Fests and events, 2/26.

By David Hudson on 02/26/2009

"Quickly becoming a favorite among the US and even international documentary community, the True/False Film Festival gets underway tonight here in Columbia, MO with a slate of just over 40 titles screening through the weekend." Brian Brooks interviews co-founders Paul Sturtz and David Wilson for indieWIRE.

"An uneasy feeling of sexual shame permeates 'Inferno of First Love' (1968), a film by Hani Susumu playing in the Japan Society's Japanese New Wave series, 'Shinjuku Ecstasy,'" writes Anna Bak-Kvapil in the Tisch Film Review. "Available in America only on VHS, censored and re-titled 'Nanami,' the chance to see an unedited 'Inferno of First Love' on screen is rare, and some of the uncensored film is genuinely problematic."

"Fearless: Strand Releasing Turns 20" opens tonight at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and runs through Saturday before picking up again next weekend. At SF360, Dennis Harvey notes that the series "can only scratch the surface of a catalog encompassing over 200 features and some of the great names in film both here and around the world.... Strand has frequently given American arthouse patrons their first looks at talents like Claire Denis, Arnaud Desplechin, Kelly Reichardt, Eytan Fox, Ferzan Ozpetek, André Téchiné, Tsai Ming-liang, Thomas Vinterberg, Lukas Moodysson, Ira Sachs and François Ozon. It's released films that might not otherwise have escaped the festival circuit by masters like Raoul Ruiz, Paul Cox, Stanley Kwan, Manoel de Oliveira and Aki Kaurismäki. It put the New Queer Cinema movement in theaters, from 'Looking for Langston' and 'Swoon' to pretty much everything by LaBruce, Gregg Araki and John Greyson."

Also: an overview of the Noise Pop Film Festival, on through Sunday.

"As the SFMOMA retrospective of the films of Chantal Akerman winds to a close this coming weekend," Michael Guillen offers a critical overview of "Je tu il elle," screening on March 10 at the Pacific Film Archive.

James van Maanen notes that "Paris 36" will open this year's "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema" and comments on the rest of the program. March 5 through 15.

"On Friday at 7 PM, DePaul University will present a lecture by the great documentary maker Frederick Wiseman, who's spent 40 years quietly investigating America's institutions and their power over the individual," notes the Chicago Reader's JR Jones. The lecture's free, too. That morning, Wiseman will be on the "Eight Forty-Eight" radio program. "And on Sunday at the Portage Theater... at 5 PM, Wiseman will introduce 16-millimeter screenings of two films from very different points in his career: 'Titicut Follies' (1967, 84 min), his first film as director, and the masterful 'Public Housing' (1997, 195 min), which looked at life inside the Ida B Wells complex."

"The Quays' invented worlds will finally be introduced to their formative real-life one when the sets, or 'décors,' from several of their films are exhibited at UArts' Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery beginning this week," writes Shaun Brady, who profiles the brothers for the Philadelphia City Paper. Plus, a preview of Wednesday's screening of "Urgh! A Music War" at the International House.

Also: "The One Film media education program (running until March 11), like its sister program One Book, finds a flick that Philadelphians can watch and discuss within the confines of the Free Library," writes AD Amorosi. "In 'Basquiat,' the One Film program found something they can split into discussions regarding contemporary art/graffiti, drug use, race, class and the art of filmmaking. While the film will be screened throughout the city, [Phoebe] Hoban [author of 'Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art'] will speak at the Free Library about Basquiat on Saturday."

Bruce Conner first caused a stir in the gallery world in the late 1950s, with a series of controversial assemblages (one of which, now in MoMA's permanent collection, featured a sculpture of a screaming child bound by nylon stockings to a highchair). But it's Conner's film work... that has cast the longest shadow, spanning six decades, and stretching from Conner's San Francisco studio to the foothills of Hollywood." Scott Foundas previews "Bruce Conner's Explosive Cinema: A Tribute." Part 1 is slated for Saturday at UCLA, part 2 on Monday at REDCAT.

Also in LA Weekly, Holly Willis on a ten-day celebration of filmmaker and artist Takahiko Iimura, whose work will be on view all over the city starting tomorrow.

"Anime and Contemporary Japanese Society," a seminar at the Japan Foundation in Toronto on Wednesday. Chris MaGee has info.

"The Cannes Film Festival has honored Clint Eastwood with a special Palme d'Or." Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte reports for Screen. Festival director Gilles Jacob pens an open letter to the honoree: "My dear Clint..."

For the Age, Jake Wilson previews the Melbourne Latin American Film Festival, running today through Monday.

Anticipating SXSW: At the SpoutBlog, Karina Longworth presents her questions to Jessica Oreck ("Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo"; site). And the Austin Chronicle's Kimberley Jones notes that SXSW will premiere Jonathan Demme's new performance doc, "Neil Young Trunk Show."

"Among Borzage experts, the 1934 'No Greater Glory' is argued as possibly his best movie," writes Armond White in the New York Press. "Clearly it's his most original and personal film, and its rare showing as part of Film Forum's 'Breadlines & Champagne' series makes it this week's must-see."

Via Ray Pride, "This Aggression Will Not Stand, Man," a "Lebowski"-themed show on view at Signed & Numbered Gallery in Salt Lake City through March 18.

Online viewing tip. Blake Ethridge previews the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival, running June 30 through July 5.

Tags: Basquiat, Brothers Quay, Bruce Conner, Cannes 2009, Chantal Akerman, Frederick Wiseman, French Cinema, Rendez-Vous 2009, Strand Releasing, SXSW 2009, Takahiko Iimura, True/False 2009