Meta House Events for 08-14 Dec 2013

SUN, 08.12.

4PM: For THE LIVES OF GIANTS (2012, 66 min) Cambodian top choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro re-writes Cambodian mythology in order to explore how a culture of violence begets more violence and how, with patience, recurring cycles of conflict might end. Performed by 20 dancers, singers, and musicians, THE LIVES OF GIANTS pushes the boundaries of classical dance, bridging the old with the new, through the use of innovative movements, musical arrangements and costuming.  

7PM: DANGER ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (1991, 51 min, Engl.) follows iconic photographer Tim Page, who sets out to discover what happened to two colleagues captured in Cambodia 20 years ago – one of whom, Sean Flynn, was the son of actor Errol Flynn.

8PM: THIS IS WHAT WINNING LOOKS LIKE is a disturbing new documentary about the ineptitude, drug abuse, sexual misconduct, and corruption of the Afghan security forces as well as the reduced role of US Marines due to the troop withdrawal.

TUE, 10.12.

4PM: Cambodian “Sbaek Thom” shadow puppetry was under threat of extinction during the KR regime. THE BATTLE TO REBUILD SBAEK THOM (2009, 14 min) is followed by PUPPETS BEYOND BORDERS (2013, 37 mins, English subs). A Burmese-Cambodian student team has followed an unique project, which brought together puppeteers from Germany, France, Thailand, Myanmar & Cambodia.

7PM: TWO IN THE WAVE (Emmanuel Laurent, 2010, 93 min) The French New Wave crashed onto international shores when François Truffaut's debut feature, THE 400 BLOWS, premiered at Cannes in 1959, followed quickly by Jean-Luc Godard's equally thrilling BREATHLESS, based on a Truffaut story. The two filmmaking rebels, great friends and fellow graduates of the Cahiers du Cinema, for which both wrote extensively, hailed from different sides of the tracks: Truffaut, a poor reform school boy, and Godard, a Swiss haute-bourgeois. Both cast Jean-Pierre Léaud in many of their movies (for Truffaut, as his alter-ego, Antoine Doinel) and led the movement to save Henri Langlois's job at the Cinemathèque Française in '68. TWO IN THE WAVE poignantly melds revealing period footage of both men (and of Léaud, torn between father-figures) with scenes from some of their greatest films, as it moves inexorably toward their bitter falling-out.

9PM: For his feature-film debut 400 BLOWS (1959, 99 min), critic-turned-director François Truffaut drew inspiration from his own troubled childhood. The 400 Blows stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, Truffaut's preteen alter ego. Misunderstood at home by his parents and tormented in school by his insensitive teacher (Guy Decomble), Antoine frequently runs away from both places. The boy finally quits school after being accused of plagiarism by his teacher. He steals a typewriter from his father (Albert Remy) to finance his plans to leave home. The father angrily turns Antoine over to the police, who lock the boy up with hardened criminals. A psychiatrist at a delinquency center probes Antoine's unhappiness, which he reveals in a fragmented series of monologues. Originally intended as a 20-minute short, The 400 Blows was expanded into a feature when Truffaut decided to elaborate on his self-analysis. For the benefit of Truffaut's fellow film buffs, The 400 Blows is full of brief references to favorite directors, notably Truffaut's then-idol Jean Vigo. The film won the 1959 Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, even though Truffaut had been declared persona non grata the year before for his inflammatory comments about the festival's commercialism.

WED, 11.12.

4PM: MEKONG THE MOTHER (2000, 60 mins, English) by German filmmaker/fishery expert Peter Degen (“Mekong River Commission”) portrays the Lower Mekong River Basin through its mainly rural population living from the rich natural resources.

7PM: In 1974, boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman came to the still-emerging and politically unstable African nation of Zaire for what Ali called the "Rumble in the Jungle," a highly publicized world heavyweight championship fight. Documentarian Leon Gast flew to Zaire to film both the fight and a music festival (featuring B.B. King, The Pointer Sisters, and Miriam Makeba) organized by promoter Don King. Gast's footage was shelved for 22 years due to legal and financial problems, but when it was finally released in 1996, WHEN WE WERE KINGS (1996, 84 min) provided a vivid portrait of the controversial Ali. A fascinating document of a great moment in sporting and cultural history, the docu received an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Special Jury Recognition Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

9PM: In his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, master filmmaker Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill-and why a state kills. INTO THE ABYSS (2011, 107 min) features intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (scheduled to die within eight days of appearing on-screen), Herzog achieves what he describes as "a gaze into the abyss of the human soul." Herzog's inquiries also extend to the families of the victims and perpetrators as well as a state executioner and pastor who've been with death row prisoners as they've taken their final breaths. As he's so often done before, Herzog's investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.

THU, 12.12.

4PM: A new generation of Khmer filmmakers documents contemporary Cambodia. Prom Veasna’s NO MATTER WHO WE ARE (2013, 15 min, English Subs) follows the lives of two lesbian couples, which face discrimination from their family, relatives, police and employers. Also screening: GONE WITH THE WATER (2012, 9 min) by Ly Polen, THE QUIET MOVEMENT (2012, 13 min) by Sao Sopheak and THE SPIRIT FOREST (2012, 9 min) by Ream Chamrouen.

7PM: For the 25th anniversary of "Graceland," Paul Simon returns to South Africa for a historic reunion concert-and a look at his landmark album's turbulent birth. Interviewing anti-apartheid activists and music legends like Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and David Byrne, Joe Berlinger's (“Crude”, “Paradise Lost”) new doc UNDER AFRICAN SKIES (2012, 108 min) explores both the anatomy of a musical masterwork and the responsibilities of art.

9PM: Lo-Fi-House Party with DJs Flo and KNSTK. You know the feeling of strolling around the city? Moody but exciting, this is how it feels sometimes. Come to Meta House tonight to discover the right soundtrack for a promising night in the city.

FRI, 13.12.

4PM: Many Cambodians are effectively excluded from healthcare due to lack of money. We’ll screen a set of docus about the local health care system: PAY OR DIE (2010, 20 min), A HEALTHIER TOMORROW (2010, 16 min) and CAMBODIAN CHILD SURVIVAL (2008, 26 min). All films with Engl. Subs.

7PM: Alison Klayman’s AI WEI WEI: NEVER SORRY (2012, 91 min) is the first feature-length film about the internationally renowned Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. In recent years, Ai has garnered international attention as much for his ambitious artwork as his political provocations. From 2008 to 2010, Beijing-based journalist and filmmaker Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai Weiwei. Klayman documented Ai's artistic process in preparation for major museum exhibitions, his intimate exchanges with family members and his increasingly public clashes with the Chinese government. Klayman's detailed portrait of the artist provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.

9PM: 9PM: Vinyl records will neverr die! Join our VINYL ONLY DJ NIGHT with Dr. Wah Wah and DJ Nicomatic on the turntables. Funk, House, Disco. Genres which existed mainly on black gold a.k.a.vinyl. Tonight you will experience your favorite tracks in the warm sound of an old but everlasting medium. Vinyl only!

SAT, 14.12.

4PM: CITY OF GHOSTS (Matt Dillon, 2003, 116m min) Leading man Matt Dillon makes his directorial debut with the crime thriller City of Ghosts. Jimmy (Dillon) is a New York con man fleeing the U.S. for Bangkok in order to avoid an insurance scam investigation. He goes to Cambodia to meet up with his former business partner, Marvin (James Caan), to collect his half of the money. Along the way, he makes friends with local man, Sok (Sereyvuth Kem), and romances Sophie (Natascha McElhone). Also starring Gérard Depardieu and Stellan Skarsgård. ~Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

7PM: From Oscar-nominated director Richard E. Robbins comes an innovative new film about the power of education. GIRL RISING (2013, 101 min, Engl.) tells the stories of 9 girls in 9 different countries, including former scavenger Sokha from Cambodia. She has risen to become a star student on the brink of a brilliant and once unimaginable future.

9PM: TECHPENH PARTY with DJs Tonle Dub, Mercy & friends. Tech Penh is one of the most successful nights featuring Tech House, Techno and Tech Trance in Phnom Penh. This is Volume 8 and it will get loud, late and nasty.