AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910) will be hosting the 12th annual New African Film Festival, showcasing African films from ALL corners of the continent. Below is info re: the 2 films that I’m MOST interested in seeing. (FYI: Opening Night films usually sell out quickly, so try to get tickets early!) I may have to go see it SUN.
Friday, March 11 – Opening Night/Reception (7:15 PM) & Sunday, March 13 (4:45 PM)
Yared Zeleke’s remarkable feature debut tells the story of young Ephraim, a half-Jewish Ethiopian boy who is sent by his father to live among distant relatives after his mother’s death. Ephraim uses his cooking skills to carve out a place among his cousins, but when his uncle decides that his beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, he will do anything to save the animal and return home.
Saturday, March 12 (7:15 PM) & Wednesday, March 16 (7:15 PM)
A recovering addict, Teddy drives his cab across the sprawling Addis Ababa, in the hopes of making an honest living. But when Teddy picks up the beautiful prostitute Fere, just as she’s escaping an abusive john, he’s thrust back into the world of trouble he tried to escape. After an act of retribution, which leaves Teddy’s cab stolen, he joins forces with Fere in the hopes of saving both their lives. As romance blossoms between the two outsiders, they learn the hard way that love comes with a price.
Ayad discusses Disgraced (on Broadway), Aasif Mandvi, etc. w/ NYC theater critics. This convo goes from the 2:00 min mark until 17:10.
This is a lengthy, yet V interesting vid! Ayad is in convo w/ a Lebanese writer (Rabih Almeddine- never heard of him before) while Indian writer (Amitava Kumar) serves as moderator. There is a smart/funny Q&A section w/ interesting points made by BOTH the audience & writers!
Aasif played Amir in Disgraced at Lincoln Center Theater. Josh played Isaac on Broadway (opposite Hari Dhillon). These guys are ALL friends- pretty cool!
WARNING: This next 2 videos contain SPOILERS for Disgraced.
Another long, yet very recent, interview (January 14, 2016)- it includes the meaning of the title, which is explained by Abe, the young nephew of Amir (who has “legitimate historical anger,” as Akthar comments in the vid).
For 300 years, they’ve come to out part of the world, made- drawn new borders, taken our land, made us want to be like them, look like them, and marry their women. They disgraced us. They disgraced us. Then they pretend they don’t understand the rage we’ve got.
I first learned about playwright Rajiv Joseph (pictured above) from a brief theater piece on PBS. Though only in his early 40s, he has achieved much in his brief career, including being a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize.
Yes, that is comic genius Robin Williams (above w/ castmates)- he appeared a few years back as the tiger in Joseph’s critically-acclaimed play, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.
Mr. Joseph dramatizes a dark myth about its building that stands as a grim allegory of the supreme divide between the powerful and the powerless in 17th-century India and, perhaps by extension, many places today.
Babur’s lively imagination drives the conversation, as he fantasizes about elaborate flying machines and wonders about the provenance of the stars. “I think God wants us to learn more and more things,” he says.
-Charles Isherwood (NYT Review: June 11, 2015)
This play can be seen from FEB 1-28 at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in DC. It consists of only 2 characters, Humayun and Babur, lowly imperial guards in the city of Agra, India (referred to then as Hindustan). Their duty it is to stand in front of the building site of the Taj Mahal, facing away from it. Babur has the energy of an overgrown kid. He arrives late and keeps breaking the silence that the guards are supposed to maintain, to the disapproval of Humayun. Obeying the rules is something Humayun takes seriously. There are severe punishments for various levels of civil disobedience.
I saw an existential allegory about the struggle of incompatible universal impulses within human nature. –Comment from NYT reader
We will probably never know what was done to the artisans who built the Taj, but we do know, like those who slaved for years to build the Pyramids, the Taj artists have remained invisible. –Comment from another NYT reader
The Taj is a memorial tomb for Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, has been hidden by a wall during its 16 years of construction. The guards, longtime friends (who call each others “bhai,” meaning brother) are awaiting dawn, when the tomb will be unveiled to the public.
Yale grad/recovering drug addict/ex-con- David Milch (Hill Street Blues; NYPD Blue)- created, wrote, and served as executive producer of Deadwood- a show about a place with no laws at all. The story (w/ real historical characters and character composites) starts in 1876, when Deadwood is an illegal community, the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory having been ceded to the Sioux in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. The gold discovered by Custer during an 1874 expedition has drawn thousands to the area (for each 200 men, there is 1 woman). However, this series has four very strong, yet unique, women in its cast.
The show asks some big questions: How do people govern themselves, left to their own devices? How do institutions form? How does a social contract develop without any established laws?
Language
If you are easily offended by foul language, this is NOT the show for you (as w/ several other HBO dramas)! But unlike in the modern world (where lower classes aren’t given many words to vocalize their thoughts, esp. in mainstream media), Milch wanted the opposite for characters in Deadwood. As a result, you hear a LOT of profanity and vulgarity, BUT w/ an unique almost-Shakespearean formulation. Characters even have monologues at times! It does take 2-3 eps to get used to this type of language, though if you LOVE words (like me), then check it out. Deadwood is the thinking person’s Western- quite different from the classic, straight-forward Westerns of our parents’ and grandparents’ generation.
Main Characters (Beginning of Season 1)
Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant): A former Montana sheriff (grew up in Ontario, Canada); seeks his fortune by setting up a hardware store w/ his business partner/friend, Sol; a man of few words; doesn’t want to go back to the life of a lawman; works hard to control his hot temper.
Deadwood (Season 1): Timothy Olyphant and John Hawkes at The Gem
Sol Star (John Hawkes): A first generation American (born in Vienna, Austria and raised in Ohio); Jewish; has a background in business (unlike Seth); laid-back and congenial (also unlike Seth).
Al Swearengen (IanMcShane):The owner of The Gem Saloon (yet so much more); brutal; evil (perhaps?); cunning; has a complicated relationship w/ one of his prostitutes, Trixie; of English heritage (unlike the historical figure, thanks to the actor’s slight accent); considered one of the most compelling/multi-faceted villains in TV history (comparable to Shakespeare’s villains).
E.B. Farnum (William Sanderson): The owner/manager of the town’s hotel; a composite of different historical figures; reminiscent of someone from Dickens (sniveling, conniving behind the scenes, and wearing a moth-eaten suit).
Brom Garret (Timothy Omundson): An upper-class “dude” (newbie to this environment) from NYC who is staying in the hotel w/ his wife, Alma; was curious to find out about the Wild West; bought a gold claim in Deadwood.
Alma Garret (Molly Parker): Brom’s wife; most likely the only respectable woman in the camp; takes laudanum; charming (having lived in high society); smarter than she appears at first glance.
Trixie (Paula Malcomson): One of the pros working for Al (though she is on a higher status than the other girls, having shared Al’s bed and some of his secrets); a mix of vulnerability and strength; she has depth and secrets, too- slowly revealed over time.
DEADWOOD: Brad Dourif photo: Doug Hyun/HBO
Doc Cochran (Brad Dourif): A doctor who was in the Civil Way (Union side, notice his uniform in some scenes); intense; raspy voiced; knows that he is not the “hero” type; one of my fave characters (so far) on the show.
Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine): Based on a real celeb of that time period; very good w/ a gun; forms a friendship w/ Seth; loves to gamble (poker); seems tired and disillusioned w/ life.
CalamityJane (Robin Wiegert): She travels w/ Wild Bill; can curse and drink (like a man); has had a hard childhood (like many others in this show); her character is slowly revealed as a caring person over time; one of my faves, too.
Reverend H. W. Smith (Ray McKinnon): Works as a security guard for Seth and Sol’s hardware tent (when they first come to camp); becomes friends w/ them; carries his Bible everywhere (having “heard the word of God” several years ago); performs funerals; works two jobs to bring his family from the Midwest.
A.W. Merrick (Jeffrey Jones):Tall, burly, and very verbose (being the only journalist in town); quite proud of his humble paper; likes company and generally being in the know.
…even with such a large ensemble, each character is incredibly layered, and painfully, complexly human: the noblest individuals have moments of selfishness and rage, and the most contemptible figures have instances of vulnerability and grace. There are no stock characters… -The Unaffiated Critic
Five minutes into the movie, you were probably marveling, as I was, at the way production designer Colin Gibson created an entire civilization that looked (dys)functional to every last detail. (Gibson and his team also created the movie’s insane lineup of vehicles.) -Detroit Free Press
I know what you’re thinking (esp. if a regular reader): Why did YOU watch this movie!? It’s definitely NOT my type of film, BUT I heard several positive reviews (podcasts, radio, online folks, etc.) Also, I know almost nothing about the Mel Gibson films- played Max first. I wanted to see Tom Hardy (who appeared in Wuthering Heights shown on PBS years back). I saw this reboot on HBO this past SAT, when the channel premiered it.
In those days, we were far removed, They’d ship everything over, so you’d get magazines like four months after they’d been released in the United States and Europe, so we were always quite a way behind the trends. But Kiwis are really innovative people, and we try to make up a lot of our own things. -Lesley Vanderwalt (Hair & Makeup Designer)
The FIRST thing you will notice is the wild, wacky look of the film- TRULY like nothing I’d seen before! As for ALL that sand- it was shot partly in the desert of Namibia. The music is quite effective, and unusual. Over time, you discover that Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is the REAL lead of the story; she is seeking some sort of redemption after years of being the right-hand of the warlord, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, an Australian veteran actor who also appeared in the original films). Nicholas Hoult (a young Brit) does a fine job as a Nux, a formerly fanatical supporter (“War Boy”) who learns that there is MORE to life than fighting to get into “Valhalla” (Heaven).
Mad Max: Fury Road should be recognized for the ground it broke: slipping in a feminist, elaborately constructed world in a moment, and a genre, where those things are typically at odds.-Katharine Cusumano (Bustle)
So, is this a feminist film (as MANY critics have commented)? Well, that’s up to YOU to decide! Max (the loner) helps Furiosa (a take-action gal w/ NO apologies) on her quest to get the wives of Immortan Joe (including Zoe Kravitz) to a place of safety. There is NO romance between them, BUT a gradual growth of respect- how refreshing! This film was mainly about world-building (Ali Mattu, a fan of this film, agreed w/ me on that); he replied (tweeted) that there will be sequels in the near future. Even if you’re skeptical, give Fury Road a shot.
Knightleyemma 