Electric Film Festival 2014 Brochure

Welcome to the 2014 Electric Film Festival. We usually have a July and a September festival but this year we

have decided to amalgamate the two into one brochure (just like

in ‘The Dark Crystal’ - "What was sundered and undone shall

become whole... the two made one.")

Having listened to and read comments from the last few Festivals

we are delighted to incorporate some of your suggestions. We

have later showing times (apart from 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' as

it's a long movie), a few matinees, multiple screenings of some films

and POPCORN…(just kidding about the popcorn).

My choices for this season are varied and hopefully interesting

to people other than myself. There are documentaries, a

heartbreaking musical (in French), an enchanting film about a girl

and her bike, my 'that poor lady' film of the season and many,

many more.

If the subject matter of any of these films seems a little heavy after

a long day at work, don’t worry, we have a bar. And you can take

your drinks into the screening.

We also have a few shorts from local filmmakers to be shown

before some of the main features. Look out for the shorts logo.

So take a look through this little booklet, consult IMDB to your hearts

content and then make your choices (ignoring IMDB obviously).

So camera, lights, action...wow that is so naff.

Nate

Film Festival Programmer

2 www.electrictheatre.co.uk

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VAMPYR (PG)

with HarmonieBand SUN 27 JULY 8.30pm Tickets £12 Concessions £8

Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer

1932 - 1hr 15mins

Live soundtrack composed and

performed by Paul Robinson and

HARMONIEBAND (Paul Robinson -

keyboard, Dai Pritchard - clarinet/sax,

Adam Robinson - violin/viola)

An occult student is assailed by supernatural haunts and local

evildoers in a village outside Paris.

Brilliant Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer is famous for

creating evocative atmospheres and austere and profoundly

unsettling imagery. In this film he creates a mood of dreamlike

terror by using a host of stunning camera and editing tricks. With its

rolling fogs, ominous scythes, and foreboding echoes, Vampyr is

one of cinema’s great nightmares.

HarmonieBand has an internationally established reputation for

performing contemporary music, presenting especially composed

scores to accompany silent film, and leading educational projects

for young people. www.harmonieband.com

COMPOSING FOR FILM WORKSHOP

SUN 27 JULY 3pm – 5pm, Tickets £5

For anyone interested in exploring the role music plays in our

understanding of films. View and discuss a short clip from a silent

film and through improvisation, prepare an accompaniment for it.

Bring an instrument or use some small percussion which will be

available at the workshop.

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http://www.harmonieband.com/


WADJDA (PG)

MON 28 JULY 8pm Dir. Haifaa Al-Mansour - 1hr 38min - 2012 - Saudi Arabia

In Arabic with English subtitles

Cast: Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed, Abdullrahman Al Gohani

Meet Wadjda, a sarcastic and streetwise girl whose carefree attitude

sets her apart from most girls in her school. She spots a shiny green

bicycle in the local shop and becomes determined to buy it so that

she can race the boy next door, a culturally unacceptable action with

potential societal repercussions. This groundbreaking first feature film

shot entirely in Saudi Arabia offers a moving, rarely seen picture of

everyday life in Riyadh. With a central character so unique to the

screen, director Al-Mansour has crafted a subtle counterpoint to the

images of females the world is accustomed to seeing, a character

who holds hope for the future.

"The film marks a huge triumph for its female director...a remarkable

film twice over." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Did you know? Because of restrictions placed on women in Saudi

Arabia director Al-Mansour was not allowed to interact with her male

crew and had to direct the street scenes from a nearby van, watching

through a monitor and issuing instructions through a walkie talkie.

BLACKFISH(15) TUE 29 JULY 8pm Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite - 1hr 20min - 2013 - USA

Cast: Samantha Berg, Dave Duffus, Dean Gomersall

Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer

whale that killed several people while in captivity. This

documentary compiles shocking footage and

emotional interviews to explore the creature's

extraordinary nature, the species' cruel treatment in

captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the

pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea

park industry. This emotionally wrenching story

challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and

reveals how little we humans have learned from these

highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow

mammals.

Time Out

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BLUE IS THE

WARMEST COLOUR (18)

THU 31 JULY 7.30pm Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche - 2hr 59min - 2013

France - In French with English subtitles

Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos

Adele's life is changed when she meets Emma,

a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to

assert herself as a woman and as an adult. Adele grows, seeks herself,

loses herself and ultimately finds herself through love and loss.

“Anchored by two of the most natural, committed performances you'll

ever see…” Empire

Did you know? The actresses only read the script once. The director

insisted they forget what the script said line for line, and asked them to

improvise their scenes to create as natural a performance as possible.

COMPLIANCE (15)

WED 30 JULY 8pm Dir. Craig Zobel - 1hr 30min - 2012 - USA

Cast: Ann Dowd, Matt Servitto, Pat Healy

When a prank caller posing as a

police officer convinces a fast food

restaurant manager to interrogate an

innocent young employee, no-one is

left unharmed. This choice begins a

nightmare that tragically blurs the

lines between expedience and

prudence, legality and reason.

Based on true events.

“A punchy and

effective drama.” -

Empire, Time Out


PHILOMENA (12A)

SAT 2 AUGUST 2.30pm Dir. Stephen Frears - 1hr 34min - 2013 - UK

Cast: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Charlie Murphy, Simone Lahbib

‘Philomena’ is the moving, funny and at times shocking true

story of one woman's search for a lost son. Falling pregnant as a

teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena was sent to the convent

of Roscrea to be looked after as a "fallen woman". When her

baby was only a toddler, he was taken away by the nuns for

adoption in America. Philomena spent the next fifty years

searching for him but with no success. Then she met Martin

Sixsmith, a world weary political journalist who happened to be

intrigued by her story. Together they set off to America on a

journey that would not only reveal the extraordinary story of

Philomena's son, but also create an unexpectedly close bond

between Philomena and Martin. The film is a compelling

narrative of human love and loss that ultimately celebrates life,

showing that there is laughter even in the darkest places.

“A terrific, sophisticated comedy that tackles serious issues with

a lightness of touch and a spirit of steel…” Empire

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THE GREAT

BEAUTY (15)

SAT 2 AUGUST 7.30pm Dir. Paolo Sorrentino - 2hr 22min - 2013

Italy - In Italian with English subtitles

Cast: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone

Jep Gambardella has seduced his

way through the lavish nightlife of

Rome for decades, but after his

65th birthday and a shock from the

past, Jep looks past the nightclubs

and parties to find a timeless

landscape of absurd, exquisite

beauty.

Winner Academy Award 2014

Best Foreign Language Film

“A simply breathtaking work of art

with a very human, intensely

cinematic heart.” Little White Lies

FRANCES HA (15)

MON 8 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Noah Baumbach - 1hr 24min - 2012

USA. Cast: Greta Gerwig,

Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver.

Frances lives in New York, but

doesn't really have an apartment.

She is an apprentice for a dance

company, but is not really a

dancer. Frances throws herself

headlong into her dreams, even

as their possible reality dwindles.

Frances wants so much more than

she has but lives her life with

unaccountable joy and lightness.

With sensitive direction from

Baumbach, this delightful film is

“as light and breezy as a walk in

Central Park, and just as

refreshing.”(Empire)


Did you know? Greta Gerwig is in

every single scene of the film.

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NEBRASKA (15)

TUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2.30pm

THU 18 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Alexander Payne - 1hr 55min - 2013 - USA

Cast: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb

A father and son steer this American road comedy into a

vanishing Midwest on the trail of a dubious fortune - and in

search of an understanding of each other that once seemed

impossible. Stubborn, taciturn Woody (Bruce Dern in a role that

won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival) believes he's got one

last shot at mattering: a notice that he's the lucky winner of a

million-dollar sweepstakes. Woody insists he must quickly get to

the sweepstakes company's office in Nebraska - a 750 mile

journey. Worried for his father's state of mind, it falls to Woody's

reluctant son David (Will Forte) to accompany him on a trip that

seems hilariously futile on the surface.

Elegant in its simplicity and poetic in its message, ‘Nebraska’

adds another stirringly resonant chapter to Alexander Payne's

remarkable filmography.

“It's damn near perfect.” Rolling Stone

Empire

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THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA(15)

TUE 9 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Shôhei Imamura - 2hr 10min - 1983 - Japan

In Japanese with English subtitles

Cast: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari

In a small Japanese village everyone who reaches the age of 70 must

leave and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should

refuse he or she would disgrace their family.

Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first

she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.

“Imamura captures a truly universal, all-encompassing experience,

showing the transmission of virtues and vices from one generation to

the next in the service of life's tenacious continuity.” Little White Lies


Did you know? The director asked the lead actress to have her four

front teeth removed for the role. As it’s a very important action in the

story she accepted. Luckily, Japanese dentists are highly skilled!

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HER (U)

THU 11 SEPTEMBER 2.30pm Dir. Spike Jonze - 2hr 6min - 2013 - USA

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams,

Scarlett Johansson

Heartbroken after the end of a long

relationship, Theodore becomes

intrigued with a new, advanced

operating system. He is delighted to

meet "Samantha," a bright, female

voice, who is insightful and surprisingly

funny. From the unique perspective of

Oscar nominated filmmaker Spike

Jonze comes an original love story

that explores the evolving nature -

and the risks - of intimacy in the

modern world.

MUSCLE

SHOALS (PG)

WED 10 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Greg 'Freddy' Camalier -

1hr 51min - 2013 - USA

Cast: Bono, Jimmy Cliff, Aretha Franklin

A documentary about a place

filled with magic and music, legend

and folklore. Muscle Shoals, Alabama, has lured some of the

greatest Rock ’n’ Roll and soul legends of all time, and drawn

from them some of the most uplifting, defiant and important

music ever created. It is a place where, even before the Civil

Rights Movement really took shape, the colour of your skin didn't

matter inside the studio.

“...an essential document of a defining era when 'soul' really

meant something.” Time Out


THE UMBRELLAS OF

CHERBOURG (u)

THU 11 SEPTEMBER 8pm

THU 18 SEPTEMBER 2.30pm Dir. Jacques Demy - 1hr 27min - 1964 - France

In French with English subtitles

Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo

Jacques Demy's 1964 masterpiece is a pop-art

opera, or, to borrow the director's own description, a

film in song. This simple romantic tragedy follows

Guy Foucher (Nino Castelnuovo), a 20-year-old

French mechanic, who has fallen in love with

17-year-old Geneviève (a luminous Catherine

Deneuve), an employee in her widowed mother's

chic but financially embattled umbrella shop.

On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two

year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Geneviève

make love. She becomes pregnant and must

choose between waiting for Guy's return or

accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy

diamond merchant.

‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ continues to charm

and delight. A simple human melodrama made

engaging, profound, and unforgettable in the

hands of a master director (Demy). This classic

musical is easily one of the finest ever crafted.

“A truly unique and wonderful film from a director

who stands apart in the French cinema canon.”

Film4

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PONYO (U)

MON 15 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Hayao Miyazaki - 1hr 41min - 2008 - Japan

In Japanese with English subtitles

Cast: Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi

The son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an

oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a

beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon

rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The

daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess, Ponyo uses

her father's magic to transform herself into a young girl and

quickly falls in love with Sosuke. But the use of such powerful

sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. Ponyo is a

visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children

of all ages.

"Miyazaki's back, and still a force of nature. A weird, wonderful

aquatic romp, Ponyo is also a meditation on the state of this blue

planet. Catch it." Empire

(This film replaces 'The Wind Rises' as advertised in

the printed Film Festival brochure)

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ROBOT & FRANK (12)

TUE 16 SEPTEMBER 2.30pm Dir. Jake Schreier - 1hr 29min - 2012 - USA

Cast: Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon

Set in the near future, Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two

grownup children who are concerned he can no longer live

alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until

Frank's son chooses a different option. Against his father’s

wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot

programmed to improve his physical and mental health.

What follows is an often hilarious and heartbreaking story about

finding friends and family in the most unexpected places.

“A small but perfectly formed tale with plenty to say about the

nature of friendship.” SFX Magazine


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GLORIA (15)

TUE 16 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Sebastián Lelio - 1hr 47min - 2013 - Chile/Spain

In Spanish with English subtitles

Cast: Paulina García, Sergio Hernández, Diego Fontecilla

Gloria is a "woman of a certain age" but still feels young. Though

lonely, she makes the best of her situation and fills her nights

seeking love at social dance clubs. Her fragile happiness

changes the day she meets Rodolfo. Their intense passion leaves

her wavering between hope and despair - until she uncovers a

new strength and realises that, in her golden years, she can shine

brighter than ever. This film stars Paulina García in a tour de force

performance that captured her the Silver Bear Best Actress

Award at last year's Berlin Film Festival.

“Astute, unpretentious and thrillingly humane…” New York Times

THE MISSING PICTURE (12A)

WED 17 SEPTEMBER 8pm Dir. Rithy Panh - 1hr 32min - 2013 - Cambodia/France

In French with English subtitles - Cast: Randal Douc

Writer-director Rithy Panh takes a daunting topic - the atrocities

Cambodians suffered under the Khmer Rouge - and presents it in

a way that's personal, imaginative and even strangely beautiful.

Adapted from sections of Panh's book ‘The Elimination’, this film

explores the story of his family before and after the Khmer Rouge

entered Phnom Penh.

In director Panh's deft hands, the film becomes not just a

recreation of a reality long gone, but an indication of ever

present melancholia for an entire people.

“These miniatures magnify their subjects, and ennoble them. The

picture is anguishing to see, but it isn't missing anymore.”

Wall Street Journal


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MON 28 JULY - THE SHOT A man receives a camera lens which has magical abilities. He

investigates the method in the magic to explore the world and

beyond!

TUE 29 JULY - THE LONG JOURNEY HOME “They fell in love as Europe fell apart”. 1938: an English woman

marries her sweetheart and moves to Germany against her

father’s wishes.

WED 30 JULY - UNDER Kerry is a train driver, she is on sick leave due to a trauma at

work. While roaming the train network to make sense of her

tragedy she meets a man who understands her.

MON 8 SEP - ANJA AND VIVIEN A lament on music, memory and time. The film tells the story of

a woman asked to revisit recordings of her father, recordings

which hold forgotten moments from her past.

WED 10 SEP - TEA FOR TWO A short film following the story of a couple's poisonous stand-off

over the breakfast table.

TUE 16 SEP - METRO 7 BIS In French with English subtitles A woman visiting Paris for the first time meets a handsome

stranger, but her world is shattered when he reveals his

true identity.

WED 17 SEP - THE GARDEN Old and alone, Simeon takes his life at last. His spirit wanders

free through the garden of the afterlife where he finds his long

dead tempestuous lover Celestina. He is plagued by memories

of his dark acts. Can Simeon find redemption?

This year we are screening shorts

created by local filmmakers

before some of our films. Look

out for the shorts logo to see

which screenings will begin with

a little short film treat.

JOIN OUR

MAILING LIST

and be the first

to know about

our upcoming events.

Scan the QR code,

join online at

electrictheatre.co.uk

or give us a call

on 01483 444789.

BOOKING INFORMATION

ELECTRIC FILM FESTIVAL TICKETS

Full Price £6.50 Concessions & ET Friends £5

3 films or more £5.75 Concessions & ET Friends £4.25

5 films or more £5.25 Concessions & ET Friends £3.75

A booking fee of 50p per ticket is chargeable on card transactions.

BY PHONE: 01483 444789

ONLINE: www.electrictheatre.co.uk

IN PERSON: The Electric Theatre, Onslow Street, Guildford, GU1 4SZ.

BOX OFFICE OPENING HOURS

Monday to Saturday: 10.30am - start of screening.

Box Office closes at 5pm when there is no performance.

Please note that we do not show trailers. Films will start promptly at

published times.

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Did you know? Programme

notes will be available

for each festival screening,

free of charge.

Follow us on Twitter @ElectricTheatre or like our Facebook

page /ElectricTheatre and get sneaky peeks into what’s

coming up at the Theatre, production and film images/videos,

plus our recent news.

DIARY AT A GLANCE

JULY Sun 27, 3pm Composing for Film Workshop

Sun 27, 8.30pm Vampyr (PG)

Mon 28, 8pm Wadjda (PG) + SHORT ‘The Shot’

Tue 29, 8pm Blackfish (15) + SHORT ‘The Long Journey Home’

Wed 30, 8pm Compliance (15) + SHORT ‘Under’

Thu 31, 7.30pm Blue is the Warmest Colour (18)

AUGUST Sat 2, 2.30pm Philomena (12A)

Sat 2, 7.30pm The Great Beauty (15)

SEPTEMBER Mon 8, 8pm Frances Ha (15) + SHORT ‘Anja and Vivien’

Tue 9, 2.30pm Nebraska (15)

Tue 9, 8pm The Ballad of Narayama (15)

Wed 10, 8pm Muscle Shoals (PG) + SHORT ‘Tea for Two’

Thu 11, 2.30pm Her (U)

Thu 11, 8pm The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (U)

Mon 15, 8pm FILM TBA

Tue 16, 2.30pm Robot & Frank (12)

Tue 16, 8pm Gloria (15) + SHORT ‘Metro 7 Bis’

Wed 17, 8pm The Missing Picture (12A) + SHORT ‘The Garden’

Thu 18, 2.30pm The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (U)

Thu 18, 8pm Nebraska (15)

Documents

Electric Film Festival 2014 Brochure