International documentaries and narratives highlight The Cleveland Museum of Art's March and April film lineup

CLEVELAND (Feb. 16, 2010) – Clevelanders can travel the globe from the comfort of The Cleveland Museum of Art this spring as the CMA Film Series gathers documentaries and narratives from around the world (seven of them Cleveland premieres) and hosts one classic movie adventure. Two films will show in the newly renovated Gartner Auditorium, open again after a five-year closure. The remaining movies will show in the Morley Lecture Hall.

March showcases six different feature films. Among them are four Cleveland premieres: The Hand of Fatina, a documentary by Augusta Palmer on her search to learn about her music-critic father, Robert Palmer, who abandoned her as an infant; Skin, a new drama about the struggles of a black girl born to white parents in 1950s South Africa; Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight, a documentary on the graphic designer who co-founded New York magazine and concocted the "I ? NY logo; and William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a portrait on the legendary civil rights lawyer. March also brings a return of the widely popular French film, La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet. And don't miss CMA's sponsored film at the Cleveland International Film Festival – The Desert of Forbidden Art. This documentary tells the amazing story of how penniless Russian artist Igor Savitsky rescued 40,000 forbidden art works by fellow Soviet artists and created a museum for them in remote Uzbekistan. Visit www.clevelandfilm.org for dates, times, and special pricing for that film.

In April, celebrate the reopening of Gartner Auditorium with a FREE screening of the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark. Tickets are free, but space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Three premieres highlight April's film offerings: Home, a modern Swiss fairy tale; Bluebeard, a feminist take on the classic Charles Perrault fairy tale; and Yes, Miss Commander!, a documentary following a group of at-risk Israeli Defense Forces recruits and their commanding officers, all young women. This screening, co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation, is free to the public and will feature a panel discussion with some of the soldiers seen in the movie.

All films will be shown at CMA, located at 11150 East Boulevard in University Circle. Unless noted, admission prices to museum films are: general public $8; CMA members, seniors 65 and over, and students $6; or one CMA Film Series voucher. CMA Film Series vouchers (in books of 10) cost $60 for the general public, $50 for CMA members. Tickets are available through the Online Box Office at www.clevelandart.org, in person or over the phone at 1-888-CMA-0033. Parking is available in the CMA parking garage.

March Films

The Hand of Fatima
Wednesday, March 3, 7:00 p.m.
Directed by Augusta Palmer, with Donovan Leitch and John Giorno. In this very personal documentary that also incorporates animation, Augusta Palmer, daughter of the late rock-music critic Robert Palmer (Deep Blues), goes in search of the father who abandoned her when she was an infant. Her journey takes her to Morocco, where she meets the Master Musicians of Jajouka, a 1000-year-old Sufi trance band with whom her father played during his 1960s–1970s search for ecstasy and enlightenment. Cleveland premiere.
USA, 2009, COLOR, DVD, 75 MIN. THEHANDOFFATIMA.COM

Skin
Friday, March 5, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 7, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Anthony Fabian, With Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda), Sam Neill, and Alice Krige. A black girl born to white parents in 1950s South Africa spends much of her young life being shuffled back-and-forth across an arbitrary racial divide. This moving, multiple award-winning film is based on a true case. "One of the best films of 2009." –Roger Ebert. Cleveland premiere. BRITAIN/SOUTH AFRICA, 2008, COLOR, 35MM, 107 MIN. SKINTHEMOVIE.NET

Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight
Wednesday, March 10, 5:30 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.
Directed by Wendy Keys. Now in his 80s, the legendary graphic designer who co-founded New York magazine and concocted the "I ? NY" logo, is profiled in this "heartening" (The New York Times) documentary. Cleveland premiere.
USA, 2009, COLOR, DVD, 73 MIN. ARTHOUSEFILMSONLINE.COM

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe
Friday, March 12, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 14, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Emily and Sarah Kunstler, with Harry Belafonte, Alan Dershowitz, Phil Donahue, and Tom Hayden. Though directed by his daughters, this portrait of the legendary, loved/hated civil rights lawyer who defended everyone from the Chicago 8 to Attica inmates to Wounded Knee activists strives to be even-handed. "Both a memoir and a history lesson…Looks back with a combination of love, admiration and bafflement." –San Francisco Chronicle. Cleveland premiere. USA, 2009, COLOR, BETA SP, 85 MIN. DISTURBINGTHEUNIVERSE.COM

Four Seasons Lodge
Wednesday, March 17, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 21, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Andrew Jacobs. Elderly Holocaust survivors gather for their 26th summer together at a Catskills resort in this unique, life-affirming new documentary. "It may be glib to call this the funniest Holocaust-themed doc yet made, but it's the truth." –Time Out New York. USA, 2008, COLOR, DVD, 97 MIN. FOURSEASONSMOVIE.ORG

Back by Popular Demand!
La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet
Sunday, March 28, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Frederick Wiseman. Veteran documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the Paris Opera Ballet, capturing not only dancers and choreographers, but also costume makers, marketing strategists, and administrators. "One of the finest dance films ever made." –The New York Times.
FRANCE/USA, 2009, COLOR, SUBTITLES, BLU-RAY, 158 MIN.

April Films

Special Free Screening!
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Saturday, April 10, 1:30 p.m.
Gartner Auditorium
Directed by Steven Spielberg, with Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Celebrate the return of movies to Gartner Auditorium with perhaps the greatest adventure film ever made, which will be shown from a 35mm scope print on Gartner's 37-foot screen! Globe-trotting archaeologist Indiana Jones vies with pre-WWII Nazi villains for control of the mystical and powerful Ark of the Covenant. Rated PG.
USA, 1981, COLOR, 115 MIN.

Home
Wednesday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 16, 7:00 p.m.
Directed by Ursula Meier, with Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet. Switzerland's submission for the Best Foreign Film Oscar is a modern fairy tale about an insular family of five whose idyllic lives take a turn for the worse when a busy highway opens adjacent to their isolated property. 92% "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com! Cleveland premiere.
SWITZERLAND/FRANCE/BELGIUM, 2008, COLOR, SUBTITLES, 35MM, 98 MIN. KINO.COM

Special Event! Admission Free!
Yes, Miss Commander!
Sunday, April 18, 1:30 p.m.
Gartner Auditorium
Directed by Dan Setton and Itzik Lerner. Set at Israel's Havat Hashomer army base, this new documentary follows a group of at-risk Israeli Defense Forces recruits, some with criminal records, who are led through basic training (and hopefully rehabilitated) by women officers as young as they are. A panel discussion with some of the soldiers featured in the movie will follow the screening. Cleveland premiere. Screening co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation; special thanks to Lacey Roth.
ISRAEL, 2009, COLOR, SUBTITLES, DVD, 96 MIN.

Bluebeard
Friday, April 30, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 2, 1:30 p.m.
Directed by Catherine Breillat. The classic Charles Perrault fairy tale—about an ogre-like nobleman who murders his wives—is given a feminist slant in this alternately funny and chilling new film, a hit at major film festivals throughout 2009. While two sisters living in the 1950s read the story, two other sisters living centuries ago live it. Cleveland premiere.
FRANCE, 2009, COLOR, SUBTITLES, DVD, 80 MIN. STRANDRELEASING.COM

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CMA AT THE FILM FEST!
The Desert of Forbidden Art For dates and times, go to clevelandfilm.org. Directed by Tchavdar Georgiev and Amanda Pope. This new documentary tells the amazing story of how penniless Russian artist Igor Savitsky rescued, at considerable personal risk, 40,000 forbidden art works by fellow Soviet artists and created a museum for them in remote Uzbekistan. Narrated by Edward Asner, Ben Kingsley, and Sally Field. Cleveland premiere.
RUSSIA/USA/UZBEKISTAN, 2009, COLOR, SOME SUBTITLES,VIDEO, 80 MIN.
Shown as part of the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival, March 18-28 at Tower City Cinemas. $12; CIFF members $10; students and seniors (day of show only) $10. CMA members can save $2 off full-price admission to any regular film festival screening by mentioning code "CMA" when purchasing tickets.

About The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes over 40,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. Currently undergoing a multi-phase renovation and expansion project, it is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, performing arts, and art education. Admission to the museum has been free since its founding charter.

The Cleveland Museum of Art has a membership of nearly 25,000 households and is supported by a broad range of individuals, foundations, and businesses in Cleveland and Northeastern Ohio. The museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Additional support comes from the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. For more information on the museum, its holdings, programs, and events, call 1-888-CMA-0033 or visit www.ClevelandArt.org.

DVD screeners available (dependent upon film): please contact Christa Skiles,
216-707-6898, cskiles@clevelandart.org