Wednesday, May 1 - Tuesday, May 7

U.S. Theatrical Premiere!

Dear Fidel

In 1959, the 19-year-old Marita Lorenz fell madly in love with Fidel Castro when the victor of the Cuban revolution came aboard the German cruise ship Berlin. For a few months they were happy, until Fidel lost interest and forced Marita to abort their child when she was six months pregnant. Distraught, Marita allowed herself to be recruited by the CIA, which hoped to use her in a plot to kill the Cuban leader. But "love was stronger, " as the now 61-year-old Marita says in Wifred Huismann's eye-opening documentary, so she refused to participate in the attempt. Over the course of the 60s, Marita would, among other things, get to know a pre-Kennedy-assassination Lee Harvey Oswald, spy for the FBI, move freely in high Mafia circles (hobnobbing with infamous gangster Sam Giancana in the process), and bear two children. All the while, she continued to harbour great affection for Castro. While telling her history-and what a history it is-Huismann's film follows her attempts to return to Cuba and meet with Fidel one more time... Playing like a political thriller crossed with a biographical portrait of an amazing woman, Dear Fidel-Marita's Story is a road movie through the history of the Cold War. It only not provides insights into many secrets, it supports Der Spiegel's observation that, "Marita Lorenz claims a respectable share of 20th-century history for herself." For more info log onto dear-fidel.com. Germany, 2000, 92 minutes. Showtimes: 6:00, 8:00 & 10:00 with Sat., Sun., and Wed. matinees at 2:00 & 4:00.

"Completely captivating to the end" - Robert Avila, SF Bay Guardian

"Extraordinary. That rare documentary that is entertaining, provocative, sad, inspiring and jarring enough that you come away wondering, "Why wasn't this story told before on film?" Now it has been. "
- Jonathan Curiel , SF Chronicle

Wednesday, May 8 - Tuesday, May 14

Independent Filmmakers Respond to 911

underground zero

"Filmmakers Jay Rosenblatt and Caveh Zahedi have developed a collaborative film project intended to express diverse thoughts and feelings about the attacks and the events of September 11. "Underground Zero" is a compilation of one-to-ten minute personal shorts by various experimental and documentary filmmakers intended to counter mainstream media's narrow representation of events by giving voice to diverse responses within the independent film community - cutting across race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and religion - to present a collective response more powerful and effective than isolated individual responses." (Ann Arbor Film Festival) "Opening with Frazer Bradshaw's "The End of Summer" - which uses sunny stills of suburbia as a backdrop to a child's perspective on the attacks ("Maybe they were mad at New York?") - Rosenblatt and Zahedi's curated program complicates the issues and the aesthetics surrounding Sept. 11. Norman Cowie's take on TV news is boiled down to science in "Three Scenes from an Endless War," which - Feed style - toys with the TV talking head, adding satiric takes on the screen crawl and the media penchant for "branding" tragedies and relentlessly reselling them. The program travels outside the New York-to-L.A. corridor to get geographically unusual perspectives, including "China Diary (911)," by Eva Ilona Brzeski, which shows a New Yorker on vacation witnessing her neighborhood crumble from the vantage point of China, and Paul Harrill's "Brief Encounter with Tibetan Monks," which attempts to find answers - but only produces more questions - from a group of Tibetan monks on tour in the South. Jay Rosenblatt weighs in with one of the most powerful plays on gesture and metaphor I've ever seen, "Prayer," but I won't say more: it's a puzzle best unraveled on your own." -- Susan Gerhard, SF Bay Guardian. Shorts include: The End of Summer - Frazer Bradshaw; The Voice of the Prophet ­ Robert Edwards; China Diary (911) - Eva Ilona Brzeski; Isaiah¹s Rap -- Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman; Brief Encounter with Tibetan Monks - Paul Harrill; Scene from an Endless War ­ Norman Cowie; The World is a Classroom - Caveh Zahedi; A Strange Mourning ­ David Driver; 21 - Laura Plotkin; Carefully Taught ­ Valerie Soe; The World As We Know It - John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson; Prayer - Jay Rosenblatt; Untitled - Ira Sachs. Running time: Color, 1 hour 16 minutes. USA. Showtimes: Nightly at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00 with additional Sat., Sun and Wed. matinees at 2:00 and 4:00.

"See "Underground Zero" to feel better. See it to feel worse. See it to feel whatever it is you're going to feel. This is a thoughtful compilation and a healing experience." -- S.F. Chronicle
"A quickly put-together response to September's events, Underground Zero's combination of reverence, sadmess, satire, anger, and poetry answers the call."
-- Susan Gerhard, S.F. Bay Guardian
" No one with a living, beating heart will walk away from this collection unmoved". -- Jeffrey Anderson, S.F. Examiner

"Solid, inspiring cinema." -- Dina Gachman, SF Station

Wednesday, May 15 - Thurday, May 30

The Roxie is pleased to present the U.S. Theatrical Premiere of Jeroen Berkvens' fascinating new film about the late influential British singer/songwriter Nick Drake, A SKIN TOO FEW: THE DAYS OF NICK DRAKE. "I always say that Nick was born with a skin too few," says actress Gabrielle Drake about her brother Nick (1948-1974). It took twenty posthumous years for his music to gain recognition. A SKIN TOO FEW approaches the silent landscapes, locations, people and music in the life of this unorthodox loner. Nick Drake is one of Rock's most tragically romantic figures. There were only 26 years between his birth and his death; a time span that for many would be far too short to develop a talent or realize an ambition or a dream. Nick Drake captured time, beauty, loss, and wistful desires with precision in his subtly crafted songs. Nick Drake's rediscovery is all too bizarre considering his tortured existence. Except for boarding school and Cambridge University he seldom left his parents' home, and contact with others became a tremendous effort. His sensitivity was the basis for his talent, but at the same time it made him unable to face an audience. Caught in this spiral, he became increasingly embittered by his lack of success and gradually isolated himself. The testimonies in A SKIN TOO FEW describe an artist of integrity who symbolizes the destructive effect of loneliness. Nick Drake died silently and unobtrusively, and to this day it isn't clear whether his death was self-determined or unintentional. The significance of the three albums he left the world was only discovered two decades after his quiet passing. For more info, log onto nickdrakefilm.com. Directed by Jeroen Berkvens. 50 min. 2000.
Plus short: in motion: DAVID S. WARE. At the peak of his spectacular saxophone career David S. Ware swapped his life in the spotlights for a job as a cab driver in New York. Sitting at the wheel he explains why he renounced fame, but not music. The film makes the influence of the speeding traffic on Ware's music tangible. David S. Ware is a musician who sounds the truth. For more info, get in motion. Directed by Coco Schrijber. 20 minutes. 1994. Total Program: 80 mins. Showtimes: Nightly 6:15, 8, 9:45. Additional Sat., Sun, MON (Memorial Day), and Wed. matinees at 2:00 and 4:00.
NO SHOW ON THURSDAY, MAY 23

"So beautifully measured and crafted that it carries a hypnotic, lyrical gravity....English musician Drake pretty much constitutes the prototype for died-young, acquired-taste, didn't-sell-shit-when-alive makers of beautiful/sad art who are now considered a personal totem by every person who falls under their posthumous spell.." -- Dennis Harvey, SF Bay Guardian
"That's the real beauty of Berkvens' affecting documentary: It honors that mystery even as it brings it to vivid, poetic life." -- Neva Chonin, S.F. Chronicle
"Director Jeroen Berkvens succeeds in bringing the British folk singer back to life recreating Drake's world of gentle breezes and changing seasons."
-- ROLLING STONE
"ePICK! Drake fanatics also will be fascinated by Berkvens' coups.
-- Kimberly Chun, SF Gate.com
" -- Jeffrey M. Anderson, SF Examiner
"Hardcore fans will be fascinated" -- Dan Strachota, SF Weekly
"Beautifully evokes the enduring appeal of English singer-songwriter
Nick Drake" -- Variety

Thursday, May 23

Presents:
Wankers!
A Video Salute to Masturbation

Legendary San Francisco-based, women-owned and operated sex toy, book and video store, Good Vibrations is proud to present, WANKERS!: A video clips show celebrating the art of self-loving. The premiere screening of WANKERS! coincides with National Masturbation Month, a holiday introduced by Good Vibrations in 1995. "WANKERS!" is an all-new video clips show featuring some of the hottest, wildest, and most unique masturbation scenes on film. Short clips from some of the nation's leading adult films including Ecstatic Moments (Libido Video), Please Don't Stop: Lesbian Tips for Givin' & Getting' It (Sexpositive Productions), Slide Bi Me (Sexpositive Productions), Show and Tell (Vivid Video), Solo Male Ecstasy (Pacific Media Entertainment), Every Woman Has a Fantasy 3 (VCA Pictures), and Screaming Orgasms (New Sensations). WANKERS! also includes films clips from erotic videos not yet available in the US including Demark-produced Hot Men Cool Boyz (Zentropa) and the cutting-edge, semi-animated, sci-fi sex film, I.K.U. (Blue Sun Films) from Japan. Hosted by Good Vibrations' charming and sexually savvy staff Sexologist, Dr. Carol Queen, WANKERS! Tickets for this special screening are $8 and are on sale now at the Good Vibrations San Francisco and Berkeley stores (1210 Valencia in San Francisco and 2504 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley). Good Vibrations promises audiences an unforgettable, titillating evening of film, fun and a raffle of loads of masturbation-enhancing products from Good Vibes. Over 18, please! Show times are 7:00 and 9:30 pm. For more info, log onto Goodvibes.com.

Frida, May 31 - Wednesday, June 5

Culture Jam and The Days of Nick Drake Separate Admission

Jill Sharpe's smart, witty documentary follows the exploits of pranksters and artists who express their anti-corporate frustration, not with the violence that has marred worldwide protests, but with a slyer and arguably more subversive approach - culture jamming. From the large-scale mischief of the infamous Billboard Liberation Front to the grassroots protests of Grrlly Self-Publishing and The Church of Stop Shopping, these politically charged social critics voice their outrage in outrageous ways. This intelligent and always entertaining film chronicles an important moment in the evolution of consumer society - when people started talking back to the ads that surround them. -- Elan Mastai, Vancouver Film Festiva. For more information, log onto culturejamthefilm.com Director: Jill Sharpe. Producers: Lynn Booth, Jill Sharpe. Canada. 2001. 58 minutes. Plus Craig Baldwin curated shorts: BRINGING IT TO YOU -- rtmArc; WORLD OF SURVIVAL -- Phil Patiris; SPECIAL REPORT -- Bryan Boyce. Runningtime for the entire program: 80 mins. IN PERSON 7:00 MAY 31: Billboard Liberation Front Ring Leaders. IN PERSON 7:00 June 1: Counter Culture Guru, Dr. Craig Baldwin!. Show times: Nightly at 7:00 & 10:15, Additional Sat., Sun., and Wed matinees at 3:45. Separate Admission.

- PLUS -

The Roxie is pleased to present the U.S. Theatrical Premiere of Jeroen Berkvens' fascinating new film about the late influential British singer/songwriter Nick Drake, A SKIN TOO FEW: THE DAYS OF NICK DRAKE. "I always say that Nick was born with a skin too few," says actress Gabrielle Drake about her brother Nick (1948-1974). It took twenty posthumous years for his music to gain recognition. A SKIN TOO FEW approaches the silent landscapes, locations, people and music in the life of this unorthodox loner. Nick Drake is one of Rock's most tragically romantic figures. There were only 26 years between his birth and his death; a time span that for many would be far too short to develop a talent or realize an ambition or a dream. Nick Drake captured time, beauty, loss, and wistful desires with precision in his subtly crafted songs. Nick Drake's rediscovery is all too bizarre considering his tortured existence. Except for boarding school and Cambridge University he seldom left his parents' home, and contact with others became a tremendous effort. His sensitivity was the basis for his talent, but at the same time it made him unable to face an audience. Caught in this spiral, he became increasingly embittered by his lack of success and gradually isolated himself. The testimonies in A SKIN TOO FEW describe an artist of integrity who symbolizes the destructive effect of loneliness. Nick Drake died silently and unobtrusively, and to this day it isn't clear whether his death was self-determined or unintentional. The significance of the three albums he left the world was only discovered two decades after his quiet passing. For more info, log onto nickdrakefilm.com. Directed by Jeroen Berkvens. 50 min. 2000.
Plus short: in motion: DAVID S. WARE. At the peak of his spectacular saxophone career David S. Ware swapped his life in the spotlights for a job as a cab driver in New York. Sitting at the wheel he explains why he renounced fame, but not music. The film makes the influence of the speeding traffic on Ware's music tangible. David S. Ware is a musician who sounds the truth. For more info, get in motion. Directed by Coco Schrijber. 20 minutes. 1994. Total Program: 70 mins. Showtimes: Nightly at 5:30 & 8:45, Additional Sat Sun Wed matinees at 2:00. Separate Admission.

"So beautifully measured and crafted that it carries a hypnotic, lyrical gravity....English musician Drake pretty much constitutes the prototype for died-young, acquired-taste, didn't-sell-shit-when-alive makers of beautiful/sad art who are now considered a personal totem by every person who falls under their posthumous spell.." -- Dennis Harvey, SF Bay Guardian
"That's the real beauty of Berkvens' affecting documentary: It honors that mystery even as it brings it to vivid, poetic life." -- Neva Chonin, S.F. Chronicle
"Director Jeroen Berkvens succeeds in bringing the British folk singer back to life recreating Drake's world of gentle breezes and changing seasons."
-- ROLLING STONE
"ePICK! Drake fanatics also will be fascinated by Berkvens' coups.
-- Kimberly Chun, SF Gate.com
" -- Jeffrey M. Anderson, SF Examiner
"Hardcore fans will be fascinated" -- Dan Strachota, SF Weekly