AFI FEST 2007 - Saturday, Nov. 10
by Andre Soares
August Diehl in The Counterfeiters
The AFI FEST 2007 is being held at the ArcLight theater complex in Hollywood.
The Aerial (Argentina) at 1:15 p.m. - Esteban Sapir’s surreal film is set in a city where people have lost their voices, though they apparently can — literally — read what each other is saying. According to AFI FEST reviewer Jacqueline Lyanga, The Aerial has touches of Georges Méliès‘ A Trip to the Moon, Luis Buñuel’s Un chien andalou, Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. In Spanish with English subtitles. 90 min.
Munyurangabo (US) at 2:00 p.m. - Lee Isaac Chung’s Rwanda-set drama follows two young friends — one Hutu, one Tutsi — who set out to kill the man responsible for the death of the Tutsi boy’s parents during the 1994 genocide. Can they remain friends after stopping by the Hutu boy’s village? Chung weaves an honest and at times poignant tale about friendship, family, and the evils of tribalism, but one crucial problem with Munyurangabo is its length. Scenes drag on for much longer than they should, thus diluting the film’s emotional power. In Kinyarwanda with English subtitles. 97 min.
Margot at the Wedding (above, US) at 3:00 p.m. - Noah Baumbach’s messy comedy-drama tells the story of two loving-hating sisters (Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh) and the soon-to-be husband of one of them, played by Jack Black. There’s quite possibly a good movie in there somewhere, but if so, it got lost amidst all the neurotic arguing. 93 min.
Flight of the Red Balloon (right, France / Taiwan) at 6:45 p.m. - Inspired by Albert Lamorisse’s classic Le Ballon rouge, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film follows the travails of a Parisian mother (Juliette Binoche) and her young son. In French with English subtitles. 113 min.
Tribute to Catherine Deneuve / Persepolis (France) at 7:00 p.m. - The Deneuve tribute will be followed by a screening of Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s Persepolis, co-winner of the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and France’s submission for the best foreign-language film Oscar. The animated feature, based on Satrapi’s series of autobiographical graphic novels about Iran during the Islamic Revolution, stars the voices of Deneuve, veteran Danielle Darrieux, Deneuve’s daughter Chiara Mastroianni, and others. In French with English subtitles. 95 min.
The Counterfeiters (top photo, Germany / Austria) at 9:00 p.m. - Stefan Ruzowitzky’s World War II suspense-drama revolves around a black-market forger and Russian Jew (Karl Markovics) who is put in charge of a massive Nazi effort to flood Britain and the United States with counterfeit currency. Director Ruzowitzky is expected to attend the screening. Also in the cast: August Diehl, German Academy Award winner for best supporting actor Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, and August Zirner. In German with English subtitles. 99 min.
Confessions of a Superhero (US) at 11:00 p.m. - Matthew Ogens‘ documentary depicts the aspirations and disappointments of four people who earn a living by playing superhero characters on Hollywood Boulevard. Director Ogens is expected to attend the screening. 92 min.
AFI FEST 2007 - Friday, Nov. 9
AFI FEST 2007 - Thursday, Nov. 8
Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford at LIONS FOR LAMBS Premiere
AFI FEST 2007 - Wednesday, Nov. 7
HOLLYWOOD CHINESE at the AFI FEST 2007
AFI FEST 2007 - International Shorts Competition
AFI FEST 2007 - Saturday Highlights
American Film Market Public Screenings - Friday
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