Wednesday, January 8 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
Greatest nonfiction film in memory. —Time Out New York
This Emmy-winning documentary investigates the murder of three 8-year-olds and the aftermath involving teenage defendants in West Memphis, Arkansas. (Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 1996, 150 minutes)Film & Filmmaker Event
Paradise Lost 2: Revelations with Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Thursday, January 9 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
As extreme as any fictional crime story. —Boston Globe
This sequel re-examines the West Memphis 3 case while also demonstrating how media spin can disrupt the balance of justice. (2000, 133 minutes)These events co-presented with the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center and the Law and Society Program with support from the Critical Issues in America Program as part of the series Executing Justice: America and the Death Penalty.
Friday, January 10 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
Bristles with passion and bold purpose. —Los Angeles Times
Director Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney) explores the murders of gangsta rappers Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., suggesting the shootings were arranged by impresario Suge Knight. (2002, 107 minutes)
Sunday, January 12 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
Engrossing and infectiously enthusiastic. —Washington Post
Scratch engagingly documents the history and culture of hip-hop DJs, featuring insightful interviews with and compelling music by Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Shadow, Mix Master Mike and others. (Doug Pray, 2002, 88 minutes)
Thursday, January 16 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
Likably wry with a sly political wit. —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A female civil servant, with the begrudging help of a soldier, attempts to get an entire island to vote in this comedy from Iran. Babak Payami won the Best Director Award at the Venice Film Festival. (2001, 105 minutes)
Tuesday, January 21 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
The greatest action movie ever made. —Washington Post
A restored print of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece about beleaguered 16th century Japanese villagers seeking to thwart bandits by hiring the services of samurai warriors. Stars Toshiro Mifune. (1954, 203 minutes)
Thursday, January 23 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
Director Patricio Guzmán returns to the subject of his monumental The Battle of Chile with this exposé of the suffering of torture victims under dictator Augusto Pinochet and their quest for justice. (2001, 109 minutes)
Wednesday, January 29 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
A triumph on every level. —culturevulture.net
Maverick Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin has adapted the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s version of Dracula. Set to music by Mahler, this excessive and obsessive, tinted black-and-white film is utterly thrilling. (2002, 75 minutes)
Sunday, February 2 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
Joins the very short list of first-rate opera films —Christian Science Monitor
Puccini’s classic opera comes to life in this sexy and melodramatic re-imagining, featuring larger-than-life performances by superstar soprano Angela Gheorghiu and her real-life husband, tenor Roberto Alagna. (Benoît Jacquot, 2001, 120 minutes)General public $10 / UCSB students $8
Tuesday, February 4 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
A magnificent conjuring act. —The New York Times
Both a tour de force and a brilliant meditation on history, Russian Ark, filmed in one unbroken shot in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, time travels with a fictional 19th century diplomat through 300 years of Russian art and culture. (Alexander Sokurov, 2002, 96 minutes)
Sunday, February 9 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
A fascinating look at a pioneering woman. —Seattle Times
A brilliant and detailed documentary on the life of avant-garde film legend Maya Deren (Meshes of the Afternoon), who also explored voodoo, dance and ritual. Filled with haunting images from Deren’s dreamlike work and rare excerpts from recorded interviews. (Martina Kudlácek, 2002, 103 minutes)
Tuesday, February 18 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
An enthralling documentary double bill about two jazz legends. Lady Day lets us see and hear the miracle that was Billie Holiday through rare TV and movie clips and interviews with her musical associates. John Coltrane celebrates the innovative and revered jazz saxophonist, making clear his wide-ranging influence and musical prowess. (Matthew Seig, 1991, 58 minutes / Robert Palmer & Toby Byron, 1992, 59 minutes)
Best of the 27th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival
Monday & Tuesday, February 24 & 25 / 7:30 pm Campbell Hall
Celebrate the spirit of adventure with this perennial A&L audience favorite. Featuring the world’s best films and videos on mountain subjects, the Banff Festival Tour awes audiences with thrills and grandeur captured in exotic locations, from Tibet to Patagonia. An entirely different program screens each evening.
General public $12 / UCSB students & youth 16 & under $10
Monday, March 3 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
A special program celebrating Santa Barbara’s famed studio of the silent era. UCSB lecturer Dana Driskel premieres his documentary An American Film Company (2003, 60 minutes), which will be followed by two rarely screened silent shorts from the studio, “With a Life at Stake” and “Matching Dreams.” (both shorts: 1916, 22 minutes)
Co-presented with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
DAM/AGE: A Film with Arundhati Roy with filmmaker Aradhana Seth
Thursday, March 6 / 7:30 pm / Campbell Hall
This documentary about Booker Prize-winning novelist Arundhati Roy (The God of Small Things, Power Politics) chronicles her campaign to stop the construction of the Narmada Dam project in India. Director Seth will answer questions after the screening. (2002, 49 min.)
Co-presented with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, in association with the Worldwatch Institute
For more information about each film,
please see our Winter Films News Release.
All films are in original languages with English subtitles if necessary.
General public $6, UCSB students $5 unless noted otherwise
Advance tickets for all films are available at the Arts & Lectures
Ticket Office and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Phone orders: 2 ticket minimum, $3 service charge per order.
For more information: 893-3535 v/tty
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