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JUST ADDED AT 92Y
The Congress: Special Advance Screening and Discussion with Director Ari Folman
Wednesday, August 20, 7:30 pm, tickets from $30
www.92Y.org | 212.415.5500
“The Congress contains tricks aplenty and ideas in abundance.” – The Guardian
“The Congress is an ode to cinema that celebrates—indeed, animates—the affective power of imagination.” – PopMatters
92Y and Indiewire announce a special advance screening of The Congress, the award-winning film from director Ari Folman(Waltz with Bashir), starring Robin Wright and Harvey Keitel. The screening, on Wednesday, August 20 at 7:30 pm, will be followed by a discussion with Folman and Indiewire critic Jordan Hoffman
The Congressisbeing released by Drafthouse Films. It is currently available on VOD, and opens in select U.S. theaters on August 29 and in New York on September 5. The film’s trailer is available here: http://thecongress-movie.com/watch-the-trailer.htm?lng=en.
SYNOPSIS
More than two decades after catapulting to stardom with The Princess Bride, an aging actress (Robin Wright, playing a version of herself) decides to take her final job: preserving her digital likeness for a future Hollywood. Through a deal brokered by her loyal, longtime agent (Harvey Keitel) and the head of Miramount Studios (Danny Huston), her alias will be controlled by the studio, and will star in any film they want with no restrictions. In return, she receives healthy compensation so she can care for her ailing son and her digitized character will stay forever young. Twenty years later, under the creative vision of the studio’s head animator (Jon Hamm), Wright’s digital double rises to immortal stardom. With her contract expiring, she is invited to take part in “The Congress” convention as she makes her comeback straight into the world of future fantasy cinema.
DIRECTOR’S BIO – ARI FOLMAN
In the mid 1980s, after completing his military service, Ari Folman ventured out on his dream trip to circle the world with a backpack. Just two weeks and two countries into the trip, Ari realized traveling was not for him, so he settled into a small guesthouse in Southeast Asia and wrote letters to his friends at home, letters in which he totally fabricated the perfect trip. One whole year of being in one place and writing down the fruits of his fantastical imagination convinced him to return home and study cinema. His graduate film, Comfortably Numb (1991), documented Ari‘s close friends taking cover on the verge of anxiety attacks during the first Gulf war while Iraqi missiles landed all over Tel Aviv. The result was comical and absurd and the film won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Documentary. Between 1991 and 1996, Ari directed documentary specials for TV, mainly in the occupied territories. In 1996 he co-wrote and directed Saint Clara, a feature film based on a novel by Czech author Pavel Kohout. The film won seven Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Film. Saint Clara opened the Berlin Film Festival‘s Panorama and won the People‘s Choice Award. The film was screened throughout America and Europe to critical acclaim. Ari continued directing successful documentary series and took time off for his second feature in
2001. Made In Israel is a futuristic fantasy that centers upon the pursuit of the world’s only remaining Nazi. Ari has written for several successful Israeli TV series, including the award-winning In Treatment (Be Tipul), which was the basis for the new HBO series of the same name. Ari made his initial attempt at animation in his series The Material That Love is Made Of: each episode opens with five minutes of documentary animation which depicts scientists presenting their theories on the evolution of love. This successful attempt at documentary animation propelled Ari to develop the unique format of Waltz with Bashir. Based on a true story, the film is a quest into the director’s memory for the missing pieces from the days of the Lebanon War in the mid 80s. As far as Ari was concerned, it was only natural to transform the quest into animation, full of imagination and fantasy.
About 92nd Street Y
Now celebrating its 140th Anniversary, 92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world’s best minds; an outstanding range of programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is reimagining what it means to be a community center in the digital age, transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action both locally and around the world. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y’s digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its Jewish heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.
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