Bryn Mawr Film Institute: January 2012 at a Glance

This month at the  will include several film screenings, including the introduction of a "Late Night" film series and the next installment of the "Film History Discussion Series: 1945 to Present." January also brings a "Furry Friends" kids' matinee film series sponsored by Main Line Animal Rescue.

BMFI's Public Relations Manager Devin Wachs tells us what to expect: 

Charlotte's Web (11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7)

This month's kids' matinee series features "furry friend films" about animals and people who love them. January's series kicks off with the 2006 live-action version of Charlotte's Web, about a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with the spider that lives above his pen. The series is sponsored by Main Line Animal Rescue, and this particular screening includes a craft activity sponsored by the Arden Theatre Company.

Collaborators (1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8)

Set in 1938 Moscow, Collaborators is about a writer who is given the task of writing a play about Stalin to celebrate Stalin's 60th birthday. The production, which is being broadcast from The National Theatre in London, is directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars Alex Jennings and Simon Russell Beale.

Open Screen Monday (9:15 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9)

Open Screen Monday is a monthly free event during which any aspiring filmmakers can submit films, up to 10 minutes long, in DVD or VHS format. Other community members can also attend for free. Typically the first Monday of the month, it was postponed this month because of the New Year's holiday. This month's event also includes the premiere of a film shot in Malvern.

Boogie Nights (7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11)

This one-night-only screening of this 1997 film, which stars Mark Wahlberg, Heather Graham, Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore, takes a look at the pornography industry of the 1970s and 1980s. This movie is being shown in conjunction with the film course "Paul Thomas Anderson: Cinematic Cypher," and will be introduced by BMFI manager Alexis Mayer.

The Three Lives of Thomasina (11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14)

This Disney classic, a part of the furry friends kids' matinees, is about a cat (Thomasina) that's brought back to life by a woman local kids believe to be a witch. The cat's owner, a young girl, originally had blamed her veterinarian father for not being able to save the cat.

Talk Cinema (10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15)

Film industry expert Harlan Jacobsen selects and screens up-and-coming movies before their theatrical release. The films are always a surprise and are followed with a discussion led by local film critics and scholars.

Paul Thomas Anderson: Cinematic Cypher (6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1; 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8)

This film course will run four Wednesdays and will be taught by Paul Wright, Ph.D., who teaches in the English department at Cabrini College. Paul Thomas Anderson has directed a number of films, including Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love. The course will look at his films and at his different characters who personify the American loner and reject their pasts. The course will also observe the many facets of his cinema, his characters and how themes emerge in his work.

The Room (11:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20)

Kicking off BMFI's "The Late Night" series will be Tommy Wiseau's modern cult classic The Room, which Wachs described as a "mixture of a soap opera and the Jerry Springer Show... It's really fun because it's so bad." The movie is about an overly melodramatic love triangle, complete with weird plot segues. The screening includes audience participation rituals, such as throwing plastic spoons toward the screen. This is the first of five films in the series, which BMFI hopes to continue in the future. BMFI is also taking audience suggestions for films to be screened. Those suggestions (and reasoning why it should be shown), should be sent to vtemple@brynmawrfilm.org.

The Secret of NIMH (11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21)

Based on a children's novel by Robert O'Brien, The Secret of NIMH follows a field mouse who is trying to move her family to safety before plowing season begins. This is the third installment in the "furry friends" kids' matinee series.

Leonardo Live (11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21)

This is an exclusive glimpse into the United Kingdom's National Gallery exhibition that includes the largest number of Leonardo da Vinci's surviving paintings ever in one collection. The gallery opening will be broadcast and will include art historians, BBC broadcasters and other notable figures. Prices will be the same as for other concerts, opera and theatre broadcasts: $20 for the general public, $18 for BMFI members and $10 for students.

Cendrillon (1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22; 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24)

This opera of Cinderella is being broadcast from the Royal Opera House in London. Some interesting fairy tale elements have been incorporated into the set design and decorations, and the production stars mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as Cendrillon and Alice Coote as Prince Charming.

Film History Discussion Series: 1945 to Present (Noon to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23; Runs noon to 3 p.m. for 11 Mondays, excluding Feb. 20 and March 26)

This course, taught by BMFI's Director of Education Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D., examines post-World War II films. The series, which is conducted twice annually, has gained a following and goes in chronological order. Though it includes some American films, many movies are from different places around the world. The movies for January are The Fallen Idol (UK, 1948) and Rififi (France, 1954).

National Velvet (11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28)

This classic is about a girl (a young Elizabeth Taylor) who is determined to win a prestigious horserace in England with a horse she won in a lottery. A former jockey (a young Mickey Rooney) helps her train her horse. This is the final film in January's "furry friends" kids' matinee series.

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance (1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28)

This film screening is followed by a live simulcast of a Q&A panel with talent from the Joffrey Ballet, and people will be able to submit questions in real time through Twitter. The Joffrey Ballet is a groundbreaking group known as the first truly American dance company.

Europa Konzert from Napoli (1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29)

This concert is performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The performance will feature mezzo-soprano Violeta Urmana and will be conducted by Riccardo Muti.

A Trip Through Strawberry Fields: Deconstructing the Beatles (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31)

Beatles expert Scott Freiman will be on hand to discuss the production of three classic Beatles songs: "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane" and "A Day in the Life." Using a multimedia presentation that includes rare audio and video clips, Freiman will dissect these three masterpieces and their lasting influence.