Our “Streaming Surprises” series calls attention to good movies new and old that our board members are watching. Titles are available from various streaming services. “Ash is Purest White” (2018) Submitted by Cassandra R. McGuire. Available on Kanopy. Master filmmaker Jia Zhangke’s latest drama is loosely based on stories of the jianghu (Chinese gangsters) from…

I Heart Film: Lilia Gonzáles-Chávez Lilia works as executive director of the Fresno Arts Council, one of the Fresno Film Festival’s longtime sponsors and supporters. Why is it important, from the perspective of the Fresno Arts Council, to support Filmworks? Lilia: Filmworks provides a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers of Fresno to see a…

For several years, I was lucky to teach a few film studies classes at Fresno City College. As a journalist and writer by trade, I often felt out of my element when it came to knowing the history of cinema, and the expectation from my students (or maybe from myself?) that somehow I should have…

Our “Streaming Surprises” series calls attention to good movies new and old that our board members are watching. Titles are available from various streaming services. “The Invitation” (2015) Submitted by Benjamin Woodcock. Streaming on Netflix. Dinner parties are usually a fun affair, a chance to catch up with old friends, reminisce about past events, and…

Much like a soufflé, Louis Garrel’s French romantic comedy is light, yet complex, and oh, so delicious. Fresno Filmworks presented “A Faithful Man” on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Tower Theatre. Writer/director Garrel is the son of renowned French filmmaker Philippe Garrel and, like his father, imbues his second film with the spirit of French…

August 2019 volunteer in the spotlight: Nancy Price. What’s your occupation? Nancy: I am a multimedia journalist at GV Wire, a daily online news site based in Fresno. My focus is reporting on education and religion. What are some things you like to do in your free time?  Nancy: I love to travel, to explore…

Italian director Roberto Minervini’s powerful and deeply moving documentary “What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?” is a searing examination of racism that will open the Fresno Filmworks 2019-20 season on September 13. Shot in black and white in 2017, it weaves together four stories that reflect the effects of racism in the…

Our “Streaming Surprises” series calls attention to good movies new and old that our board members are watching. Titles are available from various streaming services. Brimstone & Glory (2017) Submitted by Linda Garcia. Streaming on Kanopy. Every year, Tultepec, Mexico hosts the National Pyrotechnic Festival, a 10-day celebration to honor San Juan de Dios, considered…

Our “Streaming Surprises” series calls attention to good movies new and old that our board members are watching. Titles are available from various streaming services. “The Central Park Five” (2012) Submitted by Jefferson Beavers. Streaming on Amazon Prime and Kanopy. With the summer buzz surrounding filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s latest project, “When They See Us,” a…

Our “Streaming Surprises” series calls attention to good movies new and old that our board members are watching. Titles are available from various streaming services. “The Brand New Testament” (2015) Submitted by Jefferson Beavers. Streaming on Amazon Prime. The official poster for Belgian filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael’s satiric comedy “The Brand New Testament” gives us…

As we look ahead to our 2019-20 season, Fresno Filmworks wants to give the most loyal cinema fans in Fresno a chance to pick the movie for our September season opener. Our all-volunteer board works diligently to track down first-run independent films that we believe need to be shown in Fresno. We discuss our film…

Our “Streaming Surprises” series calls attention to good movies new and old that our board members are watching. Titles are available from various streaming services. “Cold War” (2018) Like filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning drama “Ida,” “Cold War” is presented in stunning black & white. The dialogue is sparse, but the cinematography and the subtlety of…

German filmmaker Christian Petzold reminds us that the plight of refugees is not constrained by time or events. In his haunting dramatic thriller “Transit,” they are the collateral damage of war. Petzold based his latest film on the 1944 novel “Transit Visa” by Anna Seghers, herself a World War II refugee. This many-layered story, which…