Winnebago Man
August 20, 21 & 22 at 7:30 pm
(Ben Steinbauer, 2009, USA, 85 min.)

Jack Rebney is the most famous man you’ve never heard of—an RV salesman whose hilarious, foul-mouthed outbursts circulated underground on VHS tapes in the 90s before turning into a full-blown Internet phenomenon in 2005. Today, the “Winnebago Man” has been seen by more than 20 million people worldwide, and is regarded as one of the first and funniest viral videos. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of Rebney—and finds him living alone on a mountaintop, unaware of his fame. Winnebago Man is a laugh-out-loud look at viral culture and an unexpectedly poignant tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity.

Johnnie Be Good
August 26 at 7:30 pm
Special Work-In Progress Fund-raiser
(Art Holiday)

Take a sneak peak at Art Holliday’s new film about Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Johnnie Johnson. Johnson, the legendary musician and songwriter is widely considered to be one of a handful of musicians who helped create the musical stew which became rock and roll—he also once hired an unknown guitar player named Chuck Berry, and subsequently collaborated with Berry on songs like Maybellene,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “No Particular Place to Go” and “Roll Over Beethoven,” Holliday will present clips from the unfinished film and discuss the process of turning the life of a legend into film. Proceeds from the event will support the completion of the film.

Cleanflix
August 27, 28 & 29 at 7:30 pm
(Andrew James & Joshua Ligairi, 2009, USA, 88 min.)

Dozens of Utah DVD retailers attracted unwanted attention from Hollywood heavyweights when, in the name of conservative family values, they began sanitizing films of sex, nudity, profanity, and violence. Outraged over the unauthorized editing of their work, prominent filmmakers began to speak out, thrusting the two groups into an intense legal, theoretical, and moral battle that would last six years before coming to a shocking conclusion.

Filmmaker Andrew James will conduct Q&A following the screening on August 27 and 28.

Filmmaking Workshop with Andrew James
August 28 at 1 pm

Acclaimed filmmaker Andrew James will present a workshop on producing documentary film. James, whose first feature Cleanflix (screening a the film series August 27, 28 & 29) had its World Premiere at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, will discuss a variety of topics including production techniques, crafting stories, film festival strategies, and marketing non-fiction films. James, who was born in St. Louis, received Special Jury Award at 2009 Cinequest, for his experimental feature Una Vida Mejor (2008). He is currently producing a new film, Street Fighting Man, about a retired cop in a struggling Detroit neighborhood who is forced to take the law into his own hands after local police abandon his community.

The workshop will be held in Room 123 of the Sverdrup Business & Technology Complex, 8300 Big Bend, Blvd. Admission is FREE.

Space is limited for the workshop. RSVP is required at http://www.kdhx.org/mediaarts. This event is co-sponsored by The Webster Film Series, KDHX, The Missouri Arts Council and Cinema St Louis.

Head
September 1 at 8 pm - part of Strange Brew: Cult Films at Schlafly Bottleworks
(Bob Rafelson, 1967, USA, 110 min.)

Released after their TV show's cancellation, The Monkees one and only feature film is a surrealist exercise in late-1960s pop art. Fueled by a surprisingly groovy soundtrack, the film traces the psychedelic (mis)adventures of Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Mickey Dolenz in Hollywood. Director Bob Rafelson, veteran of the series, also co-wrote and co-produced Head with the then unknown Jack Nicholson. Watch for Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Teri Garr, Frank Zappa and many others in cameos.

Presented in the lively atmosphere of Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood, Mo. There is ample parking and great beer on tap!

Special Admission $4

Cinephilia
September 2–30

September is National Movie Month! (In fact, a quick Google check tells us it’s actually National Cholesterol Education Month, but that won’t stop us…) All month long the film series is proud to present new movies about movies and why we love them. From explorations of genre to the history of film criticism, these are movies any self-respecting cinephile must see.

For The Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism
September 2 at 7:30 pm
(Gerald Peary, 2009, USA 80 min.)

For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism is the first documentary to dramatize the rich saga of American movie reviewing. Directed by Boston Phoenix critic, Gerald Peary, For the Love of Movies offers an insider’s view of the critics’ profession, with commentary from America’s best-regarded reviewers, Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times), A.O. Scott (New York Times), Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Kenneth Turan (Los Angeles Times).

Two In The Wave
September 9 at 7:30 pm
(Emmanuel Laurent, 2010, France, 91 min.)

An in-depth analysis of the relationship between New Wave pioneers François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, as seen through rare archival footage, interviews, and film excerpts — written and narrated by former Cahiers du Cinéma editor Antoine de Baecque and directed by Emmanuel Laurent.

American Grindhouse
September 16 at 7:30 pm
(Elijah Drenner, 2010,USA, 80 min.)

The salacious and uproarious American Grindhouse explores the hidden history of the exploitation film, those popular purveyors of cheap sex and violence. It emerged from the tents of carnie sideshows into features like Freaks, and mutated from there to change with the times. There were the rebellious teen flicks and “Nudie Cuties” of the Eisenhower 50s, bloody gore-fests and drug movies of the turbulent 60s, and the Blaxploitation boom in the 70s, echoing the Black Power movement. American Grindhouse takes a fascinating look at the films, filmmakers, shysters, and hustlers who made it all happen. Narrated by Academy Award nominated Robert Forster, and boasting exclusive interviews with filmmakers, actors and critics Herschell Gordon Lewis, Joe Dante, Larry Cohen, John Landis, Fred Williamson, Kim Morgan and many more, and featuring over 200 clips from some of the most outrageous movies ever made, American Grindhouse is the most comprehensive documentary ever made on these masterpieces of the lowbrow.

Nightmares In Red, White and Blue: The Evolution Of The American Horror Film
September 23 at 9 pm
(Andrew Monument, 2009, USA, 96 min.)

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film is a feature-length documentary based on the book of the same name by Joseph Maddrey. It examines the idea that horror films reflect the times and places in which they are made – illustrating how classic monster movies exploited the anxieties of war-time generations, and how more savage modern horror films stem from the psychic fallout of America’s counterculture movement and the subsequent rise of increasingly conservative political forces.

Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
September 30 at 7:30 pm
(Serge Bromberg & Ruxandra Medrea, 2009, France, 102 min.)

In 1964, famed director Henri-Georges Clouzot, (Wages of Fear, Diabolique, etc.), began work on his most ambitious film to date, L’Enefer (Inferno). It was a dark psychological study of the mental disintegration of hotel owner Marcel (Serge Reggiani), consumed by jealousy at the supposed infidelity of his stunning young wife, played by Romy Schneider in her prime. After months of preparation in Paris Clouzot took his cast and crew the south of France, where everything went horribly wrong. After a disastrous 18 days of shooting during which an increasingly obsessive and manic Clouzot, alienated the cast and crew, he suffered a heart attack and the production was shut down. For nearly half a century Inferno was the stuff of legend among film buffs who heard tantalizing stories about the “lost” film by one the great directors, but in 2005 film archivist Serge Bromberg unearthed 185 cans containing not only the footage from the ill fated shoot, but the equally amazing pre-production tests. It is a kaleidoscope of colors, angles, tracking shots etc. unlike anything anyone had tried before or since. Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno gives audiences the first glimpse of some of the most extraordinary film ever.

Dance on Film
September 3–19

The Red Shoes
September 3, 4 & 5 at 7:30 pm
(Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1948, UK, 131 min.)

The singular fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is cinema’s quintessential backstage drama, as well as one of the most glorious Technicolor feasts ever concocted for the screen. Moira Shearer is a rising star ballerina torn between an idealistic composer and a ruthless impresario intent on perfection. Featuring outstanding performances, blazingly beautiful cinematography by Jack Cardiff, Oscar-winning sets and music, and an unforgettable, hallucinatory central dance sequence, this beloved classic, now dazzlingly restored, stands as an enthralling tribute to the life of the artist. Presented in a brand new, beautifully restored 35 mm print.

Only When I Dance
September 10, 11 & 12 at 7:30 pm
(Beadie Finzi, 2009, Brazil, 78 min.)

Following Irlan and Isabela, two teenagers from the violent favelas of Rio de Janeiro, as they pursue their dreams of becoming professional ballet dancers, Only When I Dance is an acutely observed film. The inspiring story takes us from Rio—where their communities must raise the funds to support their ambitions—to exhilarating ballet competitions in New York and Switzerland. It's a film about their determination to dance, and the price one must pay for talent, ambition and success.

Breath Made Visible: Anna Halprin
September 17, 18 & 19 at 7:30 pm
(Ruedi Gerber, 2009, Switzerland, 82 min.)

Breath Made Visible is the first feature documentary about the life and career of Anna Halprin. The film takes its audience from Halprin’s initial explorations of dance in her childhood to the experimental performances conducted on a dance deck under Californian redwood trees, through her spectacular tours in Europe, her withdrawal from the stage due to illness, and, finally, her triumphant return. An early pioneer in the expressive arts healing movement, the film delves into Anna's work with cancer patients (Anna herself is a survivor), AIDS patients, and the elderly through the use of dance as a method of healing and becoming whole. As she recalls: “Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art, after I had cancer I lived my art for my life.”

Human Rights Film Series

After the Rape
September 7 at 7:30 pm
(Catherine Ulmer, 2008, Netherlands/Pakistan, 58 min.)

In 2002, Mukhtar Mai, a rural Pakistani woman from a remote part of the Punjab, was gang-raped by order of her tribal council as punishment for her younger brother’s alleged relationship with a woman from another clan. Instead of committing suicide or living in shame, Mukhtar spoke out, fighting for justice in the Pakistani courts—making world headlines. Further defying custom, she started two schools for girls in her village and a crisis center for abused women. Mukhtar, who had never learned to read but knew the Koran by heart, realized that only a change in mentality could break brutal, archaic traditions and social codes. Her story, included in the bestseller “Half the Sky” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and the subject of Mukhtar’s own memoir, “In the Name of Honor”, has inspired women across the globe. Revealing the progress and fruits of Mukhtar’s labor, this powerful documentary tracks the school’s profound impact on the girls and families of Meerwala and shows how the crisis center empowers women seeking its help. An important look inside Pakistan, where the impact of Islamic fundamentalism is revealed and how women are fighting its oppressive and violent impact.

Slumdog Millionaire
September 14 at 7:30 pm
(Danny Boyle, 2008, India, 120 min.)

Jamal Malik, a penniless eighteen year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, suddenly, he is arrested on suspicion of cheating. After all, how could an uneducated street kid possibly know so much? Determined to get to the bottom of Jamal’s story, the jaded Police Inspector spends the night probing Jamal’s incredible past, from his riveting tales of the slums where he and his brother Salim survived by their wits to his hair-raising encounters with local gangs to his heartbreak over Latika, the unforgettable girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...

Say My Name
September 28 at 7:30 pm
(Nirit Peled, 2009, Netherlands, 90 min.)

In a hip hop and R&B world dominated by men and noted for misogyny, the unstoppable female lyricists of Say My Name speak candidly about class, race, and gender in pursuing their passions as female MCs. This worldwide documentary takes viewers on a vibrant tour of urban culture and musical movement, from hip-hop’s birthplace in the Bronx, to grime on London’s Eastside, to Philly, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and L.A., and points in between. Featuring interviews and musical performances from a diverse cast of women that includes Remy Ma, Rah Digga, Jean Grae, Erykah Badu, Estelle, as well as newcomers Chocolate Thai, Invincible and Miz Korona, this powerful documentary delves into the amazing personal stories of women balancing professional dreams with the stark realities of poor urban communities, race, sexism, and motherhood.

Webster University’s Faculty, Students and Alumni Film & Video Showcase
September 21–26, 7:30 pm

To commemorate Inaugural Week, each evening of the week will feature films produced by Webster University students, faculty and alumni. From short films produced by students; to celebrated video artists, to documentary and feature films, the program will present work by brightest minds from the Webster universe. ADMISSION IS FREE.

The Complete Metropolis
October 1 at 7:30 pm

(Fritz Lang, 1927, Germany, 153 min.)
With Live Musical accompaniment by Alloy Orchestra
ONE NIGHT ONLY!

The most influential of all silent films, this astounding new version of Fritz Lang’s visionary masterpiece includes 25 minutes of newly-discovered, digitally restored footage and Gottfried Huppertz’s magnificent original score - the closest version ever seen since the film’s 1927 Berlin premiere. Metropolis takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor. The tense balance of these two societies is realized through images that are among the most famous of the 20th century, many of which presage such sci-fi landmarks as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, Metropolis stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema. Presented with live musical accompaniment by Alloy Orchestra.

The Matrix
October 4 at 7:30 pm
(Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, 1999, USA/Australia, 136 min.)

In this complex story that aspires to mythology, a computer hacker (Keanu Reeves) searches for the truth behind the mysterious force known as the Matrix. He finds his answer with a group of strangers led by the charismatic Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). What they encounter in confronting that truth makes for a lightning-paced, eye-popping thrill ride of a movie that cleverly combines sociopolitical commentary with cutting-edge special effects.

Presented by the Gateway Media Literacy Partners

Naked Lunch
October 6 at 8 pm - part of Strange Brew: Cult Films at Schlafly Bottleworks
(David Cronenberg, 1991, Canada/UK, 115 min.)

Director David Cronenberg brings William S. Burroughs' hallucinatory, "unfilmable" novel to the screen. Part-time exterminator and full-time drug addict Bill Lee (Peter Weller) plunges into the nightmarish netherworld of the Interzone, pursuing a mysterious project that leads him to confront sinister cabals and giant talking bugs. Inspired by the darkly surrealistic environs of Burroughs’ lit, the film is much more an homage to the great “Beat Writer” that an actual adaptation of the infamous novel.

Presented in the lively atmosphere of Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood, Mo. There is ample parking and great beer on tap!

Special Admission $4

To The Sea (Alamar)
October 8 at 9 pm
October 10 & 11 at 7:30 pm
(Pedro González-Rubio, 2009, Mexico, 73 min.)

Jorge and Roberta have been separated for several years. They simply come from opposite worlds: he likes an uncomplicated life in the jungle, while she prefers a more urban existence. He is Mexican and she is Italian, and she has decided to return to Rome with their five-year-old son, Natan. But before they leave, Jorge wishes to take young Natan on a trip, hoping to teach him about his Mayan origins in Mexico. At first the boy is physically and emotionally uncomfortable with the whole affair, and gets seasick on the boat taking them to their destination. But as father and son spend more time together, Natan begins a learning experience that will remain with him forever. Beautifully directed and edited by González-Rubio, the debut feature is both intensely moving and refreshingly understated.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
October 15, 16 & 17 at 7:30 pm
(Tamra Davis, 2010, USA, 88 min.)

In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Featuring interviews with Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger, Tony Shafrazi, Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Glenn O'Brien, Maripol, Kai Eric, Nicholas Taylor, Fred Hoffmann, Michael Holman, Diego Cortez, Annina Nosei, Suzanne Mallouk, Rene Ricard, among many others.

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
October 22, 23 & 24 at 7:30 pm
(Yony Leyser, 2010, USA, 90 min.)

Featuring never-before-seen archival footage of Burroughs, as well as exclusive interviews with colleagues and confidants including John Waters, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Gus Van Sant, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Sonic Youth, Laurie Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra, and David Cronenberg, William S. Burroughs: A Man Within is a probing, yet loving look at the man whose works at once savaged conservative ideals, spawned countercultural movements, and reconfigured 20th century culture. The film is narrated by Peter Weller, with a soundtrack by Patti Smith and Sonic Youth. Burroughs was one of the first writers to break the boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s. His novel "Naked Lunch" is one of the most recognized and respected literary works of the 20th century and has influenced generations of artists. The intimate documentary breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time.

Dogtooth (Kynodontas)
October 29, 30, 31 at 7:30 pm
(Giorgos Lanthimos, 2009, Greece, 94 min.)

A hyper-stylized mixture of physical violence and verbal comedy, Dogtooth is a darkly funny look at three teenagers confined to their parent’s isolated country estate and kept under strict rule and regimen—an inscrutable scenario that suggests a warped experiment in social conditioning and control. Terrorized into submission by their father, the children spend their days devising their own games and learning an invented vocabulary (a salt shaker is a “telephone,” an armchair is “the sea”)—until a trusted outsider, brought in to satisfy the son’s libidinal urges, starts offering forbidden VHS tapes in return for sexual favors. A darkly twisted satire that would make Buñuel proud. Due to the graphic nature of the film, no one under 18 will be admitted.