Fests and events, 2/27.

By David Hudson on 02/27/2009

"Nearly 30 years after his death, Alfred Hitchcock remains the great master of British cinema, but a fascinating new exhibition at Berlin's Film Museum reveals how much this quintessentially English director owed to his apprenticeship in Berlin." William Cook in the Guardian: "'Casting a Shadow: Alfred Hitchcock & His Workshop' shows that although Hitchcock spent almost all his working life in Britain and America, his early career in Berlin had an enduring influence on his cinematic style." Through May 10.

The Venice International Film Festival has announced that Ang Lee will head up its International Jury. September 2 through 12.

IndieWIRE's Peter Knegt has confirmation that Artistic Director Peter Scarlet's rumored exit from Tribeca is indeed happening, "effective immediately."

Faces of Realism: The 2009 Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival runs through March 8. Via Andy Horbal.

In the New York Times, Stephen Holden previews "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema" (March 5 through 15): "The happy news about the 2009 series... is that overall it is the best in years: a heartening development after a precipitous falloff last year." And Laurel Graeber on the New York International Children's Film Festival: "While the festival's 100 films from 30 countries offer plenty of animation and fantasy, they also delve into real-world conflicts that affect children's lives." Today through March 15.

Martin Provost's "Séraphine" opens Australia's French Film Festival in Melbourne on Thursday; in the Age, Michael Shmith meets Yolande Moreau, who plays the titular artist.

"UK audiences will soon have a rare opportunity to see some of the best Czech features and documentaries of the last two years," reports Theodore Schwinke in Cineuropa. "'Made in Prague,' a tour of eight films, will visit venues around the country March 6 - May 4."

For Artforum, Annie Buckley and Dane Picard preview the Takahiko Iimura mini-retrospective happening all over Los Angeles over the next week or so.

"In a two-night event at separate venues, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, REDCAT and the Los Angeles Filmforum present two programs of the film work of artist Bruce Conner, who passed away in 2008 at 74," writes Mark Olsen in the Los Angeles Times. "While Conner's films - with their kaleidoscope collage of imagery, ideas and pop music - have long been cast as progenitors of the music video, it is also possible to see his work as forecasting the DIY aesthetic of much of what can now be found on YouTube." Earlier: Scott Foundas in LA Weekly.

Anticipating SXSW: Today's SpoutBlog preview from Karina Longworth: "Sissyboy" (site).

Online gazing tip. At Twitch, Swarez points to the poster for the Alamo Drafthouse presentation of Tobe Hooper's "Lifeforce" in Austin on Tuesday.

Online slide show. Cinema Abattoir posters at Bad Lit.

Online viewing tip. "Sex Machine," as interpreted by Monica Bill Barnes + Company. At Flavorwire, noting that "Another Parade" happens at the 92nd Street Y in New York on Wednesday.

[Photos: Alfred Hitchcock directs "The Mountain Eagle," 1926; "Citizen Havel," Aerofilms, 2008]

Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Bruce Conner, Czech Cinema, Rendez-Vous 2009, SXSW 2009, Takahiko Iimura, Venice 2009