Last modified: Thursday, January 17, 2013
Indie film producer Christine Vachon to visit IU Cinema, take part in Pride Film Festival
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 17, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Independent producer Christine Vachon, hailed as the "godmother to the politically committed film" by The New York Times, will visit IU Cinema and take part in Bloomington's Pride Film Festival.
As co-founder of New York City-based independent film production company Killer Films, Vachon has been the driving force behind some of the most original filmmakers of the past two decades. A few of her 75 production credits include "Far From Heaven," "Kids," "I'm Not There," "I Shot Andy Warhol" and "Boys Don't Cry," as well as the HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce."
"Christine Vachon and Killer Films have championed important, small films and a number of the most distinct and daring voices in American cinema since the early 1990s," IU Cinema director Jon Vickers said. "We're pleased to partner with the Pride Film Festival to bring this indie cinema hero to Bloomington."
Vachon will speak at IU Cinema at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, and the cinema will screen seven examples of her work:
- 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27, "Far From Heaven." The story of a privileged 1950s housewife dips into a repressed world of emotion and desire that crosses racial and sexual boundaries.
- 6:30 p.m. Jan. 31, "Dragonslayer." An intimate portrait of Josh "Skreech" Sandoval, a 23-year-old skate legend from a California suburb.
- 9:30 p.m. Jan. 31, "Kids." Scripted by a 19-year-old, this film captures inner-city kids' attitudes about sex, drugs and other harsh realities of life.
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1, "Mildred Pierce." The first episode in the story of a middle-class, single mother struggling to earn her daughter's love during the Great Depression.
- 9:30 p.m. Feb. 1, "I Shot Andy Warhol." Based on the true story of a 1960s radical feminist writer's relationship with the famed artist.
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2, "I'm Not There." Director Todd Haynes' interpretation of the many lives and music of Bob Dylan.
- 9:30 p.m. Feb. 2, "Shut Up and Play the Hits." The four-hour farewell concert given by dance-punk band LCD Soundsystem in 2011 at Madison Square Garden.
Vachon is scheduled to be present for the "Mildred Pierce" episode, after which she'll discuss her work, as well as "I Shot Andy Warhol" and "I'm Not There." She's also set to take part in a panel discussion titled "The Past and Future of LGBTQ Film" at 2 p.m. Feb. 2 with Brenda Webb of Reeling, Chicago's LGBTQ film festival, and Danielle McClelland of the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre.
Vachon's lecture is free, and no tickets are required. The screening of "Mildred Pierce" is free but ticketed, and tickets for all other films are $3 each. Tickets can be obtained at the IU Auditorium Box Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; one hour before any screening at the cinema; or by phone at 812-855-1103 for a $10 service fee per order.
Vachon will speak as part of the Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture Series, sponsored by the Ove W Jorgensen Foundation. The series is co-sponsored by Bloomington's Pride Film Festival, Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, and the university's Department of Communication and Culture in memory of the late Alex Doty, whose work centered around gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and feminist film theory.
