Cinematheque introduces students to new culture

There are, of course, many avenues to learning, but let us introduce you to the reel one: Cinematheque, a coalition of academic departments and student film enthusiasts.

Cinematheque’s mission is to show films which otherwise probably never would reach Madison screens.

“It’s important to screen films which are relevant to different communities and can teach us all something new,” says James Kreul, a graduate student in the UW–Madison Department of Communication Arts. “We have a responsibility to bring in films that expose us to images and ideas we might not be familiar with. If we don’t screen these great films, no one else in town will!”

This fall, those films include six separate series that began in September and will continue into December.

Kreul and the Madison Film Forum are spearheading a festival of Andy Warhol’s experimental films made between 1963-68. Because of restrictions by the Warhol Foundation, many of these films have not been seen for 30 years. The roster includes such legendary if elusive titles as Kiss, The Velvet Underground and Nico, Bike Boy, The Chelsea Girls and more.

“Warhol’s films reflect many of the intersections and transitions in American art and culture during the 1960s,” Kreul says. “Some of the films play with the tension between high art and popular culture, and sexual identity and gender-as- performance. Warhol’s avant-garde films also noticeably and directly have influenced such independent filmmakers as Jim Jarmusch and John Waters.”

Although Cinematheque is coordinated by Communication Arts, Kreul and colleagues are collaborating with campus language departments and student groups to offer international films. For instance, films from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico will be shown and discussed the weekend of Oct. 9-11, mostly at 7:30 p.m. in 4070 Vilas Hall.

Ksenija Bilbija, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, says the six contemporary films will afford language students a chance to hone their skills. The presentations also offer a rare and authentic window on three cultures. She says the speakers will lend additional depth and insight to the series.

“The speakers are all critics and cinema theorists who will be talking about their national film scenes and placing the movies we will be showing into historical and theoretical context,” she says. Speakers will include Argentina’s Edgardo Oscar Chiban, Oct. 9; Brazil’s Suzana Schild, Oct. 10; and Mexico’s Carlos Bonfil, Oct. 11.

The Department of German will showcase “The Films of Peter Weiss,” three short films to be shown Nov. 6. In addition to making films, Weiss distinguished himself as a playwright, author and painter. In addition, the Wisconsin Union Directorate International Film Committee will join Cinematheque in presenting two Madison premieres: Underground from Serbia Oct. 18 and Cyclo from Vietnam Oct. 25. Beijing Underground opens Nov. 7 and will feature contemporary Chinese films made without government approval. Cinematheque’s fall semester began with films of the Taiwanese director Edward Yang; that series concludes Oct. 17.

The complete Cinematheque schedule is available at: http://www.wisc.edu/commarts/events/cinema.htm. All screenings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kreul at 263- 3998/madfilm@stdorg.wisc.edu.