Ozon, Moodysson and von Trier On Tap For IFC Center’s Fall Series

A scene from Lukas Moodysson's "Mammoth." [Image courtesy of the Berlinale.]

New York’s West Village IFC Center, which just announced an upcoming two-screen expansion, has announced its programming for the fall.  In addition to a slate of first-run theatrical releases, the center is housing the New York International Children’s Film Festival, a tribute to doc distributor Docurama, screenings from the eleventh annual Stranger than Fiction documentary fest, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and midnight screenings of films from John Hughes, Monty Python and Stanley Kubrick.  There will also be screenings of new prints of Venezuela’s landmark film “Araya” and Truffaut’s “Small Change.” 

Beginning a two week run tomorrow, October 7, is Margot Benacerraf’s landmark film on Venezuela’s salt marshes, “Araya.”  The film, celebrating its 50th anniversary, was reviewed on indieWIRE earlier this week.  Opening October 23 is Lars von Trier’s shocking horror film, “Antichrist,” starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.  “Antichrist” caused a stir this weekend when a filmgoer at a NYFF screening suffered a seizure during an intense scene.  Jennifer Baichwal’s struck-by-lightning documentary “Act of God” begins its one week run November 4.  “Four Seasons Lodge,” about the (possibly) final summer of a vacation colony built by Holocaust survivors in Upstate New York, runs for a week beginning November 11. 

Scott McGehee and David Siegel bring Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the screen again this year for “Uncertainty,” which runs for twelve days begining November 13.  Lukas Moodysson’s English-language debut, “Mammoth,”  starring Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal as a couple whose life is disrupted by an unfortunate business trip.  “Mammoth”‘s exclusive engagement at the IFC Center begins November 20.  A new 35mm print of François Truffaut’s poetic celebration of childhood, “Small Change” screens for a week beginning November 25.  Screening in November is “Loot,” LAFF’s choice for best documentary.  “Loot” follows a jack-of-all-trades who pursues two hidden troves of WWII loot.  Also in November, Adrián Biniez’s follows a security guard who becomes enamored with a customer he incessantly follows on his store’s closed circuit cameras.  François Ozon’s “Ricky” plays in the latter half of December.  The film tells the story of a single mom whose newborn is more than she bargained for.  Just in time for Christmas, Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” will return to the screen December 18-25.  This year’s Romanian breakout hit, Corneliu Porumboiu’s “Police, Adjective” screens from December 23 for two weeks.

News » Oscar Doc Shortlist Features » Tim Burton's Big Show News » Sundance's 2010 New Frontier

Weekend mornings at 11:00AM during the fall, the IFC Center will be screening some of the best films from doc distributor Docurama’s impressive catalogue.  The series features “Southern Comfort,” “Lost Boys of Sudan,” “Genghis Blues,” “Blue Vinyl,” “The Atomic Cafe,” “Best Boy,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill,” and “Don’t Look Back.”  For the theater’s Waverly Midnights series, John Hughes will be remembered in the first two weekends of October with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Pretty in Pink” with new 35mm prints.  Monty Python will come to the series beginning October 16 with “The Holy Grail,” “Life of Brian,” “Live at the Hollywood Bowl,” “And Now for Something Completely Different,” “The Meaning of Life,” and Terry Gilliam’s “Jaberwocky” and “Brazil.”  Kubrick will get the midnight treatment with screenings of “A Clockwork Orange,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “The Shining” in December.  Christmas weekend, the screen will be lit by “Donnie Darko.”  The ever-popular Stranger than Fiction Series, programmed by Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen, will screen some of the most anticipated documentaries of the season.  Filmmakers will be present at all screenings.  The series, which already screened Bob Richman’s “Ahead of Time” and Michael Palmieri & Donal Mosher’s “October Country will continue with Alexander Sebastien Lee’s “The Real Shaolin” (October 6), Erik Gandini’s “Videocracy” (October 13), Damani Baker & Alex Vlack’s “Still Bill” (October 20), Noel Buckner, Mary Dore, & Sam Sills 1984 doc “The Good Fight” (October 27), Carter Gunn & Ross McDonnell’s bee film “Colony” (November 3), Benjamin Franzen & Kembrew McLeod’s “Copyright Criminals” (November 10), Sam Green & Bill Siegel’s 2003 spotlight on the subversive “The Weather Underground” (November 16), “Iran: Images from the Uprising” (November 17), Amanda Micheli’s 2004 “Double Dare” (November 24), and Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker’s closing night film “How to Fold a Flag” (December 1). Screenings selected by the New York International Children’s Film Festival will screen on the weekends of October 17-18, November 21-22, and December 12-13.  The October dates will feature advance screenings of the animated flick “Astro Boy” from David Bowers. Login to recommend this article » posted on October 6, 2009 Films to Snag Login to Leave a Comment »