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MAYSLES CINEMA: CALENDAR / MAY 2012 and beyond...
DIRECTED BY JESSICA GREEN
 
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UPCOMING SCREENINGS AND EVENTS AT THE MAYSLES CINEMA
The box office is open for advance ticket purchases Monday through Friday, 12 - 6 pm, and one hour before the start of all events until they end. If the door is locked during these hours, knock on the store front window. Ticket-holders arriving 15 minutes before showtime are guaranteed a seat inside the theater. Overflow seating available for sold out shows.
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MAY 2012
 
Tuesday,
May 15th,
7:00 pm
  By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X On Film
The 3rd Annual Malcolm X Film Festival
Sponsored by the People's Survival Program
 
Tickets   The Speeches Of Malcolm X
1963-1964, 30 min.
Utilizing background images of the various subject matter, this film chronicles Malcolm's speeches from including several legendary Harlem speeches. Malcolm X: His Own Story As It Really Happened Marvin Worth, 1972, 92 min. Adapted for the screen from the autobiography he wrote with Alex Haley's assistance, Malcolm X (released two decades before the Spike Lee film Malcolm X) is a stirring portrait of the man whose life has become a rallying cry for millions. Includes rare footage of his speeches and interviews as well as newsreel footage. Narrated by James Earl Jones with Martin Luther King, Betty Shabazz, Ossie Davis, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson, H. Rap Brown, Angela Davis and many more.


Malcolm X: His Own Story As It Really Happened
Marvin Worth, 1972, 92 min.
Adapted for the screen from the autobiography he wrote with Alex Haley's assistance, Malcolm X (released two decades before the Spike Lee film Malcolm X) is a stirring portrait of the man whose life has become a rallying cry for millions. Includes rare footage of his speeches and interviews as well as newsreel footage. Narrated by James Earl Jones with Martin Luther King, Betty Shabazz, Ossie Davis, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson, H. Rap Brown, Angela Davis and many more.
 
Thursday,
May 17th,
7:00 pm
  By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X On Film
The 3rd Annual Malcolm X Film Festival
Sponsored by the People's Survival Program
 
Tickets   Malcolm's Echo  
Dami Akinnusi, 2009, 41 min.
Narrated by Prof. James Smalls, this award winning documentary travels in the footsteps of Bro. Malcolm's travels through Harlem. Includes music, spoken word and statements dedicated to Malcolm X by several Harlem residents and well known personalities.


The Autobiography Of El Hajj Malik el Shabazz, Malcolm X
Gil Noble, 1991, 60 min.
A "Like It Is" television program special presentation produced, written and reported by the late, great Gil Noble. This documentary utilizes "the actual words" of Malcolm's biography in covering his life on film. Featuring music by the Last Poets, rare interviews with various members of his family and tons of archival footage of Malcolm X's speeches.


"I Walked With Bro. Malcolm"
Panel Discussion with the Elders Who Walked and Worked With Malcolm X

This historic panel will avoid the usual panel format of scholars, writers and activist "experts" by providing a rare and revealing opportunity for the audience to actually hear "1st hand" from those former Nation of Islam and OAAU members that were loyal to Malcolm X and who actually walked & worked along side him until his assassination.

Followed by a "By Any Means Necessary: Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented" Book Party and Reception
 

 


The People's Film Festival

 
The People's Film Festival
Friday, May 18th - Saturday, May 19th
Tickets

The People's Film Festival is comprised of film screenings, panel discussions, and The People's Awards, which celebrates the winners in each film category. The festival will showcase the work of emerging, producers, videographers, and filmmakers reflecting both traditional and avant-garde style films on one screen. Opening Night and other events will occur at other locations. Go to thepeoplesfilmfestival.com for more information.
   
 
Friday,
May 18th,
  The People's Film Festival   The People's Film Festival

My Nose


No
6:00 pmTickets   My Nose: The Bigger Version
(Sneak Preview of a Work in Progress)
Gayle Kirschenbaum, 21 Min, Category: Short

Filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum introduces us to her critical mother in a humorous short film about her mom's quest to get her to have a nose job. Barely touching the surface of their most highly complex and charged relationship, (The Washington Post wrote, "if you do [have a mother like Gayle's], get thee to a psychotherapist." Kirschenbaum knew it was time to go deeper. Audience members all over the world related to Gayle's story and wanted to know the secret. How is she able to accept and even love her mother who is so disapproving of her? The answers are told in a motivational seminar she now gives on transforming difficult relationships. Although dealing with a serious and universal subject, the film's tone is funny, sharp and insightful. Her self-reflective and quick-witted personality, along with her often unpredictable, wild behavior of her mother, who is almost a carbon copy of Woody Allen's mom, is what drives this film. The result is an entertaining, informative, inspiring and enlightening film that will touch audiences worldwide.


Post screening discussion with Filmmaker

6:50 pm
(Shown with
My Nose)
 
No
Guillermo P. Bosch & Walopro S.L, 10 Min, Country of Origin: Spain, Category: Fiction (In Spanish with English Subtitles)

"The perfection in your hand". An emerging model for advertisements suffers, all of a sudden, a physical defect that drives him into a process of self destruction. A descent into hell around the obsession with looks.

7:00 pmTickets

 
THE PEOPLE TALK BACK

Nigger T.O.E.S.

Darryl Stith and Ina Norris, 40 Min, Category: Fiction
The "N" word, from Plantation, to the Hip-Hip Era, to the year 2020. Take the journey and decide for yourself. Nigger T.O.E.'s, with the acronym standing for Terms Of Endearment, is a story that spans 3 Time periods. From American Slavery, to the early Hip Hop era and culminating in the future (year 2020) the story follows the many incarnations of the word "nigger", from what it meant in the past, it's current use today and it could possibly affect the future. Nigger T.O.E.'s challenges the thought of "is it just "A Word"? (the other working title of this movie).

Join the conversation post-screening discussion with Filmmaker and panel who will explore the use of the "N" word.
 

Nigger T.O.E.S.


8:00 pmTickets
 
STAINS: Changing Lives After Incarceration
Doris L Mangrum & The Saidiana Movement and Saidiana Productions, 60 Min, Category: Documentary
STAINS: Changing Lives After Incarceration, brings attention to the plight of the formerly incarcerated, the stigma associated with them and the families they leave behind. The 'stain' of incarceration on the offender is indelible, however, there is an unintended consequence. The 'stain' transfers, leaving a deep discoloration of shame on families and children left behind who have committed no crime. Society must step up and help to remove that stigma. STAINS confronts those challenges.
 

9:15 pmTickets
 
TPFF SHORTs BLOCK I

El Cortejo
Marina Seresesky & Meridional, 14 Min, Country of Origin: Argentina, Category: Fiction (In Spanish with English Subtitles)
Capi is the oldest gravedigger in the cemetery. Used to working amidst the suffering of others and the jokes of his colleagues, there is only one person capable of taking him out of his daily routine. Every month for the last couple of years he has waited for Marta to take flowers to the grave of her husband. She is his last hope.


Jenny
Maggie Farley, 12 Min, Category: Fiction
A young schizophrenic woman, Jenny, escapes a mental institution to visit her mother's grave. On her journey, the real world and her delusions start to merge.


Rwanda Rushya
Samuel Yerraguntla/ Juan Botero, 8 Min, Category: Documentary
The film looks at Rwanda from the eyes of our two subjects, Sophia, a high school student, a mother to her 2 siblings and an optimist who one day wants to be the Minister of Education. Our next subject is Albert, an Engineer who believes that education alone can liberate a nation. The film is Written and Directed by Samuel Yerraguntla and Juan Botero.


Strangers
Kareem J. Brown, 7 Mins, Category: Short
Time we can never get back, we can never compensate for or trade in for another second, minute, hour or day. People we walk by, the rich, the poor, the distressed and even the celebs. The words we choose to use, the body language, even the passing up of uttering a simple hello or goodbye. Strangers, everyone is a stranger, everyone has a story, what's yours?


Keres
Alfonso S. Suarez & Eva Gallego, 8 Min, Country of Origin: Spain, Category: Fiction
(In Spanish with English Subtitles)

In Greek Mythology the Keres were female spirits of death and fate. Now, one of them will tell us a story, which unfolds in the most terrible battlefield: within ourselves. This is… the story of all stories. This is Keres.
 

El Cortejo


Jenny






Keres

10:30 pmTickets
 
365 Days of Marching- The Amadou Diallo Story
Veronica Keitt, 90 Min, Category: Documentary
365 Days of Marching - The Amadou Diallo Story, written, produced and directed by Veronica Keitt recounts the bitter and yet compelling part of New York City history—documenting the series of marches and protests that was set into motion after the death of Amadou Diallo. It's a story that's told through the eyes of the marchers (the protestors) exploring the history of New York City Police Department, police - community relations and how Diallo's death galvanized a city to fight for justice—not only for Diallo, but for all injustices plaguing New Yorker's during that time. SPECIAL APPEARANCES by Rev Al Sharpton, Seiko & Kadiatou Diallo— the parents of Amadou Diallo, David N. Dinkins—former NYC Mayor, US Congressmen Charles Rangel, Gov. David Paterson, Assemblyman Keith Wright, Councilman Charles Barron, Percy Sutton—Inner City Broadcast, Norman Siegel—ACLU, family members of victims of police brutality, community activists, and others . . .

 
 
Saturday,
May 19th,
  The People's Film Festival   The People's Film Festival
12:00 pmTickets   The Real Rucker Park Legends
Robert McCullough, 81 mins, Category: Documentary

More than five decades ago, a New York City Parks employee named Holcombe Rucker encouraged Harlem kids to stay in school with a basketball tournament and league that would develop into an international phenomenon. Upon his death, two of his pupils continued his work by drawing from the league's Pro Division to start the famous "Each One Teach One" program, pairing up basketball's greats with disadvantaged youth. The innovative idea attracted such legends as Wilt Chamberlin, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and streetball heroes such as Earl "The Goat" Manigault and Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond. Rucker Park's reputation quickly grew, becoming a virtual training ground for the NBA, influencing the playing style of the game and transforming Hip-Hop culture. Told by the legends themselves, this is The Real: the incredible true story behind Rucker Park from its unpolished beginnings through its heyday in the '60s and '70s to its more commercial present-day. But most of all, it's an amazing tale of how one man's dream and his pupils' gratitude explosively transformed an ordinary neighborhood basketball court into the world's most famous streetball arena.

1:45 pmTickets

 
Urban Odyssey
Maryanne Galvin, 47 mins., Category: Documentary
Produced and directed by Boston based filmmaker and psychologist Maryanne Galvin, Urban Odysseyis a film that chronicles four seasons of unplugged, outdoor adventures in greater Boston, MA, via three inner city teens and three retirees. This film prompts electronics users to "unplug" and go outside. These 6 characters are driven by a shared belief that their 'green' activities could lead those of us who've lost touch with nature--back to the garden. Merging resources from two Audubon Centers, they develop a joint project that fosters a sense of place, strengthens relationships between individuals and communities, and builds bridges across the generations. They re-unite other urban dwellers with the vast array of outdoor opportunities in ones own neighborhood, solidifying the idea that when people spend time outside it can have a lasting, positive impact on their personal lives and the future of our natural heritage.

Post screening discussion with Filmmaker
 

3:00 pmTickets
 
Living Downstream
Chanda Chevannes, 55 Min, Category: Environmental Health Documentary
Based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., Living Downstream is an award-winning feature-length documentary following Sandra during one pivotal year as she works to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links. After a routine cancer screening, Sandra receives some worrying results and is thrust into a period of medical uncertainty. Thus we begin two journeys with Sandra: her private struggles with cancer and her public quest to bring attention to the urgent human rights issue of cancer prevention. But Sandra is not the only one who is on a journey—chemicals against which she is fighting are also on the move. We follow these invisible toxicants as they migrate to some of the most beautiful places in North America. We see how these chemicals enter our bodies and how, once inside scientists believe they may be working to cause cancer. Sandra's personal journey and her scientific exploration, Living Downstream is a powerful reminder of the intimate connection between the health of our bodies and the health of our air, land and water.
 

4:00 pmTickets
 
TPFF SHORTs BLOCK II

La Mirada Perdida "The Missing Looks"
Damien Dionisio & Osom Films, 9 Min, Country of Origin: Argentina, Category: Fiction
(In Spanish with English Subtitles)

In 1976, Claudio's political ideals force him to go into hiding with his family. One day their temporary home is discovered. With no time to escape, Claudio desperately sets about trying to protect his family. His wife, Teresa, concerned over what their daughter may witness, decides to distance her as much as possible from the horror she is about to experience.


The Imprudence
Kim Jonghee, 11 mins., Category: Drama
(In Korean with English Subtitles)

Mijin, which is immigrant to America for one year decides to take care of other families children. The kid's acts are unusual. Mijin realizes something is wrong with the kids.


Porque Hay Cosas Que Nunca Se Olvidan
Lucas Figueroa & LMF Films, 13 mins, Country of Origin: Spain/Argentina, Category: Fiction
(In Italian with English Subtitles)

Naples Italy, 1950. Four friends are playing soccer out on the street when their ball is accidentally kicked into the evil old lady's yard. They'll never play with their ball again.. and for that the revenge will be deadly…


Come See About Me
Yasmin Cornelius, Robert Graves & Joseph Kelly, 20 Min, Category: Short/Documentary
Come See About Me is a film that documents young people form Harlem voicing their concerns on the violence they face daily. Through solution driven discussions, the youth address staying out of trouble, gang pressure and adult accountability.
 

La Mirada Perdida


The Imprudence




5:00 pmTickets

 
Changing Face of Harlem
(Work in Progress)
Shawn Batey, 60 mins., Category: Documentary
CHANGING FACE OF HARLEM is a film told from the voices of longtime residents, business owners, politicians, developers, and clergy about the dreams and struggles of a neighborhood. This film explains Harlem's intricate history so you can comprehend the complexity and height of emotions that Harlem citizens express today. If you weren't aware, Harlem is undergoing a huge rebirth and revival just like many other urban communities of color. Identified as The Black Mecca, the birthplace of the renaissance, and also depicted as a crime-infested ghetto, Changing Face of Harlem takes a critical look at how Harlem has undergone its present transformation. The film begins during the height of the New York real-estate boom when Harlem was experiencing an immense influx of real estate and capital investment. The film commences with the crash of the real estate market and how it has played a role in the backdrop of Harlem. The film dives deeper into to the rebuilding of Harlem through the role of UMEZ, The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone while showing the flip-side, the demise of Mart 125, an indoor market for local street vendors. The fight for affordable housing for low and middle-income families is another highly dynamic topic witnessed through the film. The film tackles the pressing issues of class and cultural preservation while also revealing how redlining practices blocked Harlem residents from purchasing properties. This film is a unique contemporary historical piece looking at Harlem as you've never seen it before.

Post screening discussion with Filmmaker
 

6:45 pmTickets
 
GRANDPA WAS A FREEDOM RIDER
Martial Buisson & Adrian Blondel, 52 mins., Category: Documentary
Grandpa Was a Freedom Rider is a documentary film directed by Martial Buisson and co-directed by Adrian Blondel, that tells the story of the Freedom Riders. After meeting at a party in early 2010, the director wanted to follow the original route of the Freedom Riders to New Orleans. The Freedom Rides are considered by many historians as one of the leading student movements. The director has sought to understand the origins of this non-violent movement, as well as the foundations of their commitment.  Grandpa Was A Freedom Rider is more than just a historical documentary, it's a film that takes us on a road to experience the history of these men and women at the time of the Freedom Rides to the present. Their testimonies are strong, powerful and moving—inviting us to relive the terrible events of 1961 and share their thoughts on the problems of discrimination that persist in our time.
 

8:00 pmTickets
 
OCCUPY WALLSTREET BLOCK

Free The Network
Erin Lee Carr, 30 mins., Category: OWS Documentary
Free the Network looks at the way Occupy is deploying DIY hack-tech to distribute the meme that is OWS, and how this ingenuity is reshaping political discourse and the very nature of protest. The film follows a pair of Occupiers who run the Free Network Foundation, a peer-to-peer communications project aiming to liberate the global Internet form corporate control by creating a decentralized, cooperatively own, free network, one Wi-Fi tower at a time.


Occupy America- New Left Media
Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll, 13 mins., Category: OWS Documentary
Occupy Wall Street protests that sprung up across the country this fall already passed? Shot in NYC, Oakland, and Cincinnati, this short explores the state of the #OWS protests now that local governments have removed permanent encampments, and asks what the future will be for this still-young nationwide movement.


It's My Turn Now
Michael Drake, 20 Min, Category: OWS Documentary
It's My Turn Now documents the events of Occupy Wall Street and asks the question "where are the people of color –particularly African Americans, in this movement?"


A Day In The Life of Occupy Wall Street:
a (r)evolution in democracy and consciousness

Barbara Green & Catherine Hollander, 12mins, Category: OWS Documentary/ short
Using an iPhone 4, filmmaker Barbara Green produces an intimate portrayal of daily life, creative activities, & citizen activists of all ages & backgrounds voicing different concerns & grievances; determined to change the broken political, economic, & social system failing to meet the needs of the 99%. Filmed mid-Oct.2011 in Liberty Square (aka Zuccotti Park).


Right Here All Over
Alex Mallis & Lily Henderson, 7 Min, Category: OWS Documentary
Right Here All Over documents the burgeoning micro-community inside Zuccotti Park— the General Assemblies, the Working Groups, the Comfort Station, the cigarette-roller, the masseuse, the library, the first-aid station, the drum circle, the media center, the food, and all the people working around the clock to maintain a developing national movement.
 



Occupy America- New Left Media


It's My Turn Now


A Day In The Life of Occupy Wall Street



9:45 pmTickets

 
9 Eleven
Manan Singh Katohora, Sadhna Mathur & Narain Kumar Mathur, 113 min., Category: Suspense/thriller
(In Hindi with English subtitles)

The film portrays the life of 11 people who belong to different walks of life. Though each individual has achieved a measure of success in their individual lives, their darkest secrets come out in the open when all of them are given some time for introspection, when they meet each other in a bizarre twist of vents. They realize that their lives are inter-woven and this literally shakes up their peaceful lives. Terrorized to the core by an unknown entity in an unfamiliar place, each individual is petrified and is hesitant to talk or take each other into confidence for one simple reason....The Fear of the Unknown. The film 9-Eleven is a fast paced thriller with undertones of terrorism. Terrorism need not be political, 'ideologically' generated or xenophobic. Terrorism can also be a great motivator for conflict resolution or revenge. The question is how does one survive collectively in meeting this growing phenomenon.......head on? Post screening discussion with Filmmaker

Post screening discussion with Filmmaker
 
 

Monday,
May 21st
-
Sunday,
May 27th,

at 7:30pm

Week Run!

Tickets

  Keeling's Caribbean Film Showcase and
the cariBBeing Film Festival Present:


Marley

Dir. Kevin Macdonald, 2012, 145 min.
Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive. Starring Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Cedella Marley, Rita Marley, Neville Bunny, Wailer, Chris Blackwell among others.
"I think what's great about the film is though there have been a lot of things done on Bob, I think this one will give people a more emotional connection to Bob's life as a man- not just as a reggae legend or a mythical figure, but his life as a man." -Ziggy Marley
Official Film website and trailer>

 
 
Saturday,
May 26th,
10:00 pm
  The Fuzz'd Up Film Series Presents
Curated by the Fuzzystar Organization
  Doc Watchers Logo

 

21+ show

 

RADIO SHOW!!
In a time before Film and Television, Radio was a source of news and entertainment and one of the first mass media to begin to blur the line between the two. On Saturday, May 26th the Fuzzystar Organization showcases a few of our favorites from the golden age of radio, including excerpts from Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre on The Air, The Adventures of Nero Wolfe, Our Ms. Brooks and more. These Radio Shows will be featured in both their original crackly audio and re-interpreted by modern actors in a live staged reading! Radio Show!! will also feature film clips from the period, ambient visuals and other projected media throughout the night to compliment the live and recorded performances.


A reception and party to follow featuring VJ and DJ team Gil and Dan Raitses. As always we'll have Beer and Munchies for sale and FREE POPCORN!!

This show is 21+

 

JUNE 2012

Sunday,
June 3rd,
7:30pm

  Keeling's Caribbean Showcase
Curated by Keeling Beckford

Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?
Miguel Galofrépanish, 2009, 61 min.
August, 2008. The world watches as the Jamaican sprint team becomes the sensation of the tournament Olympic games in Beijing. Team Jamaica wins six gold, three silver and two bronze medals. No superpower nation is able to keep up with Jamaica's male and female track stars - the smallest Caribbean island in population won the most medals of all the countries competing in track and field. Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast? offers a unique insight into Jamaican society at large as it tells the story of the world's strongest sprinting nation. Director Miguel Galofré shows the responses and emotions of the Jamaican people during and after the victories and follows the athletes into their parental home, local sports club and favorite dancehall. The documentary features exclusive interviews with the Jamaican medal winners, their coaches and their fans, backed up by an impressive dancehall, roots and culture soundtrack.
 
Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?
 
June
11th - 17th
at 7:30pm
Tickets

Facebook Event
  Documentary in Bloom
Curated by Livia Bloom

Tahrir: Liberation Square
Dir. Stefano Savona, 2011, 90 min.
U.S. Theatrical Premiere
In one of the most powerful documentaries to emerge from the Arab Spring, archaeologist Stefano Savona carries viewers beyond the headlines and into the heart of the popular Egyptian revolution that overthrew President Mubarak and touched off revolutions throughout the Middle East: Tahrir Square. Captured with only a small digital camera and sound recorder, his portrait of the seething, chanting crowds and electric protest speeches is anchored by fluid exchanges with a handful of individual protesters. A highlight of the New York, Locarno, and Venice film festivals, Tahrir: Liberation Square documents history in the making.

  Documentary in Bloom LogoTahrirTahrirTahrir
 
Saturday,
June 23rd,
7:30 pm
  The Experiment: SJ.Ramir – 'Journeys'
Curated by Lorenzo Gattorna and Peter Butaine
  The Experiment
The Experiment
Man Alone
The Experiment
Departure
The Experiment
Our Voices Are Mute
The Experiment
Disquiet
The Experiment
Remote
    "The theme I explore in my video work is that of 'journeys' - both physical and metaphysical. These journeys are dramatized in my work by the movement of anonymous, silhouetted figures through isolated landscapes - alluding to both the isolation of the individual, and isolation of place. Visual distortion in the footage is created by the enhancement of pixels, through the use of custom-made lens filters that are used 'in camera' to produce hazy, distorted images - suggestive of emotional states connected with isolation. The journeys made by these silhouetted figures can represent many things; a search for personal identity, nationhood or community. Often structures or houses appear in the distance, and are used as metaphors to represent mankind/society (and the offerings of society; from collective philosophy, values, morals, through to religion) and memories and needs. The figures approach, explore, and ultimately depart these structures. The final act of the figures leaving the structures and walking away represents an absolute rejection of what is being offered by mankind/society. It is crucial in my video work that for these wandering figures, no destination or resolution is ever reached, as this reaffirms that the very act and motivation of journeys is about an un-sated longing/quest/desire/need." – SJ.Ramir

Man Alone
SJ.Ramir, 2006, 4 min.
A lone, shapeless figure sets out on a journey. The mysterious spectre travels through a series of distorted, impressionistic landscapes to an unspecified destination. A sense of bleakness and isolation underscores the narrative.


Departure
SJ.Ramir, 2007, 3 min.
In his short video piece Departure, SJ.Ramir explores both emotional and geographical landscapes of isolation. Using visual distortion as a tool, and accompanied by uneasy soundtracks, Ramir creates a world where emptiness and mystery permeate from each frame.


Our Voices Are Mute
SJ.Ramir, 2008, 5 min.
In Our Voices Are Mute, anonymous silhouettes move slowly through visually distorted landscapes, confronting symbolic images that challenge the viewer's idea of 'journeys'; what they are, and how they affect us.

Disquiet
SJ.Ramir, 2011, 8 min.
Disquiet follows the movement of an anonymous figure through remote and desolate geographical environments to examine metaphysical journeys that are made through landscapes within the mind.
*Produced with the funding from the Independent Filmmakers Fund, Creative New Zealand.

Remote
SJ.Ramir, 2012, 42 min
Remote, the latest film from SJ.Ramir, is a dialogue-free account of existential minimalism that follows the journey of an unnamed woman as she treks across the empty expanse of giant desert-like sand dunes towards a distant coastline. Comprising of numerous long takes, Remote offers a meditative vision - exploring the physical landscape as a metaphysical state, and drawing on the journey of the film’s protagonist as a metaphor for spiritual journeys made across terrain within the human mind.
*Produced with the funding from Creative New Zealand

About the Filmmaker:
SJ.Ramir was born in Auckland, New Zealand, 1971 and currently lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Originally trained as a photographer, SJ.Ramir later moved to digital video - shooting scenes of lone figures moving across remote and isolated geographical landscapes. His work is primarily concerned with exploring the concept of journeys - both physical and metaphysical. His video art has been exhibited at public and commercial galleries worldwide, including; the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Japan, City Gallery Wellington, The Australian Centre of Photography, Sydney, Orexart Gallery, New Zealand, Dianne Tanzer Gallery, Melbourne, ASU Media Art Center, Arizona, USA, Alsager Gallery, United Kingdom. For two consecutive years (2008 and 2009) he was a recipient of the Screen Innovation Production Fund, New Zealand. His moving image work has also been screened at some of the world's most prestigious film festivals; including the Venice International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen.
 
343 Malcolm X Boulevard / Lenox Avenue (between 127th and 128th Streets)
Suggested Admission: $10 (unless otherwise noted). The box office is open 12 - 6pm, Monday - Friday and one hour before all showtimes until event end.

NYSCA logo   NYSCA logo This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.