MIAC Announces ‘Movies at Mercyhurst’
The Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture is pleased to announce the Fall 2013 installment of Movies at Mercyhurst, a diverse lineup of screenings and events showcasing the great films of past and present.
All films this season will be shown at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoons in Taylor Little Theatre at Mercyhurst University. Movies at Mercyhurst is comprised of the following three series:
The Maria J. Langer Film Series, curated in collaboration with Mercyhurst University academic departments, features an array of critically acclaimed independent world movies and documentaries that inspire reflection and conversation with the greater Erie community.
The On Screen/In Person Series will bring six independent filmmakers to campus, followed by Q-and-A sessions that give the audience an opportunity to learn more about the passion and creativity behind the filmmaking process.
The Classic Film Series is a great way to see an encore of the films you love on the big screen, shown this year in celebration of their milestone anniversaries. The audience will be taken back in time as selections will be accompanied by clips and cartoons from the film’s original premiere date.
Ticket prices for the Langer and On Screen/In Person Series are $6 for adults; $5 for students/seniors; and $1 for Mercyhurst students (with ID). Classic Film Series tickets are $1 for everyone.
The Fall 2013 lineup is included below. All titles subject to change. For more information, call 814-824-3000 or visit miac.mercyhurst.edu.
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Langer Film Series: The Kings of Summer
Sunday, Sept. 8, 2 p.m.
Premiering to rave reviews at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, The Kings Of Summer is a unique coming-of-age comedy about three teenage friends who, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Free from their parents’ rules, their idyllic summer quickly becomes a test of friendship as each boy learns to appreciate the fact that family – whether it is the one you’re born into or the one you create – is something you can’t run away from.
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On Screen In Person Series: Shored Up
Sunday, Sept. 15, 2 p.m.
Our beaches and coastline are a national treasure, a shared resource, a beacon of sanity in a world of constant change… and they’re disappearing in front of us. Shored Up is a documentary that asks tough questions about our coastal communities and our relationship to the land. What will a rising sea do to our homes, our businesses, and the survival of our communities? Can we afford to pile enough sand on our shores to keep the ocean at bay? In Long Beach Island, New Jersey and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surfers, politicians, scientists and residents are racing to answer these questions. Beach engineering has been our only approach so far, but is there something else out there to be explored? Our development of the coastlines put us in a tough predicament, and it’s time to start looking for solutions.
The filmmaker, along with experts on sustainability and coastal erosion, will host a discussion following the film. The On Screen/In Person Series is made possible by the support of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
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Langer Film Series: The Attack
Sunday, Sept. 22, 2 p.m.
Amin Jaafari is an Israeli Palestinian surgeon, fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. He has a loving wife, an exemplary career and many Jewish friends. But his picture-perfect life is turned upside down after a suicide bombing in a restaurant leaves 19 dead, and the Israeli police inform him that his wife, Sihem, who also died in the explosion, was responsible. Convinced of her innocence, Amin abandons the relative security of his adopted homeland and enters the Palestinian territories in pursuit of the truth. Once there, he finds himself in ever more dangerous places and situations. Determined, he presses on seeking answers to questions he never thought he would be asking.
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Langer Film Series: Behind the Candelabra
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m.
Before Elvis, before Elton John, Madonna and Lady Gaga, there was Liberace: Virtuoso pianist, outrageous entertainer and flamboyant star of stage and television. A name synonymous with showmanship, extravagance and candelabras, he was a world-renowned performer with a flair that endeared him to his audiences and created a loyal fan base spanning his 40-year career. Liberace lived lavishly and embraced a lifestyle of excess both on and off stage. In summer 1977, handsome young stranger Scott Thorson walked into his dressing room and, despite their age difference and seemingly different worlds, the two embarked on a secretive five-year love affair. Behind the Candelabra, starring Academy Award winners Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, takes a behind-the-scenes look at their tempestuous relationship – from their first meeting backstage at the Las Vegas Hilton to their bitter and public breakup.
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On Screen/In Person Series: Furever
Sunday, Oct. 13, 2 p.m.
Furever is a feature-length documentary that explores the dimensions of grief people experience over the loss of a pet. It examines the sociological evolution of pets in the U.S. today, particularly their position in a family unit, and how this evolution is affecting those in the veterinary profession and death care industry. The film includes interviews from grieving pet owners, veterinarians, psychologists, sociologists, religious scholars and neuroscientists. Learn about the many professionals who preserve a pet’s body for their devastated clientele, or re-purpose a pet’s remains in unique ways, including taxidermy, cloning, mummification, freeze-drying and more.
The filmmaker, along with experts in grief counseling, will be present for a Q&A following the screening. Please join us in collecting supplies to benefit Erie’s only no-kill animal shelter, The Anna Shelter. Bring blankets, food and toys for collection, and help an animal in need. The On Screen/In Person Series is made possible by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
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Classic Film Series: Blazing Saddles
Sunday, Nov. 3, 2 p.m.
Occasionally scandalous in its humor, this hilarious bad-taste spoof of Westerns features Cleavon Little as the first black sheriff of a stunned town scheduled for demolition by an encroaching railroad. Writer and director Mel Brooks gives a burlesque spin to a classic Hollywood movie genre. Considered one of the must-see movies of the 70s, Blazing Saddles includes many scenes that are imprinted in comic history and have stood the test of time.
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Langer Film Series: Fruitvale Station
Sunday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m.
Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, director Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station follows the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of Dec. 31, 2008, and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his New Year’s resolutions: Being a better son to his mother, whose birthday falls on New Year’s Eve; being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina, who he hasn’t been completely honest with of late; and being a better father to Tatiana, their beautiful 4-year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that changes are not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year’s Day. Oscar’s life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area – and the entire nation – to its very core.
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On Screen/In Person Film Series: Mr. Cao Goes to Washington
Sunday Nov. 17, 2 p.m.
Mr. Cao Goes to Washington is an engaging portrait of a complex individual navigating the fascinating, high-stakes world of electoral politics – New Orleans style. What happens when the naiveté of a political rookie clashes with the realities of racial politics of the American South and ultra-partisan struggles in Washington, D.C.? Follow the unexpected journey of Rep. Joseph Cao – the first Vietnamese American elected to the U.S. Congress, the only non-white House Republican of the 111th Congress, and the only Republican to vote for President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill.
The filmmaker will be present for a Q&A following the film. The On Screen/In Person Series is made possible by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
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Classic Film Series: The Birds
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2 p.m.
In this iconic Hitchcock tale, a wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness.
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Langer Film Series: The Sapphires
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m.
Inspired by a true story, The Sapphires follows four vivacious, young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all-girl group, The Sapphires, entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. Cynthia, Gail, Julie and Kay are discovered by Dave, a good-humored talent scout with a kind heart, very little rhythm and a great knowledge of soul music. As their manager, Dave books the sisters their first true gig giving them their first taste of stardom, and travels with them to Vietnam to sing for the American troops.
