St. Louis International Film Festival does it again: SLIFF BUZZ 2019

Post-Festival Update!

[Like all SLIFFs and good cinema, surprises are what makes a good festival, and a good film. Some of the goods came in the shape of two films that sent me “far away” – to places I would not easily travel to (“look-ma no T.S.A.”): Kurdistan and Tibet.
Plus one that sent us into a US public education classroom, and one looking at a besieged Europe.
– A Dream Before Dying by Fekri Baroshi (Kurdistan, 2018). An urgent and honest film: the soulful, gentle and precise retelling the story of so many de-mining volunteers who try to make their lives free from the daily landmine threat that ISIS left behind. This film needs to be seen around the world!
– Jinpa by Pema Tseden (Tibet, 2019) – produced by Wong Kar-Wai & Jackie Pang. A visionary truck-ride through Tibet’s upper-plateau with Rembrandt-like astonishingly ordinary settings. With the memorable poet-actor Jinpa.
– My Name is Pedro by Lillian LaSalle (US, 2017). Vital viewing for anyone turning sarcastic about education (or life!)… which means all teachers/academics, school districts/boards and everyone else. You will remember Pedro forever!
– The Rest by Ai Weiwei (Germany, 2019). A scathing look at what takes place at the many borders of Europe – the outtakes from his earlier Human Flow, hundreds of hours of footage. In going way beyond the comfort of what news presents us with, Ai Weiwei does what artists do best when they reflect on reality, offering us their fearless visions.

And the below-mentioned Cold November & Objector won best films from the Interfaith Jury! (I am part of that jury).

Updates will continue as I find time – so many gems/treasures were present, like at all SLIFF festivals!]

The Annual St. Louis Treasure is Back!

Almost 31K attendees last year… now in its 28th year, the St. Louis International Film Festival brings the world to St. Louis through 389 films from 63 countries on 10 different St. Louis screens, including 64 free events.

Here are three of my favorite films at this festival:

Hawaii (Romania) Tuesday, Nov 12 – 2:30pm & Saturday, Nov 16 – 8:30pm @ Plaza Frontenac Cinema – A feature film around Ceausescu’s dictatorship (and the necessary resilience to survive) by the Spanish filmmaker, Jesús del Cerro.

Cold November (Kosovo) Tuesday, Nov 12 Friday & Nov 15 at 2:30pm at 7:15pm @ Plaza Frontenac Cinema – A feature film on a family’s perilous survival efforts in Pristina, Yugoslavia in 1992.

Objector (Israel, Palestinian Territories, U.S.) – Saturday, Nov 16 at 12:30pm @ Washington U./Brown (Free) – A documentary on how a 19 year old young Israeli woman becomes a leader in spite of her family, by Molly Stuart.

Others yet unseen BUZZ contenders include (some play only once – get tickets in advance! – we have to take our chances):
– The Truth by Kore-eda (recent Cannes winner) With Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke – Sunday, Nov 10 at 6:00pm at Tivoli
IN CONFLICT WITH (choose well!):
– The Traitor Sunday, Nov 10 at 8:00pm @ Plaza Frontenac – the latest (!) film by Marco Bellochio (of Fists in the Pocket fame):
–The Whistlers on Monday, Nov 11 at 7:15pm @ Tivoli by Corneliu Porumboiu (of 12:08 East of Bucharest & Police Adjective fame)
– The Two Popes Wednesday, Nov 13 at 7:00pm @ Tivoli Theatre by Fernando Meirelles (of City of God fame)
– Women of the Gulag Sunday, Nov 17 at 1:00pm @ Missouri History Museum – Free
… and “Nomad” (by Werner Herzog), “The Rest” (by Ai Weiwei)
And… “By the Grace of God” by François Ozon, “The Chambermaid,” “Clemency,” “Cunningham,” “A Faithful Man,” “Frankie,” “A Hidden Life,” “Just Mercy,” “The Kill Team,” “Little Joe,” “Olympic Dreams,” “Premature,” “The Report,” “The Rest,” “The Song of Names,” “Sorry We Missed You” vintage Ken Loach, “A Tramway in Jerusalem,” “Unsettled.”