MOMA PRESENTS MONTHLONG SERIES IN HONOR OF TWO DECADES OF NEW YORK– BASED DISTRIBUTOR, ZEITGEIST FILMS Guy Maddin, Todd Haynes, Bruce Weber, and Yvonne Rainer to Introduce Their Films during Opening Weekend Zeitgeist: The Films of Our Time June 26–July 23, 2008 The Roy and Niuta Titus Theatres NEW YORK, June 4, 2008—The Museum of Modern Art celebrates two decades of films distributed by New York–based Zeitgeist Films with the 20-title exhibition Zeitgeist: The Films of Our Time, June 26–July 23, 2008, in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. Offering a fascinating snapshot of independent American and international film from the past 20 years, Zeitgeist: The Films of Our Time is a selection of works by critical figures in the company’s history and catalog. These range from artists the distributors embraced at early stages of their film careers, including Bruce Weber, Todd Haynes, Deepa Mehta, François Ozon, Olivier Assayas, and Guy Maddin, to established masters like Agnes Varda, Yvonne Rainer, Derek Jarman, and Jacques Demy. This monthlong exhibition includes several introductions and post-screening Q&A sessions with some of the filmmakers, along with appearances by Zeitgeist cofounders Nancy Gerstman and Emily Russo. Many of the directors whose early work Zeitgeist championed will be present to introduce their films: Careful (1992), introduced June 26 by Guy Maddin, who will also introduce Jacques Demy’s Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, 1964) the same night; Let’s Get Lost (1988), introduced June 27 by Bruce Weber; Poison (1991), introduced June 27 by Todd Haynes; Privilege (1990), introduced June 28 by Yvonne Rainer; Calendar (1993), introduced July 12 by Atom Egoyan; and Ballets Russes (2005), introduced July 19 by co-directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine with dancer Freddie Franklin. The exhibition is organized by Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, The Museum of Modern Art. In 1988, in a tiny office in New York, Russo and Gerstman launched Zeitgeist Films. The films and directors that they have consistently sought out and championed encompass the full spectrum of international cinematic innovation over the last 20 years, spanning many genres. Film lovers first, Russo and Gerstman have always dedicated themselves to the time-tested arthouse experience, with focused releases and a dedication to building audiences, reserving risk for their often audacious acquisition choices. “The phrase ‘tenacity of tasteful commerce’ best describes the spirit of Zeitgeist Films,” says Mr. Roy. “For 20 years, Emily and Nancy have proven to be both die-hard businesswomen and uncompromising connoisseurs of excellent cinema. The artists they have championed are visionaries that MoMA takes pride in exhibiting in their honor.” The Museum thanks Martin Scorsese, The George Eastman House, Bruce Weber, Eva Lindemann, and The Cinematheque Ontario for their assistance with this exhibition. ****************************************************************************** Please join us for the following press screenings in The Roy and Niuta Titus 2 Theater: Wednesday, June 11 10:00 a.m. Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa). 2002. Directed by Caroline Link. 141 min. Thursday, June 12 10:00 a.m. Careful. 1992. Directed by Guy Maddin. 100 min. NEW PRINT R.S.V.P. to [email protected] or (212) 708-9847 ****************************************************************************** No. 60 Press Contacts: for MoMA: Paul Power, (212) 708-9847, [email protected] for Zeitgeist: Gary Springer, (212) 354-4660, [email protected] For high resolution images, please register at: www.moma.org/press Public Information: The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019 Hours: Wednesday through Monday: 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday: 10:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Closed Tuesday. Museum Admission: $20 adults; $16 seniors, 65 years and over with I.D.; $12 full-time students with current I.D. Free, members and children 16 and under. (Includes admittance to Museum galleries and film programs) Target Free Friday Nights 4:00-8:00 p.m. Film Admission: $10 adults; $8 seniors, 65 years and over with I.D. $6 full-time students with current I.D. (For admittance to film programs only) Subway: E or V train to Fifth Avenue/53rd Street Bus: On Fifth Avenue, take the M1, M2, M3, M4, or M5 to 53rd Street. On Sixth Avenue, take the M5, M6, or M7 to 53rd Street. Or take the M57 and M50 crosstown buses on 57th and 50th Streets. The public may call (212) 708-9400 for detailed Museum information. Visit us on the Web at www.moma.org SCREENING SCHEDULE ZEITGEIST: THE FILMS OF OUR TIME Thursday, June 26 6:00 The Heart of the World. 2000. Canada. Written, directed, photographed, and edited by Guy Maddin. With Leslie Bais, Shaun Balbar, Greg Klymkiw. Maddin’s brilliant, breathless parody of silent Soviet propaganda films won acclaim from audiences and critics alike when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2000. 6 min. Careful. 1992. Canada. Directed by Guy Maddin. Screenplay by Maddin, George Toles. With Kyle McCulloch, Gosia Dobrowolska, Sarah Neville. Set in a nineteenth-century mountain village, viewed through an expressionistic, color-saturated lens, Maddin’s parable of sexual repression advises caution despite the allure of sin. The threat of avalanches—both real and metaphorical—keeps the inhabitants of “Tolzbad” sage and silent. One incestuous dream sets off a chain reaction that ironically displays the dread results of not being…careful! 100 min. (Introduced by Maddin) 8:30 Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg). 1964. France. Written and directed by Jacques Demy. With Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon. Demy’s 1964 Palme d’Or winner remains a masterwork of musical cinema. Brilliant color, effervescent songs with music by Michel Legrand, and the newly discovered 20-year-old Catherine Deneuve combine to stunning effect. This restoration, supervised by Demy’s widow and fellow Zeitgeist filmmaker Agnes Varda, returns one of the most beloved French films of all time to its original splendor. In French; English subtitles. 82 min. (Introduced by Guy Maddin) Friday, June 27 6:00 Let’s Get Lost. 1988. USA. Directed by Bruce Weber. Filmmaker and photographer Bruce Weber’s striking 1988 cinematic portrait of jazz icon Chet Baker remains as seductive as the subject himself. As much trouble as he was once beautiful (which is to say exceedingly so), Baker traversed a landscape of fame that saw him embody 1950s cool at the height of his talent as a jazz trumpeter and singer, before landing in the depths of alcoholism and drug abuse. With the alluring menace of a film noir, Let’s Get Lost tells a smoky tale of dangerous charm. 120 min. (Introduced by Bruce Weber) 8:30 Dottie Gets Spanked. 1994. USA. Written and directed by Todd Haynes. With Evan Bonifant, Barbara Garrick, Julie Halston. In this sly featurette, fans of Haynes’s much lauded Far from Heaven (2002) will find an early indication of his uncanny ability to capture suburban unease and buried, transgressive sexual desires. 30 min. Poison. 1991. USA. Written and directed by Todd Haynes, based on the novels of Jean Genet. With Edith Meeks, Millie White, Buck Smith. It’s hard to overstate the impact of Todd Haynes’s remarkable feature debut. Inspired by the writings of Genet, Poison rocked the independent film world when it won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and helped launch a decade-long wave of New Queer Cinema. The film was also attacked by the religious right, a headline-grabbing feat at a time when AIDS and gay activism were entering mainstream dialogues on a critical scale. A seminal work of artistic innovation, the film remains powerfully engaging today. 85 min. (Introduced by Todd Haynes) Saturday, June 28 7:00 Privilege. 1990. USA. Written and directed by Yvonne Rainer. With Rainer, Blaire Baron, Novella Nelson. The spectacularly talented Yvonne Rainer began her work as an artist in the world of dance. After choreographing over forty works, she turned her focus to cinema and directing. Privilege, her award-winning sixth feature film, tackles menopause with a keen eye, focusing on the experience from differing perspectives of origin and class. As in her dance pieces, risk is an essential component—appropriately so for a film that takes on sex, race, and ageism with wit and grace. 103 min. (Introduced by Rainer) Sunday, June 29 5:00 Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg). See Thursday, June 26, 8:30. Monday, June 30 8:30 The Heart of the World. Careful. See Thursday, June 26, 6:00. Wednesday, July 2 5:00 Dottie Gets Spanked. Poison. See Friday, June 27, 8:30. Thursday, July 3 5:30 Privilege. See Saturday, June 28, 7:00. Sunday, July 6 3:30 The Corporation. 2004. USA. Directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. This award-winning documentary integrates an exploration of corporate culture, its origins and possible future, with critical analysis and commentary from some of the most influential and polarizing contemporary thinkers, including Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Milton Friedman. Advertising, television news and industrial films combine to spectacularly entertaining effect. 145 min. Monday, July 7 5:30 The Corporation. See Sunday, July 6, 3:30. Wednesday, July 9 5:30 Fire. 1996. India/Canada. Directed by Deepa Mehta. With Karishma Jhalani, Ramanjeet Kaur, and Dilip Mehta. Director Mehta triumphs with this provocative and passionate story of love between two women in India. Traditional obligations to family collide with a tender awakening of unanticipated desire. The touchstone for controversy and debate in India and worldwide when it was released, FIRE remains a brave and pioneering work. In Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, and Punjabi with English subtitles.