What to see at the Cinedelphia Film Festival
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Daring premieres, double features and performances.
4.11 | Triple Fisher
$10, 10 p.m
In 1993, Amy Fisher’s notorious story of fatal attraction broadcast on three major television networks as separate made-for-TV movies, a first in the industry’s history. Shortly after watching the movies, director Dan Kapelovitz conceived of a metadrama mash-up, which would put the three Long Island Lolitas — Drew Barrymore, Alyssa Milano and Noelle Parker — on the same screen, but the required editing technology didn’t exist then. Now, over 20 years later, Kapelovitz’s singular vision makes its Philadelphia premiere. Known for his work on Threee Geniuses, an L.A.-based public-access TV show with a cult following (think rapid cuts and colors so bright they sometimes exceeded FCC standards), Kapelovitz wove together the three films, each of which is told from a different perspective, to reach some approximation of the truth.
4.12 | The Thief and the Cobbler double feature
$12, 3:30 p.m.
Canadian animator Richard Williams won a pair of Oscars for Who Framed Roger Rabbit and another one for A Christmas Carol. After these feats, Warner Bros. agreed to back him ambitious Arabian nights epic The Thief and the Cobbler, as long as he met a strict deadline. Being the perfectionist that he was, he was nowhere near finished when the date arrived, and the film was quickly completed and released without much fanfare. The documentary Persistence of Vision shows how potentially the greatest animated film was never made, compiling rare archival footage and interviews with animators. The closest we can get to Williams’ original vision is The Thief and the Cobbler: Recobbled Cut, for which Garrett Gilchrist spent seven years gathering material and recreating the boundary-pushing vision — even if it still isn’t finished.
4.16 | Joe Sarno double feature
$10, 7:30 p.m.
Called the “Ingmar Bergman of 42nd Street,” the late Joe Sarno made dirty movies that were artful and brainy. From the 1960s onward, the sexploitation pioneer made over 75 films, many of which are told from a female perspective or depict complex psychosexual anxiety. When the hardcore-era hit, Sarno began making more explicit films -— none under his own name — until he stopped working. A recent documentary, The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies, portrays his late-in-life attempt to make one more film with his longtime wife, Peggy Steffans Sarno, a collaborator and sometimes lead actress. Sin in the Suburbs (1964), a black-and-white wife-swapping film that kick-started his career, screens along with the doc.
4.18 | Mondo Mausoleum party
$10, 8 p.m.
If you find yourself at the filming for the latest episode of PhilaMOCA’s public-access variety show, Mondo Mausoleum, you might need to be pinched to know you’re not dreaming. That’s because two of the most far-out musicians to visit our city will grace the same stage. Jan Terri, a Chicago-based viral video legend and underground music icon who has played at Marilyn Manson’s parties, performs for the first time ever in Philadelphia, and we’re really hoping she sings her holiday-themed tunes, “Get Down Goblin” and “Rock and Roll Santa.” Then there’s the bespectacled singer-songwriter Mary Ocher, whose experimental, minimalistically catchy songs can really get under your skin. Ensuring the seams don’t tear on this wild evening are guest hosts/’80s public-access icons Scott and Gary, making their return to the airwaves nearly 25 years after their departure.
4.22 | The Shining projected forwards and backwards
$10, 8 p.m.
The 2012 documentary Room 237 let Kubrick obsessives spout their theories about The Shining’s secret meanings. Among talk of the Native American genocide and the faked moon landing, online essayist mstrmnd suggested the film was designed to be watched forwards and backwards at the same time. At this experimental screening, see how the juxtaposed shots often align in stunning ways (like when Danny covers his face as Nicholson stares at him maniacally) and brace yourself for the endless interpretations. Post-punk locals Psychic Teens perform a live score to accompany the projection.
4.24 | Trick Baby
$10, 8 p.m.
Based on the novel by notorious Chicago pimp-turned-author Iceberg Slim, this 1972 blaxpoitation classic tells the story of “White Folks” (Kiel Martin), the son of a black prostitute and her john — that’s why he’s teasingly called “Trick Baby” — who passes for white. Shot in Philly as a 16 mm print (even though the book was set in Chicago), “White Folks” teams up with an older, more seasoned hustler, “Blue” Howard (Mel Stewart). But when the con of a lifetime fails to go as planned, they end up running from both the police and the Mafia.
4.25 | twohundredfiftysixcolors
$10, 8 p.m.
American Institute of Graphic Arts-Philly opened their animated GIF exhibit April 1; now a feature-length film, twohundredfiftysixcolors, details the evolution of these endlessly-looping animations is making its Philly premiere. Granted, the file format has come a long way since it was introduced in 1987 — although it’s still composed of 256 colors — and two Chicago filmmakers attempt to trace its growing complexity (and respectability) in 97 minutes solely with 3,000 animated GIFs, some by strangers. It’s a brave experiment, considering there’s no audio or plot to speak of. Co-director Eric Fleischauer will be in attendance.
The Cinedelphia Film Festival runs April 10-26 at PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St. For the complete schedule, go to cinedelphiafilmfestival.com.
