RISK Cinema returns to the Harn for Spring 2009

January 15, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Once again, visitors will be able to experience the art of the moving image with the return of RISK Cinema to the Harn Museum of Art. The spring season is composed of four evenings of documentary film highlighting experimental and unique approaches to the genre and one screening of student films.

Peter Hutton’s “At Sea” will be shown at 7:30 p.m on Jan. 20 . Hutton is known for creating poetic documentaries, silent and majestic cinematic portraits of cities and landscapes from around the world. “At Sea” details the life cycle of a supertanker, the voyage and necessary effort to construct and deconstruct a massive ship. Hutton’s use of using silence combined with uninterrupted imagery yields unexpected effects. This event is co-sponsored by FLEX FILMS.

The latest film from Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, producers of “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3. In “Trouble the Water,” they collaborated with native New Orleans filmmaker and musician, Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband, Scott Roberts, to document the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city’s population. Kimberly Roberts captured the hurricane’s devastation and tragic aftermath on her camcorder. Together the couple recounts a story of survival and courage that reveals the failure of government and the media to rescue a silenced population.

Duncan Campbell’s experimental documentary, “Bernadette,” will be featured at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. The documentary is a compilation of archival material, new footage, animation and scripted voice-overs depicting Northern Irish Republican, Bernadette Devlin. Devlin’s fiery political career began in the 1960s when—at the age of 21—she became the youngest woman elected to the House of Commons. Campbell highlights the disorienting capabilities of the media, the need to consider the politics of history and the constructed image and, therefore, the limitations of historical memory.

Following “Bernadette,” the museum will show Matt Wolf’s “Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell.” The film is a vivid and compelling homage to an extraordinarily innovative and under-recognized musician. Russell was a part of the 1970s and 1980s New York City downtown arts and club scene, exploring communes before finding his alliance with Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, David Mancuso and others. He was the director of The Kitchen, a performing art space, and experimented with minimalism, mutant disco, North Indian drones, electro drum machines and effect-slathered cellos in his music. In the film, Wolf uses recordings and archival sketches, both real and re-enacted, to reveal and celebrate a life cut short.

Mario Rizzi’s “The Chicken Soup,” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on March 3. The film examines the plight and trauma of migrant workers while tracing the mail order bride industry and sex trade between Vietnam and Taiwan. “The Chicken Soup” grew out of the artist’s participation in the 2008 Taipei Biennial. Rizzi’s work reflects his interest in the uprooting forces of neo-liberal globalization. In particular, he focuses on the conflicts and contradictions of identity when caught between different spheres of culture and value.

The season will close with a screening of student films at 7:30 p.m. on April 21. Created by students in the film and media studies program at the University of Florida, the films showcase the innovative work of the next generation of filmmakers. Admission will be free for the film student screening.

The Harn has offered RISK Cinema each fall and spring since 1990.

Admission is free for members, $3 for students, and $4 for the general public. For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu.

Schedule

Program I: Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Peter Hutton, “At Sea,” 2004-2007, 60 minutes Co-sponsored with FLEX FILMS

Program II: Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, “Trouble the Water,” 2007, 94 minutes

Program III: Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Duncan Campbell, “Bernadette, 2008,” 37 minutes

Matt Wolf, “Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell,” 2008, 71 minutes

Program IV: March 3, 7:30 p.m.
Mario Rizzi, “The Chicken Soup,” 2008, 59 minutes

Program V: April 21, 7:30 p.m.
Student Films
Screening of experimental work by students in the film and media studies program at the University of Florida.