The Lone Star Film Society (LSFS), in partnership with the Modern Art Museum and Kimbell Art Museum, is pleased to announce the launch of ArthouseFW. The inaugural spring season will begin on January 31, 2014 with a screening of John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
The screening, which will feature a high definition digital print of the film, will take place as part of the Cinemuse Series, celebrating the collaborations of director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell. Cinemuse is one of four series within the ArthouseFW initiative. The screening is also a part of Lone Star Late Night at The Modern, during which The Modern bar will stay open until 10:00 PM so audiences can grab a drink before the film rolls.
The other three series in the ArthouseFW program include the Auteur Series, which features the work of Luis Buñuel; the Samurai Series, including major selections from the classic Samurai genre to complement the Kimbell’s armor exhibition; and Silent Sundays, featuring major works from the silent era with live musical accompaniment. Screenings at the Kimbell will take place in the auditorium of the celebrated new Renzo Piano Pavilion.
In addition to the repertory programming, the LSFS will continue to present advance screenings of highly anticipated new releases each month. In 2013, advance screenings included SIDE EFFECTS, AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and more. These films will be scheduled and announced approximately one month before they screen and are presented free of charge.
“As a compliment to the existing art house programming presented through Magnolia at the Modern, during Christopher Kelly’s festival, the screenings at the Kimbell and our own Lone Star Film Festival, we want to provide the area with a repertory program comparable to other major cultural centers like San Francisco and Austin,” said Lone Star Film Society Director Alec Jhangiani.
“When combined with our existing year round offerings, there’s a rich combination of highbrow and lowbrow, avant-garde and mainstream, new and old, for both adults and children,” he said.
“The goal is to facilitate a conversation and a community around cinema. The museums, which have done such a fantastic job of doing just that around the art that they exhibit, are the perfect partners.”
By offering audiences consistent opportunities to experience a curated film program that contextualizes highly anticipated new releases within the rich tradition of the art form, the LSFS and its partners hope to build a lasting foundation for the film culture movement that has recently gained momentum in North Texas. LSFS organizers believe strongly that a diverse and high quality cinematic offering is a critical factor in Fort Worth’s development as a cosmopolitan community.
Individual screening tickets will be $7 for the general public and $5 for members of the Lone Star Film Society or the museum at which the respective screening is held. Currently enrolled students with a valid I.D. will be admitted free of charge (Cinemuse screenings are free only to college students and above).
Attendees can also purchase an annual pass that will provide admittance to all screenings for the spring season and beyond for $75. The Lone Star Film Society also offers a variety of membership plans that include the ArthouseFW Annual Pass.
Tickets, passes and memberships are now on sale at lonestarfilmsociety.com and will be available at the door beginning one hour before show time.
Full ArthouseFW program schedule and the series descriptions below:
SCREENING SCHEDULE:
Jan. 31 ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
(Carpenter, 1981) Cinemuse Series
10:00 PM @ The Modern
In a future world where Manhattan has become a giant maximum-security prison controlled by its inmates, only one man has the brawn to save the president after a crash landing on the island. His name is Snake Plissken. The beginning of a series of collaborations between John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is a sci-fi action adventure that continues to influence pop culture today.
Feb. 7 SEVEN SAMURAI
(Kurosawa, 1954) Samurai Series
6:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
An essential epic from one of the world’s greatest directors, SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) follows a band of warriors hired to protect a small village from armed outlaws. Starring Toshiro Mifune and directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, SEVEN SAMURAI depicts a valiant struggle for courage and victory.
Feb. 16 SUNRISE
(Marnau, 1927) Silent Sundays
2:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
One of the most essential surviving films from the silent era, SUNRISE (1927) is F.W. Murnau’s cinematic masterpiece. Detailing the moral dilemmas that arise when a lascivious woman from the city dishevels the life of a farmer and his family, SUNRISE is a never-before-seen tale of twisted passion. It received the Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production in 1929.
Local, renowned pianist and composer, Robert Edwards, will play a live accompaniment of his own original score, over the silent film SUNRISE, which will screen in the auditorium of the Kimbell Art Museum's celebrated Renzo Piano Pavilion on Feb 16.
Feb. 22 L'AGE D'OR
(Buñuel, 1930) Auteur Series
2:00 PM @ The Modern
Buñuel’s first full-length film highlights the beginnings of cinematic surrealism, created in collaboration with another iconic surrealist; Salvador Dali. This critical vision of society in the early 20th century was banned for its progressive artistry and not-so-subtle innuendo.
Feb. 28 THE THING
(Carpenter, 1982) Cinemuse Series
10:00 PM @ The Modern
An American research team in the Antarctic learns to fight more than boredom when a mysterious entity begins killing researchers and assuming their identity. John Carpenter’s pinnacle horror film THE THING stars Kurt Russell as the helicopter pilot R.J. Macready. This intense, paranoiac thriller will make you wonder why we ever went with CGI.
Mar. 7 HARAKIRI
(Kobayashi, 1962) Samurai Series
6:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai), an aging, masterless samurai, enters a local lord’s home to virtuously end his life, when a revelation by the lord’s counsel unearths a new way for Hanshiro to regain his honor. Directed by the inimitable Masaki Kobayashi, HARAKIRI (1962) is a deep look into the life of a wayward samurai.
Mar. 16 WAY DOWN EAST
(Griffith, 1920) Silent Sundays
2:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
D.W. Griffith’s pioneering cinematic vision and technique culminated in WAY DOWN EAST (1920), in which country girl Anna (Lillian Gish) struggles to rebuild her life after the rich and dishonorable Lennox (Lowell Sherman) destroys her cherished innocence. Risking actual life and limb for the production, the cast and crew deliver a film created through irrepressible ambition.
Mar. 22 BELLE DE JOUR
(Buñuel, 1967) Auteur Series
2:00 PM @ The Modern
Building on his extensive filmography beginning with L’AGE D’OR, Bunuel redefined surrealism for a new generation with the 1967 erotic classic BELLE DE JOUR. Starring the beautiful Catherine Deneuve as a married aristocrat moonlighting as a prostitute, Bunuel’s vision delves into the mind of a bored and lustful woman whose bleak façade is in complete contrast to her lustful actions.
Mar. 28 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA
(Carpenter, 1986) Cinemuse Series
10:00 PM @ The Modern
A truck driver (Kurt Russell) falls into the role of the hero when an ancient mystical force kidnaps his friend’s fiancé. One of John Carpenter’s rare forays into comedy, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is a hilarious and exciting excursion through Chinatown as the ancient sorecerer Lo Pan attempts to return to power.
Apr. 4 THE LIFE OF OHARU
(Mizoguchi, 1952) Samurai Series
6:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
THE LIFE OF OHARU (1952) is the morose story of a woman’s fall from grace. Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka), the daughter of a samurai, relives the sorrows and humiliation brought on by her exile from the upper class. A tale of dishonor and defeat, Kenji Mizoguchi’s film explores Japanese society from a compassionate female perspective.
Apr. 11 ESCAPE FROM L.A.
(Carpenter, 1996) Cinemuse Series
10:00 PM @ The Modern
Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) returns once again to take on Los Angeles, which has become another maximum-security prison populated by violent inmates run amok. Snake must find a nuclear weapon before time runs out. A film that may have never happened if it weren’t for Kurt Russell’s desire to work with John Carpenter again and reprise his role as Snake, ESCAPE FROM L.A. gave us some of the most fun and exciting scenes ever filmed.
Apr. 20 STRIKE
(Eisenstein, 1925) Silent Sundays
2:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
Chronicling the violent suppression of a mutiny, STRIKE (1925) marks the celebrated Russian director Sergei Eisenstein’s first full-length film. His innovative editing perfected the use of montage as a unique alternative to traditional narrative structures and emphasized a collectivist approach to filmmaking.
Apr. 26 THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE
(Buñuel, 1972) Auteur Series
2:00 PM @ The Modern
Buñuel’s delicate satire of the upper class, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, follows a group of wealthy individuals who just want to have a meal together. The film won the 1972 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and highlights Buñuel’s comedic tendencies.
May 2 RAN
(Kurosawa, 1985) Samurai Series
6:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
The colorful reimagining of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, RAN earned Akira Kurosawa an Academy Award nomination for Best Director in 1985. This ambitious feature had the highest production cost of any Japanese film of its time and is Kurosawa’s final epic masterpiece.
May 18 WINGS
(Wellman, 1927) Silent Sundays
2:00 PM @ The Kimbell—Piano Auditorium
The winner of the first ever Academy Award for Best Picture, WINGS (1927) tells the story of two World War I airmen who seek the love of the same woman. Filmed in Texas, this action-packed film features some of the most daring air battles in filmmaking history and exhibits the absolute talent of the early cinematic master William A. Wellman.
May 24 THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE
(Buñuel, 1977) Auteur Series
2:00 PM @ The Modern
In 1930, Buñuel arrived on the film scene with one of the most visually and philosophically exciting movies in existence. In 1977, Bunuel would leave the film world as he arrived in it, with a groundbreaking vision of upper class mistrust through the eyes of a surrealist. Using two actresses to play the lead, THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE shines a light on the pitfalls of desire and obsession.
ArthouseFW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS:
Cinemuse Series
Taking place during Lone Star Late Night at The Modern, the ArthouseFW – Cinemuse Series presents a pair of filmmakers whose artistic visions inspire each other’s creativity. The first program in this series will feature the celebrated director John Carpenter and his go to action hero, Kurt Russell. Together these filmmakers have created some of the most iconic films and characters from the 80s and 90s. The Modern bar will stay open until show time, allowing audiences to grab a drink or two before the film rolls. Join the Lone Star Film Society and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for a late night series that is sure to keep you awake.
Samurai Series
The ArthouseFW – Samurai Series presents select films that highlight the unique and poetic life of the Samurai. Each film explores a new perspective of life as a warrior, whether the battle is for life, love or upholding the strict expectations of society. The series will complement the Kimbell Art Museum’s exhibition Samurai: Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection in the brand new Renzo Piano Pavilion. This installment of ArthouseFW is presented by the Lone Star Film Society and the Kimbell Art Museum.
Silent Sundays
The ArthouseFW – Silent Sunday films present the visionaries of early cinema who pioneered film and narrative techniques, shifting movies from a simple means of entertainment to a serious artistic medium. Each film in this series will be presented with unique live musical accompaniment in the auditorium at the Kimbell Art Museum's Renzo Piano Pavilion. This installment of ArthouseFW is presented by the Lone Star Film Society and the Kimbell Art Museum.
Auteur Series
The first installment of the ArthouseFW – Auteur Series emphasizes the Spanish director Luis Buñuel’s surreal criticism of society throughout his career. The selections highlight Buñuel’s stylistic coherence that has defined him as one of the most accomplished auteurs in cinematic history. The series will play at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as part of an ongoing partnership with the Lone Star Film Society.
