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| Hal Hartley presents his films at the Canadian Film Institute Feb 1-3 |
The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) has a stacked line-up of
screenings and director Q&As next week. Following The Boxing Girls of Kabul on Wednesday and The End of Time on Thursday, the CFI will celebrate acclaimed
American independent filmmaker Hal Hartley in a six night retrospective.
Hartley will be on hand to present and discuss his work on the first three
nights of the series, which begins Friday, February 1st. Known for
his quirky and satirical films, Hal Hartley is a forerunner of contemporary
independent filmmaking and his films have launched the careers of numerous
stars including Adrienne Shelley, Edie Falco, Martin Donovan, Michael Imperioli,
and one of my favourite actresses, Parker Posey. “Hal Hartley is one of the
most impressive and idiosyncratic contemporary American film artists,” says CFI
Executive Director, Tom McSorley. “The CFI is proud to be bringing this
critically acclaimed, internationally renowned American independent filmmaker
to Ottawa.”
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| Fay Grim |
Among the films screening in the series are my two personal
favourite Hartley films, Henry Fool (1997) and Fay Grim (2007). A prizewinner for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film
Festival, Henry Fool is an
unconventional spy movie about a poet, Simon Grim (James Urbaniak), who is
befriended by a hack novelist named Henry Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan) whose work-in-progress
is a cryptic tale full of international secrets. The labyrinth of Henry’s
poetry spills into the film’s follow-up, Fay
Grim, which puts Simon’s wife, Fay (Parker Posey), on the hunt for Henry
Fool. You’ll need to see the first film to appreciate the second, so plan your
schedule accordingly!
The real treat of the series, however, might be the chance
to see Hartley’s latest work, Meanwhile. (Review here.) A brisk, smart film, Meanwhile
might be the most accessible of Hartley’s films, so viewers
unfamiliar with the director’s body of work will appreciate the gateway drug that opens the CFI series.
Additionally, chances are that this CFI screening is the only opportunity
you’ll have to see Meanwhile on the
big screen, since it went the route of home video releasing outside of
Hartley’s native New York. The night should also be of interest for a lesson on the latest trends in DYI filmmaking and digital platforms.
In total, the CFI will devote six nights of screenings
throughout February and early March to this special retrospective:
February 1st: Meanwhile
(2012) 7:00pm and Trust (1991),
9:00pm *
February 2nd: Possible
Films: Hal Hartley Short Film Programme, 3:00pm *
February 3rd: Amateur
(1994), 7:00pm *
February 27th: Henry
Fool (1997), 7pm
March 1st: The Girl
From Monday (2005), 8:30pm
March 2nd: Fay Grim
(2006), 7pm
*Hal Hartley will be in attendance on dates marked
with an asterisk (February 1, 2, 3).
All screenings will take place at the Auditorium of Library and Archives Canada at 395 Wellington Street in
Ottawa, except for the Short Film Programme, which will be presented at Club SAW, 67 Nicholas Street. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $8 for
CFI members, seniors, and students and can be purchased on-site with the box office
opening half an hour before the start of the film.
Please visit the CFI’s website for more details.
