Magic of Cinema
Each quarter, the Magic of Cinema film series at Peninsula College screens independent features and documentaries from around the world.
From May 9 to May 25, Peninsula College will host a series of events in connection with the Raymond Carver Festival, a celebration of noted short story writer and poet Raymond Carver, “The American Chekhov,” who lived in Port Angeles the last ten years of his life. Films that are part of the Raymond Carver Festival are marked with an asterisk (*).
April 12 - Bicycle Dreams
Documentary filmmaker Stephen Auerbach and his crew used 18 cameras to capture the highs and lows of the Race Across America, an epic 3000-mile bicycle race from the Pacific to the Atlantic. First held in 1982, RAAM is considered the most challenging sporting event in the world. Top riders finish in under 10 days, riding over 300 miles per day and sleeping only a few hours per night. With little prize money at stake, the fundamental goal of the race is simply to finish, a challenge half of all riders fail to meet. The film is the winner of over fifteen film festival awards, including Best Documentary at the Las Vegas Film Festival and the Los Angeles Sports Film Festival and Best Foreign Film at the Moscow Film Festival. This screening is co-sponsored by Bike Garage, which will offer free brake and gear tune-ups outside the theater before the film, starting at 6 pm.
108 minutes
Directed by Stephen Auerbach, 2010
April 19 - The Sea Inside
Join Spanish Visiting Professor Paloma Toledo de la Torre and Journalist Anselmo Mancebo from Madrid, Spain, for the screening of this film depicting the true story of Spanish poet Ramón Sampedro, who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The film won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and stars Academy Award nominee Javier Bardem. In his Amazon review, Jeff Shannon calls the film “a thoughtful meditation on life and love as gifts to be cherished, and a challenging drama that begs each viewer to examine their own personal beliefs about what makes life worth living.” A discussion of Spanish language and culture will follow the film. The film is part of a special program on Spanish movies and culture being hosted by Professor Toledo de la Torre throughout the year.
125 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, 2004, Rated PG-13
April 26 - Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
In Sierra Leone from 1991-2002, the government and various rebel factions carried out a brutal civil war in which the terrorizing of civilians was common practice on all sides. The war sent hundreds of thousands of ordinary Sierra Leoneans fleeing to refugee camps in the neighboring West African nation of the Republic of Guinea. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars are a band of six Sierra Leonean musicians who have been living in Guinea. Many of their family and friends were murdered in the violence, leaving them with physical and emotional scars that may never heal. Despite the unimaginable horrors of civil war, they were saved through their music. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars chronicles the band over three years, from Guinean refugee camps back to war-ravaged Sierra Leone, where they realize the dream of recording their first studio album. And so begins a musical phenomenon that is making the world hear the voices of West Africa’s refugees, while drawing the accolades of Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Ice Cube (one of the executive producers of the film), and Joe Perry. The screening is co-sponsored by the Juan de Fuca Foundation of the Arts, which will host the Refugee All Stars at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles on Memorial Day Weekend.
87 minutes, with English subtitles
Directed by Zach Niles and Banker White, 2007
May 10 - Jindabyne*
Based on the Raymond Carver short story, “So Much Water So Close to Home,” this Australian drama was filmed on location in Jindabyne, New South Wales, next to the Snowy Mountains. Starring Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, the film tells the story of a group of male friends who, on an annual fishing trip, find the dead body of an aboriginal girl. The film examines the effect the discovery has on the men’s lives and relationships after they return home and report what they have found. According to Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times, “The director and writer add Australian flavor — its wild, mysterious terrain; its lilting voices — to Carver's eloquent etchings; it's a mixture that serves this haunting story well.” The screening is part of the Raymond Carver Festival: A Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of His Birth.
123 minutes, Rated R
Directed by Ray Lawrence, 2004
May 14 - To Write and Keep Kind: A Portrait of Raymond Carver*
This 1992 PBS documentary chronicles the life and career of short story writer and poet Raymond Carver. It features interviews with Raymond Carver, Alfredo Arreguin, Tobias Wolff, Tess Gallagher and others. Director Jean Walkinshaw will attend the screening and be present for a Q&A afterward. The screening is part of the Raymond Carver Festival: A Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of His Birth and is made possible by permission from KCTS.
60 minutes
Directed by Jean Walkinshaw, 1992
May 16 - Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country*
Offering an entertaining glimpse of maverick filmmaker Robert Altman (Nashville, The Player) at work, Luck, Trust & Ketchup takes us behind the scenes of the making of the award-winning Short Cuts. Interspersed with clips from Altman’s adaptation of Raymond Carver’s stories dealing with suburban triumph and failure, the film explores the director’s unique methodology, drawing upon extensive interviews with crew and cast members, including Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Tom Waits, Tim Robbins, Jack Lemmon and Altman himself. Kaplan’s film details movingly the way Altman worked on the film, Tess Gallagher’s input, and the enthusiasm and efforts of the actors. This documentary is being shown as a preview to the May 17 screening of Short Cuts, and the screening will feature guest producer/director Mike Kaplan, who will be present for a Q&A after the film. The screening is part of the Raymond Carver Festival: A Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of His Birth.
90 minutes
Directed by Mike Kaplan and John Dorr
May 17 - Short Cuts*
The visions of two great American artists merge in Short Cuts, maverick director Robert Altman’s kaleidoscopic adaptation of Raymond Carver short stories. Epic in scale yet meticulously observed, the film interweaves the lives of twenty-two characters struggling to find solace and meaning in contemporary Los Angeles. The extraordinary ensemble cast includes Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Lemmon, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, all giving fearless performances in one of Altman’s most compassionate creations. The screening will feature special guest Mike Kaplan. Kaplan was associate producer on this Critics Circle Director’s Award film, considered one of Robert Altman’s best films. Kaplan worked on many important films including Stanley Kubric’s A Clockwork Orange. Kaplan will introduce the film and answer questions after the screening. The screening is part of the Raymond Carver Festival: A Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of His Birth.
187 minutes
Directed by Robert Altman
The Magic of Cinema is sponsored by the Peninsula College Associated Student Council. For more information on the series, contact Bruce Hattendorf at bhattendorf@pencol.edu.
