Arts & Entertainment

Bryn Mawr Film Institute: December 2011 at a Glance

Find out what's happening at BMFI this month.

kicks off December with two events: one about video art and the other about film restoration. The Nutcracker, performed by the Bolshoi ballet in Moscow, will be broadcast, as well as La Scala's opening day performance of Don Giovanni in Milan. The kids matinee series will feature family-friendly holiday classics. We checked in with Public Relations Coordinator Devin Wachs to see what's on December's schedule.

Video Art Exhibit Opening (5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1)

Peter Rose, an acclaimed experimental filmmaker who is on faculty at University of the Arts, is going to be leading a discussion about the role of video art in public places. The event is free to all, and offers a chance for people to meet other filmmakers as well as Rose and other University of the Arts faculty and students.

Find out what's happening in Bryn Mawr-Gladwynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Art of Film Restoration: Close Up with Robert A. Harris (6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1)

Film preservationist Robert A. Harris will be hosting a dinner (beginning at 6 p.m.) and lecture (beginning at 7:30 p.m.) at BMFI about his background in Hollywood as a producer and as a film restoration expert, as well as address film vs. digital. A storyteller by nature, Harris’s talk should prove fascinating. Harris has worked on restoring films such as the Godfather trilogy, Lawrence of Arabia and My Fair Lady. The dinner is $100 general admission, $90 for BMFI members and includes admission to the lecture. The lecture alone is free for students, $20 general admission and $18 for BMFI members.

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White Christmas (11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3)

BMFI’s Saturday kids matinees in December are holiday-themed, with $5 adult admission and $4 tickets for kids. The films are all live-action, and White Christmas is a musical starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, featuring songs of Irving Berlin. This film will be shown from a 35mm print.

Talk Cinema (10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4; 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18)

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. 

Open Screen Monday (9:15 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5)

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.

Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6)

This film is the second in a series of two “green-on-screen” events, which showcases documentaries. This documentary is about the bee colony collapse disorder and the broader relationship between mankind and nature. There will be a Skype Q&A with director Taggart Siegel following the screening of the documentary.

Don Giovanni (7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7)

This opera is being simulcast on La Scala’s opening day with a live delay from Milan. Don Giovanni is Mozart’s classic opera about a womanizing nobleman. La Scala’s opening night is the cultural event of the year in Europe and has been broadcast at BMFI for the past couple of years.

A Christmas Story (11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10)

The second of BMFI’s Saturday kids matinees, A Christmas Story is a classic about a young Indiana boy who wants an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle (with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time). 

Berliner Philharmoniker: Gala from Berlin (2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12)

The Berliner Philharmoniker will be broadcasting a past performance of theirs, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and featuring pianist Lang Lang. They will be playing pieces from Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

Red Desert (7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13)

This Italian film is being screened in conjunction with the Film Education Spotlight Film series and the Michelangelo Antonioni: Landscapes of the Soul course. The film, a classic set in post-World War II Italy is a drama and will be shown from a brand new 35mm print.

Miracle on 34th Street (11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17)

This 1947 Christmas movie is about a man who claims to be the real Santa Claus and finds himself in trouble, facing institutionalization before a young lawyer saves the day.

The Nutcracker (11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18)

The Nutcracker ballet is being broadcast from the Bolshoi Theatre for the second year at BMFI. With music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and choreography by Yuri Grigorovich, the ballet tells the story of Marie and the Nutcracker Prince. General admission is $20, admission is $18 for BMFI members and $10 for students.

The Sound of Music Sing-along (7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21)

After this family-friendly event sold out the first three years, BMFI is showing The Sound of Music as a sing-along once again. Costume wearers (encouraged) get free popcorn, and words appear on the screen during the musical numbers.


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