This Week at The Cinematheque

By Dianna Braginton-Smith

“The Girlfriend Experience”
Directed by Steven Soderbergh/2009. With Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Glenn Kenny, Timothy Davis

Set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election, The Girlfriend Experience portrays five days in the life of Chelsea (starring adult film star Sasha Grey in her non-adult film debut), an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than sex to her clients — companionship and conversation — “the girlfriend experience.” Her real boyfriend, Chris, is a personal trainer at a downtown gym, and has come to terms with his girlfriend’s level of experience, not to mention the posh apartment they share as a result of her success. Despite a wide variety of happy customers, Chelsea wants to expand her business.

Friday, July 31; Saturday, Aug. 1 and Sunday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.


GLOBAL LENS SERIES
“Those Three” (An seh)
Directed by Naghi Nemati/Iran/2007. With Youssef Yazdani, Dariush Ghazbani, Esmail Movahedi

Just one day from completing their military training, three conscripts desert their camp and escape into the frozen wilderness of Northern Iran. Travel through this mountainous, snowbound region is dangerous, but the three opt for the independence the journey promises. They forge their way through an uncertain landscape, with only friendship to see them through. In this austere and mesmerizing debut feature, director Naghi Nemati’s attention to the minutiae of human relationships is a quiet and deliberate meditation on the value of responsibility, connection and sacrifice. In Farsi and Turkish with English subtitles.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 8:30 p.m.


A word about the importance of funding for the arts
A Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Budget Alert

By Dianna Braginton-Smith

“Art is the right hand of Nature. The latter has only given us being, the former has made us men.”  - Friedrich Schiller

What is art? It’s a vague distinction that defies definition. Perhaps art is best described by its ability to impact the soul of the individual. To Friedrich Nietzsche it was “the proper task of life.” To Oscar Wilde it was “the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” To Twila Tharp it was “the only way to run away without leaving home.”

At the risk of linking myself to such impressive company, for me, it is the most intimate and pure way to share what it is to be human, and experiencing it is the difference between life and bleak existence. It is the commonality of its ability to touch and inspire people from all walks of life in such different ways that makes Art so precious, whether it is expressed in film, dance, painting, or the written word.

In times when urgent practical matters cause us all to tighten our belts, and consider the best use of each fraction, it’s easy for governments making difficult budget decisions to initially see the arts as something of a luxury, but these are also the very times when economically-exasperated constituents most need to be inspired and lifted from our daily routines and worries in the transformational (and cost-effective) way that only art can.

To paraphrase Tharp — art is the least expensive way to run away. With the cost of admission to a Global Lens film at MBC, you can travel to Iran for $10, ($8 if you are a member!) or visit one of Miami’s many amazing museums and see what inspires and challenges people around the world.

Now, more than ever, we need the strength that comes from sharing our humanity, and in the interest of protecting and preserving it, the Arts in Miami-Dade County are not something we can afford to lose. Please take a moment to read these excerpts from Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council Director Michael Spring’s urgent letter:

“Mayor [Carlos] Alvarez released budget recommendations for the County’s FY 2009-2010 budget today. ... If the budget is adopted as proposed, the [Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs] Department’s budget will be reduced by more than $11 million dollars, requiring the elimination of nearly all of the department’s grants for cultural organizations…

The next step in the budget process is for the Board of County Commissioners to set a preliminary millage rate next Tuesday, July 21. This will determine the degree to which the commission can address and expand the budget priorities over the coming weeks, before the final budget is adopted...

It is critically important to let the County Commissioners know the impact that county funding has on providing great arts and cultural programs and services for the citizens of Miami-Dade County.

The entirety of the funding for the Arts in Miami Dade is at stake, so please reach out to your community government and help your favorite cultural organization(s) retain county funding.”

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