EVENTS

UMASS AMHERST

FIVE COLLEGES

AND BEYOND

Olga Gershenson's New Book

See the article in the journal Tablet on Olga Gershenson's new book The Phantom Holocaust: Soviet Cinema and Jewish Catastrophe. Olga Gershenson is a film scholar and Assistant Professor of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at UMass. See Olga Gershenson's website.

DEFA & Amerika: Culture Wars, Culture Contact – East German Summer Film Institute

July 7-14, 2013

The DEFA Film Library's seventh biennial Summer Film Institute will explore multiple dimensions of the relationship between GDR filmmaking and the United States. A wide range of East German film materials, formats and genres will be screened in tandem with focused workshop discussions addressing the following topics: GDR Propaganda: Mobilizing stereotypes towards political ends Espionage as mass entertainment: Trends in the international film industry—genres, styles & stars Culture Contact: Distribution—a two-way street; Rémigrés—from Hollywood to DEFA Culture Wars: US pop culture & the GDR generation gap; The GDR & the Western left Held in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, the DEFA Film Library's East German Summer Film Institutes provide an opportunity for scholars in different disciplines to spend a week together in a relaxed setting, watching movies and discussing GDR cinema from a variety of perspectives. The Institute will be held in English and is open to faculty advanced graduate students and other educators across disciplines. [More...]

20th Annual Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival

Barbara
Weds, Apr 24 at 7:30pm
Amherst Cinema
28 Amity Street, Amherst

The 2013 MMFF presents Christian Petzold's Barbara. Set in East Germany in the early 1980s, Christian Petzold’s Cold War thriller exudes icy anxiety through the play of trust and doubt as a Berlin physician is torn between her desire to flee to the West and her love for a colleague (Silver Bear, Berlinale; Best Foreign Language Film nominee, 2013 Academy Awards). Free and open to the public.Introduction by Barton Byg, UMass Amherst. [More...]

Roundtable on the Reception of the Holocaust in Post-communist Europe

With Omer Bartov, Joanna Michlic, John-Paul Himka, and Catherine Portuges
Thurs 4/25 at 4:30pm
The Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies UMass Amherst
758 North Pleasant Street

The Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies will host "A Roundtable on the Reception of the Holocaust in Post-communist Europe: With Omer Bartov, Joanna Michlic, John-Paul Himka, and Cathy Portuges" In honor of the spring publication of Bringing the Dark to Light:  The Reception of the Holocaust in Post-communist Europe, co-edited by Joanna Michlic and John-Paul Himka, with essays by Holocaust historian Omer Bartov (Brown University) and film historian Cathy Portuges (UMass Amherst).
 
Moderated by James Young, Director of the IHGMS at UMass Amherst. Admission is free, but seating is limited to 100. A reception and book-signing will follow. Parking is available across the street. [More...]

5th Catalan Film Festival

Tuesdays at 6.30pm
231 Herter Hall

The 2013 edition of the Festival, devoted to the 'new Catalan cinema', features a wide range of new Catalan movies produced after 2010. All the movies will be original versions in Catalan or Spanish with English subtitles. In addition, this semester we will count with the presence of film director Patricia Ferreira who will present her film Els nens salvatges (2011) at the Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival (March 6th), recently nominated in three different categories at the 2013 Goya Awards (Best new actress, Best new actor and Best original song).

Although the film festival is related to the 'Catalan Culture' and 'Catalan Cinema' courses offered by the Catalan Studies Program at UMass, everyone will be welcome to attend and participate in the seven film sessions that will take place during this semester. [Poster | Facebook page]

Pamela Yates Featured in UMass Magazine

In "Through a Personal Lens," UMass Magazine offers a profile of award winning documentary filmmaker and alumna Pamela Yates. Her recent film Granito: How to Nail a Dictator was screened at the 2012 Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, and Yates is returning to UMass for a residency with the Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies in Spring 2013. For more information on Yate's work, visit the Skylight Pictures website.

[See article.]

Granito: Taking It to the World

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator, featured in the 2012 Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, has a new ending—the dictator, General Efraín Ríos Montt, was brought up on charges of genocide in Guatemala and placed under house arrest, so his appearance in court is now in the film. Skylight pictures has therefore arranged with PBS's P.O.V. to stream Granito and its prequel When the Mountains Tremble in English and Spanish versions.

After watching Granito (and When the Mountains Tremble) you may want to visit Granito: Every Memory Matters, a site where people are coming every day to upload videos, photos, letters and documents that are gradually restoring the collective memory of the Guatemalan genocide.  Get involved, check it out here. The site defaults to Spanish, but you can select English as an option. 

Be sure to join us for director Pamela Yate's residency organized by Film Studies at UMass Amherst this fall! [More on Granito.]

German Film Series Spring 2013

Thursdays 4:00pm & 7:30pm
Stirn Auditorium
Amherst College

The Fall 2013 German Film Series from 2/14 through 5/2.

February 14: Erbsen auf halb 6 (Peas at Half Past 5, Lars Büchel, 2004; 111 min.)
Charming comedy drama centered on an unlikely romance: a young woman, born blind, is assigned to help a theater director cope after he loses his eyesight in an accident. Undeterred by his rejection, she doggedly decides to pursue him in a bizarre journey across northeastern Europe.

February 28: Geboren in Absurdistan (Born in Absurdistan, Houchang Allahyari, 1999; 111 min.)
By mistake, two babies are exchanged in a Vienna hospital: the Turkish baby ends up with the family of a xenophobic Austrian immigration official; his baby with a Turkish family threatened with deportation. Mayhem ensues in this zany black comedy as the immigrants take their case to—you guessed it—said official.

March 14: Das System - alles verstehen heißt alles verzeihen (The System, Marc Bauder, 2011; 87 min.)
Gripping drama about a disaffected young man, whose aimless life changes when he crosses paths with former agents of the East German secret police. Dreams of money and power evaporate as he uncovers disturbing facts about his family’s past.

March 28: Vincent will Meer (Vincent Wants to Sea, Ralf Huettner, 2010; 95 min.)
Young Vincent—a Tourette syndrome patient in a mental home—wants to fulfill his promise to spread this mother’s ashes in the Mediterranean Ocean. One day, together with two other patients, he seizes the opportunity to head south -- with Vincent’s father and a psychiatrist in hot pursuit of this oddball trio, in this touching comedy drama.

April 18: Kaddisch für einen Freund (Kaddish for a Friend, Leo Khasin, 2011; 94 min.)
Tensions erupt in a grimy tenement complex in contemporary Berlin when a Palestinian youth encounters a Russian-Jewish WWII veteran. Mutual distrust and misunderstanding make way for the possibility of friendship in this gritty, thought-provoking drama. Screenings co-sponsored by Amherst College Office of the Jewish Religious Advisor. Shown in conjunction with the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival.

May 2: Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven, Fatih Akin, 2007; 122 min.)
The lives of three families in Turkey and Germany intersect and overlap, as a tragic death prompts several people to go on a quest for their relatives in this award-winning drama by acclaimed Turkish-German director Fatih Akin.

[More...]

Brigid Haines Lecture on Nobel Prize Winning author Herta Müller

Monday, 3/25 at 4:30pm
Mount Holyoke College
Gamble B Auditorium, Art Bldg

The MHC Department of German Studies presents "Nobel Prize Winning author Herta Müller’s Concentrationary Art," a lecture by Brigid Haines of the University of Swansea, U.K. Dr. Brigid Haines is Reader in German and Head of Modern Languages at Swansea University in the U.K. and the Director of the Centre of Research into Gender in Culture and Society. [Event Poster]

Pamela Yates Invited to Join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

Documentary filmmaker and UMass alumna Pamela Yates is among those invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences this year. In recent years, Pamela Yates's work has been featured in both the 2013 Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival and the 2012 MMFF, and she and Paco de Onis have given graduate colloquia and addressed UMass classes on documentary filmmaking and human rights. [More...]

Amat Escalante wins at Cannes

Amat Escalante wins Best Director at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for his film, HELI. Escalante spoke about The Hanging Priest (El cura Nicolás colgado), his contribution to the film Revolución at the 2011 Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival "Migrations". Synopsis of Heli: Estela is a 12 year old girl who has just fallen crazy in love with a young police cadet who wants to run away with her and get married. Trying to achieve this dream, her family will have to live the violence that is devastating the region. [see Cannes Festival website]

Martin Scorsese Festival

July 7– August 28
Amherst Cinema

Celebrate summer with the films of master director Martin Scorsese.  Since his 1973 landmark effort, Mean Streets, Scorsese has brought his distinctly Italian American perspective to bear on themes of violence, redemption, machismo and faith.  He has influenced generations of filmmakers not only through his muscular camera and combative editing style, but also through his distinctive use of popular music.  Enjoy the full range of his career with these eight unforgettable film experiences. [More...]

Northampton International Film Festival (NoHoIFF)

October 11-13, 2013

The 17th annual Northampton International Film Festival continues the tradition October 11-13, 2013, at the beautiful Academy of Music Theatre, showcasing full length and short films from around the world. Last year, 2012, showcased a hand-selected group of films from the Pioneer Valley and Around the World. We are currently looking for students from the Five Colleges to submit their Film for the 2013 Festival. Film submissions will be carefully viewed by our panel of film industry experts. Final programming decisions will be completed by summer 2013.We wish you the best of luck and look forward to viewing your film! All films must be submitted through Withoutabox.com for consideration. Extended Deadline August 15, 2013.

Held at the legendary Academy of Music, the festival will showcase full length and short films from around the world, chosen by a panel of film industry experts. Additional events will include a gala following the opening night feature film, discussion panels with filmmakers and industry professionals as well as the closing awards ceremony. Check out our Award Winners from 2012. [More...]

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8th Annual Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival

April 4-18, 2013

The 8th PVJFF season offers a remarkable cultural journey by way of cinematic stories that express Jewish ideas and experiences that resonate beyond their cultural settings and speak to issues that confront our common humanity. The themes– the search for identity, family connections, striving for meaning in the midst of differences, learning from history—are universal ones seen through a Jewish lens. [More...]

Five College Student Film & Video Festival Winners 2013

Film Screenings
Thurs 4/17 at 7:30pm
Amherst Cinema

Rory Sayce, Film Studies Cetificate student, took home the festival's "Best of UMASS" award for his film KINDER DAYS (17 mins). Catch all seven award-winning videos from the 2013 Five College Student Film & Video Festival.
[Amherst Cinema screenings page]

UMass Boston Film Series

Spring 2013
UMass Boston Campus Center
3rd Floor Ballroom

The UMass Boston Film Series pays particular attention to emerging and iconic directors of acclaimed documentaries that have obtained recognition for their unique, relevant, and exceptional cinematic efforts. The series hosts filmmakers for Q&As moderated by curator and lecturer Chico Colvard. The Film Series also partners with UMass Boston faculty, film industry insiders, and local organizations to participate in post-screening panel discussions about the issues central to the featured films. Ultimately, the UMass Boston Film Series aims to create a synergy of place between UMass Boston and the moving image.The spring lineup includes four Boston Premieres. [More...]

A Companion to the Historical Film

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Cinemas in Transition in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989

Edited by Catherine Portuges and Peter Hames, this collection of essays focuses on cinema in Eastern Europe in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. As Professors Portuges and Hames argue in their introduction, in spite of Eastern Europe's rich cinematic tradition, films from this region are often marginalized. The contributors in this collection seek to fix this by offering textual analyses of films from each country from the former Soviet bloc. In addition, the essays also offer a sustained focus on structural questions of cinematic production. The collective effect of the volume is to offer a picture of Eastern European cinema at a critical historic era and its connection to the emerging world of transnational media. [More...]

Natalia Almada Named MacArthur 'Genius' Fellow

Natalia Almada, whose first film screened at our Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, has just been named a MacArthur 'Genius' Fellow.

The New York Times article on the announcement, which features a discussion of Natalia's extraordinary body of work, is here.

Sight & Sound magazine's 2012
Greatest Films of All Time Poll

BFI's Sight & Sound magazine's 2012 once-a decade international Critics' film poll reveals first new winner for 50 years.

The BFI's Sight & Sound magazine today announced that the winner of its hugely anticipated and world-renowned Greatest Films of All Time poll is Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, ending the 50-year reign of Orson Welles' mighty Citizen Kane, winner of the once-a-decade poll since 1962 and now in second place. 846 film experts participated in the poll, placing Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story 3rd and Jean Renoir's La Règle du jeu 4th. Two new films to make the Top Ten are both silent – Dziga Vertov's Man With a Movie Camera at no.8, the first documentary to make the Top Ten since 1952, and Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc in 9th place. The most recent film in the Top Ten is Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in 6th place. The poll is Sight & Sound's seventh and most ambitious to date.

The Critics' Top Ten Greatest Films of All Time are:  

1. Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
2. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)
3. Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953)
4. La Règle du jeu (Renoir, 1939)
5. Sunrise: a Song for Two Humans (Murnau, 1927)
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
7. The Searchers (Ford, 1956)
8. Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929)
9. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, 1927)
10. 8 1/2 (Fellini, 1963)

The Directors' Top Ten Greatest Films of All Time are:

1. Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953)
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
3. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)
4. 8 1/2 (Fellini, 1963)
5. Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)
6. Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979)
7. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)
8. Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
9. Mirror (Tarkovsky, 1974)
10. Bicycle Thieves (De Sica, 1948)

[More...]