Film festival brings exotic, acclaimed movies and their makers to Houstonians
Beginning Feb. 19 and continuing through Feb. 25, Ancestral Films Inc. will present the first Houston Pan-Cultural Film Festival consisting of 11 films by some of the world's most renowned film makers.
Founded in 1991 by Mohammed Kamara, Ancestral Films has named its mission "to create greater cultural interaction and social awareness through the medium of film." Like Ancestral Films, the festival is non-profit and was made possible through grants and assistance from numerous cultural and art institutions throughout Houston. Due to the difficulties of fundraising, the event is likely to be a bi-annual happening.
"Ancestral Films' purpose is to explore the cultural and social value of these films and how people relate to them," Kamara said.
Past examples of Ancestral Films' dedication to spreading the understanding of cultural diversity include their bringing such film makers as Gini Reticker and John Valdez to Houston in 1994. They participated in showings of their award-winning films and took part in open forums for discussion of the movies following each of the films.
Although a major goal of Ancestral Films is to present culturally diverse films, that is not its only purpose. Future projects of Ancestral Films include incorporating local interns (chosen from a pool of local applicants) in the production of films in Houston and establishing a film and video library for educational purposes.
Ancestral Films created the Houston Pan-Cultural Film Festival not only to give exposure to many award-winning film artists, but also to add a bit of spice to the run-of-the-mill commercial American movie scene. While often exciting, modern movie making usually consists of overused gimmicks or "eye-candy." They barely scratch the surface of the more meaningful questions of life.
Range of style and variance and depth of subject matter characterize this world-class showcase of films offered by the Houston Pan-Cultural Film Festival. The directors are present at these screenings so that they might field questions from the audience after the shows. "The discussions afterwards have been tremendous," Kamara said.
On Feb. 19, a showing of Guelwaar , directed by Ousmane Sembene of Senegal, opened the fest-
ival at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. It documents the controversial life and death of a political activist in West Africa.
"Opening night was well-rec eived by the Houston Community," Kamara said. "Many city dignitaries and representatives from Houston's cultural institutions were present, and they gave us their congratulations."
Other film offerings include In the Name of the Emperor , which played Tuesday night. Directed by Christine Choy, the film is an exposé of the brutal slaying of 300,000 Chinese in 1937 during the Japanese invasion.
In addition to this exhibition of movie talent, two informative workshops will be held at the Rice Media Center. Lindy Laub, an assistant professor of screenwriting, film production and history of documentary film at the University of Texas at Austin, undertook a thorough review of techniques on how to create an effective film or video in her workshop, titled "Script Development," on Feb. 23.
In "Shaking the Money Tree: How to Get Grants and Donations for Film and Video," Morrie Warshawski, an arts consultant and writer, will discuss both theoretical and specific strategies on how to obtain aid on Feb. 24.
Those interested should contact Ancestral Films at (713) 527-9548 as soon as possible as pre-registration is required and class sizes are limited.
If you have missed the film festival so far, it's not too late. Here is the schedule of films to follow (directors or producers will be pres- ent):
* Feb. 23, The Case of the Witch Who Wasn't (1990) , a part of Canadian producer Rock Demers' family film series, will show at the Children's Museum of Houston. This film follows the story of Florence, a girl who spends the summer with a pen pal and befriends an old woman feared to be a witch.
* Also on Friday, you can see Hoop Dreams (1994) at 7:30 p.m. at the MFA. Director Frederick Marx will be in attendence. Hoop Dreams follows two African-American teenage basketball prospects.
* Feb. 24, The Dog Who Stopped the War (1984), also directed by Demers, will be showing at 7:30 p.m. at the MFA. Look on as rival gangs of children play war games that become too serious.
* All My Good Countrymen , directed by Vojtech Jasny, shows at the MFA at 6:30 p.m. Note that this film won the award for Best Director at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. This Czechoslovakian film, about a village after war, was banned from public showings until the Iron Curtain parted.
* At 9 p.m. at the MFA see Why Havel? (1991), a documentary about Czechoslovakian playwright Vaclav Havel, also directed by Jasny.
* Feb. 25, the closing day of the festival, brings Hyenas , directed by Djibril Drop Mambety, to the Rice Media Center at 11 a.m. Hyenas explores the evil that money can brings about: In this movie, the world's wealthiest woman returns to her native village and offers a monetary award for the death of her former lover.
* Tamango , directed by John Berry, plays at the Rice Media Center at 7 p.m. Tamango was restricted from public screening in the United States and in France because it was "too suggestive."
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the February 23, 1996 issue.
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