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the Avantgarde:
Depression Films

28 october – 25 november 2009

Filmprogram at Lumière

Marres and filmtheatre Lumière have collaborated on projects before, but never before did this rise to a complete filmprogram that is so connected with an exhibition, in this case Depression. Composed by David Deprez (artistic director Lumière) and Lisette Smits, the program contains some impressive classics, which focus on themes such as the excess of consumerism, economical speculation, financial and political crises, and personal and collective loss. In this context, the film Modern Times (1936) by Charlie Chaplin was already shown at Marres on September 13th.

Programme in Lumière:

28 October, 19.30
Accatone (1961), Pier Paolo Passolini
The word 'accatone' (snake) is an Italian term used primarily for beggars, it refers to people who are lazy, not capable of keeping a job or otherwise socially flawed. This debutefilm by Passolini is situated in the slums of Rome and tells the story of pimps prostitutes and criminals in a raw and dark style. There are many elements in  Accatone which would subsequently become Passolini's signature marks: working with non-professional actors from the site where the story is situated and the overachring theme of fallen individuals.

4 November, 19.30
Alice (1990), Woody Allen
Alice is an upper-class New York housewife who spends her days shopping, taking beauty treatments and gossiping with her friends. Her marriage, which had seemed stable up til now, starts to shake when she meets the musician Joe Ruffalo. This is the beginning of Alice's rash and irrational (inner) quest to find herself, which culminates in a meeting with mother Theresa. This magic-realistic film is often regarded as Allen's most unappreciated film.

11 November, 19.30
Land and Freedom (1995), Ken Loach
This films tells the story of Daid Carr, an unemployed worker and member of the English Communist Party, who decides to fight the fascism in the early days of the Spanish civil war, where he joints the international section of the republican milition. When returns to Barcelona he feels torn apart between his loyalty for the communist party and his new love Blanca. One of the more important themes in Land and Freedom is the faith in political ideals, and the way in which these are challenged, both through the war as well as personal events.

25 November, 19.30 (avant-première)
Capitalism, A Love Story (2009), Michael Moore
Twenty years after his debute film Roger and Me, Michael More again presents a film covering the most important question in his work: the desastrous impact of the dominant corporate world on the everyday life of Americans (and the rest of the worldcitizens). In his new film it is not just a few corporations that are being questioned (like General Motors in Roger and Me), but a focus on the political power in Washington and the global financial epicentre in Manhattan.