Jacob Burns

“I wanted to make a piece that was heroic and eternal in its nature, but was at its base an impossibility.” (James Grashow)

Artist James Grashow, with a long history of building sculptures from unconventional media, painstakingly planned the creation of his next project: a colossal Trevi Fountain made out of cardboard. This intimate film shows his powerful Neptune and charging horses taking shape in the studio and disintegrating outdoors in the elements at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. This intensely personal profile of a young homeless undocumented immigrant has turned heads wherever it’s been shown. It’s an immensely moving and inspiring story about the transformative power of art and the new face of homelessness in America: children.

DISCUSSION Westchester Children’s Association Executive Director Cora Greenberg and Neighbors Link Executive Director Carola Bracco. Join us for a reception following the discussion.

Community Matters is a series dedicated to generating discussion and activism around topics that affect us locally, including health, environment, education, housing, and energy. Sponsored by the Westchester Community Foundation.

“A finely sketched portrait of the artist’s unlikely pursuit of perfection.” (Village Voice)

Gregory Crewdson has created some of the most haunting photographs in the history of the medium, epic narratives of small-town American life inspired by his dreams and fantasies as well as the worlds of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Edward Hopper, and Diane Arbus. To make his images, Crewdson relies on crews that rival those of feature films, with every element of the picture meticulously composed. Shot over a decade, this film beautifully reveals the artist’s process.

"Simon Brenner, the hero of Wolf Haas’ marvelous series of crime thrillers, is a wildly likable and original character—a delightful and unexpected hero to show up in this noble and enduring genre. That Brenner struggles his way—always humanistically, often humorously—through Haas’ acutely suspenseful narratives without the aid of a firearm, armed only with his smarts and sometimes fallible intuition, is a monumental plus.” —Jonathan Demme

Silentium is phenomenally smart, funny, and terrifically suspenseful entertainment. Beyond being a gripping and moving thriller with beaucoup laughs along the way, Silentium is a virtual illumination of the art of filmmaking; every aspect of this picture is rendered with exceptional skill and artistry—storytelling, performances, editing, cinematography—everything! Silentium is adapted from the popular Detective Brenner novels written by Austrian author Wolf Haas.

Audience members will receive a paperback copy of Haas’ Brenner and God with ticket purchase. 

“I have always used film as a free and creative medium, equal in every respect to the other arts.” (Hans Richter)

Dadaist provocateur, surrealist painter, and pioneering filmmaker, Hans Richter was a major force in 20th century art. At the forefront of the German avant-garde, he fled to the US in 1941, becoming director of City College’s department of documentary production. There, he was prophet to a generation of experimental filmmakers. Featuring interviews with colleagues, footage from Richter’s revolutionary films, and recently discovered audiotapes of Richter himself.

Q&A filmmaker Dave Davidson, who will also show two re-scored short films by Richter, Filmstudie and Ghosts Before Breakfast

Screenings of Gerhard Richter Painting and Hans Richter: Everything Turns—Everything Revolves are sponsored by the Westchester Community Foundation and made possible through The Rudyard and Emanuella Reimss Fund, dedicated to promoting Germanic culture in Westchester County. These screenings are part of the series Masters of German Culture, highlighting great works by and about German artists.

Visit the world’s greatest art exhibitions without leaving the JBFC! Munch 150 presents Oslo’s once-in-a-lifetime Edvard Munch retrospective as Norway celebrates the 150th anniversary of his birth. Also offering behind-the-scenes views, visits to key Norwegian sites, and interviews with experts, this event reveals the full range of the work created by the great artist most people know only as the painter of The Scream.

“Seen in 3-D, it’s a revelation!” —J. HOBERMAN

Here’s a rare opportunity to see Dial M for Murder as Hitchcock originally intended. Grace Kelly stars in this classic thriller as the quintessential cool blonde, a society woman whose jealous husband (Ray Milland) plans to do away with her. But his plans disintegrate and the tables are turned, thanks to a well-placed pair of scissors. Put on a pair of 3-D glasses, sit back, and enjoy.

Pete Seeger, Carly Simon, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Buffy Sainte-Marie—and John Sebastian and Happy Traum, who join us this evening—are only some of the singer-songwriters who came to the Village in the ’60s. Singing songs of love, anger, and hope, they became the voices of their generation. In this new documentary many performers look back and recount their story of community, courage, and most importantly—music.

July 10, 7:30: Happy Traum and John Sebastian will talk with New York Times critic Janet Maslin plus perform LIVE MUSIC. Followed by a reception in the Jane Peck Gallery.

Wine generously donated by Wine Enthusiast.

Tickets: $20 (members), $30 (nonmembers)

A REPRISE OF LAST YEAR’S HIT SHOW. Presenting rare audio and video, Scott Freiman brings us into the studio with the Beatles as they create their groundbreaking 1966 album Revolver. Including “Eleanor Rigby,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the album launched a period of studio experimentation that coincided with the end of the band’s concert performances. Freiman also explores the innovative production techniques on “Paperback Writer” and “Rain,” recorded during the same period.

Beatles expert Scott Freiman returns with his new show!

Beginning with the earliest stages of the Beatles in Liverpool and Hamburg, Scott Freiman then tracks the band’s journey from their initial recording sessions at EMI for “Love Me Do” through their first several groundbreaking singles, including “Please Please Me,” “She Loves You,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Learn what it was like to record at EMI in 1962, listen as the Beatles’ songwriting prowess develops, and watch some of their earliest television appearances.

It doesn’t get more personal—or more beautiful—than the concert Rufus and Martha Wainwright organized to honor their mother, the great Canadian folksinger Kate McGarrigle, a year after her death. With Kate’s sisters Anna and Jane (with whom she wrote and recorded for years), her sister-in-law Sloan Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, and others, the film features many of Kate’s own poignant songs. 

Q&A Sloan Wainwright and WFUV’s John Platt w/ LIVE MUSIC performed by Sloan and guitarist Stephen Murphy from Sloan's latest recording, Upside Down & Under My Heart. Folk-pop artist Sloan Wainwright has “an earth mother voice that she pours into unexpectedly sensitive blends of folk, jazz, blues and funk” (New York Times). Her brother, Loudon Wainwright III was married to Kate McGarrigle. 

Tickets: $15 (members), $20 (nonmembers)

This inspiring portrait chronicles David Amram’s prolific career as a performer, composer, con- ductor, mentor, humanitarian, and father. With a passion for music that recognizes no boundaries, Amram has more than 100 orchestral and chamber music pieces to his credit and, as a jazz French horn player, has worked with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, among others. 

Q&A David Amram, Lawrence Kraman, and Anna Canoni with Michael Boriskin. LIVE MUSIC performed by the David Amram Quartet: Don Miller (bass), Kevin Twigg (drums), Adam Amram (conga drums), and David Amram (piano, flutes, French horn, scat vocals, shanai, Chinese hulusi) with Adira Amram. 

Filmmaker Lawrence Kraman is also an award-winning classical music producer. Anna Canoni is director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation. Internationally known pianist Michael Boriskin is Artistic & Executive Director, Copland House. Some of Canoni’s and Boriskin’s collaborations with Amram are highlighted in the film.

Shot on a 1965 tour of Ireland, this portrait of the young Stones features electrifying performances of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “The Last Time,” and “Time Is on My Side” and documents the frenzy they inspired. Charlie Is My Darling has long been a holy grail of rock fans, surfacing in bits and pieces over the years—and it’s now been pulled togeth- er, restored, and augmented with never-before-seen footage telling the story of the band becoming the legend. 

Q&A WFUV’s Dennis Elsas. WFUV afternoon host, Elsas is one of New York’s most popular longtime radio personalities. At WNEW-FM for 25 years, he met and interviewed Mick Jagger and many of his other rock heroes.

A portrait of The Band’s beloved singer/ drummer Levon Helm at his home in Woodstock, NY. With his throat cancer in remission, he’s working on Dirt Farmer, his first studio album in 25 years, which went on to win a Grammy. As family and friends wan- der in and gather around the kitchen table to chat and jam, this affectionate tribute, released a year after Helms’ death, offers a soulful, intimate glimpse back into his private world.

Q&A WFUV’s Rita Houston and Carmel Holt. Rita Houston is WFUV Program Director and host of their show “The Whole Wide World.” Carmel Holt is WFUV Assistant Music Director and midday host.

Rob Morsberger  was an elegant and smart singer/songwriter who always turned to art, literature, and history as inspiration. When, a couple of years ago, he employed the last words of Henry James—who claimed death as the “distinguished thing”—for a title, little did he imagine that he would soon be diagnosed with terminal disease.  Filmmaker Dave Davidson had already been working on a film about Morsberger when the diagnosis came, and the two agreed that they would just keep shooting. What Davidson captured is 18 months of the most prolific, intense, creative period of Morsberger's long music career.

This program is an assembly of scenes from the documentary-in-progress, featuring reminiscences by many of Morsberger’s collaborators, studio and concert footage, and Morsberger’s own observations as he prepared for what he called “the great whatever.” It’s a celebration of the creative spirit and one individual’s dedication to make every moment as joyful and productive as possible. 

Q&A filmmaker Dave Davidson (Hans Richter: Everything Turns—Everything Revolves, which we screened in June) is also coproducer/director of photography on Season Two of the award-winning PBS documentary series Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook.

Never-before-seen live footage from photographer Tapani Talo, who worked at the Rolling Stones’ Mobile Studio in 1972–76 and captured rare home movies of the Stones and other rock and roll giants.

Q&A Bill Shelley and Tapani Talo

In 2011 Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show went on tour, riding a train from Oakland to New Orleans and performing along the way. Climb aboard for a vibrant adventure of wild nights and endless music. Filmmaker Emmett Malloy (The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights) captures the nonstop jam sessions and the performances with equal delight.

Q&A WFUV’s Rita Houston and JBFC Film Programmer Karen Sloe Goodman. Rita Houston, WFUV’s Program Director and host of the show “The Whole Wide World,” was lucky enough to ride the train along with the bands. She will share with us some stories from the trip.

Freda Kelly was a shy teenager when she began to work for a local Liverpool band just beginning to make noise—and she never left. The Beatles were together for 10 years, but Freda worked for them for 11, and her fierce guarding of their privacy continued after they broke up. In Good Ol’ Freda, she tells her fantastic stories for the first time. The film is an absolute delight, crammed with hundreds of rare Beatles photos, video clips, and—of course—plenty of their amazing music. • Ryan White. 2013. 86 m. NR. UK/US. Magnolia Pictures.

Q&A WFUV’s Dennis Elsas. WFUV’s afternoon host, Dennis Elsas is one of New York’s most popular longtime radio personalities. His 1974 John Lennon interview on WNEW is legendary among Beatles fans and rock historians.