Premiere!
WAR ZONE
at 2:00pm
(U.S., 1998) directed by Maggie Hadleigh-West
Print Source: Film Fatale, Inc.
This controversial and provocative documentary explores the very nature of sex, power and what happens when men – either knowingly or unknowingly – threaten a woman’s right to walk undisturbed on the streets. Shot all over the U.S., Hadleigh-West turns her camera on men the same way that they turn their aggression on her, as she confronts the meaning of street-side behavior consisting of catcalls and leers towards women walking by. The footage is explosive as the filmmaker places herself in very real danger by daring to ask men on the streets why they are treating a complete stranger in a sexual way. In the process, she has been hit, yelled at, apologized to and engaged in mesmerizing conversations with the men that have harassed her. Through these conversations, Hadleigh-West reveals the anger, fear and frustration as well as the affection, admiration and humor that characterizes relationships between men and women. WAR ZONE originally premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it played to sold-out crowds. It has since shown at venues around the world, consistently generating heated debates and publicity. Emily Barton of Time Out New York astutely cited the film as “Alarming and electrifying! Utterly compelling... WAR ZONE may well be the best date movie of the summer, but expect to see more arguing than necking in the back rows.”

Filmmaker and writer MAGGIE HADLEIGH-WEST explores personal experience to transform artwork into political action. At the core of her work is a struggle against sexism, racism and homophobia. She has appeared on numerous national and international television and radio programs to talk about Street Abuse. Her work was chosen for the United Nations 4th World International Women’s Conference in Beijing, China and the Hirshhorn Museum of the Smithsonian Institute as well and many universities, galleries and film festivals.

 

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DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE
at 3:45
(Iran, 1998) directed by Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini
Print Source: Women Make Movies
In a small Tehran courtroom, the stories of three strong-willed women unfold as they use reason, charm, pleas for sympathy, anger, even a disarming wit to win what they each need - a divorce. DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE is a unique window into the impassioned but very practical business of divorce - and marriage. This cinema verite-style documentary shows the day-to-day operations of the Iranian legal system through the stories of three women’s lives: Jamileh, whose son saved her from the hand of her abusive husband; Ziba, an outspoken 16 year-old who proudly stands up to her 38 year-old husband and his family; and Maryam, remarried and desperate to regain custody of her two daughters. Stirring and poignant, this fly-on-the-wall look into real circumstances of Iranian women’s struggle for independence shatters the stereotype of women as passive victims in the Muslim world. Instead, the film offers alternative images of Iranian women as strong, savvy, and remarkably resilient. The film won a “Silver Hugo Award” at the Chicago International Film Festival and has showcased at several other festivals worldwide. At its New York opening, Stephen Holden of The New York Times cited DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE as an “extraordinarily intimate documentary… remind[ing] you that marital discord knows no geographic boundaries.”

Award-winning filmmaker KIM LONGINOTTO studied at the National Film School in England before forming her own production company, Twentieth Century Vixen. She has made numerous films including four films which have premiered in previous years at the Boston International Festival of Women’s Cinema. They are, Hidden Faces (a documentary about Egyptian women), the trans-gender classics Dream Girls and Shinjuku Boys, and The Good Wife of Tokyo. Co-director ZIBA MIR-HOSSEINI is an Iranian anthropologist who lives in London. Her work as a freelance researcher and consultant explores gender and development issues in rural and urban Iran as well as in urban Morocco.

 

Women in Film and Video/New England Present! Sneak Preview!
Director Cauleen Smith will introduce
DRYLONGSO (Ordinary)
at 5:30pm
(U.S., 1999) directed by Cauleen Smith w/Toby Smith, April Barnett, Will Power
Print Source: Nation Sack Filmworks
DRYLONGSO is a richly textured film, centering around Pica, a young African-American woman determined to express herself artistically in her ongoing struggle to make sense of the world. Pica is in school, studying photography at the local university, while living at home with her mother and grandmother. Her photography professor feels she’s talented, though she isn’t willing to conform to his directives. Rather than the assigned 35mm medium, she chooses to document her subjects using a Polaroid camera, which stresses the immediacy of her work. Pica’s current mission is “to document the existence of young black men” whom, she feels, are an endangered species. Her life at home is a source of distress, as Pica’s mother is more concerned with her own social life than she is about her daughter. Pica befriends Tobe, a young woman she witnesses being attacked by her boyfriend in front of Pica’s house. Tobe is financially supported by her absentee mother, but emotionally forgotten. Haunted by her abusive boyfriend, Tobe decides to begin dressing like a man to protect herself, soon realizing the benefits and risks her new identity holds. Set in an Oakland neighborhood, the backdrop of a news story of a serial killer who prays on teenagers exemplifies yet another threat to the characters’ survival. Unique in both story and style, the film boldly addresses the issue of violence involving young black men and women today, replete with alarming statistics. Direct and unflinching, this highly original film possesses a powerful impact from the very first frame. - Lisa Viola

CAULEEN SMITH completed several short films while studying at San Francisco State University before beginning to raise funds for her feature, DRYLONGSO. Thankfully The Rockefeller Foundation, American Film Institute and The National Black Programming Consortium extended their confidence to her based on her early short films. She also holds an MFA in film from UCLA.

 

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XIU XIU: THE SENT DOWN GIRL
at 7:45pm
(China, 1998) directed by Joan Chen w/Lu Lu, Lopsang, Qian Zheng
Print Source: Stratosphere Entertainment
Director Joan Chen is best known to American audiences for her work as an actress (The Last Emperor, Twin Peaks). XIU XIU is her directorial debut and she has already been honored with 7 Golden Horse Awards (Taipei Oscars), including “Best Picture,” “Best Director,” “Best Actress,” “Best Actor,” and “Best Adapted Screenplay.” The film is the spectacular journey, shot in China, of a young woman who is “sent-down” to the countryside to serve a movement that has long since lost its purpose. The year is 1975, and the Great Cultural Revolution is in its final throes. Xiu Xiu is among the last seven and a half million “Intellectual Youth” to be exiled from family, classmates, and everything that is familiar. She is sent for six months to learn horse herding, and is told that she will return to enjoy the honor of leading an all-girl cavalry unit. Unbeknownst to her, such units have long since been disbanded. In the meantime, she lives amidst the vast prairies of Western China with Lao Jin, a Tibetan herdsman. Through an unspoken love that transcends generation and culture, Lao Jin ultimately finds a way for Xiu Xiu to return to her home and to regain the innocence that she sacrificed in her own attempts to seek her way back. This stunning tale is based on an award-winning novella by Chinese novelist Yan Geling. The film features striking cinematography and a beautiful original musical score (which also won a Golden Horse Award), adding to its luscious quality. A fascinating tribute to the martyrs of Chen’s own generation, XIU XIU will no doubt launch this director to her rightful place among the most respected filmmakers from China.

JOAN CHEN was born in Shanghai, China where she was selected for the Actors’ Training Program by the Shanghai Film Studio in 1975. She went on to win several prestigious acting awards and, in 1981 left China for America to study filmmaking. She currently lives in San Francisco with her husband.

 

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TWICE UPON A YESTERDAY
at 10:00pm
(England/Spain, 1998) directed by Maria Ripoll
w/Lena Headey, Douglas Henshall, Penelope Cruz, Gustavo Salmeron, Elizabeth McGovern
Print Source: Trimark Pictures
This thoroughly delightful romantic fable tells the tale of what can happen when you get a second chance. The story follows Victor, a forlorn lover in modern-day London who meets two strange characters just when his life doesn’t look so good. In some mysterious way (a la Groundhog Day) he is given the opportunity to make it all right again. Victor is thrust back in time – to just before admitting to his girlfriend of an affair – and suddenly his life turns around. Lena Heady (Mrs. Dalloway) is utterly captivating as Sylvia, Victor’s true love who is temporarily smitten by his change of character. But… fate is fate, and nothing (it seems) can keep her from falling for the other guy. TWICE UPON A YESTERDAY is director Maria Ripoll’s feature debut and, while she totally captures the flavor of London’s colorful streets, she is also clearly influenced by the mysticism of her Spanish roots. Ripoll worked with leading Spanish cameraman Javier Salmones from a script by novelist/songwriter Rafa Russo. Together they have created an enchanting film, combining the magical elements of a fairytale with the realism of the human condition. The result is an hour and a half of sheer entertainment and features some wonderful performances from emerging young talent including Douglas Henshall (Angels and Insects), leading Spanish actress Penelope Cruz (Belle Epoque), and Charlotte Coleman (Four Weddings and a Funeral). The film won the “Best Screenplay” Award at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival and, most recently, the “Audience Favorite” Award at the 1999 Seattle Women’s Film Festival.

MARIA RIPOLL was born in Spain and later trained as a film director at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.