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…

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. “Meru” (2015) Just two months ago, filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin received Oscars for their 2018 documentary film “Free Solo,” the story of Alex Honnold and his historic…

Icelandic filmmaker Benedikt Erlingsson’s second major film, “Woman at War,” is the quirky tale of an environmental activist who battles Iceland’s government. The absurdist tale, which is Fresno Filmworks’ April 12 showing, successfully combines thrills with laughs. There are similarities to Erlingsson’s directorial debut, “Of Horses and Men”, especially the comedic tone and the beautiful…

February 2019 volunteers in the spotlight: The Bell family. Rita, Teule Sr., Teule Jr. and Amara Bell, with Dotty Mora, represent three generations of a family who volunteer with Fresno Filmworks. Rita, who serves as Fresno Filmworks’ vice president and box office coordinator, has volunteered since 2014. Volunteering with Filmworks seems to be a family…

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. “High Flying Bird” (2019) It’s 2019 and Steven Soderbergh has directed a film with a screenplay by “Moonlight” writer Tarell Alvin McCraney about the NBA, shot exclusively on an iPhone.…

In director Milad Alami’s “The Charmer,” Esmail feels the most comfortable with Sara, but his dark past lies just below the surface. (Photo: Film Movement) “The Charmer,” the heartbreaking directorial debut from Iran-born filmmaker Milad Alami and Fresno Filmworks’ selection for its March 8 screening, captures with stunning realism the agony experienced by many immigrants…

The Academy would like to recognize Giovanni Pivirotto and Joanne Bazarian for their love of yoga and Oscar-nominated short films. I Heart Film: Joanne Bazarian and Giovanni Pivirotto Joanne and Giovanni own the Perfect Balance Yoga studio and the JoGio Homes real estate firm with London Properties. They are longtime supporters of Fresno Filmworks, sponsoring…

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. “Blindspotting” (2018) Collin has three days left of probation. He is working hard to stay out of trouble, which is not easy in his native Oakland where police brutality is…

For more than a decade, Fresno Filmworks has screened all three categories of Oscar-Nominated Short Films in the documentary, live action, and animation categories. Why? Because we believe that short-form cinema is alive and important. Will short films ever regain the popularity of feature-length films? Hard to say, but there’s so much to discover within…

December 2018 volunteer in the spotlight: Rachael Stubbert Where do you go to school and what are you studying? I’m currently attending Fresno State, studying English literature and creative writing. Where are you from originally? I’m from Fresno, but I’ve lived in Arizona and Montana in the past too. Where do you currently work? I…

I Heart Film: John Moses and Ruth Jenkins Where are you both from, and what do you do professionally here in Fresno? John: Ruth and I moved to Fresno 30 years ago from Long Island, New York. She is originally from Oregon, Ohio; I’m from Reading, Pennsylvania. Ruth is a Professor of English at Fresno…

“Burning” is director Chang-dong Lee’s sixth film, and his first in eight years. In addition to being placed on the 2019 Oscar shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film, “Burning” also won the FIPRESCI Award from international film critics at the Cannes Film Festival, scoring the highest mark ever on the Cannes critics poll. The FIPRESCI…

JEFFERSON BEAVERS Board Member/President “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” — My favorite documentary of the year, from filmmaker and ethnographic photographer RaMell Ross, plays like a cinematic tone poem for the South. Ross follows two young Black men, Daniel and Quincy, and introduces us to their families and friends in Hale County, Alabama. Since…