Bier, on Friday, May 6, at 8 pm; a presentation of Space, Time, and Illusion by filmmaker Molly Davis and dancer/choreographer Sage Cowles on Wednesday, May 11, at 8 pm in the McGuire Theater; a screening of Andaluz and artist talk by director Joanna Priestley, named the “Queen of Independent Animation” by animator Bill Plympton, at 5 pm on Thursday, May 12; writer/director/actor Miranda July’s bitingly hilarious first feature film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, screening on Thursday, May 12, at 9 pm; the Working Girls series of films from May 18-20, which showcases films dealing with women in search of the American Dream; and the closing-night screening of Yes, the latest film by Sally Potter, starring Oscar-nominated actress Joan Allen. And as in years past, the annual sidebar festival Girls in the Director’s Chair will take place on Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8, featuring works by young women ages 10-18.
Women with Vision is made possible by generous support from the American Express Philanthropic Program and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. Teen Programs are made possible by generous support from the Surdna Foundation and Best Buy Children’s Foundation.
Except where noted, all screenings take place in the Walker Art Center Cinema.
WOMEN WITH VISION: AMID CHAOS
A FESTIVAL OF FILM AND VIDEO BY WOMEN DIRECTORS, ARTISTS, AND FILMMAKERS
MAY 6-21
Friday, May 6
Women With Vision Opening Night
Brothers (Brødre), 8 pm (Regional premiere)
Directed by Susanne Bier
In the foreground of this Cain-and-Abel drama, as the relationship between two brothers is complicated by their love of the same woman, Bier skillfully uses the backdrop of the war in Afghanistan to show how adversity and conflict forever alter people’s lives and challenge their principles. Winner of the Dramatic Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. 2004, Denmark, color, 35mm, Danish with English subtitles, 110 minutes. Print courtesy IFC Films.
Preceded by:
Keepers of the Garden
Introduced by director Jila Nikpay
Minnesota filmmaker Nikpay explores an Iranian youth’s struggle for personal freedom in this stirring poetic vignette. 2004, U.S., BW, video,
9 minutes.
Submerged-—A Series of Short Films, 7 pm
From underwater to underground and from luck to love, each director uses her own style to illustrate the feeling of immersion.
Lucky Seven
Introduced by director Mary Ahmann
Through a day in the life of intriguing and comical Minnesotans, local filmmaker Ahmann explores mysteries in numbers, fate, and luck. 2004, U.S., color, video, 7 minutes.
Drenched Evolution
Introduced by director Maeri Hedstrom
A creature awakens in the cold, isolated world of an industrial laboratory cell but eventually makes it back to her underwater home. 2003, U.S., color, video, 4 minutes.
Buoyant
Directed by Julie Wyman
Mixing elements of documentary, silent film, animation, and science, Wyman pieces together different properties of water. 2004, U.S., BW/color, video, 28 minutes. A Women Make Movies release.
Trick Saddle
Directed by Jenny Rogers
Underwater cowgirl acrobats challenge gender roles and examine the American West in a simple, exquisite setting. 2003, U.S., color, video, 11 minutes.
Self Portrait Post Mortem
Directed by Louise Bourque
Buried, forgotten, and later unearthed, images of Bourque’s young self serve as the backdrop for this film about decay and transformation. 2002, U.S., color, 35mm, 3 minutes.
Perfection
Directed by Karen Lin
Using a popular children’s game as a motif, Lin shows how the pursuit of perfection quashes happiness and individuality. 2004, U.S., BW, 35mm, 7 minutes.
Love
Directed by Tracey Moffatt
Engulfed in emotion and violence, Love is a collage of classic Hollywood dramas. As the pieces come together, the story that forms exposes love as portrayed in popular cinema. 2003, U.S., BW/color, video, 21 minutes. A Women Make Movies release.
Saturday, May 7
Little Sky (El Cielito), 9pm
Directed by María Victoria Menis
Inspired by a story in a Buenos Aires newspaper, Menis captures the blossoming bond between a thieving drifter and an infant as the two travel between the peace of the desert and the craziness of the city. This quiet and compassionate drama deftly interweaves ambiance with minimal dialogue. 2004, Argentina, color, 35mm, Spanish with English subtitles, 93 minutes.
Preceded by:
One Minute Interview
Introduced by director Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson
The filmmaker’s brief interview with an inner-city ghost killer gives us a glimpse into the world of a five-year-old boy and challenges our perception of reality and imagination. 2004, U.S., color, video, 1 minute.
Wednesday, May 11
Space, Time, and Illusion, 8 pm
Molly Davies/Sage Cowles
$15 ($10 members)
William and Nadine McGuire Theater
Filmmaker Molly Davies and dancer/choreographer Sage Cowles present excerpts from their works of 1975–1980, which combined filmed images and live movement. The artists will show and discuss edited sections from four of their film/performance pieces. Jodi Melnick and Neil Greenberg join Cowles for a live performance with multiple film projections.
Thursday, May 12
An Evening with Joanna Priestley
Screening: Big Bonus, 5 pm; Artist Talk, 7 pm FREE
For the past 20 years, Priestley has pushed the envelope of animation concept and technique to create experimental animated films. Named the “Queen of Independent Animation” by animator Bill Plympton, Priestley makes unique and humanistic work involving themes of gender, love, aging, human rights, and even candy. Join her for a lecture and screening of works that include her newest film, Andaluz, a collaboration with Karen Aqua in which beautifully drawn characters swoon in a colorful tribute to the culture and life of southern Spain.
Me and You and Everyone We Know, 9 pm
Directed by Miranda July
In her first feature-length film, July lets her characters speak their innermost thoughts, act on secret impulses, and experience moments that are sad, hilarious, and often surreal. Me and You and Everyone We Know is a stunning film about everyday people and their struggles to connect with one another in an isolating contemporary world. Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. 2005, U.S., color, 35mm, 95 minutes. Print courtesy IFC Films.
Friday, May 13
Down to the Bone, 7 pm
Directed by Debra Granik
Based upon her award-winning short Snake Feed, this first-time feature by Granik takes us on an emotional journey through the euphoria and anguish of a woman’s struggle to raise her family and overcome drug addition. Down to the Bone exquisitely depicts a vulnerable young woman trapped in a life she never dreamed of and yearning for something better. Winner of the Audience Award for Drama at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. 2004, U.S., color, 35mm, 105 minutes.
In The Battlefields (Maarek Hob), 9 pm
Directed by Danielle Arbid
Introduced by Hisham M. Bizri, Assistant Professor, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Minnesota
In a divided Beirut during the 1980s civil war, 12-year-old Lina focuses her attention on Siham, her aunt’s young, mistreated maid. Through her attempts to communicate with adults and other kids, Lina finds her space in the tumultuous world around her. Arbid tactfully displays the emotional consequences of civil war upon the impressionable adolescent. 2004, France/Belgium/Lebanon, color, 35mm, in Lebanese with English subtitles, 90 minutes.
Saturday, May 14
Border, 3 pm
Directed by Laura Waddington
This expressionistic short film captures the desperation of refugees attempting to cross the border in search of a better life. Waddington spent months in the fields around the Red Cross camp in Sangatte, France, documenting Afghan and Iraqi refugees who hide on trucks and freight trains in an attempt to enter England via the Channel Tunnel. Border shows the limbo in which the refugees live and the mounting police violence as the Red Cross tries to close the camp. 2004, France/U.K., color, video, 27 minutes.
with:
Lower East Side Stories
Directed by Liselle Mei
Lower East Side Stories features four sequential portraits of women of varying ages and ethnicities living in New York City. The characters’ individual struggles for validation and self-fulfillment are presented against the unique social and cultural backdrop of a Lower East Side neighborhood. 2003, U.S., color, 35mm, 38 minutes.
Saturday, May 14
Sequins (Brodeuses), 7 pm
Directed by Éléonore Faucher
Faucher’s debut feature is the poignant story of Claire, a 17-year-old who, to hide her pregnancy from her family, runs away and finds work as an apprentice to an embroiderer for haute couturiers in Paris. The two women develop a close relationship, connected by threads of delicacy and strength. Sequins won the Critics Week Grand Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. 2004, France, color, 35mm, in French with English subtitles, 88 minutes.
Pin Boy (Parapalos), 9 pm
Directed by Ana Poliak
This winner of the top jury prize in last year’s Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente is Poliak’s third feature. Adrián, a kid from the provinces, comes to the outskirts of Buenos Aires and finds a job as a parapalos, or pin boy, in one of the last manually operated bowling alleys in the city. 2004, Argentina, color, 35mm, in Spanish with English subtitles, 93 minutes.
Working Girls
May 18-20
Sex and career. Women and men. “Working-girl films,” says series programmer Verena Mund, “tell stories about women who join the workforce and quickly find they need to deal with economics in both business and sexual terms.” This program, featuring works directed by women both inside and outside the Hollywood studio system between 1916 and 1986, follows young professional women in search of their own version of the American Dream.
Wednesday, May 18
Shoes, 7 pm
Directed by Lois Weber
Live musical accompaniment by Dan Newton
This early film establishes the environment and narrative of the working-girl genre. A poor shop girl desperately needs new shoes. Will she accept the shady advances of a persistent man who promises to pay for them? On loan from Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, this rare print of the U.S. film has Dutch intertitles. 1916, U.S., BW, 35mm, silent, with live English translation by Jenneke Oosterhoff, 53 minutes.
Working Girls, 9 pm
Directed by Lizzie Borden
Borden presents prostitution as arduous employment in a New York brothel. Soberly staged, this film provides unique attention to everyday details: towels, condom supply, and telephone service. These elements evoke the tedious aspect of the profession better than images of the sex itself, which is fragmented and empty. 1986, U.S., color, 35mm, 93 minutes.
Thursday, May 19
Dance, Girl, Dance!, 7 pm
Directed by Dorothy Arzner.
In this Hollywood studio production rediscovered by the feminist film movement of the early 1970s, Lucille Ball and Maureen O’Hara star as two dancers, one ballet, the other burlesque, who clash when they fall in love with the same man. 1940, U.S., BW, 35mm, 90 minutes.
The Working Girls, 9 pm
Introduced by director Stephanie Rothman
Denise, a painter whose favorite subject is nudes, earns her living by painting billboards. Her roommate, Jill, is a law student who supports herself by working in a strip bar as she contemplates the options before her. This comedy comments on thankless occupations presented to females and the frustrations that arise from them. 1974, U.S., color, 35mm, 80 minutes.
Friday, May 20
Working Girls, 7 pm
Directed by Dorothy Arzner.
This Depression-era film explores the economics and choices available to women through two sisters who move to New York in search of work. They find lodging at a boarding house for young women, which becomes a microcosm of the outside world as well as a refuge. 1931, U.S., BW, 35mm, 77 minutes.
The Student Nurses, 9 pm
Introduced by director Stephanie Rothman
This sexploitation comedy is influenced by the sexual revolution as well as by the women’s liberation movement and downplays the quest for great love. Rothmans’s film follows four young nurses who experience social injustice in the conservative atmosphere of their workplace. 1970, U.S., color, video, 85 minutes.
Saturday, May 21
Writer of O (Écrivain d’O), 3 pm
Introduced by director Pola Rapaport
This creative documentary takes on sex, literature, feminism, and censorship when it identifies the author of The Story of O, the erotic novel that scandalized the world for decades after its publication in 1954. Known for 40 years under a pseudonym, the French author at 89 decided to reveal herself as Dominique Aury, a mild-mannered literary editor for a prestigious French publishing house. Interviews with Aury and her contemporaries are set against dramatized scenes from her erotic novel and fictionalized scenes from her life. 2004, France/U.S., color, video, in English and French with English subtitles, 80 minutes.
Closing Night
Yes, 8 pm
Directed by Sally Potter
Introduced by Joan Allen
Philosophy, science, religion, poetics, and politics are all discussed within the duality of the East and the West. She (Joan Allen), an Irish scientist living in London, and He (Simon Abkarian), a recent immigrant from Lebanon, are lovers who come together despite cultural differences. Potter tells their unlikely story in iambic pentameter with rhyming couplets, with a chorus of maids and custodians who offer their own reflections on life and dirt. 2004, U.K., color, 35mm, 95 minutes.
Girls in the Director’s Chair 2005
Saturday, May 7
Free First Saturday, May 7, 11 am-5 pm
Sunday, May 8, 11 am-5 pm
Walker Cinema
“Claymation, documentary, and horror —come see what flows from the minds of these young artists in The Girls in the Director’s Chair film festival. You won’t want to miss this glimpse of the next generation of filmmakers. Viva la XX-chromosome revolución!” -—Jennifer Larson and Katie Christian, Girls in the Director’s Chair teen interns
Free First Saturday:
Movie Mavens
Let’s go to the movies! Families are welcomed back to Free First Saturday with the artful films of the Girls in the Director’s Chair. Catch several shorts on the silver screen, and learn what kind of action is happening among young women filmmakers living in Minnesota. Then it’s your turn to create a movie! Marjorie Thieman, a film and video artist living in Minneapolis, will show you how to make a moving picture from paper and wheels; an idea based on a 19th-century toy called a Phenakistoscope. Before becoming an official film buff, you’ll get to take a guided tour of film works in Shadowland: Exhibition of Film. All activities are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Big Screen: Girls in the Director’s Chair
11 am and 1:30 pm: For all ages
3:30 pm: For ages 13 and older due to mature subject matter
Part of the annual Women with Vision film festival, Girls in the Director’s Chair showcases films and videos by girls ages 8-18. The selections range from animation and documentaries to interplanetary adventure!
11 am
Pack up the juice boxes and warm up the minivan, it’s time for the whole family to go to the movies. This 50-minute program is filled with uplifting shorts for all ages.
This Is Me by Jasmine Brent, Joann Chamlongsong, Amber Eitterim, Casey Haarstad, Katie Helde, Kirsten Nelson, Hannah Nemer, Amalia Nicholson, Rachel Quednau, Carmen Ross, Alla Traun, and Camille Welch
HA-KU by Jackie Herrlin
Birds in Luck by Amanda Stromquist
Play That Funky Music by Logan Jensen and Taylor Dahlin
Wisdom Teeth by Danielle St. Clair
Listen by Hayleigh Thompson
A Fairies’ Love by Leah Thompson
Baseball: You Gotta Love It by Katelyn Nelson
Gossip Girls by Raquel Hayes, Tatum Major, Jayne Pearson, Lauren Rowan, and Kenzie Straud
Dance by Amanda Mills
The Flower by Libby Sweet
The Accidental Tourist by Moriah Stephens and Charlotte Wong
Let’s Do This Beast by Katie Christian and Jenny Larson
A Journey by Julia Marshall
True Confessions of Pre-Teens by Stormy Sovaag
The Flower Room: My Story of Volunteering by Cheetara McKinley
I Can by Nicole Renee Egbufoama, Naomi Jackson, Sonia Maria Moreno, Letitia Marie Ramos-Pena, Cecilia Moreno Reyes, Anjelica Rozales, and Brandy Washpun
One on One by Shanna Griffin
1:30 pm
Cue the X-Files sound track because these films are out of this world. From the creatures in Alien Encounters to pondering the big question of life in Ground Level, you’ll be blown away by this hour-long series of shorts.
Dark Rhythm by Mira Lippold-Johnson and Sarah Weisman
Bright Blue (Like Your Sweater) by Elizabeth Elton
Gibizindaawaanaan: We Listen to our Elders by Jenna Iceman, Michelle Lussier, and Latoya Schoenborn
Upon Syllables by Jeni Kozicky
Vato Flip by Jenny Larson, Brigid Murphy, Lindsey Senn, and Amelia Vitt
100 Years of Flight by Erin Kuehn and Vanessa Legatt
Alien Encounters by Hannah Laky and Ashley Wiermaa
Ground Level by Hayleigh Thompson
Homosexual Marriage by McKenzie McCabe
Someone’s Story by Christina Rodriguez
Something to Smile About by Jeni Kozicky
Charlie Chaplin: Encounters with Cinematic Social Criticism by Nia Freshman
What’s Up with the Hijab? by Bibi Abdalla, Hodan Abdibudul, Suad Yusuf Awale, Nasra Budul, Marian Farah,Sagal Haji, Ikram Hassan, Saida Hassan, Farhyia Mohamed, Hibo Mohamed, Maryan Mohamud, Amina Nur, Fardousa Osman, Faiza Salah, and Sumaya Yusuf
Secrets by Lilith Ubbelohde
My Own Worst Enemy by Mira Lippold-Johnson and Sarah Weisman
Parvati by Hannah Glusenkamp
Fear, the Road to Strength by April Miller and Trisha Olson
Untitled by Sarah Marshall and Kate Echols-Moore
The Nerd Movie by Athena Currier and Sarah Goldfeather
3:30 pm
What do you get when you mix a xylophone assassin, a plastic messiah, and a first kiss? Find out in this 70-minute screening about the loss of innocence. Due to mature content, this program is recommended for ages 13 and older.
The Xylophone Assassin by Amanda Cook
Untitled by Hana Cherinet, Jacob Elmquist, Kaonhou Ker, Lee Vue, and Janesion Xiong
The Lake by Ellie Bryan
Searching by Libby Sweet
The Innocent by Reta Nagurski
Resurrection of a Dashboard Jesus by Kirsten Slungaard
FMB, Keepin’ It Ghetto by Fatima Bobo
Animation #1 by Elizabeth Belz
First Kiss by Jasmine Brent, Rachel Quednau, Carmen Ross, and Maddy Shaw
Vida Perdida by Angelica Rosas Flores
G.M.O. _by Elizabeth Belz
_On ‘Da Streets by Kimberly Crowell
No Means No! by Blong Khang, Chong Khang, Chou Khang, Lee Khang, Phoua Khang, Toua Khang, Vang Khang, Yer Khang, Fredrina Latu, Helemina Latu, Mary Jane Latu, Phillip Latu, Sifa Latu, TeRon Lee, Xeng Lee, and Koua Xiong
Love Letters by Koreann Martin
Sunday, May 8, 11 am-5 pm
Girls in the Director’s Chair: In Conversation
The films selected for this series raise interesting issues and provide opportunities for conversation. We invite people to stay after each screening to participate in a discussion with the filmmakers and other young people.
11 am: In Transit: Film & Discussion
Two Homes, One Dream: The Somalis in Minnesota by Bibi Abdalla, Hodan Addibudul, Suad Yusuf Awale, Nasra Budul, Marian Farah, Sagal Haji, Ikram Hassan, Saida Hassan, Farhyia Mohamed, Hibo Mohamed, Maryan Mohamud, Amina Nur, Fardousa Osman, Faiza Salah, and Sumaya Yusuf
After two years of filming with the Minnesota History Center, Somali high school students offer insights about their culture, faith, and community. This film was made through a project with the Minnesota History Center.
1:30 pm: School Daze: Film & Discussion
The True Color of Crimson by Eliza Asare, Mary Burgess, Chris Case, Jaimie Rainey, Salman Somju, Chris Tarbox, Joe Van Auken, and John Wuetrich
Realization: A Look into Urban and Suburban Schools by Meghan Herget and Brianna Kocka
In both films, urban and suburban students compare their high schools in terms of quality, diversity, and ways that students view education. A discussion follows the screening.
3 pm: So You Want to Be a Filmmaker?: Film & Discussion
Andrea Richards, author of Girl Director: How-to Guide for the First-Time, Flat-Broke Film and Video Maker, hosts a short screening and leads a discussion about young women and film. Los Angeles–based Richards has written, directed, and produced short films that have been screened at international festivals and has contributed to publications such as Bitch Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, LA Weekly, and SOMA.
