HOME Cinema Preview: 29th September
By James Gill
Films opening at HOME this week:
Daphne
Directed by Peter Mackie Burns – Rated 15
Scottish filmmaker Peter Mackie Burns marks his transition into features with this tightly focused, remarkably authentic character study of brittle 31-year-old Londoner Daphne (Beecham). Daphne has ‘sort of given up on people’ as she goes through the motions of her busy life, working as a cook in a London restaurant and through a series of drug-fuelled hook-ups. She resists genuine intimacy in her few friendships and rejects her mother attempts to engage. When she witnesses a violent robbery, she’s thrown into chaos and finally begins to confront the person she’s become.
Cut from the same explicit, ironic, confessional cloth as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s internationally successful BBC TV series Fleabag, Daphne offers us a female protagonist who can be as fiercely unlikeable as she is compelling to watch.
Zoology
Directed by Ivan I. Tverdovskiy – Rated 15
A lonely and seemingly unremarkable middle-aged zoo worker (Natalia Pavlenkova) redefines her life after discovering she has grown a tail, in a film that is part comedy of errors, part social satire, and part tender love story. Following up on his multiple award-winning feature Corrections Class, Ivan I. Tverdovsky continues to focus on the humanity that inhabits non-normative bodies, earning himself a Special Jury Prize at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the process.
Tawai – A Voice from the Forest
Directed by Mark Ellam, Bruce Parry – Rated U
Tawai is the word the nomadic hunter-gatherers of borneo use to describe their inner feeling of connection to nature. In this dreamy, philosophical and sociological look at life, explorer Bruce Parry travels the world to learn from people living lives very differently to our own. From the jungles of Malaysia to the tributaries of the Amazon, Tawai is a quest for reconnection, providing a powerful voice from the heart of the forest itself.
In The Last Days of the City
Directed by Tamer El Said – Rating CTBA
In The Last Days of the City is the debut feature of Egyptian director Tamer El Said and tells the fictional story of a filmmaker from downtown Cairo, played by British Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner), as he struggles to capture the soul of a city on edge, while facing loss in his own life. Shot in Cairo, Beirut, Baghdad and Berlin during the two years before the Egyptian revolution in 2011, the film’s multi-layered stories are a visually rich exploration of friendship, loneliness, loss and life in cities shaped by the shadows of war and adversity.
Films continuing this week:
Mother!
Directed by Darren Aronofsky — Rated 18
A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky of Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream fame, Mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in a potent psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.
In Between
Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud — Rated 15
In director Maysaloun Hamoud’s remarkable feature debut, three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv find themselves doing the same balancing act between tradition and modernity and citizenship and culture.
On Body and Soul
Directed by Ildikó Enyedi — Rated 18
A slaughterhouse in Budapest is the setting of a strangely beautiful love story. No sooner does Mária start work as the new quality controller than the whispers begin. At lunch, the young woman always chooses a table on her own in the sterile canteen, where she sits in silence. She takes her job seriously and adheres strictly to the rules, deducting penalty points for every excessive ounce of fat. Hers is a world that consists of figures and data that have imprinted themselves on her memory since early childhood. Her slightly older boss Endre is also the quiet type. Tentatively, they begin to get to know each other. Recognising their spiritual kinship, they are amazed to discover that they even have the same dreams at night. Carefully, they attempt to make them come true.
This story of two people discovering the realm of emotions and physical desire — at first individually and then together — is tenderly told by director Ildikó Enyedi, but in a way that also exudes subtle humour. On Body and Soul is a film about the fears and inhibitions associated with opening up to others, and about how exhilarating it can be when you finally do.
Borg Vs McEnroe
Directed by Janus Metz Pedersen — Rated 15
Award-winning Danish director Janus Metz brings to the screen the story of one of the world’s greatest icons Björn Borg — and his biggest rival, the young and talented John McEnroe — for their legendary duel during the 1980 Wimbledon tournament. The film stars Sverrir Gudnason as Borg and Shia LaBeouf as his tennis court rival John McEnroe. Playing Borg’s trainer, the legendary Lennart Bergelin, Stellan Skarsgård returns for a major part in a Swedish film for the first time in almost a decade.
God’s Own Country
Directed by Francis Lee — Rated 15
To read Esmee Samsworth’s review of this film click here
Johnny, a young sheep farmer from Yorkshire, has sacrificed his own life choices to run the family farm. As lambing season approaches, much to Johnny’s initial resentment, migrant worker Gheorghe is hired to assist. Gheorghe proves he not only understands this farming life but more importantly, he understands Johnny.
Special events taking place this week:
29th September – Daphne Q&A
Directed by Peter Mackie Burns – Rated 15
Scottish filmmaker Peter Mackie Burns marks his transition into features with this tightly focused, remarkably authentic character study of brittle 31-year-old Londoner Daphne (Beecham). Daphne has ‘sort of given up on people’ as she goes through the motions of her busy life, working as a cook in a London restaurant and through a series of drug-fuelled hook-ups. She resists genuine intimacy in her few friendships and rejects her mother attempts to engage. When she witnesses a violent robbery, she’s thrown into chaos and finally begins to confront the person she’s become.
Cut from the same explicit, ironic, confessional cloth as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s internationally successful BBC TV series Fleabag, Daphne offers us a female protagonist who can be as fiercely unlikeable as she is compelling to watch.
We will be joined by director Peter Mackie Burns for a Q&A following the 20:30 screening on Friday the 29th September.
30th September – Kothanodi + Intro
Part of HOME’s Not Just Bollywood Season
Directed by Bhaskar Hazarika – Rated U
Based on Assamese folk tales, this debut feature is an impressive supernatural, horror compendium. Focusing on the lives of four women, connected by motherhood, the nightmarish anxieties of the women are hauntingly depicted against the mystical, pastoral landscapes of Assam. Director Bhaskar Hazarika has a wonderful pictorial eye, evoking a magical realism, staging much of the action in the rich and beguiling sceneries of Majuli and Dergaon, superbly photographed by Vijay Kutty. Indie actors Seema Biswas and Adil Hussain appear in supporting roles. Given the slim film output and lack of cinemas in Assam, the budget was successfully raised through a crowd funding initiative and the film provides a rare glimpse into Assamese folk culture.
This screening will be introduced by Alexandra Delaney, Birmingham City University.
1st October – Jarman Awards + Q&A
Directed by Various – Rated 18
Come and see a programme of deep, sharp and, at times, playful works taking on some of the biggest subjects of our times and engaging with the world around us. This year’s Jarman Award shortlist are Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Oreet Ashery, Adham Faramawy, Melanie Manchot, Charlotte Prodger and Marianna Simnett.
The 10th anniversary edition of the Jarman Award celebrates an eclectic group of artists who resist being placed in a singular, defining box. Their practices are as diverse as the field of moving image itself. Each speaks with their own voice from their own place with their own visual style.
These artists’ works are the result of sharp observation, complex intellectual and aesthetic inquiry, and depth of thought, but this does not make them devoid of humour and playfulness. They do not shy away from ‘big’ subjects, and they do so without beautifying, simplifying or turning to clichés. They touch on human fragility, the limitations and boundaries of the body, mental health, death in the digital age and the legacy we leave behind, gender stereotypes and sexuality.
Inspired by visionary filmmaker Derek Jarman, the Jarman Award recognises and supports artists working with moving image, and celebrates the spirit of experimentation, imagination and innovation in the work of artist filmmakers.
The winner of the Jarman Award will be announced on the 20th of November 2017 at a ceremony at the Whitechapel Gallery, and will receive a £10,000 prize. The Award is supported by Channel 4, who have commissioned each of the shortlisted artists to produce a new film for their acclaimed Random Acts arts strand.
We will be joined by artist Marianna Simnett for a Q&A during this screening hosted by HOME’s Artistic Curator of Visual Art, Sarah Perks.
2nd October – Kevin Jerome Everson Screening + Q&A
Directly after his weekend retrospective at Tate Modern, Kevin Jerome Everson is visiting HOME for an exclusive Q&A and screening of a selection of his short films from 2009 to 2017 including several UK premieres. The award-winning artist and professor, born in Ohio and based in Virginia, is proving to be one of the US’s most prolific and relevant filmmakers, constructing portraits that defy simple definition and eschew socio-political cliché.
“With a sense of place and historical research, my films combine scripted and documentary elements with rich elements of formalism. The subject matter is the gestures or tasks caused by certain conditions in the lives of working class African Americans and other people of African descent. The conditions are usually physical, social-economic circumstances or weather. Instead of standard realism I favour a strategy that abstracts everyday actions and statements into theatrical gestures, in which archival footage is re-edited or re-staged, real people perform fictional scenarios based on their own lives and historical observations intermesh with contemporary narratives. The films suggest the relentlessness of everyday life—along with its beauty—but also present oblique metaphors for art-making.” Kevin Jerome Everson (2011)
With thanks to Madeleine Molyneaux (Picture Palace Pictures) and Andrea Lissoni & Carly Whitefield (Tate Modern). Q&A hosted by Sarah Perks, Artistic Director (Visual Art) & Professor of Visual Art, Manchester School of Art.
Click here for a look at the program of films as well as to book tickets
3rd October – In Another Life + Q&A
Directed by Jason Wingard – Rating CTBA
The first feature from Manchester-based director Jason Wingard, In Another Life is a bold mix of documentary and fictional drama, shot over a year in the Calais Jungle. Adnan (Elie Haddad) and Bana (Toya Frantzen) have left war-torn Syria in order to reach the UK. Travelling through Europe with money running low, they are forced into the notorious Calais Jungle.
Faced with the prospect of a risky illegal entry to the UK or the squalor of the camp, they decide to take their chances on the trucks and ferry in a desperate bid to make it to the UK.
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Jason Wingard.
4th October – Pressure
Part of HOME’s Black History Month 2017 Season
Directed by Horace Ové – Rated 15
Hailed as Britain’s first black feature, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted British-born black youths. Horace Ové makes the most of his combination of professional actors and local non-actors from the streets of London in an angry but also incredibly balanced work.
More Coverage
SCALA!!! co-director Jane Giles on audiences, programming and being a first-time filmmaker: “There has to be room in the film world for all tastes”
Chungking Express: Intoxicating youthful cinema | UoM Film Soc screening reports
An evening with UoM Film Society and Chungking Express
