Aug 21, 2018
SFFILM
San Francisco, CA – SFFILM and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) announce the seventh season of Modern Cinema, the collaborative film series exploring the dynamic relationships between the past and present of cinema as one of the modern era’s essential art forms. Season seven, entitled Satyajit Ray: Intimate Universes, starts October 4, and presents 15 of the master filmmaker’s best-loved films, beautifully restored by the Academy Film Archive, alongside work that inspired or was inspired by him. Guests participating in onstage introductions and post-screening Q&As will be announced closer to the event date.
“Satyajit Ray and SFFILM go way back-to the first San Francisco International Film Festival in 1957 when Pather Panchali was shown,” said SFFILM Senior Programmer Rod Armstrong. “Seventeen of his subsequent films were shown throughout the years, and he was posthumously honored with the Kurosawa Award in 1992. It’s thrilling to bring so many of these moving and important works back to San Francisco, many of them in glorious 35mm prints or restored digital versions, alongside films that he cited as inspiration and works by directors inspired by Ray.”
“From the moment I saw Jalsaghar (The Music Room) I’ve been enthralled by the emotional depth of Ray’s work. His films are what cinema is all about: the intimate dramas that connect us, the emotions we experience-love, joy, sadness, insecurity, pain, and humor-they’re all in these stories” said SFMOMA Manager of Film Programs Gina Basso. “As a programmer, it’s a great pleasure to share so many of his films with our audiences.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the twentieth-century by critics and cinephiles alike, Satyajit Ray was a multi-talented master storyteller. In addition to being a novelist, calligrapher, graphic designer, and film critic, Ray frequently served as screenwriter and producer, and sometimes composer on his films. Deeply felt, Ray’s delicate human dramas often express contemporary issues of Indian life. In 1950, after watching Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 Italian masterpiece Bicycle Thieves, Ray exited the theater determined to make movies. His debut feature, Pather Panchali (1955), was adapted from a popular work of Bengali literature, shot with mostly non-professional actors, and became the first part of his world-renowned Apu trilogy. A number of his earlier films, including The Goddess (Devi) (1960), and Charulata (The Lonely Wife) (1964), represent powerful and in-depth portraits of Indian women, while in his later years, Ray turned to detective stories and historical epics. The films by other directors presented alongside Ray’s work illuminate his cinematic inspirations and the impact his work has had on films from across the globe.
A film series exploring the dynamic interactions between cinema’s past and present, Modern Cinema seeks to highlight the historical continuity and ongoing impact of this modern art form. All screenings and talks take place in the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA.
WEEK ONE
THURSDAY OCTOBER 4
6:00 pm – Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, India, 1955, 115 min)
8:45 pm – The Coward (Kapurush) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1965, 74 min) – 35 MM
FRIDAY OCTOBER 5
6:00 pm – Aparajito (Satyajit Ray, India, 1956, 113 min)
8:30 pm – Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1958, 103 min)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 6
1:00 pm – Bicycle Thieves (The Bicycle Thief) (Vittorio De Sica, Italy, 1948, 89 min)
3:30 pm – The Middleman (Satyajit Ray, India, 1976, 131 min) – 35 MM
6:30 pm – Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1952, 143 min) – 35 MM
SUNDAY OCTOBER 7
1:00 pm – The Elephant God (Satyajit Ray, India, 1978, 112 min) – 35 MM
4:00 pm – The River (Jean Renoir, France, 1951, 99 min) – 35 MM
6:30 pm – Charulata (The Lonely Wife) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1964, 117 min) – 35 MM
WEEK TWO
FRIDAY OCTOBER 12
11:00 am – The Apu Trilogy (Satyajit Ray, India, 1955, 1956, 1958, total run time: 326 min)
6:45 pm – Company Limited (Satyajit Ray, India,1971, 112 min) – 35 MM
9:00 pm – The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, USA, 2007, 91 min)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 13
1:30 pm – The Wind Will Carry Us (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran/France,1999, 118 min)
4:30 pm – The Expedition (Abhijan) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1962, 150 min) – 35 MM
8:00 pm – Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, USA, 1976 114 min) – 35 MM
SUNDAY OCTOBER 14
12:30 pm – The Big City (Mahanagar) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1963, 131 min) – 35 MM
3:30 pm – Shakespeare Wallah (James Ivory, USA/India, 1965, 120 min)
6:00 pm – Nayak: The Hero (Satyajit Ray, India, 1966, 120 min) – 35 MM
WEEK THREE
FRIDAY OCTOBER 19
6:00 pm – The Music Room (Jalsaghar) (Satyajit Ray, India,1958, 100 min) – 35 MM
8:30 pm – Bad Hair (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela/Peru, 2013, 93 min)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 20
2:00 pm – Heat and Dust (James Ivory, UK, 1983, 113 min)
5:00 pm – The Chess Players (Satyajit Ray, India, 1977, 129 min) – 35 MM
8:00 pm – Three Colors: Blue (Krzysztof Kieślowski, France, 1993, 98 min) – 35 MM
SUNDAY OCTOBER 21
12:30 pm – Teen Kanya (Three Daughters) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1961,173 min) – 35 MM
4:15 pm – Salaam Bombay! (Mira Nair, UK/India/France, 1988, 113 min)
7:00 pm – The Goddess (Devi) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1960, 93 min)
Tickets & Information Tickets are currently on sale to SFMOMA and SFFILM members only. Tickets go on sale to the general public August 28. Early-bird SFMOMA and SFFILM member tickets (purchased through October 3) are $5; regular member tickets are $10; general admission tickets are $12.
Tickets are available online or onsite at SFMOMA during regular business hours. Modern Cinema tickets do not include admission to SFMOMA galleries. Ticketholders for Modern Cinema should enter through the museum’s Joyce and Larry Stupski Entrance on Minna Street (between Third and New Montgomery Streets). For up-to-date program information and tickets, visit sfmoma.org/modern-cinema.
About the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA
As part of the opening of the expanded SFMOMA in May 2016, the Phyllis Wattis Theater also received a major renovation and system update creating one of the most enjoyable places to see film in the Bay Area. A new, state-of-the-art NEC digital projector offers Modern Cinema the ability to present films on a 24 x 12-foot screen with the capacity to show aspect ratios of 1:37, 1:66, 1:85, and 2:39. The Wattis Theater can also screen films via new Kinoton projectors in 16 and 35mm formats. Because sound is integral to the cinematic experience, a new Meyer Sound Cinema Surround System enhances the nuance and precision intended by the filmmaker. Comfortable new seating with cup holders round out the Wattis Theater experience.
Supporters
Modern Cinema’s Founding Supporters are Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Generous support is provided by Nion T. McEvoy and the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Fund.
SFFILM Presents
SFFILM produces a robust slate of public programs throughout the year, including red carpet premiere events, advance member screenings, and in-depth film series. With diverse offerings and a commitment to excellence in world cinema, SFFILM is the home of great film in the Bay Area all year long. For more information visit sffilm.org/presents.
SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization with a mission to champion the world’s finest films and filmmakers through programs anchored in and inspired by the spirit and values of the San Francisco Bay Area. Presenter of the San Francisco International Film Festival, SFFILM is a year-round organization delivering screenings and events to more than 75,000 film lovers and media education programs to more than 12,000 students and teachers annually. In addition to its public programs, SFFILM supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services. For more information visit sffilm.org.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
SFMOMA is dedicated to making the art for our time a vital and meaningful part of public life. Founded in 1935 as the first West Coast museum devoted to modern and contemporary art, a thoroughly transformed SFMOMA, with triple the gallery space, an enhanced education center, and new public galleries, opened to the public on May 14, 2016. The museum welcomed more than 1.2 million visitors in its inaugural year. www.sfmoma.org
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