Oct 1, 2010
Artist Development
The San Francisco Film Society will present Roman Polanski: Short Films with Live Music by Sza/Za, a unique program of rarely seen early short films by the master director with live musical accompaniment by the Warsaw-based electro-acoustical duo Sza/Za, 7:30 pm, Wednesday, November 10 at the Premier Theater, Letterman Digital Arts Center.
This program features the early short film work of Roman Polanski accompanied by live music by the electro-acoustic duo Sza/Za. Between 1958 and 1962, the acclaimed director and Academy Award-winner made a series of short films, most at the renowned Polish Lódz Film School. From playful filmmaking exercises (Murderand Teeth Smile) to the metaphorical (Break Up the Dance, Mammals) to his award-winning graduation film Two Men and a Wardrobe (SFIFF 1958), these films together offer a glimpse of a young filmmaker formulating his artistic concerns. Polanski’s trademarks-a meticulous, crisp directorial style and predilection for examining grotesque and often disturbing themes-appear in these early works and would later undergo further development in such masterpieces as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist. These shorts reveal Polanski’s surreal and dark style, his masterful storytelling ability and his tireless search for the truth about human nature, however crooked and evil it may be.
In the late ’50s and early ’60s jazz had become a fascination of many Polish filmmakers, and it remained an essential element of Polanski’s cinema for many years. The Film Society is pleased to present the short films with live accompaniment by the Warsaw-based multi-instrumentalist duo Sza/Za, paying tribute to the Polish jazz pioneer Krzysztof Komeda, Polanski’s longtime collaborator both in Europe and Hollywood.
Sza/Za is Pawel Szamburski and Patryk Zakrocki-musicians, improvisers and promoters of culture in the Warsaw music and independent art scene since 1999. Their music is a unique mix of noise and silence, pop and contemporary chamber music, beauty and ugliness, of sophisticated wisdom and pure, naïve thoughtlessness. Using clarinet, violin, analog loop stations and subtle effects, the musicians seek to celebrate these acoustic oppositions in an attempt to free both stage and audience from the fetters of cultural norms and expectations. Szamburski and Zakrocki are members of the Warsaw-based independent music label Lado ABC and the Lado Cultural Association, whose activity over the past ten years has contributed a great deal to the dynamic development of new music in Poland.
Tickets $12.00 year-round SFFS members, $15.00 general, $13.50 seniors, students and persons with disabilities. Box office opens September 28 for members and October 5 for the general public: online at sffs.org, by calling 925-866-9559 or by faxing 925-866-9597.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit sffs.org.
For screeners and interviews contact hilary@sffs.org.
For photos and press materials visit: sffs.org/pressdownloads
SFFS FALL SEASON
September 24-26: NY/SF International Children’s Film Festival
A celebration of diverse, enlightening, inspiring and entertaining films for kids ages 6-18 and their families
September 30: Earth Made of Glass
Documentary examines personal quests for truth in post-1994 Rwanda followed by panel on documentary film as a form of investigative journalism
October 2: Film in the Fog: The Incredible Shrinking Man
Free family-friendly outdoor screening of the 1957 sci-fi classic
October 4: Film Arts Forum: Pitch Perfect
A panel and networking event focusing on the mechanics of effective pitching for documentaries and narrative features
October 22-24: Taiwan Film Days
A showcase of the best contemporary Taiwanese cinema
October 28-November 3: French Cinema Now
Significant new works from one of the world’s most renowned filmmaking countries
November 4: Edward Burns Sneak Preview Screening and Master Class
Indie director Edward Burns presents his new film, Nice Guy Johnny, and teaches Master Class, Hollywood 2.0
November 5-8: Cinema by the Bay
Celebrating the passion, innovation and diversity of Bay Area filmmaking
November 10: Roman Polanski: Short Films with Live Music by Sza/Za
Rarely seen early short films by the master director with live musical accompaniment by the Warsaw-based electro-acoustical duo Sza/Za
November 11-14: San Francisco International Animation Festival
The boldest and most exciting animated films from around the world
November 14-21: New Italian Cinema
Celebrating the rich cinematic tradition of Italy and its newest generation of filmmakers
December 14: Sir Arne’s Treasure with the Mountain Goats
Mauritz Stiller’s classic Swedish silent film with live music by one of indie rock’s most distinctive voices