Come celebrate local filmmaking with our quarterly James River Filmmakers Forum on Saturday, February 25, 8 p.m. at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. This is a free event — donations encouraged!

In particular, come support these filmmakers:

Todd Raviotta, Untitled, animation photomontage, 6 minutes

Austin Journey (Lynchburg, VA), The Human Condition, 12 minutes

Hannah Sutherland Memories of Aging, Coney Island, sci-fi, 5 minutes

Evelyn Fisher, The Wanderer, experimental, 6 minutes

Joseph Weindl, clip from Antihero, comedy, 20 minutes

Carlton Kotalo, clip from Alien Face Bashers, sci-fi comedy, 10 minutes

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4
10:00 AM-12:30 PM – I SPEAK FOR THE TREES DOUBLE BILL

10:00 AM – THE LORAX (animated from a story by Dr. Seuss, 1972, 30 min.) – ALL AGES! This one is FREE!
The Lorax is the loveable caretaker of trees everywhere, always trying to minimize the damage done by the greedy Onceler, who sees trees solely as a source of personal profit. A poignant tale for young and old that resonates like the sound of a rusting chainsaw.

11:00 AM-12:30 PM – IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT (Dir: Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman, 2011, 90 min.)
In 2005, a sweep by the FBI busted the outlawed, underground Earth Liberation Front—labeled America’s #1 domestic terror threat for its firebombings of Northwestern paper mills and the monkey-wrenching of logging equipment. The group’s rise and fall is related via the radicalization of Daniel McGowan, who went from environmental activist to facing a future of life imprisonment. Interviews with various members and actual news footage round out the ELF story—a story of young people whose idealistic passions knew no earthly bounds. Outside Magazine called it a “most urgent documentary” while Variety said it “has to be seen to be believed.”

1:00-3:30 PM – A WATER TRILOGY WITH APPALSHOP’S MIMI PICKERING

THE RIVER (Dir: Pare Lorentz, 1937, 30 min.)
Lorentz was hand-picked by President FDR to head the short-lived United States Film Service, and one of the best works to emerge was The River—arguably one of the first environmental films ever made. Chronicling the decades of soil and forest mismanagement along the Mississippi River basin, its bitter consequence, and what the government was doing about it, Lorentz created a rhetorical tour-de-force of visual montage, lyrical voice-over by Thomas Chalmers, and a memorable score by Virgil Thompson. A classic of Americana, it belongs on the same shelf as Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land.

THE BUFFALO CREEK FLOOD: AN ACT OF MAN (Dir: Mimi Pickering, 1975, 40 min.) and
BUFFALO CREEK REVISITED (Dir: Pickering, 1985, 31 min.) with director Mimi Pickering of Appalshop!
On February 26, 1972, a coal-waste dam owned by the Pittston Company collapsed at the head of a hollow in West Virginia, unleashing a wall of sludge that left 4,000 homeless and 125 dead. In its aftermath, filmmaker Pickering and crew interviewed survivors, company officials, and investigators. Despite emerging evidence, Pittston denied any wrongdoing, calling the event an “act of God.” Ten years later, Pickering revisited the site and found the reconstructive effort stalled due to a centuries-old pattern of corporate control over the region’s resources. The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Film Registry in 2005, Newsweek called it a “devastating expose,” and Film Quarterly cited its “balance between emotion and analysis.” A Q&A with filmmaker Mimi Pickering of Appalshop will accompany the screenings. Appalshop began in 1969 as an experiment in community-based filmmaking on environmental and cultural issues and is located in Whitehead, Kentucky.

4:00-6:00 PM – GREEN REDUX WITH A/V GEEKS’ SKIP ELSHEIMER!

A/V GEEKS presents THE LAST TIME WE WERE GREEN (90 min.), an entertaining collection of 16mm ecology films from the 1960s and 1970s that address the problems of pollution and raise the question, “Why did we ever stop being green?” Films include: Pitch In, Uncle Smiley Goes Down the River, Land Betrayed, and more! Skip Elsheimer founded and maintains the A/V Geeks Educational Film Archive of more than 24,000 educational and industrial 16mm films. He curates film programs at such venues at the Museum of the Moving Image, Alamo Drafthouse (Austin), Coolidge Corner Theatre (Brookline, Massachusetts), Anthology Film Archives, Aurora Picture Show (Houston), and Chicago Filmmakers.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5

1:00-4:00 PM – LIFE OUT OF BALANCE: A DOUBLE FEATURE

1:00 PM – KOYAANISQATSI (Dir: Godfrey Reggio, 1983, 86 min.) On beautiful 35 mm film!
Released in 1983 by first-time director Godfrey Reggio, Koyaanisqatsi, which is Hopi for “life out of balance,” was hard to describe—a documentary without words or a definable subject featuring Ron Ficke’s mind-blowing time-lapse cinematography and a hypnotic score by Philip Glass. Now considered a classic, Koyaanisqatsi as an environmental manifesto of industrial life on this planet is unequalled, and although Reggio’s rhetoric is muted, the message is clear—that man has shifted a precarious relationship dangerously out-of-balance.

2:40 PM – THE CITY DARK (Dir: Ian Cheney, 2011, 84 min.)
The City Dark is a feature documentary about light pollution and the disappearing night sky. It premiered in competition at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize for Best Score/Music. After moving to light-polluted New York City from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks: “Do we need the dark?” 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, philosophers, historians, and lighting designers, The City Dark is the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars.

4:00-6:15 PM – NATURAL DISASTER? YOU DON’T KNOW THE HALF OF IT: THE BIG UNEASY WITH HARRY SHEARER

THE BIG UNEASY (Dir: Harry Shearer, 2010, 98 min.) with Harry Shearer via Skype
In 2005, a disaster struck New Orleans. You know the rest. Or do you? The media reported that what happened in New Orleans was a natural disaster primarily affecting poor black people. On both counts, the media was wrong. But its inability or unwillingness to report the hard truth—that these tragic floods creating widespread damage were caused by manmade errors in engineering and judgment—has failed both journalism and public safety. For what happened in New Orleans could happen again in other cities across the United States. In his feature-length documentary The Big Uneasy, humorist and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer gets the inside story of a disaster that could have been prevented from the people who were there. Shearer speaks to the tireless investigators and experts who poked through the muck as the water receded, and uncovers a courageous whistle-blower from the Army Corps of Engineers. Stick around for a Skype-aided Q&A with Harry Shearer!

For more information visit the RVA Environmental Film Festival website.

Looking for a last minute gift idea? Wondering what to give the film buff who has everything? Want to give less stuff and more experiences? Like the idea of supporting a volunteer run nonprofit dedicated to the art of film and film as art? Look no further …

Consider a gift to the James River Film Society — a great way to end 2011 and start 2012!

To give online visit the James River Film Society’s Network for Good page.

You can also make your tax-deductible donation by mailing a check payable to James River Film Society, P.O. Box 7469, Richmond, VA 23221.

Note: A gift of $25 or more constitutes a one-year James River Film Society membership, which entitles one to special members ticket discounts, members-only parties and special events and the scoop on upcoming JRFS programs and breaking news.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

For those who enjoy thinking …

On its 40th anniversary, the Biograph Theatre, or perhaps something akin to its reanimated spirit, will serve up a pair of highly acclaimed films as a double feature to kick off a three or more part series titled “The Golden Age of Repertory Cinema.”

In other words, the James River Film Society will present “Breathless” (1960) — a 50th anniversary restoration 35mm print no less — and “Lonely Are the Brave” (1962) at the VCU Grace Street Theater on Saturday, February 11, 2012. The event will be a fundraiser for the volunteer run nonprofit James River Film Society and an opportunity to officially launch its campaign to establish a small storefront cinema in downtown Richmond.

This splendid on-the-lam twin bill is guaranteed to make viewers think no less than twice.

Still, in 2012, is it safe to throw another Biograph party?

Perhaps … we’ll see.

7:00 p.m. Breathless (1960): B&W. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Saber. Note: An opportunistic thief on the run becomes irresistible to a pretty American journalism student in Paris. Uh, oh, the guy is dangerous. How long can it last?

9:20 p.m. Lonely Are the Brave (1962): B&W. Directed by David Miller. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau. Note: To help his friend, a free-spirited cowboy flings himself recklessly at the hobbling effects of modernity … then tries desperately to escape.

Tickets: $20 ($10 for the films; $10 donation to the nonprofit James River Film Society). Advance tickets are available for purchase online through Eventbrite (or just scroll to the bottom of this page) or at these fine local establishments: Plan 9 Music (3012 W. Cary Street in Carytown), Video Fan (403 Strawberry Street) and Harrison Street Coffee (402 N. Harrison Street).

Contacts:

James Parrish: james@jamesriverfilm.org (804) 564-3224

Terry Rea: ftrea9@gmail.com (804) 938-7997

For more information visit the James River Film Society’s website (http://jamesriverfilm.org) or follow the James River Film Society on Facebook; for more information on the Biograph Theatre visit http://biographzombie.blogspot.com/ and http://biographtimes.blogspot.com/

Join us for the James River Film Society’s annual holiday party on Thursday, Dec. 15 from 5-7 p.m. at VisArts. 

The James River Film Society is providing the “spirits” and some munchies. Several of us JRFS volunteers are bringing homemade cookies, ham biscuits and the like. If you care to help out and are willing to bring one of your signature dishes, let us know. The JRFS is an all volunteer organization and we’ll gladly accept any help you can offer — for this and other events and programs.

Care that the Westhampton Theatre is most likely closing? Come find out how you can help the James River Film Society establish a 100-seat storefront cinema in Richmond, VA. Together we can create the cinema we want!

Also, if you haven’t yet become a member of the James River Film Society, we’ll hope you’ll consider making a gift of $25 or more to become a member and help us in our mission to present the art of film and film as art. If you’re already a member, we hope you’ll renew your membership or consider making an extra holiday gift. Regardless, come enjoy the company of a bunch of great people who share our passion for film. Cheers!

RSVP on Facebook.

The inaugural James River Shorts film festival was a resounding success. A special thanks to guest juror and experimental filmmaker Roger Beebe for making James River Shorts one of the stops on his Fall 2011 ONE to EIGHT REDUX tour.

James River Shorts got underway on Thursday, November 10, with an eclectic program of shorts. Special thanks to Bob Kaputof, Joseph Caldwell, Christopher Harris, Fred Styles & Katherine Barnier, Mark Strandquist and H. Paul Moon for participating in our opening night’s screening. As a bonus, audience members were treated to a special tribute screening of the late George Kuchar‘s classic film, Hold Me While I’m Naked (read his NY Times obituary). We were all dazzled by the brilliant color and condition of the 16mm print provided by Canyon Cinema, one of the principal distribution sources for independent, experimental and avant-garde film today. Thanks to Dominic Angerame and the rest of the Canyon staff!

Our main event was the Friday, Nov. 11 screening of James River Shorts finalists’ films at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. More than 250 people attended a fabulous evening featuring 14 films from around the country.

Congrats to all the filmmakers selected by the James River Shorts jury as finalists. Again, they are:

The Treezilla!, 6 min., Shawn Hambright & Joey Tran (VA)
A Brief Vacation, 10 min., Ben Rinehardt (VA)
Eyeliner, 4 min., Joanna Priestley, (OR)
Mijo (My Son), 9 min. Chithra Jeyaram (MD)
Phosphena, 4 min., Maya Erdelyi (CA)
The Pervert, 4 min., Adam Rosenberg (VA)
Watercolors, 13 min., Ann Deborah Levy (NY)
Faces, 2 min., Duy Nguyen (VA)
The Good River, 18 min., Shannon Lynch (18 mins.) (CA)
Solo Piano NYC, 5 min., Anthony Sherin (NY)
Another Dress, Another Button, 3 min., Lyn Elliot (MO)
The Leaf Woman and the Centaur, 3 min., Jordan Bruner (NY )
Monarda, 8 min., Walter Ungerer  (ME)
Dolls vs. Dictators, 11 min., Martha Colburn (NY)

And the winners were …

1st prize ($600):  Solo Piano NYC by Anthony Sherin (NY)

2nd Prize ($400):  Mijo (My Son) by Chithra Jeyaram (MD)

3rd Prize (tie, $250 each):  Another Dress, Another Button by Lyn Elliot (MO) and Phosphena by Maya Erdelyi (CA)

VA Filmmaker Award (tie, $250 each):  The Treezilla! by Shawn Hambright & Joey Tran and Faces by Duy Nguyen

People’s Choice Award (voted on by the audience): Solo Piano NYC by Anthony Sherin (NY)

We closed out James River Shorts with Roger Beebe’s amazing “expanded cinema” performance of FILMS for ONE to EIGHT PROJECTORS and a beautiful music+film event featuring Jonathan Vassar & The Speckled Bird performing live with films by Matt Flowers and Kevin Gallagher.

Thanks again to all the filmmakers, all of you who came out to watch and experience, and to the Virginia Film Office, TVJerry/Jerry Williams, VMFA, Linden Row Inn and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond for helping make James River Shorts possible.

Come out and support local filmmakers at James River Film Society’s quarterly James River Filmmakers Forum on Thursday, November 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. After the screening JRF Forum organizer Jeff Roll will moderate a panel discussion/Q&A with the filmmakers and audience.

The lineup for the November 2011 James River Filmmakers Forum is:

Ken Hopson – Lo-Fi Soundtracks – Music Videos- 6 minutes

Jasce Burrow – Samsara – dark sci-fi – 15 minutes

Kevin Haraldo, Randy West, & Bryce McCormick - Adventures of S-Team - Comic adventure – 9 minutes

Belinda Haikes – Finch/Crow/Cardinal – experimental animation – 6 minutes

John Hendershot - Press Play – experimental animation – 8 minutes

Dr. Shawn Utsey – Until the Wells Run Dry: Medicine and the Exploitation of Black Bodies (excerpt) documentary – 15 minutes

James River Shorts is pleased to announce its 2011 line up:

THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 8:00 p.m. (VisArts)

Bob Kaputof shorts

Hold Me While I’m Naked (1966): A tribute to George Kuchar (1942-2011)

James River Shorts: Films on the Bubble
Boots, 7 min., Joseph Caldwell (VA)
Descending Figures, 3 min., Christopher Harris (FL)
Bluegrass Skyline, 30 min., Fred Styles & Katherine Barnier (VA)
Convention, 5 min., Mark Strandquist (VA)
Time Crunch, 5 min., H. Paul Moon (VA)

Tickets are $7 and may be purchased online or at the door.

FRIDAY, NOV. 11, 6:30 p.m. (VMFA)

Screening of James River Shorts Finalists

The Treezilla!, 6 min., Shawn Hambright & Joey Tran (VA)
A Brief Vacation, 10 min., Ben Rinehardt (VA)
Eyeliner, 4 min., Joanna Priestley, (OR)
Mijo (My Son), 9 min. Chithra Jeyaram (MD)
Phosphena, 4 min., Maya Erdelyi (CA)
The Pervert, 4 min., Adam Rosenberg (VA)
Watercolors, 13 min., Ann Deborah Levy (NY)

Intermission

Faces, 2 min., Duy Nguyen (VA)
The Good River, 18 min., Shannon Lynch (18 mins.) (CA)
Solo Piano NYC, 5 min., Anthony Sherin (NY)
Another Dress, Another Button, 3 min., Lyn Elliot (MO)
The Leaf Woman and the Centaur, 3 min., Jordan Bruner (NY )
Monarda, 8 min., Walter Ungerer  (ME)
Dolls vs. Dictators, 11 min., Martha Colburn (NY)

James River Shorts awards presentation (up to $2,000!) with guest juror and experimental filmmaker Roger Warren Beebe.

Tickets are $8 and may be purchased at the VMFA.

SATURDAY, NOV. 12, VisArts

CANCELLED 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Super 8mm Filmmaking/Hand Processing Workshop (films processed between 4-6 p.m.). $90. Visit the VisArts Calendar page to register (scroll down page). Will be rescheduled during our 19th James River Film Festival, April 12-18, 2012.

CANCELLED 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Direct Filmmaking Workshop (painting, scratching, collage, masking on 16mm film). $60. Visit the VisArts Calendar page to register (scroll down page). Will be rescheduled during our 19th James River Film Festival, April 12-18, 2012.

7:30 p.m. FILMS for ONE to EIGHT PROJECTORS with experimental filmmaker Roger Warren Beebe. Tickets are $7 and may be purchased online or at the door.

9:00 p.m. Live music + film performances courtesy of Jonathan Vassar & The Speckled Bird, including the premiere of the brand new music video (directed by Kevin Gallagher) for their single “Turn to Face the Wind.”  + James River Shorts after party. FREE.

The James River Film Society is pleased to announce that the 19th James River Film Festival will unspool April 12-18, 2012. Confirmed guests and programs include experimental film expert, writer and educator Scott MacDonald, animator and educator Jodie Mack, Super 8/hand processing and “direct filmmaking” workshops by MONO NO AWARE (rescheduled from James River Shorts 2011), local animator Janet Scagnelli with her new film and much more. Stay tuned for more information and updates!