Two Independent Filmmakers to visit campus and screen their films on the evenings of Oct. 23 and Oct, 30
Thursday evening, Oct. 23: Chris Eska and "August Evening," along with lead actor Carlos Castaneda
Holland Hall 501, 7 p.m. Oct. 23
Introduction by Ali Selim, Artist in Residence at St. Olaf Question and answer session follows screening
winner of numerous awards, incuding "Best Film" and "Best Acting" at the LA Film Festival
Chris will be coming to campus with his lead actor in August Evening, Carlos Castaneda:
"Mr. Castaneda’s Jaime is an everyday hero worthy of a ballad — and of the severe and unexpected trials that lie ahead. Yet there’s no sentimentality or romance in the portrait, just an accumulation of small, intelligent details of expression and behavior that add up to a deeply affecting whole and that earned Mr. Castaneda a nomination for best actor at last year’s prestigious Independent Spirit Awards." --Karen Durbin, New York Times, Sept. 7, 2008
Read more about Castaneda's performance in "Five [film performances] to Watch" in the NY Times' fall arts preview
Thursday evening, Oct. 30: Lance Hammer and "Ballast"
Viking Theater, 6:30 p.m. October 30
Introduction by Ali Selim, Artist in Residence at St. Olaf Question and answer session follows screening
Ballast, which won the directing and cinematography awards at the Sundance Film Festival, "is shaping up as one of the most acclaimed independent films of the year, and perhaps the most emblematic."--Dennis Lim, New York Times, September 28, 2008
read the complete September 28 New York Times feature article on Ballast
An "austerely elegant, emotionally unadorned riff on life and death in the Mississippi Delta. . . . a serious achievement and a welcome sign of a newly invigorated American independent cinema." --Manohla Dargis, New York Times, Oct 1, 2008
October 1 New York Times review of Ballast
Filmmaker Ali Selim to teach at St. Olaf, fall 2008.
The writer/director/producer of critically-acclaimed independent film Sweet Land will be an Artist in Residence at St. Olaf during fall term 2009, teaching Screenwriting in the Department of English. To find out more about Ali Selim and his work, click here.
Film-Related Courses to be offered at St. Olaf,
2008-2009 academic year
Courses with a strong film component can be difficult to sleuth out in the Class and Llab; our new Film Studies web site can keep registering students and advising faculty up to date. Click here to find out about next year's offerings, including a new Spring 2009 course, "World Cinema"
