INDEPENDENT NEWS

Lights, camera, action… for VIVA LA VIDA

Published: Wed 29 Mar 2000 05:12 PM
Lights, camera, action… for VIVA LA VIDA
Film events, 6 April - 22 April, 2000
City Gallery Wellington is marking the final month of VIVA LA VIDA with a series of events that will appeal to film buffs and the general public alike.
 Image Sound Politics: Sunday 9 April, 3pm
Acclaimed film-maker Annie Goldson (Punitive Damage, Seeing Red) talks about the parallels between Diego Rivera and Palmerston North ‘communist’ Cecil Holmes.
“They were both big men, controversial in their lifetimes, who worked around about the same period,” says Goldson.
“They seem to negotiate a similar and complex path: attempting to reconcile their deep commitment to Communism with their artistic vision.”
Holmes returned to New Zealand after World War II with similar visions of rebuilding his homeland to Rivera, who had returned to a Mexico shattered by the Civil War.
Working for the National Film Unit in Wellington, Holmes was black-listed as a Communist in the ‘satchel snatch’ scandal of 1948 and left for Australia.
Using archive footage, Goldson will reflect on the art of the two men and the context within which they worked.
Annie Goldson is currently an Associate Professor at the Centre for Film, Television and Media Studies at the University of Auckland.
Her first feature documentary, the award-winning Punitive Damage, has been shown in festivals around the world. Free event.
* QUE VIVA MEXICO! : Thursday 6 April, 8pm
This is a rare opportunity to see one of the great ‘lost’ films of world cinema, directed by Sergei Eisenstein.
The Russian director’s planned Mexican epic never eventuated but the legacy of his visit to the country is this mesmerising film.
Introduced by Jonathan Dennis, National Radio’s film critic, this film is presented by The New Zealand Film Archive in association with City Gallery Wellington.
Tickets $7.50. Doorsales only, Gallery Cinema.
[There is some Russian narration which will not be translated. Explanatory notes will be available].
* FRIDA: NATURALEZA: Tues 11, Fri 14, Sat 15, Tues 18, Fri 21, Sat 22 April, 2pm. This impressionistic film of the life of Frida Kahlo is directed by Mexican-born Paul Leduc.
Kahlo’s life story is told in surreal deathbed flashbacks resembling her haunting paintings.
“The dreamy, montage format of this movie is hypnotic,
giving you tastes and smells rather than narration,” wrote one critic.
Kahlo is played by the striking Ofelia Medina. Free event.
Other events in April:
* Sun 2 April, 3pm
Woman, Nature, Culture & Nation in the work of Frida Kahlo
Gallery talk by Pamela Gerrish Nunn. Free.
* Wed 5 April, 12pm
Gallery talk by photographer Peter Bush Free with admission.
* Fri 7; Mon 10; Sun 23 April, 3-5pm
Guided tours by His Excellency Mr Jorge Alvarez, Ambassador to Mexico.
* Sat 8 April, 3pm
Artiface & Authenticity: Albert Wendt in Conversation. Free.
* Sun 16 April, 3pm
Up Close & Personal: The Intimate Artist
Panel Discussion with Elizabeth Knox, Fiona Pardington, Seraphine Pick, chaired by Kate De Goldi. Free.
* Fri 28 Apr & Sat 29 Apr, 8pm
Here I Paint Myself Solo show by Jillian Tipene
Tickets $15 & $12.
Doorsales only.
VIVA LA VIDA has been brought to New Zealand through the generous sponsorship of :
Telecom New Zealand; Ernst & Young, and Russell McVeagh.
City Gallery Wellington acknowledges the generous support of:
The Vergel Foundation, New York
Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Conaculta).
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA)
Embassy of Mexico
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
New Zealand Embassy in Mexico
Totally Wellington
The Dominion
The Evening Post
The Chartwell Trust
VIVA LA VIDA is a New Zealand Festival 2000 event.

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