Screenings and discussions to take place at the Tivoli
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Department of Communications Studies is turning the lens on movie making.
The department will kick off a ten-film series called “Movies About Making Movies” this September. The collection of feature and documentary films will showcase the challenges, triumphs, and failures behind the scenes of filmmaking.
The series begins at 7 p.m. Sept. 12, and will continue sporadically through early April at the Tivoli Cinemas, 4050 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $5 per show, but the series is free to UMKC students, faculty and staff.
The film series is made possible through a grant from the Missouri Arts Council.
The collection is designed to give audiences an insider’s look at the filmmaking process. Five of the films are narrative features about fictional film productions, and five are documentaries about actual film productions. While all are about the art and process of filmmaking, the films are diverse in historical period, country of production, style, and budget.
Guest speakers, primarily from the Film and Media Arts program within UMKC’s Communications Studies Department, will introduce the films and facilitate discussions after the screenings.
“This series is just one way that the Film and Media Arts program is enriching the student experience and giving the wider Kansas City community access to important, but relatively unknown films. We hope to give our audiences an even greater appreciation for the art of filmmaking,” Lyn Elliot, associate professor of communications studies, said.
The film series schedule is as follows:
Sept. 12
“Day for Night” (Francois Truffaut, 1973)
Speaker: Tom Poe, associate professor, Film and Media Arts, UMKC
A noted film of the French New Wave, about a harried director and the crises that he must manage in order to shoot his film.
Sept. 26
“American Movie” (Chris Smith, 1999)
Speaker: Sarah Price, co-producer, American Movie
A documentary about Milwaukee filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he struggles to make his first feature film. He has enthusiasm and determination, but little else.
Oct. 3
“Beware of a Holy Whore” (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1971)
Speaker: Larson Powell, associate professor, German, UMKC
A noted film of the New German Cinema, about a German film crew stuck in Spain, waiting for money to come through for the production.
Oct. 17
“Lost in LaMancha” (Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, 2002)
Speaker: Caitlin Horsmon, associate professor, Film and Media Arts, UMKC
A documentary about British director Terry Gilliam’s failed attempt to film an adaptation of Don Quixote.
Nov. 7
“Living in Oblivion” (Tom DiCillo, 1995)
Speaker: Tom Poe, associate professor, Film and Media Arts, UMKC
A comedy about the director of a low-budget American independent film, and the clash between his artistic ideals and the reality of low-budget production.
The spring film schedule will be released later this fall.
About the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City, one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, and celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2013. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.
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