I agree, and I would also be interested in seeing the numbers for
specific films.
Laurie
On 03/01/2016 08:49 PM, Joel Johnson wrote:
Shannon:
Thanks for getting back to us. At this rate I don’t know if we will ever know whether our winter weekend morning audience would follow us and/or whether we could attract new filmgoers to an evening timeslot. I would be interested in seeing the numbers for each of our films. Some films do have a higher attendance ceiling than others. If we do show films in the evening we will certainly need to find ways to enhance the film experience and I did have some potential candidates on a couple of the films. A different choice in film would need someone with expertise more appropriate to that film. While I considered suggesting that we try only a single film or deferring a final answer until the series has ended which might give a truer reading of our baseline audience and help clarify whether some of the films would find their way into the regular schedule or not, I accept that “pulling the plug” now does simplify things for everybody.
As far as doing post-film discussions, I did suggest that we could do this for films in the regular schedule. However, it did not seem workable to do this if, as was the counter-offer, we needed to move the discussion to another location such as a local restaurant. I don’t know how some of your new activities would be set up and how we might be involved, but the Science on Screen and the Monday Night Movies already have had discussions so I don’t think we can add much to those programs. Let me know how the new programs are conceived and perhaps we can help.
Joel
*From:*cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Shannon Haines
*Sent:* Tuesday, March 01, 2016 2:59 PM
*To:* cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Cc:* 'Ken Eisen'
*Subject:* [cinemaexp] Re: Candidates for Spring Screenings
Dear Joel and the rest of the CinEx team,
I have spoken with Ken about the possibility of a spring screening(s) and the films that you have suggested. He feels there are sufficient issues with the films you’ve proposed – from film quality issues to availability to ability to draw an audience to possible theater booking conflicts, all of which are reasons that factored into him not booking these same films or not booking them yet for the theater – to make pursuit of such an evening series at this moment inadvisable, and I am in agreement with him on this at this point.
In addition to the issues with the films themselves, we are concerned with the ability to draw an audience for one-off screenings. You will recall that I wanted to wait and see how Cinema Explorations went this year before moving forward with the spring screening concept. Unfortunately, attendance has been lower this year despite the fact that – in addition to our regular e-news and print newsletters – we printed and distributed more flyers, did more paid advertising on Facebook, and had a kick-off story in the Sentinel, so it doesn’t feel like we have built an audience that will transfer to an evening event.
It is hard to justify knocking out a regular evening screening and taking on additional expenses when we don’t have a solid audience to count on, and we do already have several other special programs this spring that we will be trying to build audience for – Science on Screen events, Monday Night Movies, and… though not publicly posted or announced yet, a FREE Wim Wenders series in April and a special MFC event in May.
I know that this is disappointing news, and I apologize for being the bearer. We certainly appreciate all of the hard work that goes into CinEx and the value that it adds to the community. The two events I have attended have been great. I hope we can put all of our efforts into promoting the next two shows and finishing strong with good, solid audiences. And I know that I have floated this idea in the past, but if CinEx wants to organize a post-film discussion group or activity for any of the special programs listed above, that might be another way for CinEx to be visible throughout the year while supporting our existing programming, and we would certainly be willing to promote those kinds of opportunities to the audience.
Best,
Shannon
*From:* cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Joel Johnson
*Sent:* Wednesday, February 24, 2016 4:31 PM
*To:* cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [cinemaexp] Re: Candidates for Spring Screenings
This is my follow-up from a couple of weeks ago when I first sent out information about the 10 Foreign-language Oscar submissions that have US distribution. I had indicated that I was leaning toward the Guatemalan submission “IXCANUL” and the Romanian submission “AFERIM!” as they both had good reviews, had been included in many high-profile film festivals, and had won awards. Only Alice has responded with alternative candidates. With one exception, no one else has either concurred with any of the suggested films or made any other suggestions. Shannon and Sam suggested that having some type of event or special guest in association with our film screening would help maximize our success as we do not have a significant “captive” audience that we */know/* will come out to watch any of the films we are currently considering. It would be helpful to know what would be break-even point for attendance to know what our target should be for success with a one-time screening. I have, however, done some research (see attachment) on faculty at Colby whose interests coincide to some degree with “IXCANUL” (Prof. Ben W. Fellaw) and “AFERIM!” (Asst. Prof. Arnout H.C. van der Meer and Associate Prof. Maple J. Razsa). I have not contacted any of these individuals. I am curious as to whether anyone on our team knows these people personally and has any indication of their receptivity to helping us. It would appear Maple may already be favorably inclined toward film and the Maine Film Center. If they were favorably disposed toward participating in a post-film discussion that could be helpful not only in making the film experience better for our typical filmgoer, but for broadening our appeal to the Colby community.
Do you have any other suggestions or particular concerns about either my suggestions or the ones put forth by Alice?
Do you have any information about the individuals I have identified or any others to consider?
I don’t want to muddy the water at all, but two of the Foreign-language film nominees (the acknowledged favorite “SON OF SAUL” and “EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT”) are already booked for Railroad Square Cinema. The Jordanian entry “THEEB” already screened here as part of MIFF. There is no indication yet that the French entry set in Turkey “MUSTANG” http://cohenmedia.net/films/mustang or the Danish entry “A WAR” http://www.magpictures.com/awar/ will be coming. That certainly could change and would very likely change if one of them pulls an upset and wins the Oscar. Both “MUSTANG” and “A WAR” are currently in release and fairly likely to be out on DVD or streaming in two or three months or so (“MUSTANG” DVDs and Blu-Rays can pre-ordered from Amazon for release on 5/10/16). Ken may know now or will very soon whether he wants to try to book either of them. Do you want to pursue either of those in place of the other films suggested?
I look forward to your feedback. Hopefully, we can make a decision on the films quite soon and be able to start promoting them with our audiences.
Joel
*From:*cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Alice Johnson
*Sent:* Friday, February 12, 2016 11:53 AM
*To:* cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [cinemaexp] Re: Contact Information for Associate Professor John Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
I looked at all the Trailers…..
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films 2/5/16 (Limited)
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures 4/29/16
Alice
*From:*cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Joel Johnson
*Sent:* Thursday, February 11, 2016 9:00 PM
*To:* cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [cinemaexp] Contact Information for Associate Professor John Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
Shannon:
Could you give me the e-mail address for Professor Turner? Thanks!
Everyone:
We had some discussion of possible spring screenings—most recently in e-mails under the heading of “Opening weekend and beyond; dates for spring evenings.” We had learned from Shannon that the schedule was very busy for March, but that April and May were more open. In response, I had suggested that we could have a one-night screening of a film during the second week of April (Tuesday, April 12th; Wednesday, April 13th; or Thursday, April 14th) and have another one-night screening the first week of May (Tuesday, May 3rd; Wednesday, May 4th; or Thursday, May 5th). Hopefully, these dates are still available. We were hoping to broaden the exposure of foreign-language films and needed to know which of the submitted films would be nominated. The nominees are EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Colombia); MUSTANG (France); SON OF SAUL (Hungary); THEEB (Jordan); and A WAR (Denmark). In past years, all of the nominees have eventually been shown by Railroad Square. So currently I am assuming that none of the nominees are available. You may be aware that SON OF SAUL (considered the favorite to win the Oscar) has a trailer running now. I have once again sent out the listing of the submissions. This is informational. There are only 10 of the submissions (other than the nominees) that have US distribution and are not now or soon-to-be available on DVD and/or streaming. I think there are some quite interesting films on this list. The Internet Movie Database ( http://www.imdb.com/ ) may be a helpful resource to get additional information about these films, but I have included links to distributor’s webpages for each film which usually has a trailer or directly to a subtitled trailer. There are a number of interesting storylines. Which films seem particularly attractive to you? We have a true crime story; a film that looks like a different perspective on the SPOTLIGHT story of the transgressions of those with religious vocations; drag performers in Havana; a coming-of-age story for a young indigenous woman in Central America; two films with estranged brothers; a look at the history of persecution of gypsies, etc. We can certainly go in a number of different directions, but I am partial to IXCANUL and AFERIM! IXCANUL has received some very favorable reviews and has shown at several high-profile film festivals. AFERIM! has likewise received good reviews and portrays an interesting piece of history. I guess I’m a bit of a sucker for history and ethnography.
http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-language-film-oscar-updating/
FILM US DISTRIBUTOR US RELEASE DATE
THE CLAN (Argentina) Twentieth Century Fox 3/18/16 (Limited)
The true story of the Puccio Clan, a family who kidnapped and killed people in the 80s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14 Trailer with English subtitles
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films 2/5/16 (Limited)
http://www.musicboxfilms.com/the-club-movies-127.php
A crisis counselor is sent by the Catholic Church to a small Chilean beach town where disgraced priests and nuns, suspected of crimes ranging from child abuse to baby-snatching from unwed mothers, live secluded, after an incident occurs.
IXCANUL (Guatemala) Kino Lorber N/A
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2266
Maria, a 17 year old Mayan (Kaqchikel) woman, lives on the slopes of an active volcano in Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her, but her suitor must first spend months working in the city. It is a world Maria knows nothing of, but is forced to encounter when problems arise.
RAMS (Iceland) Cohen Media Group 2/3/16 (Limited)
http://cohenmedia.net/films/rams
In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi and Kiddi live side by side, tending to their sheep. Their ancestral sheep-stock is considered one of the country's best and the two brothers are repeatedly awarded for their prized rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although they share the land and a way of life, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken to each other in four decades. When a lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi's sheep, the entire valley comes under threat. The authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to contain the outbreak. This is a near death sentence for the farmers, whose sheep are their main source of income, and many abandon their land. But Gummi and Kiddi don't give up so easily - and each brother tries to stave off the disaster in his own fashion: Kiddi by using his rifle and Gummi by using his wits. As the authorities close in the brothers will need to come together to save the special breed passed down for generations, and themselves, from extinction.
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures 4/29/16
http://www.magpictures.com/profile.aspx?id=eba486dd-ffa7-4648-992e-de07ff66d8e0
When everything is for sale, what's the value of love? Jesus does make up for a troupe of drag performers in Havana, but dreams of being a performer. When he finally gets his chance to be on stage, a stranger emerges from the crowd and punches him in the face. The stranger is his father Angel, a former boxer, who has been absent from his life for 15 years. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, Viva becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and become a family again.
600 MILES (Mexico) Pantelion N/A
http://www.pantelionfilms.com/ ;(Currently not especially helpful)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDMqB5VlTo Trailer with English subtitles
Arnulfo Rubio smuggles weapons for a deadly Mexican cartel. ATF agent Hank Harris (Tim Roth) attempts to apprehend him, but gets kidnapped by Rubio, instead. Rubio takes him to his bosses, but during the 600-miles-long drive, they slowly befriend.
ARABIAN NIGHTS: VOLUME 2, THE DESOLATE ONE (Portugal) Kino Lorber 12/4/15
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2215
This is part 2 of a trilogy. It is not based on the Arabian Nights stories, but does borrow from their format. Check out the website for the synopsis.
AFERIM! (Romania) Big World Pictures 1/22/16
http://bigworldpictures.org/films/aferim/index.html
Set in early 19th century Wallachia, when a local policeman, Costandin, is hired by Iordache, a boyar (local noble), to find Carfin, a Gypsy slave who had run away from the boyar's estate after having an affair with his wife, Sultana. Costandin sets out to find the fugitive, beginning a journey full of adventures. Gypsy slavery lasted from the 14th century up until the middle of the 19th century, a situation which is very little known and almost nonexistent in the public debate today, although its impact continues to influence Romania's social life.
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
https://typecastfilms.com/3563/iraqi-odyssey/
Documentary tracing the emigrations of his family over more than half a century, this riveting 3D documentary epic from acclaimed expatriate Iraqi filmmaker Samir pays moving homage to the frustrated democratic dreams of a people successively plagued by the horrors of dictatorship, war, and foreign occupation. NOTE: 163 minutes
BROTHERS: THE FINAL CONFESSION Intellect Pictures N/A
http://www.intellectpictures.com/Brothers_The_Final_Confession
The film is a psychological drama developing on the highlands of the Carpathian Mountains. Two helpless old men, brothers, desperately keep competing with each other in order to prolong their lives. Even though their bodies are decaying and both are sick the one still wants to outlive the other ... But one day a woman enters their remote dwelling...
Joel
