Great Movies
The event kicks off at 5:30pm Saturday, February 15th, with Francine Parker's witty 1972 documentary, "F.T.A.", chronicling the anti-Vietnam satirical revue, "Free the Army," performed by actors such as Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland to American troops. Fonda, who aided in providing funding for the restorations, will be on hand to introduce the screening. She is also lending her name to IndieCollect's Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors, which was formed to support the restoration of more films helmed by women. A 4:30pm reception in the courtyard will precede the screening. Click here to register for the screening.
On Sunday, February 16th, a double bill of essential works by African-American directors starts at 2pm with William Greaves' 1972 documentary, "Nationtime-Gary," providing an insider’s look at the 1972 National Black Political Convention, held in Gary, Indiana at the visionary invitation of Mayor Richard Hatcher. This is a convention that has been seemingly lost to history, but you will be surprised (or perhaps not) that it is as topical and much-needed as ever, probably even more. The Reverend Jesse Jackson gives an impassioned plea for building a nation within a political movement. With narration by Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier, and appearances by Amiri Baraka, Mayor Hatcher, Dick Gregory, Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, Bobby Seale, and Betty Shabazz (the widow of Malcom X), among others, the picture captures a key moment of black solidarity in American history. The film was dramatically shortened for television, and the director’s full-length version was never released, until now. I will provide the introduction to the film.
Immediately following that film will be Melvin Van Peebles' transgressive 1968 love story, "The Story of a Three-Day Pass," adapted from Van Peebles' own French-language novel, "La Permission." A biting indictment of racism, the film follows Turner (Harry Baird), a black U.S. soldier stationed at a military base outside Paris, who is smitten with Miriam (Nicole Berger), a sensitive young woman he meets at a nightclub. A romance ensues, eventually sparking the attention of Turner’s disapproving captain (Hal Brav) and inviting angry insults from others. The filmmaker's son, Mario Van Peebles, will introduce the movie, which will also be preceded by a 1pm reception in the courtyard. Click here to register for the double feature.
For more information on IndieCollect, visit its official site.
There are also other films being shown during the HFPA/American Cinematheque Restoration summit. For those please visit their website here.
Chaz is the CEO of several Ebert enterprises, including the President of The Ebert Company Ltd, and of Ebert Digital LLC, Publisher of RogerEbert.com, President of Ebert Productions and Chairman of the Board of The Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation, and Co-Founder and Producer of Ebertfest, the film festival now in its 22nd year.
