Nov 15, 2011
SFFILM
Silent Souls (Ovsyanki, Russia 2010, SFIFF 2011), Aleksei Fedorchenko’s thoughtful meditation on identity, passion and mortality, opens December 23 at SF Film Society Cinema (1746 Post Street).
The rites and rituals of the Merja people-an ethnic minority of Finno-Urgric extraction originally from the Volga region of Russia-form the backbone of this lyrical, sensual and dreamlike film about love and loss. After his beloved wife Tanja dies, pulp factory CEO Miron calls on his best friend Aist to help him with his final goodbye. With water as a key element, director Aleksei Fedorchenko beautifully weaves the myths and traditions of this vanishing culture into his poetic film. The result is a melancholy and mystical journey following the complex and twisting currents of the human heart. Written by Denis Osokin. Photographed by Mikhail Krichman. With Igor Sergeyev, Yuri Tsurilo, Yuliya Aug, Ivan Tushin. In Russian with subtitles. 75 min. Distributed by Shadow Distribution.
Watch the trailer here.
Showtimes 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00 pm (no 9:00 pm show Dec. 24 or Dec. 31; no shows Dec. 25)
Tickets $9 for SFFS members, $11 general, $10 senior/student/disabled. Box office open online at sffs.org and in person at SF Film Society Cinema.
To request screeners contact hilary@sffs.org.
For photos and press materials visit: sffs.org/pressdownloads.
At SF Film Society Cinema, the stylish state-of-the art theater located in the New People building at 1746 Post Street (Webster/Buchanan) in Japantown, the San Francisco Film Society offers its acclaimed exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events on a daily year-round basis. For complete up-to-date information on all SFFS | NPC programming, including buying tickets, visit sffs.org/cinema.
Upcoming San Francisco Film Society programs
November 13-20: New Italian Cinema Fifteenth edition of popular festival includes work by prominent Italian directors, a tribute to Daniele Luchetti and eight features by up-and-coming directors.
November 15: Artist in Residence Federico Veiroj: A Useful Life A man who has spent his entire adult life working in a film archive faces a new beginning with the threatened closure of the institution.
November 17: California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown An intimate documentary on the life and work of Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown directed and produced by his granddaughters.
Opening November 18: Curling Combining creepy atmosphere and stark landscapes with moments of odd humor and tenderness, Curling shows the dangers of overly hermetic lives and gently proposes a way out for its compelling protagonists.
Opening November 25: The Swell Season After starring in the indie hit Once and winning an Oscar for Best Original Song, folk rock musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova go on tour in this music-filled black-and-white documentary.
December 2-3, 9-11: The Dardy Family Home Movies by Stephen Sondheim by Erin Markey The newest KinoTek program is the world premiere of a live performance with video projection by fearless actress/playwright Erin Markey.
December 5: SFFS Film Arts Forum: Pitch Perfect Panel discussion focusing on tried and true strategies for pitching a film project to industry decision makers.
December 6: The City Dark Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, historians and lighting designers, The City Dark is a cautionary tale of light pollution and the disappearance of the night sky.
December 8: An Evening with Don Hertzfeldt featuring his newest animated film It’s Such a Beautiful Day and an onstage interview.
December 12, 14: Catechism Cataclysm In Todd Rohal’s genre busting, hilarious and wonderfully confusing nest of twists and surreal gags, a heavy metal-loving priest takes a canoe trip to consider whether the church is his true calling, when he begins to realize he is lost.
December 16, 18-22: The Bride Wore Black New 35mm print! One of the most entertaining films of the French New Wave has Jeanne Moreau playing the femme fatale to the hilt in François Truffaut’s closest homage to his idol Hitchcock.