The word festival first appeared in English in 1589, brought over from the Middle French festivus. In the early years and right up to the 20th century, festivals were often religious in [...] Continue Reading
Short Films
Here is a famous poem, called “The Red Wheelbarrow”: so much depends upon the red wheel barrow the red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. That’s it. Sixteen words. Not [...] Continue Reading
Made in Dagenham—a spirited film about women’s rights, as workers and human beings
On February 11, Filmworks will show a film about a unique kind of strike, one for the benefit of women and led by women. It’s called Made in Dagenham, and it dramatizes events that occurred from 1965 [...] Continue Reading
January’s film Waste Land is a Treasure of Art and Dignity
It used to be there was nothing more disgusting than a garbage dump, especially to Americans. But in other places of the world this view of refuse is changing. Agnés Varda, the French filmmaker, [...] Continue Reading
The Great Democratization of the Short Film
Many years ago the following announcement of coming attractions turned up on many theatre marquees around the country: SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON AND SELECTED SHORTS. Passers-by sniggered. Some may even [...] Continue Reading
Hollywood Comes Home from War
As one war is winding down and another ramping up, more than 1.8 million American men and women have already served in Iraq or Afghanistan. January figures from the Department of Defense put the [...] Continue Reading
“Miracle of Rare Device”: The British Romantics in Film
The release of Bright Star has brought critical acclaim for Jane Campion after a five-year hiatus from feature films and the poor reception for her underrated thriller In the Cut (2004). Campion’s [...] Continue Reading
Buried Cinema: Films from Palestine
Our December film, Amreeka–Arabic for “America”–is about a Palestinian woman who transplants herself and her teenaged son to a small town in the U.S. But it’s not really a Palestinian film in the [...] Continue Reading