USA/2019 | Dir. Linda Hoaglund

Edo Avant-Garde looks at the pivotal role of Edo-era (1603–1868) Japanese artists, whose aesthetic and artistic exploration were centuries ahead of their time. Their works, often painted on screens or fans, demonstrate techniques and styles that began to appear in Western art with the advent of “modern” art such as abstraction and surrealism.

Stunningly filmed by cinematographer Kasamatsu Norimichi, the film looks at works by artists including Sotatsu, Korin, Okyo, Rosetsu, Shohaku, and the many others who left their work unsigned.

Linda Hoaglund will introduce this screening, and return on Friday evening for Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.  
In English and Japanese with English subtitles. (83 min.)
 

The brand-spanking-new 2023 edition of CatVideoFest is just what the doctor ordered: a hand-selected, carefully curated collection of the most entertaining, inventive and hilarious cat videos of the year.

An underground sensation that has packed theaters for years, CatVideoFest is a joyous communal experience that surprises and charms—a downright celebratory event on the DFT’s big screen.

Tickets go quickly, and advance purchase is recommended, especially on October 29–National Cat Day! In English and Feline. (73 min.) 

“When the history of this era is written, the primacy of a certain type of cat video will be recognized and celebrated ... if you don’t understand the appeal, no explanation will illuminate you.” -Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle film critic

China/2022 | Dir. Li Ruijun

Two middle-aged people—Cao, a timid, frail woman and Ma, an unassuming farmer—are pushed into an arranged marriage in the poor rural province of Gaotai in northern China. Ma has little to offer beyond a small house and some barren land, but he’s a patient, skilled farmer, and over time their garden begins to thrive, as does their relationship, until their peaceful existence is threatened by encroaching urbanization, as the local government begins incentivizing landowners to uproot their lives and to move to the city.

Meticulously shot over a full year, this moving, humanist work establishes director Li Ruijun as one of the most important voices of Chinese cinema. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (134 min.) 

“A moving portrait of China’s disappearing rural way of life, Return to Dust, like much of Li’s work, is a triumph of indie filmmaking.” —David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
 

The marvelously creative “adverts” of British television are recognized each year with the prestigious British Arrows awards, and the winners are assembled into a compilation that has become a favorite in cinemas worldwide, including the DFT.  

The inventiveness, playfulness, and power of these British advertisements, designed to present a product, a service, or a public service message with sincerity and winningly off-center wit, come loaded with a satisfying, distinctly British kick. (approx. 80 min.)
 

USA/1981/2007 | Dir: Jon Else (Total running time 180 min.) 

A timely double-feature of two Jon Else films with the development of the atomic bomb at the center.
Jon Else’s Oscar®-nominated 1981 documentary The Day After Trinity tells the story of the Manhattan Project, and J. Robert Oppenheimer’s race to create the world’s first nuclear weapon, both to end WW2 and beat the Russians to the finish line. 

Through enthralling interviews with Manhattan Project scientists, as well as archival footage depicting Oppenheimer’s rise and fall, you’ll meet the real people being portrayed in this summer’s blockbuster.

Also on this special double-feature: Else’s 2007 Wonders are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic, a witty and revealing documentary on the creative process behind Doctor Atomic, composer John Adams’ opera about Oppenheimer, directed by Peter Sellars, with a world premiere in 2005 by the San Francisco Opera.

“Wonders are Many is a dazzling case of the right filmmaker attached to the right subject.” —Robert Koehler, Variety
 

Chen Kaige’s widely acclaimed and visually spectacular masterpiece chronicles the rise of two young stars of the Beijing Opera House, their turbulent relationship, and their fates. Starting in 1924 and spanning nearly half a century, Farewell My Concubine’s story plays out against the backdrop of turbulent Chinese history: Japan’s 1937 invasion, followed by the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath.

This stunning 30th anniversary restoration—including twenty minutes never seen on American screens—features incredible performances from Leslie Cheung and the legendary Gong Li. 

In Mandarin with English subtitles. (170 min.) 

“Spectacular, intelligent, enthralling, rhapsodic, and sumptuous in every respect.” —Geoff Andrew, TimeOut
 

In her decades as executive fashion director of Vogue, Phyllis Posnick worked with some of the world's greatest photographers and created unforgettable images referred to as "stoppers," because they caused the reader to stop flipping and take in the image.

Her creative collaborations with Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Steven Klein, and other major names are unequaled.

This event is hosted by Ivan Shaw, director of the Conde Nast archive and former Vogue photography director.

Space is limited. Attendance is free, but advance registration is required.

Image: Irving Penn, “John Galliano Silk Wool Jacquard Jacket with Red Feather Headpiece,” New York, 2007, ©Condé Nast

The Theremin Noir trio composes and plays darkly evocative chamber music using the theremin, the early electronic tone synthesizer invented in 1920 and used most famously in Hitchcock film scores and by the Beach Boys in songs such as Good Vibrations.

The trio, including Rob Schwimmer on theremin, pianist Uri Caine, and violinist Sara Caswell, will perform a daring improvised score for a compilation of silent films by Parisian avant-garde artists of the era, including Man Ray, Fernand Leger, Rene Clair, and Marcel Duchamp. 

This live program complements the DIA exhibition After Cubism: Modern Art in Paris 1918-1948, on view through January 7, 2024.
 

photo: Le Tour (1928), directed by Rene Clair.

Australia/2023 | Dir. Ian White (86 min.)

Though they were only together for six years (1977–83), the Australian band The Birthday Party, led by Nick Cave, was one of the definitive post-punk groups and goth rock pioneers, creative and destructive in equal measure, with influence that reached far beyond their short lifespan.

Their incendiary live performances were the stuff of violent, anarchic legend. Mutiny in Heaven is the story of total chaos and artistic genius. Narrated by the original members, this new documentary provides an electrifying front-row seat to one of the world’s most legendary live acts.

"There’s perhaps few other bands with a reputation as mythic as The Birthday Party.” -NME
 

Don’t miss the amazing talents of William Chapman Nyaho, a Ghanaian American pianist, solo recitalist, and chamber musician. Nyaho has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean, and has developed a repertoire focused on composers of African descent.

He is a guest artist at colleges and universities around the US, and is in high demand as a judge for national and international piano competitions.