Unpacking Histories - 9th Annual MadCat Women's International Film

Fri, Sep 23

A prostitute reveals her daily routine, Russian nomads in Armenia
keep cool during a drought and Indian women recall the effects of a
flood in the 1940s. These documentaries chronicle rich and varied
histories.

"Between Rooms" Caroline Sascha Cogez
2004 7 min, Color Beta SP Denmark bull US Premiere
Stark images of empty rooms used by prostitutes in Denmark make up
this moving portrait. Articulate and blunt, Helle speaks about her
experiences in the sex industry. With grace and ease she is able to
take control of her body, and her johns', during these daily business
transactions.

"A Covenant Adam" Ariana Hamidi
2005 15 min B/W 16mm bull World Premiere
An expression of memory and the loss of memory, this documentary
subtly navigates a family history filled with violence and fear.
Avoiding a heavy-handed and straightforward narrative of events, it
instead embraces ambiguities and imprecision. Beautiful black-and-
white home movies, interviews with children about god, trust and
safety are combined with fragmented texts that float across the
screen and manipulated Incredible Hulk comic strips.

"don't leave without news" Christine Khalafian
2005 18 min, Color 16mm bull Northern CA Premiere
Russian children do cartwheels, men play soccer, nomads wander the
land, a tightrope walker impresses tourists, and villagers embark on
a pilgrimage to a buried relic. Shot in modern-day Armenia, the
traveling filmmaker captures chance encounters, conversations from
field recordings, interviews, and narrative insights offered on the
way. No famous landmarks or distinct ethnic symbols clue in the
viewer, while the film eschews the obvious relationship between sound
and image, creating an amalgam of the harshness of life in a
struggling post-Soviet republic and a traveler's fantasy.

"Altitude Zero" Lauren Cook
2004 5 min, Color 16mm US
An optically printed ode to Amelia Earhart.

"Moving Movie" Cade Bursell
2004 17 min Color 16mm bull West Coast Premiere
The filmmaker pays loving respects to S.F., saying goodbye to her
beloved town for a new home in the South. Using sound recorded on her
journey, she narrates while driving, chats with locals at rest stops
and ruminates in the dark by the side of the road about her unknown
new life. Bursell finishes her movie, and her goodbye, developing the
film in old chemicals she brought from home. This rich and colorful
experimental diary is a literal and metaphorical Moving Movie.

"Threading the Needle" Andaleeb Firdosy
2005 16 min, Color 16mm India bull West Coast Premiere
A collage of lively women's voices describes what happened one day in
1968 when a flood ripped through a small town in India. With
surprising levity, the women map out their memories and argue over
what really happened.

"Let Me Count the Ways-Minus 10, 9, 8, 7" Leslie Thornton
2004 20 min, Color mini-DV US bull West Coast Premiere
Juxtaposing aerial military footage, scientific data on genetic
mutation, audio testimony about the bombing of Hiroshima, and a home
movie of her father, a World War II Air Force pilot dispatched to
that city, Thornton creates a dense and compelling critique of violence.

Venue:

Artists' Television Access
992 Valencia Street @ 21st
San Francisco
(415) 824-3890
www.atasite.org

Additional Info: