S e v e n M i n u t e s i n H e av e n Director: Omri Givon
Mysticism and memory-play collide in this quietly powerful Israeli neo-noir thriller, brilliantly directed by first-time feature filmmaker Omri Givon. Galia (the captivating Reymonde Amsellem) has spent the last year recovering from a terrorist bus bombing, and as one would imagine, the extent of her trauma is profound. She suffers from unbearable burn scars that cover her back, intermittent panic attacks and a fractured memory. When her boyfriend Oren—also a victim of the attack— is removed from life support, Galia must remember the events that surrounded the bombing in order to move forward with her life. An unfamiliar necklace, a patient and handsome stranger named Boaz (Eldad Fribas) and the newfound knowledge that a rescue worker had pronounced her dead for a total of seven minutes all might help her unlock the key to her past. Galia is an enigma to herself, to her friends and at times even to us. But Amsellem is mesmerizing, and we cannot take our eyes off her . . . nor should we. With subtle clues woven into a deeply intricate plot that traverses time and space, Seven Minutes in Heaven is the kind of film a Sudoku addict would love. Watching it is like groping for an infinitely satisfying truth under the shroud of darkness. Seven Minutes in Heaven truly earns its title’s delightful double entendre. —Shira Zucker Co-presented by Israel Center
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Bay Area Premiere Israel, 2008, 94 min., color, Hebrew
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S h o u t i n g F i r e : S t or i e s f rom t h e E d g e o f Fr e e S p e e c h California Premiere United States, 2009, 80 min., color, English
Director: Liz Garbus Cinematographer: Tom Hurwitz Editor: Karen Sim
Liz Garbus’s vital and unexpectedly personal accounting of the First Amendment right to free speech explores a profound but fragile and increasingly menaced cornerstone of American democracy. Garbus makes this case with coolheaded assurance and utterly engaging style, letting provocative interviewees— including prominent historians, jurists, activists and ideologues from across the political spectrum—flesh out today’s deeply contested post-9/11 recoil from civil liberties. With deft use of archival footage and pop-cultural references, she traces the embattled history of free expression through flashpoints like the McCarthy era and the Vietnam War, laying particular and instructive emphasis on recent cases like Ward Churchill’s dismissal from the University of Colorado, principal Debbie Almontaser’s forced resignation from a New York EnglishArabic public school (labeled a terrorism-stoking “madrassa” by right-wing critics) and a Christian student’s suspension for a homophobic slogan on his T-shirt. Trial lawyer Martin Garbus, the filmmaker’s father, adds the personal angle as his esteemed career wends through some of the most crucial cases discussed— including his difficult decision as a young Jewish ACLU attorney to defend the rights of American Nazis in Skokie, Illinois. While the film underscores the pivotal role of the Supreme Court, Martin Garbus sums up another key point: Free speech is no gift from above, but a public battle to win or lose each day. —Robert Avila Preceded by
575 C a s t r o S t r e e t United States, 2009, 7 min., English Director: Jenni Olson
Cinematographer: Sophie Constantinou Editor: Marc Henrich
Jenni Olson’s quietly electrifying tribute to Harvey Milk focuses on his camera store at 575 Castro Street. The film’s simple, elegant imagery provides a visual calm in which one acutely hears audio of Harvey, who recorded his thoughts in case he—like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—did not make it to the mountaintop. —Nancy K. Fishman Castro CineArts Roda Rafael
Mon, Jul 27 Sat, Aug 1 Wed, Aug 5 Sun, Aug 9
9 :00 PM SEVE27C 9 :30 PM SEVE01T 4 :00 PM SEVE05B 8 :15 PM SEVE09R
Co-presented by Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Castro Roda CineArts
Thu, Jul 30 Sat, Aug 1 Tue, Aug 4
1:00 PM SHOU30C 4:15 PM SHOU01B 4:00 PM SHOU04T