100% VENEZUELA

Author of Poster: Miguel Amat

100% VENEZUELA IS BACK!
NYU-VENEZUELAN FILM FESTIVAL, SECOND EDITION
April 23-27, 2008
at New York University’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center
53 Washington Square South (between Sullivan &Thompson Streets)

Venezuela has been a country, though recognized for its’ energetic power decades ago, has never been exposed to the public opinion in the manner that it has been at present.

Since President Hugo Chávez’s arrival to power in 1999, Venezuela has been included in the most prominent headlines throughout the international media. For its polemical and political differences, the increased price of petroleum, anti-imperialist policies, because of its influence within the Latin American region, its alliances with political enemies of USA, or simply for the peculiar leadership style of its President, Venezuela has obtained an interesting global visibility. Nonetheless, this constant presence in the international political panorama results in limitations when it comes to narrating its history: Venezuela wasn't born nine years ago.

In its first edition (2006) 100% VENEZUELA attracted an unprecedented turnout –presenting New York to a relatively unknown cinema outside of this South American country’s borders. On such occasion, the Venezuelan Film Festival, sponsored by New York University’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, screened a series of films that focused on violence as the foundational theme of this nation’s cinematographic production. The Second Edition will be held from April 23rd-27th at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center (NYU) and will screen films from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, in addition to some of the most recent productions from this troubled OPEC nation, focusing on Politics, from diverse angles and points of view.

Noteworthy screenings include: Postcards from Leningrad (2007), Venezuela’s official Oscar entry; the blockbuster success Secuestro Express (2005) and Francisco de Miranda (2006); two of the most important films of all time: The Smoking Fish (1978) and Chronicle of a Subversive Latin American (1975) and the internationally awarded Oriana (1985) and Nude with Oranges (1997), among 14 additional carefully selected films.

During this second edition, 100% Venezuela will also host 4 interdisciplinary symposiums that will bring to New York City renowned politicians, scholars, artists and critics from diverse corners of the United States and the American continent. Among the guests will be filmmakers Mauricio Walerstein and Mariana Rondón, and the politician and former presidential candidate Teodoro Petkoff, in addition to more than 15 other guests and speakers. The scheduled events are:

Leadership & Perspectives of the Bolivarian Venezuela (Wednesday 23, 7:15 p.m.) Presented by Javier Guerrero, with the participation of Teodoro Petkoff, Margarita López-Maya, Fernando Coronil, Tulio Halperin-Donghi and Luis Duno-Gottberg.

Film & Politics (Thursday 24, 7:15 p.m.) presented by Ronald Briggs, with the participation of filmmakers Mauricio Walerstein and Mariana Rondón, followed by the New York premiere of Postcards from Leningrad.

Politics of the Pose from the Venezuelan Entre Siècle (Friday 25, 7:15 p.m.) presented by Sylvia Molloy, with the participation of Javier Lasarte, Paulette Silva-Bauregard, Nathalie Bouzaglo, Sibylle Fischer y Alicia Ríos.

Politics of Representation: Armando Reverón (Saturday 26, 6:15 p.m.) presented by Edward J. Sullivan and Gerard Aching, Master Conference with international art critic and MoMA Curator Luis Enrique Pérez-Oramas.

All screenings and events are free to the public. For schedule times and details for the festival’s related events, please visit: www.nyu.edu/kjc/100_Venezuela

Postcards from Leningrad

THURSDAY, APRIL 24/ 7:15

Postcards from Leningrad (Mariana Rondón, 2007)
During the leftist uprising in the 1960s in Venezuela, a young guerrilla-girl, living in secrecy, gives birth to her first daughter on Mother's Day. Due to that, her photos appear in the newspaper, from that moment they are forced to run away. Hidden places, false disguises and names are part of this young girl’s daily life. Alongside with her cousin, they re-live the adventures of their guerrilla parents, building a labyrinth filled with superheroes and strategies, where no one knows where the reality or the madness began. However, this children's game does not hide the deaths, tortures, denunciations and treasons within the guerrillas. The kids want to convert themselves into The Invisible Man in order to escape from the danger. However, they know that their parents might never come back and therefore, they'll only receive Postcards from Leningrad

Oriana

FRIDAY, APRIL 25/ 8:15

Oriana (Fina Torres, 1985) 88’
Winner of the Camera d'or for best first feature at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, this first feature by filmmaker Fina Torres (Celestial Clockwork, Woman on Top, Un té en La Habana) is a spellbinding drama that starts when a married woman living in France, María, returns to the hacienda where she spent her summers as an adolescent. As she prepares to sell the house, she is reminded of her aunt, Oriana, a mysterious figure who never left the hacienda and appeared to harbor deep inner secrets. As Maria continues to reflect upon her adolescent days, she eventually stumbles across a secret that will bring Oriana's behavior to light. The film features the performance of legendary Venezuelan actress Doris Wells, in the roll of Oriana, and reflects upon the silence lived during the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez.

Knocks at My Door

THURSDAY, APRIL 24/ 3:00

Knocks at My Door (Alejandro Saderman, 1993) 101’
A very impressive film about the horrors of the militarism that recalls past dictatorships in Latin America. The picture set, in an unnamed South American country, is an emotional examination of two courageous nuns who provide refuge to a rebel soldier.

Chronicle of a Latin American Subversive

THURSDAY, APRIL 24/ 5:15

Crónica de un subversivo latinoamericano
(Mauricio Walerstein, 1975) 101’ *No English Subtitles
During 1964, accused of assassinating the US Secretary of Defense, a guerilla soldier in Vietnam will be executed. In Venezuela, a leftist group kidnaps an American army Colonel in exchange for the release of the Vietnamese soldier.

Secuestro Express

SUNDAY, APRIL 27/ 8:15

Secuestro Express (Jonathan Jakubowicz, 2005) 86’
This last screening will be introduced by Laura Turégano (Executive Director, KJCC).

In a night pregnant with a strange mix of tension and dizzy abandon, lovers Carla and Martin prowl clubs before drunkenly wandering back to his car. While he comes across as crass nouveau riche, she appears more liberal. Their conspicuous affluence, however, makes them ideal targets for kidnappers, who demand $20,000 to be delivered within two hours. The conception of Jonathan Jakubowicz’s film was seen undoubtedly marked by the political polarization that the country was living at that moment. The film was shot during the strike that Venezuela faced in 2002, which meant great difficulty for its production. It was an independent film that did not seek any state funding and was ultimately acquired by Miramax for global release.

Francisco de Miranda

SUNDAY, APRIL 27/ 6:15

Francisco de Miranda (Diego Rísquez, 2006) 105’
The story of a revolutionary Venezuelan who lived in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Francisco de Miranda was one of the first revolutionaries in the country. The film includes the performance of actresses Beatriz Valdez (Manuela Sáenz), Mimi Lazo, Ruddy Rodriguez, among others: starring Luis Fernández in the roll of Miranda.

The Smoking Fish

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23/ 3:00

El pez que fuma / The Smoking Fish (Román Chalbaud, 1978) 120’
Probably the most famous film within Venezuelan cinematography: A sort of coat-of-arms of the Chalbaudian universe, and also the fruit of his theatrical background, the film displays a remarkable expressive maturity, evidenced by a míse-en-scène with Fellinesque trimmings, an excellent control of the narrative tempo and a rounded, passionate script that creates a wonderful parable about power and its fleeting expressions, through the characters and activities at a famous brothel in La Guaira.