Last updated: September 1, 2003
Copyright 1998-2003 Michael R. Colford.
All rights reserved

BRATTLE THEATRE AND CHLOTRUDIS PRESENT 9TH SEMESTER OF SUNDAY ‘EYE-OPENER’ FILM SERIES

The CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM (CSIF), in conjunction with the BRATTLE FILM FOUNDATION, begins its latest semester of The Sunday Eye-Opener at 11am Sunday, September 28th at the historic art-house theatre in the heart of Cambridge’s Harvard Square.

As well as the latest independent releases coming to town, the Sunday Eye-Opener features cutting-edge films that are seeking distribution, classic re-releases, and the work of local filmmakers. Previous semesters’ highlights include HARD CANDY with Ellen Page, THE PROPOSITION, Andrew Bujalski’s MUTUAL APPRECIATION, documentaries TARNATION and JESUS CAMP, and an early Ingmar Bergman classic, SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT.

Brattle executive director Ivy Moylan and Chlotrudis president Michael Colford provide introductory notes and context, and afterwards lead the audience discussion. In past seasons screenings have included the filmmaker or a guest presenter from the local film community. Come early for the complimentary coffee and pastries, stay late for the often spirited post-film conversation. Weekly admission is $10, while the 8-week series price is $50 for the general public, $30 for members of the Brattle or Chlotrudis, or the incredible price of $20 for members of both groups. Join the Eye Opener email list at the Brattle’s webpage, www.brattlefilm.org /brattlefilm/contact.

The Brattle Film Foundation runs the Brattle Theatre, dubbed “Boston’s unofficial film school.” The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is a Boston-based non-profit group devoted to honoring and supporting independent and foreign films and their audiences. For over a decade, the group has worked with film festivals, local art-houses and theatres, production companies, and others to bring creative, quality films to the attention of audiences and film-lovers. Check http://www.chlotrudis.org for announcements of upcoming events, and for regular weekly independent film listings.

Posted 29 September 2008

CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR 9TH ANNUAL CHLOTRUDIS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL COMPETITION

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film announces a call for entries, accepting international submissions for its Ninth Annual Short Film Festival competition which will be held in late fall 2008 in the metro Boston area. Submissions will be accepted through October 15, 2008, and deadlines and fees are as follows: $15 by September 1 (earlybird deadline); $25 by September 15 (advanced deadline); $30 by October 1 (deadline); and $45 by October 15 (eleventh hour deadline). Films under 20 minutes in length, live-action, animated, narrative and documentary are eligible. Previous year’s winners GIRLS ROOM and DARLING DARLING have gone on to much success at film festivals both nationally and worldwide since their Chlotrudis wins.

All films will be screened by the Chlotrudis Society Short Film Committee with the best selected for the festival and voted on by members and the audience, in two categories; Best Short and Audience Favorite. The winning director of Best Short will also receive a cash award, and the winning films will be officially announced and honored at the 15th Annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony to be held in March 2009. For the complete list of guidelines for submissions and eligibility requirements, please go to withoutabox.com.

Posted 29 August 2008

CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY SPONSORS ISHERWOOD DOC ‘CHRIS AND DON: A LOVE STORY at PROVINCETOWN FILM FEST

The CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM (CSIF) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of CHRIS AND DON: A LOVE STORY, at the PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (PIFF), to be held June 18 - 22. The film will have two screenings, 11:30am on Thursday 6/19 and 1:45pm on Saturday 6/21. Check www.ptownfilmfest.org for more details. Celebrating its ten year anniversary, PIFF remains dedicated to “showcasing independent American and international films, nurturing aspiring independent filmmakers, honoring industry luminaries, and preserving and sustaining cinema as an art form through educational forums”, this year with over 50 films plus special events, panels and parties.

CHRIS AND DON: A LOVE STORY documents the true-life story of the passionate three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood (whose Berlin Stories was the basis for all incarnations of the much-beloved CABARET) and American portrait painter Don Bachardy, thirty years his junior. Directed by Guido Santii and Tina Mascara, the film combines Bachardy’s present-day recollections with archival footage, rare home movies (including friends W.H. Auden, Igor Stravinksky and Tennessee Williams), and both live actor and animated re-enactments, the film celebrates the lives of this most celebrated couple.

Posted 7 June 2008

CHLOTRUDIS CO-PRESENTS at the BOSTON GAY/LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN MAY: WATER LILIES and LOVE SONGS

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film (CSIF) is pleased to join with the BOSTON GAY/LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL once again to co-present two French-language films as part of the festival’s 24th year . WATER LILIES (Naissance des pievres), will play on Sunday May 11th at 8pm and LOVE SONGS (Les Chansons d’amour) will play on Saturday May 17th at 8:45 pm. Both films will screen at the Regis Auditorium in the Museum of Fine Arts on Huntington Avenue in Boston.

WATER LILIES (Naissance des pieuvres) is directed by Céline Sciamma. It's summer and the girl's synchronized swim team reigns over the vast city pool and social hub in the Paris suburb of Cergy. Floriane (Adele Haenel), is a shapely blonde, star swimmer and social diva. Although Marie (Pauline Acquart), isn't on the team she becomes Floriane's confidante, often at the expense of Marie's best friend, Anne (Louise Blachere) – who is also drawn to Floriane. The aching doubts and offhanded cruelty of 15 and 16 year old girls is on full display in this rich coming-of-age tale. In French with English subtitles.

Director Christophe Honore further makes a case as one of the most exciting filmmakers of our generation with the exuberant and tender LOVE SONGS (Les Chansons D'amour). A modern day musical told through unforgettable songs sung entirely by the cast and scored by Alex Beaupain, the film has overjoyed audiences at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals while earning recognition in its native country with four French Cesar nominations. In the hope of sparking their stalled relationship, Ismael (Louis Garrel, DANS PARIS and THE DREAMERS) and Julie (Ludivine Sagnier, SWIMMING POOL) enter a playful yet emotionally laced threesome with Alice (Clotilde Hesme, REGULAR). When tragedy strikes, these young Parisians are forced to deal with the fragility of life and love. For Ismael, this means negotiating through the advances of Julie's sister (Chara Mastroianni, PERSEPOLIS) and a young college student, Erwann (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet of STRAYED); who may offer him redemption.

Celebrating its 24th year, the Boston Gay/Lesbian Film Festival is one of the longest lived film festivals around town. This year’s edition, showcasing a dynamic, international roster of films exploring gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience, will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from May 7 to May 18th. Check the Film section at the museum’s website, http://www.mfa.org/film for more information on WATER LILIES, LOVE SONGS and the rest of this year’s film offerings.

Posted 3 May 2008

BRATTLE THEATRE TO PRESENT FREE SHORT FILMS DURING HARVARD SQUARE’S MAYFAIR!

The Brattle has asked four of their favorite local film organizations to each program a block of shorts to be screened for free during Harvard Square's
annual MayFair celebration! Lumen Eclipse, Central Productions, the Chlotrudis Society For Independent Film, and Women In Film/Video New England will each present some of their favorite shorts during this special program. See below for more information about each featured organization and what they have in store!

The Brattle Film Foundation (BFF), the non-profit organization that programs and operates the Brattle Theatre, is thrilled to announce the Mayfair Film Program, screenings are from 12 Noon to 4 PM. Free and open to the public.

Lumen Eclipse – 12:00pm
Lumen Eclipse will present their May exhibit, POSE, at the screening. The eight artworks that comprise POSE examine, accentuate and experiment with bodies in motion. Lee Walton, a performance artist, choreographs strangers departing, Dustin McLean portrays outlined figures that jump, stomp and clap creating rhythms through their movements and Mike Mills captures one stance per second as Miranda July poses for the camera.

Films Include:

• Jorge Columbo, Self-Portrait


• Hillman Curtis, Dancers NYC 05


• Dustin McLean, PLAY


• Hyun Jean Lee, Corresponding


• Mike Mills, Top Ranking


• Javier Morales and John Michael Boling, Body Magic


• Mitchell Rose, Deere John


• Lee Walton, Just Walk Away

Chlotrudis Society For Independent Film – 12:45pm
The Chlotrudis Society’s MayFair program features winners from the past few annual Chlotrudis Short Film Festivals; including 2006 Best Short Film JELLYBABY by Ronan and Rob Burke, 2004's Audience Award, WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES by Jesse Epstein; BUN-BUN directed by Katie Fleischer, about a little girl who develops a fixation on stuffed rabbit owned by a friend which won the Best Short Film Award in 2005; 2006 audience winner DARLING DARLING by Matthew Lessner featuring Juno co-star Michael Cera; and this year’s Best Short Film, GIRLS ROOM by Maria Gigante.

Women in Film and Video – 2:00pm
Women in Film & Video is pleased to present an afternoon of very short film & video work at the Brattle Theater. This programs contains diverse new work (all under five minutes long) by women in and around the Boston area. The content ranges from documentaries on happiness to experimental work about sex, but every work has females in and behind the frame. Mixing genre and form, the contradictions and conversations between the films are designed to stimulate. An informal conversation will be held after the screening, at a location TBD.

Partial list of participants:

• Vanessa Vartebidian, Head Teacher, CRLS Video Tech High School


• Paulina Villaroel, Facing History Video Producer “Obama 08”


• Faith Johnson, MFA Museum School/Tufts Fine Arts Program 08


• Jesse Jagtiani Candidate for MFA Museum School/Tufts Fine Arts Program 08


• Kathryn Hall


• Rosalie Fay Barnes, Ed.M Harvard Graduate School/Technology & Innovation


• Jennifer Hicks, MFA Naropa University

Central Productions – 3:00pm
Central Productions is a film arts and production organization whose mission is to advance an emerging film community in the Greater Boston area and to contribute alternative bodies of work within the culture of the moving image.

Central Productions will present a ‘best of’ selection from their annual Boston Cinema Census program including:

• Mysterieuse, by Samantha Olschan


• Pearlswig, by Jesse Kreitzer


• Where is Estel, by Jared Katsiane


• Frontrunner, by John MacDonnell

Posted 2 May 2008

Independent Film Festival of Boston is in Full Swing!

This week is all about the Independent Film Festival of Boston! Festivities kicked off last night where an appearance by Ben Kingsley at Brad Anderson's latest film, TRANSSIBERIAN got the crowd going. This weekend the festival takes over the Somerville, Brattle and Coolidge Corner Theatres, and Chlotrudis is co-presenting not one, but two terrific films that you should take the time to see. Many of you are volunteering at the festival and the rest of you need to check out the excellent schedule of films, panels, and parties that take over indie Boston this weekend. The Festival runs nearly a week this year, wrapping up on Tuesday night at the Coolidge with a screening of Werner Herzog's latest documentary, ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Brace yourself. If your idea of Ellen Page comes from JUNO, or even MARION BRIDGE, you'd better hold on when you see THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS. We're not even talking about the visceral discomfort of HARD CANDY here, but rather a wrenching, emotional rollercoaster ride depicting a young teenager's spiralling decent into loss and madness. My favorite film at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, I call THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS, LILYA 4-EVER meets PI. A visual and aural assault that utilizes a collage-like editing technique that is still anchored securely by Page's phenomenal performance. You can't miss this film, and here's your chance to see it before everyone else. it plays twice during the IFFB, Friday, April 25, 9:45 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, and Sunday, April 27, 10:00 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre. Both shows co-presented by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film.

The Chlotrudis Society has long been a supporter of Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin, giving nominations to his last four feature films, BRAND UPON THE BRAIN, COWARDS BEND THE KNEE, THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD, and DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY. Now he's back in his own inimitable style, with a film that's part narrative, part documentary, part travelogue, an homage to the city of his birth and upbringing, MY WINNIPEG. I first caught this film at Toronto last year as well, with Guy himself performing the narration live. He said that he wouldn't be doing that again, but Guy is in fact, planning to be in attendance at this year's IFFB screening, which takes place Monday, April 28, 8:00 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. And since, Chlotrudis is co-presenting MY WINNIPEG at the IFFB, we're making it this week's Chlotrudis Monday Movie of the Week! You really want to try to catch this one.

The films being co-presented by Chlotrudis are just scratching the surface of the terrific array of films coming to town this week. Documentaries, narratives, shorts, the IFFB has got them all. Here's a sampling of some of the films that I am excited about. SAVAGE GRACE is the very long awaited follow-up to SWOON by Tom Kalin. It's his first feature film is 16 years! SAVAGE GRACE tells the real-life tale of Barbara and Tony Baekeland, a peculiarly close mother and son whose story takes on the themes and proportions of Greek tragedy. Julianne Moore stars as Barbara Baekeland in a chilling role that go a long way to putting her back on the top of must-see actress list. Because of her stellar documentary work on such films as IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL and this year's Chlotrudis winner for Best Doc, PROTAGONIST, Jessica Yu is one of those diretors whose work I will always check out. I did just that last year in Toronto with her wacky family comedy, PING PONG PLAYA! Christopher "C-dub" Wang is an irresponsible, swaggering wannabe basketball player that is forced to pick up a paddle when his ping pong champion brother is injured. Jimmy Tsai, who co-wrote the screenplay with Yu, plays C-dub, and while the comedy is broad and a bit juvenile, the familiar story is a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to GOLIATH, David and Nathan Zellner's SXSW hit that explores the bond between a lonely man and his pet cat. Another film that has been making waves on the documentary festival circuit is AMERICAN TEEN which takes a look at the lives of four Midwestern teens. This film was shot over a 10-month period by Nanette Burnstein who brought us THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE.

All these films and more are part of Boston's premiere festival, the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Do check out their website for information on how to get tickets, where the parties are, and the panels that are going on around town. And say hello to your fellow Chlotrudis members who will be hard at work volunteering!

Posted 25 April 2008

Chlotrudis Winner Jesse Epstein Returns to Boston for IFFB

If you were around four years ago, you might remember the Audience Award winner at the 4th Annual Short Film Festival was a powerful yet amusing documentary about body image and the way photographs a manipulated to obtain an impossible perfection. That film, WET DREAMS, FALSE IMAGES, was made by a talented New York filmmaker, originally from Brookline, MA, Jesse Epstein.

I am very happy to report that Jesse is back with another short film entitled 34x25x36, another documentary about body image and elusive perfection, this time using mannequins as the subject. Jesse's film will play the Independent Film Festival of Boston as part of their Plays in Shorts 2: Docs series, on Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m. and Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m., both at the Somerville Theatre. Check out a trailer for 34x25x36 here:

Jesse's previous film, WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES, has a distributor in New Day Films. The film is being targeted toward educational institutions, which makes perfect since given its subject matter and the skill at which it is presented. Check out a trailer of WET DREAMS FALSE IMAGES here.

Posted 14 April 2008

CHLOTRUDIS CO-PRESENTS ELLEN PAGE IN ‘TRACEY FRAGMENTS’ and GUY MADDIN’S ‘MY WINNIPEG’ AT INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film (CSIF) is pleased to join with the INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON (IFFB) once again to co-present two films as part of the festival’s 6th year. MY WINNIPEG, the latest from director Guy Maddin, will play on Monday April 28th, with the director in attendance, and THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS, starring recent Academy Award nominee Ellen Page, will screen on Friday April 25th and Sunday April 27th.

Showcasing his signature use of silent and early sound era cinema, MY WINNIPEG is legendary director Guy Maddin’s loving tribute, or what he calls a ‘docu-fantasia’ to his hometown in Manitoba. The Toronto Film Festival, where it premiered last fall, describes the film as “equal parts mystical rumination and personal history, city chronicle and deranged post-Freudian proletarian fantasy, it blends local myth with childhood trauma”, eventually “morphing into a meditation on belief and truth, memory and myth.” The film will have only one screening, at 8pm on Monday April 28 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Guy Maddin will be in attendance to present the film and participate in a post-film Q&A session.

Presented almost completely in split-screen frames, THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS is a film that uses its fractured visual design to convey the chaos and emotion that catapults a disturbed teenaged girl as she navigates her broken world. Director Bruce McDonald pushes the split-screen technique to bursting point, “virtually tearing the screen apart in an effort to capture Tracey’s headspace”, playing with the film’s tone “wildly as Tracey struggles to deal with events that move from schoolgirl fantasies to quasi-surreal encounters to frenzied accounts of high-school persecution. Ellen Page carries the weight of this film with extraordinary confidence; her performance as the troubled Tracey is electric and compelling. THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS will be shown Friday April 25 at 9:45pm at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, and again on Sunday April 27 at 10pm at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, Somerville.

Celebrating its 6th year, the IFFB has become the premiere film festival in Boston, bringing dozens of independent films and filmmakers together each spring to showcase the best and brightest to an ever-growing, appreciative Boston audience. Thanks to its continued success and popularity, the festival extended its run by two days this year. Check the IFFB website at http://www.iffboston.org for more information on these and all other film and film events that will be part of this year’s festival.

Posted 7 April 2008

ONCE Best Movie Surprise Winner at 14th Annual Chlotrudis Awards

Despite a strong showing by THERE WILL BE BLOOD, which came away with Trudies for Paul Thomas Anderson (Best Director), Daniel Day Lewis (Best Actor) and Paul Dano (Best Supporting Actor), this year the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film bestowed its Best Film award to the charming Dubliner film ONCE, which had received a sole nomination in that category.

The prestigious Buried Treasure award was won by Rumania’s 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST. In order to be eligible, Buried Treasure nominees had to have earned less than $250,000 in US box office. Chlotrudis created the category in order to shine a spotlight on those films the society feels deserve wider attention and a second look.

Beating out Julie Christie and Ellen Page in their Oscar nominated roles in AWAY FROM HER and JUNO, respectively, was Kate Dickie for her riveting performance in RED ROAD. In yet another category of strong nominees, Jessica Yu’s PROTAGONIST emerged as first among contenders, winning Best Documentary. Cate Blanchett won Best Supporting Actress for I’M NOT THERE; Visual Design ended up with PAPRIKA and PAN’S LABYRINTH sharing the win; WAITRESS walked away with Best Ensemble; and the writing awards went to the original THE LIVES OF OTHERS and the adapted AWAY FROM HER.

The winners from the 8th Annual Chlotrudis Short Film Festival were also
officially announced during the show. The Audience Award went to FISH
BUT NO CIGAR, directed by Tara White & Lyn Eliot, while GIRLS ROOM by Maria Gigante, took away the Best Film win. Ms. Gigante made the trek from New York to accept in person.

Presenters and guests included many members of the Boston film community, among them nationally respected film scholar Gerald Peary and Peter Keough, film editor for The Boston Phoenix. In addition, representatives from the Independent Film Festival of Boston, the Boston Jewish Film Festival, the Boston Latino International Film Festival, Women in Film/Video New England, the Boston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the CineMental queer film series participated in the night’s festivities.

This year’s musical numbers extolled the virtue of the night’s nominees and honoree while emulating a Feist video, and while taking on a Sondheim operetta. Many guest presenters had fun with their moments in the spotlight, some even going so far to arrive with their own props in tow.

But the highlight of the night was the heartfelt and forthright speech by Alberta Watson, the year’s special honoree, as she accepted the Society’s Career So Far award. Ms. Watson, an actress perhaps best known on film for her costarring role in SPANKING THE MONKEY, and on TV for her supporting role in LA FEMME NIKITA, pulled no punches as she spoke about her career’s highs and lows, and her feelings about the state of the film and television industries today, in both her country of Canada, and in Hollywood.

For a complete list of winners, visit the Awards Page.

Posted 3 April 2008

And the Trudy Goes To...

A more formal announcement will follow, but here is the complete list of Chlotrudis Awards Recipients announced at last night's ceremony:

Movie - ONCE
Buried Treasure - 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST
Documentary - PROTAGONIST
Director - Paul Thomas Anderson for THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Actress - Kate Dickie for RED ROAD
Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis for THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett for I'M NOT THERE
Supporting Actor - Paul Dano for THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Original Screenplay - THE LIVES OF OTHERS, screenplay by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Adapted Screenplay - AWAY FROM HER, screenplay by Sarah Polley
Visual Design - (TIE) PAN'S LABYRINTH and PAPRIKA
Ensemble Cast - WAITRESS
Short Film Chlotrudis Award - GIRL'S ROOM by Maria Gigante
Short Film Audience Award - FISH, BUT NO CIGAR by Tara White and Lyn Eliot

Posted 31 March 2008

ACTRESS ALBERTA WATSON to be honored at CHLOTRUDIS AWARDS indie film night

For over a decade, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has highlighted its commitment to independent and foreign film in style by holding its own black-tie CHLOTRUDIS AWARDS ceremony in early spring. The 14th edition will be held Sunday March 30th at Harvard Square’s Brattle Theatre, and the public is invited to join Chlotrudis members, nominees and special guests in the celebration. A highlight of this year’s ceremony will be the opportunity for the Chlotrudis Society to honor the work of longtime Canadian actress Alberta Watson with its Career So Far award.

Ms. Watson, who will be in attendance, has had a prolific career in film, US and Canadian television. She is perhaps most widely known from ‘24’, for firing (and then of course re-hiring) Jack Bauer during the TV show’s fourth ‘day’ or season. However it is David O. Russell’s debut feature film, SPANKING THE MONKEY, in which she played alluring mother to Jeremy Davies’ increasingly-rattled son, that is no doubt her most memorable (and not a little disturbing!) turn. In another stand-out role she donned wig and East German accent as Hansel’s eccentric mother in the exuberant rock cabaret HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH. Independent film buffs will no doubt recall her dramatic turn as Risa, the bereaved hotel owner who lost her son in a tragic buss accident in Atom Egoyan's THE SWEET HEREAFTER.

Most recently, in 2007, Ms. Watson appeared in two independent films releases: AWAY FROM HER, Sarah Polley’s directorial debut in which she played the director at Julie Christie’s hospital, and THE LOOKOUT, both of which have garnered much critical praise. Among her other recent Canadian films not yet released here are CITIZEN DUANE, a megalomaniacal take on a coming of age story, and A LOBSTER’S TALE, in which she costars with Colm Meaney and Graham Greene. She can presently been seen as a recurring character in the Canadian television series, THE BORDER.

The Chlotrudis Awards ceremony begins at 5 pm, and tickets are $20 ($15 for members). Visit the group’s website, http://www.chlotrudis.org for more information on this year’s list of Chlotrudis Award nominees. For the competitive award categories, 41 films were nominated, with THERE WILL BE BLOOD and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN tied for the lead, each coming away with 5 nods. Among the others are nominations representing two dozen countries’ films, across four continents. Women overall are well-represented, with 8 films helmed by female directors making the list, including first timers Sarah Polley (AWAY FROM HER), Marjane Satrapi (PERSEPOLIS) and Julia Loktev (DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT).

Another highlight of the night is the Buried Treasure category, in which attention is bestowed upon those films which earned less than $250,000 in the U.S., and which Chlotrudis members feel deserve a second look. Singled out this year are the award winning Romanian drama 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST; THE LIVE-IN MAID, set in Argentina during economic upset; the documentary ROMANTICO that follows a troubadour emigrating back to Mexico; from Thailand, the comic TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER; and the strange story of one man’s afterlife, WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY.

Posted 6 March 2008

Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film Announces 2007 Nominations - 'Country', 'Blood' Rise to Top

Nominations for the 14th annual CHLOTRUDIS AWARDS were finalized by the film group’s nominating committee this past weekend. Among the 41 films receiving nominations, two films featuring violence and men obsessed with greed, the Coen brothers’ NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and THERE WILL BE BLOOD with Daniel Day-Lewis led all comers, each coming away with 5 nods. Just behind them, with 4 nominations each, was a trio of films with standout female lead performances; AWAY FROM HER, Sarah Polley’s directorial debut, Ellen Page’s star-making JUNO, and the exuberant Japanese girl group flick, LINDA, LINDA, LINDA.

BLOOD, MEN and LINDA are all Best Movie nominees, as well as being featured in the acting and screenplay categories while JUNO and AWAY notched most of their nominations in the acting categories. Standing alone in the crowd with 3 nominations was Julian Schnabel’s THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY; among the rest with multiple nods were Italy’s THE GOLDEN DOOR, Hal Hartley’s FAY GRIM, foreign Oscar-winner THE LIVES OF OTHERS, and the adaptation of the graphic novel memoir, PERSEPOLIS.

Women overall were well represented, with 8 films helmed by female directors making the list, including one each in the Documentary and Movie categories. Sarah Polley scored a director/actor/writer hat trick, with THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS providing the thespian third. Almost half of the nominated films came from outside the US. Canada, France, Japan and Germany all produced more than one of our finalist films. Bosnia-Herzogovnia made its debut on a Chlotrudis list this year, with GRBAVICA: THE LAND OF MY DREAMS.

In the Society’s most competitive and prestigious category, the Buried Treasure, the final nominees were the award winning Romanian drama 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST; THE LIVE-IN MAID, set in Argentina during economic upset; the documentary ROMANTICO which follows a troubadour emigrating back to Mexico; from Thailand, the comic TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER; and the off-kilter story of one man’s afterlife, WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY. The Buried Treasure is the only category with eligibility requirements: nominated films must have earned less than $250,000 in the U.S., and members can submit no more than 3 entries for films they feel strongly were given distributional short shrift and deserve a wider audience. A shortlist is then compiled, and further ballot votes are taken until the final list is set.

For over a decade, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has highlighted its commitment to independent and foreign film in style by holding its own black-tie CHLOTRUDIS AWARDS ceremony in early spring. The 2008 edition will be held Sunday March 30th at the historic Brattle Theatre, and the public is invited to join Chlotrudis members, nominees and special guests in the celebration.

In addition to the competitive categories, Chlotrudis also presents special awards that honor individuals or films for particular distinction. Past recipients Ellen Page (Breakthrough Award ‘05), Kerry Washington (Breakthrough Award ‘04), Don McKellar (Body of Work '07) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (first Hall of Fame inductee) are among those who have made the trek to Boston to be honored for their contributions to independent film. This year’s recipients are still being finalized at press time.

The glut of great movies this year made for a particularly long and arduous final nominating session, but in the end quantity rewarded the hard work, with several members commenting that several of the categories’ list of nominees were among the strongest they’d ever seen.

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is a Boston-based non-profit group that teaches people to view film actively and experience the world through independent film, and encourages discussion. The group works with film festivals, local art-houses and theatres, production companies, directors and actors to bring creative, quality films to the attention of audiences and film-lovers. Visit its website, http://www.chlotrudis.org for more information.

The complete list of the 14th Annual Chlotrudis Awards nominations:

BEST MOVIE
Linda, Linda, Linda
The Lives of Others
No Country for Old Men
Once
Protagonist
There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR
Sarah Polley - Away from Her
Julia Loktev - Day Night Day Night
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell & the Butterfly
Tsai Ming Liang - I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
Ethan & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Gordon Pinsent - Away from Her
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Sam Riley - Control
Ryan Gosling - Lars & the Real Girl
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Parker Posey - Fay Grim
Mirjana Karanovic - Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams
Ellen Page - Juno
Kate Dickie - Red Road
Sarah Polley - The Secret Life of Words

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mircea Andreescu - 12:08 East of Bucharest
Kene Holliday - Great World of Sound
J.K. Simmons - Juno
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Steve Zahn - Rescue Dawn
Paul Dano - There Will Be Blood

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Aurora Quattrocchi - The Golden Door
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Allison Janney - Juno
Du-na Bae - Linda, Linda, Linda
Margo Martindale - Paris Je T’aime
Adrienne Shelly - Waitress

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE CAST
Exiled
The Host
Lars & the Real Girl
Linda, Linda, Linda
No Country for Old Men
Waitress

BEST VISUAL DESIGN
Brand Upon the Brain
The Diving Bell & the Butterfly
Pan’s Laryrinth
Paprika
Persepolis
Tears of the Black Tiger

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Away from Her
The Diving Bell & the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
Persepolis
There Will Be Blood

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Fay Grim
The Golden Door
Juno
Linda, Linda, Linda
The Lives of Others

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Helvetica
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Kurt Cobain: About a Son
Lake of Fire
No End in Sight
Protagonist

BURIED TREASURE
12:08 East of Bucharest
The Live-In Maid
Romantico
Tears of the Black Tiger
Wristcutters: A Love Story

Posted 24 January 2008

PYTHON’S ‘GRAIL’ HEADS CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY’S TOP 100 FUNNIEST FILMS LIST

For its yearly Top 100 list tradition, the CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM (CSIF) picked perhaps its most subjective category ever for 2007: funniest films of all time. Members weighed in with their picks of the 20 funniest films of all time, then the lists were merged to create this list of laughs. The list is overwhelmingly American, with only fourteen of the 100 films originating without U.S. involvement. Not surprisingly, the UK had the second most representation on the list, including the list's #1 film, MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL!

The films skewed fairly modern, with films since 1980 making up more than half the list. The 80s was the funniest decade, with a total of 28 films from that era. Overall though, the Top 100 spreads things out pretty well with six decades represented, and the first film from this millennium doesn't show up until #15 with Christopher Guest's BEST IN SHOW.

Many filmmakers from various eras appear more than once on the list, including Tim Burton, Charles Chaplin, Christopher Guest, Albert Brooks, John Waters, Buster Keaton, George Cukor, Kevin Smith, Peter Bogdanovich, Carl Reiner, Preston Sturges, Mel Brooks, Howard Hawks, and Woody Allen Rob Reiner holds the distinction for being the only director to have multiple films of his crack the Top 10 with #3 THIS IS SPINAL TAP and #10 PRINCESS BRIDE. Sadly but not surprisingly, only two films helmed by women made the list: Valerie Faris, who co-directed LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE pops up at #20, and Nicole Holofcener squeezes on at #99 with her debut feature, WALKING & TALKING.

There was one filmmaking team who managed a surprising four in the Top 100 list. Joel & Ethan Coen’s films show up more than any other director. Starting with the quirky, cult-fave THE BIG LEBOWSKI at #13, they squeeze two more into the Top 25 with FARGO at #22 and O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU at #25, with RAISING ARIZONA rounding things out at #57.

Films 2 through 10 are, in order:

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, SOME LIKE IT HOT, BRINGING UP BABY, AIRPLANE, ANNIE HALL, DR. STRANGELOVE, GROUNDHOG DAY and PRINCESS BRIDE.

For the complete list of the 100 Funniest Films of All-Time, Click Here.

Celebrating its 14th year, the Boston-based Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has members across the country that share a love of great film. Members participate in regular online discussions & postings, discounted film viewings and occasional filmfest road trips, as well as more formal and programmatic events such as the Sunday Eye Opener, a semester series of film presented in cooperation with the Brattle Film Foundation, sponsorships and co-presentations with area film festivals; and our juried Short Film Festival, now in its 9th year.

Our signature event, the Annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony, will be held on Sunday March 30th, 2008, to honor the best of 2007’s independent films and film performances, and to recognize and celebrate the talents of individuals who have made a mark. This is our year’s highlight, where members, friends, allies and the public are invited to attend as we announce our category and special award winners. Previous special awardees who joined in our the night’s festivities include Ellen Page, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kerry Washington and Don McKellar.

Posted 5 January 2008

Chlotrudis co-sponsors award-winning JELLYFISH at the Boston Jewish Film Festival

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film (CSIF) is pleased to co-present the award-winning JELLYFISH during the 19th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival. The film will premiere at the Museum of Fine Arts at 9:30 pm on Saturday November 10, with an encore the next day at the Institute of Contempory Art, at 1 pm Sunday November 11. Tickets are $10 general, or $9 with a members discount.

A young woman who works at a wedding caterers company. A middle-aged Filipino elder caregiver who speaks no Hebrew. A newlywed couple. An actress trying to help her ailing mother. First time co-filmmakers Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret weave a series of overlapping encounters between these characters to create a distinctive and magical tone. JELLYFISH won the prestigious Camera d’Or for best first feature this summer at Cannes, was selected for Telluride Film Festival, as well as the Toronto Film Festival whose programmers noted, ‘This is a magical film that surprises and unsettles in the most delicate of ways. Its joys lie in its visual wit and the juxtaposition of the unexpected with the everyday’.

For the complete schedule of films and film events of the 19th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival, check its website at http://www.bjff.org/festival/schedule. Chlotrudis is proud for the opportunity once again to support the Boston Jewish Film Festival, a long-lived and important pillar of the Boston independent film community. BJFF is one of several local and regional film festivals or special film events Chlotrudis has partnered with and supported, for over a decade, as part of its mission to bring more independent films to the attention of independent-minded film audiences.

Posted 17 October 2007