MadCat Film Festival
Friday, September 20, 2002, 8:00 pm, $7
A series of films that explore the search for understanding, whether of war, hunting or the nature of community. Using a documentary interview with a young Bosnian immigrant as her soundscape and hand-painted animation as her pallet Sheila Sofian allows the viewer to experience the violence and tragedy one boys family endured in A Conversation with Haris. With dignity and maturity beyond his 11 years Haris recounts his life and the family members he lost Standing at Ground Zero . (SF Premiere, by Chris Willging) uses one mans experiences during World War II to create a stirring story of war, accountability and humanity. Warren Kreml was only a teenager when he was drafted; through his retelling of the events he experienced and through the use of archival footage the viewer is taken on a journey through Nagasaki just after the atomic bomb was detonated. With haunting original music and the calm and thoughtful words of one soldier turned pastor, Standing at Ground Zero is an honest and intimate story of transcendence and forgiveness. The Hunters Guide by Kerry Hustwit documents the age-old ritual of hunting in a stunningly shot, meditative documentary thatreveals the beauty, the horror and the camaraderie of hunting. Cinema verité footage of hunting and images of the hunter painting delicate portraits of his prey are intercut with audio interviews of the filmmakers father as he talks about his love of this sport and his daughters history of trying to deter him from his passion. Hustwits film is an attempt to understand her fathers obsession and explore this ceremonial act of killing. Right Road Lost by Victoria Gamburg chronicles the life of Phil Rios and his history and participation as a soldier in the Vietnam War and as a National Guardsman in the Persian Gulf. Using photos from his own collection Rios tells the chilling story of an operation in the Persian Gulf. We were going in there to kick out an evil person and restore democracy, but what happened would haunt him for years to come.
For more info,
MadCat Film Festival
www.somaglow.com/madcat
415 436-9523