The Look of Three-Part Harmony

On Friday, I picked up the Music, Movies & Magic poster from Triple Stamp Press, and I'll have to say it's one of the best posters I've had anything to do with for quite some time. It also reminds me how much fun it is to collaborate with others on a creative project. In this case, the collaboration was with Terry Rea, my Bijou partner, and Michael Harl, local musician, WRIR deejay, graphic designer and longtime collaborator -- a trio.

I first met Michael when I was running the Richmond Flicker, a bi-monthly screening of short Super 8 and 16mm films by area filmmakers. Fairly early on I secured a studio space at the Hand Workshop (now Visual Arts Center of Richmond) with a combination of money and barter. I agreed to teach an "Intro to Super 8 Filmmaking" class in exchange for a discount on rent.

Michael attended Flicker and decided to take my Super 8 class. Soon after he offered to help design the Flicker zines I produced for each show. During the first year or so I did them myself using the old paste up method and photocopy machines. Michael and several other designers offered to take over the design duties. Then, much later, I was able to return the favor and offer him a paying gig doing graphic design work for the VCU School of Nursing.

So, Michael was the first guy I thought of when Terry and I were kicking around ideas for a poster. Having done posters for two previous events, we knew that we wanted to strip the poster down to the basics: who, what, when and where. And we wanted a clean, crisp design that evoked an earlier part of cinema history.

All it took was one meeting of the three of us to get on the same page. Terry brought his Speedball Book and after flipping through it and geeking out on some old school type and design, Michael and Terry zeroed in on a look for the poster. Michael gave us two designs for Terry and me to choose from, we picked one, and then we all made a few tweaks. Michael took the file to Triple Stamp and, with their advice, selected the paper.

As I loaded the posters in my car on Friday and gazed at the hot-off-the-press poster, I smiled and thought to myself, "I've always loved the sound of three-part harmony."

Turns out it looks good too.

-- James Parrish

Music, Movies & Magic

Note: The press release below went out to the local media via email today.

Date: April 30, 2015

To: All media for immediate release
Re: Music, Movies & Magic
From: The Bijou Film Center

At Hardywood Park on Sunday, May 17, 2015, between noon and 6 p.m. the nonprofit Bijou Film Center will present a springtime frolic -- "Music, Movies & Magic." The variety show will offer live performances by three bands: The Red Hot Lava Men; Happy Lucky Combo; Avers. Short films will be shown between the sets by the bands. A magician will also be working the room.

Admission will be free.

The beer will be cold. 

Contacts:

James Parrish: Email: jtparrish@bijoufilmcenter.org. Phone: (804) 564-3224.
Terry Rea: Email: ftrea9@gmail.com. Phone: (804) 938-7997.

The Event's Purpose:

Music, Magic & Magic will serve as the kickoff for a $15,000 fundraising campaign to buy the equipment needed to breathe life into the Bijou's film preservation/transfer business. The most important aspect of that equipment is a Tobin TST-8 Strobe Transfer Unit for Dual 8 (Standard 8mm and Super 8) Silent Film. It will transfer small format films, frame-by-frame, to computer hard drives. Our customers will then be able to watch their old home movies on DVDs or online without risking damage to the source material.

Once we have our ducks in a row, equipment-wise, the Bijou Film Center will open for business later this year in its studio/office space. We will make quality transfers of films shot in what might be considered out-of-date formats, such as 8mm, Super 8mm, VHS. etc., to digital files. More information about what we intend to do is here: Bijou Backlight: Liberating Grandma's Home Movies.

Note: The Bijou Film Center's fundraising drive will receive a percentage of Hardywood Park's take from beer sales during the event. 

About the Bands (all three are Richmond-based):

• The Red Hot Lava Men are a surf-rock band that formed in 1997. They play righteous covers of classic surf guitar instrumentals from the late-'50s/early-'60s. Personnel: Mark Golden; John Gotschalk; Doyle Hull; Greg Weatherford. Video 

• The Happy Lucky Combo originated 10 years ago as a trio of street musicians. Barry Bless, Pippin Barnett and Dave Yohe will be performing what STYLE Weekly's Chris Bopst says is, "timeless vaudevillian musical comedy." Samples of music.

• Avers: Serendipitously, members of various bands with projects aplenty fell together a couple of years ago. Now they're a tight, six-piece, sort of psychedelic rock band that just knocked 'em dead at the South by Southwest Music festival (SXSW) in Austin. Tyler Williams, James Mason, James Lloyd Hodges, Alexandra Spalding, Adrian Olsen and Charlie Glenn are Avers. Cover story in Style Weekly. NPR story with video. 

Short Films, the Raffles and a Magician:

Silent comedies by Charlie Chaplin  and Buster Keaton will be screened between sets by the bands. Early on, Chaplin saw the making of films as akin to magic. Consequently, he went to great lengths to keep his tricks on the eye/special effects a secret.

Magician John Smallie, who busks regularly in Carytown, will also perform at various times as part of this variety show. And, raffles will be held with donated items (including Bijou T-shirts) from generous sponsors as prizes.

Sponsors for the Event:

The sponsors of the Bijou's third fundraising event helped in various ways to make it happen. They include: Candela Books + Gallery, Christopher's Runaway Gourmay,  Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream, Don't Look Back, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Michael Harl, Portrait House, Triple Stamp Press. 

About Hardywood Park: 

Inspired by their experiences in Australia, where they learned the art of brewing, Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh opened Hardywood Park Craft Brewery at 2408 Ownby Lane (near The Diamond) in 2011. The tasting room, live music and community events began a year later. Since then the warehouse and surrounding grounds have been the scene of many a lively event. In lingo borrowed from surf guitar times -- it's a hot spot.

About the Bijou Film Center:

The Bijou Film Center will be a nonprofit hub for all things to do with film exhibition, film preservation and film production in Richmond. Its studio/office is now at 1 E. Broad St. in Richmond's downtown "arts district." That temporary space is where the film preservation/transfer business outlined above will be established. And, it's the neighborhood in which we intend to open a 100-to-120-seat movie theater auditorium with an adjoining small café. The search for that location is ongoing.

A hundred years ago Richmond's first movie theater, The Bijou, was already a fixture in the city's thriving theater district, some seven blocks east of our current digs on Broad Street. Richmond's first Bijou was the brainchild of a former baseball player named Jake Wells, who had the vision to lead the way with film exhibition in Richmond. He went on to establish a chain of 43 theaters in the Southeast.

More information about the community that is forming around the Bijou Film Center can be found on the Bijou's Facebook page and its Bijou Backlight blogzine.

The Bijou Film Center's founders:

James T. Parrish, Jr. is a fundraiser, artist and leader in the Richmond arts community. He was founder of the Richmond Flicker (1998-2008) and co-founder of the James River Film Society. He currently serves as the Director of Foundation Relations for Virginia Commonwealth University.

F.T. "Terry" Rea was the original manager of Richmond’s repertory cinema, the Biograph Theatre (1972-83). He was the founder/editor/publisher of SLANT (1985-94), a Fan District-based periodical, devoted to popular culture and politics. He is now a freelance artist/writer.

More Info: bijoufilmcenter@gmail.com and www.bijoufilmcenter.org 

Liberating Grandma's Home Movies

by F.T. Rea

A memory documented by moving images that have survived the ages.

The experience of presenting "Finding Vivian Maier" (2014) to an appreciative audience on February 15, 2015, was rewarding beyond what the Bijou Film Center took in at the box office. Yes, the screening was the centerpiece of a successful fundraiser. But it was so cold and windy that particular night the level of success we enjoyed provided some extra measure of validation for the overall concept of building a film center in the Richmond market.

The size of the turnout at the Byrd Theatre, nearly 1,000, told us Bijou-builders that Richmond has evolved into a more sophisticated movie market than it was a decade or two ago. It's hard for me to believe a documentary film of that ilk would have packed the house on a frigid February night in the previous millennium.

However, it was thinking about the serendipity angle of how Vivian Maier's fascinating work as a street photographer was discovered that prompted me to use it as the jumping off point to this short piece about discovering and preserving some of the smallest parts of cinema history -- the little jewels that have a special sparkle for a specific audience.

The stroke of luck that had a pack rat-style collector, John Maloof, stumble upon a vast collection of Maier's negatives, prints and films in an abandoned storage bin was almost magical. That he had the determination and talent to turn the story of his discovery into a well-received documentary feature (Academy Award nominee) is inspirational. It makes me want more than ever to play a role in helping filmmakers and the heirs of filmmakers to preserve and transfer their amateur films. It also makes me want to be part of creating some sort of archive of amateur films shot during the era that coincided with the Cold War.  

For example, maybe your wife's mother wasn't as good a photographer as Vivian Maier. Still, she took the little movie camera she got as a high school graduation present with her everywhere for several years. Forty-some years ago Grandma shot countless hours of footage of whatever was happening, including music festivals and anti-war demonstrations. Five years ago when your wife inherited three boxes of 50-foot reels of her mother's films, your two children were told they would one day get to see Grandma's Hippie Movies -- the same movies they have heard their mother talking about having seen when she was a little girl.

Now your kids are in high school and no progress has been made. Who has a Super 8 projector these days? And, even if you find one at a yard sale, do you want to risk running those precious old films through such a machine?

Help is on the way. 

Later this year, once the Bijou Film Center has purchased some key components of a system to transfer 8mm and Super 8mm films to digital, along with VHS videos, we will launch a business dedicated to helping our customers liberate their old moving images from out-of-date formats. Developments in this technology make it possible to achieve much better results, these days, than what we've seen in the past.

The Bijou's next fundraising event -- Music, Movies and Magic on May 17th at Hardywood Park (2408-2410 Ownby Lane) -- will launch the fundraising campaign to acquire the specific equipment it will take to get us started. More news about the show is on the way, but we can say now the we will present three bands live on stage between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.: The Red Hot Lava Men; Happy Lucky Combo; Avers (click here to read the 4/29/15 STYLE Weekly article).

Our goal for this drive is to raise the money over the summer to put us in the film transfer business in the fall. Isn't it about time for Richmond to have a non-profit Bijou Film Center that specializes in making quality film transfers? 

James Parrish and I have become convinced that the demand to view digital transfers of old home movies is only going increase. Eventually, some Super 8 footage will be discovered that documents an aspect of history and that will set loose a new wave of popular culture. Suddenly everybody who has a box of old home movies they haven't looked at in decades will want to see them (again). And, no one knows what discoveries will be made. We want to ride that wave.

We believe the films shot by amateurs -- whether they document a family vacation, or a softball team's reunion, or your Aunt Betsy's legendary biscuit-making technique -- are important and worth preserving. They should be viewed in a way that won't put the original source at risk of being damaged.

The tugs at your heartstrings upon seeing long-lost family members or old pets reanimated by the magic of motion pictures are just as authentic as the tugs inspired by Hollywood big budget melodramas. Just as real, but more special.

Watching "Finding Vivian Maier" was a trip. It could be said it was a ride on Vivian's time machine. Coming soon: Grandma's time machine.

The Third Event

The Bijou Film Center will stage its next event on Sunday, May 17, 2015. The program will include live music, actually quite a bit of it. It will also include short films and some magic. This time the event will not be built around a particular feature film. For information about the Bijou's two previous events click here and here.

This time the party will unfold between noon and 6 p.m. at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. The purpose of this special event will be to introduce our film center concept to a wider audience, raise some money to help launch the Bijou's film transfer business, and to have fun doing it.

We'll tell you more about that film transfer business, ASAP. Meanwhile, this post is just a teaser to let everyone know about the time and date for the party.

Note: What we have in mind is a variety show. Accordingly, the live music lineup includes: Happy Lucky Combo and the Red Hot Lava Men. The headliner is Avers.

More details will follow soon.

Five Film Favorites: Films That Play in the Summer Sun

by Todd Starkweather

During this past sunny RVA summer, I concocted a list of films that played in the snow: films that used the cold and snow as essential elements to their storytelling. So as the metro RVA area sits in the cold, rearranging its schedule to deal with school closings, I decided to provide a companion piece, films that utilized the sun, summer, or sweltering heat to further their stories and themes. I had considered opening this list's limitations to include films that utilized sunshine in their cinematography, but I soon realized that the Terrence Malick films would comprise the preponderance of films in my list. While Malick can shoot a gorgeous sun-filled scene (think of Martin Sheen surrendering to the authorities in Badlands), the sun and heat don't really further the storytelling. So I hope that this list of hot, sun-drenched films can bring some warmth as winter drags on. Presented in chronological order:

"12 Angry Men" (1957) - Directed by Sidney Lumet

Not until the final brief scenes does any of the action move outside of the courthouse and jury deliberation room, but the intense summer heat infiltrates that tiny space and begins to work on the nerves of the twelve jurors. The heat allows for diversionary conversation as the men crack windows, remove their suit coats, wipe their brows, and attempt to start a faulty electrical fan. This miserable, urban heat, with stifling humidity resembles the case in front of them. They want it to go away, be done with it and go somewhere more pleasant. But they have to wrestle with the decision just as endure the heat.

"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) - Directed by David Lean

What an amazingly gorgeous film. This easily rivals Malick's films for sun-soaked beauty. And while I won't waste space writing about the film's brilliance (which has been done many times and in better verse than I can compose), I will simply use Peter O'Toole's performance here to remind everyone what a sham the Oscars are. O'Toole never won an Oscar, yet his legacy is not diminished. Just think of how many Oscar performances will age far less well than this one by O'Toole. I have a theory that Oscars should not be awarded until about forty years after a film is released. This year's show would have been immensely more enjoyable had it honored the films of 1974.  And if some of last year's films were deserving of recognition, they would earn it in 2054. 

"Jaws" (1975) - Directed by Steven Spielberg

Maybe the perfect summer movie. It ushered in the era of the summer Hollywood blockbuster as a device to encourage people to escape the summer heat within nice air-conditioned theatres. Jaws, more than other summer blockbusters, actively encouraged people to flee the sunny beaches for the safety of the film house. In Jaws, the delicious, but fleeting, New England summer season acts as the economic motive to first risk beach-goers lives and then hunt down the famous great white. The shark imperils the summer tourist season, and this film shifted the economy of summertime film viewing.

"Do the Right Thing" (1989) - Directed by Spike Lee 

The record setting heat and humidity in Spike Lee's brilliant film act in much the same way that they do in 12 Angry Men.  The summer heat makes blood boil and temperatures rise. While obviously not the cause of either the racial tension or the ensuing violence, the heat serves as a way for the film to better communicate such themes. The tension, frustration, anger, and inequality cannot be escaped, just as one cannot escape the heat. In 12 Angry Men, the heat is both literally and figuratively turned down. To its everlasting credit, Do the Right Thing, shows what happens when the boiling point is reached such heat cannot be mitigated. (Finally, if more evidence of the uselessness of the Oscars is needed, look up the films that were nominated, and the film that won, the year that Do the Right Thing was eligible.)

"Little Children" (2006) - Directed by Todd Field

I actually see this film as a sort of companion to Jaws. Both are set in New England, and both ironically rely on a warmly inviting New England summer. In Jaws the sun invites us to the beach only to be shocked by lurking monster. In Little Children, summer invites us to the chlorinated public swimming pools and grassy rest areas only to be frightened by the presence of a sex offender. Jackie Earle Haley's scene at the swimming pool, in which everyone vacates, afraid of this "monster," seems like a direct response to Jaws. Yet Haley's presence is not the only threat, or event the biggest one.  Rather the larger danger in this seemingly sunny suburban utopia is the dysfunction of marriage and relationships. The swimming pool acts as the site where the infidelity of Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson can fester. (Indeed, many things that are  unpleasant can fester in a public swimming pool.) Todd Field does a wonderful job of rendering all the scenes visually pleasing. The interior scenes are as lush and well lit as the exterior scenes.  Yet all the while, this sunny appearance hides darker secrets.

Five Film Favorites: Rock 'n' Roll

The Mamas and Papas onstage at Monterey Pop.

Movies and music go together. Like peanut butter and jelly? Perhaps more like Bonnie and Clyde.

Anyway, because moving images and music, in one form or another, compliment one another so nicely and they both rely on timing, we get the two together so often we don't even notice it. Then there are other times we're supposed to notice -- times when the music is at least as important as the picture.

When considering music films for a favorites list there are so many different kinds of musicals and movies about musicians that the category has to be narrowed. Therefore, for this list of five favorites, I’m looking only at rock ‘n’ roll movies, the genre baby boomers like me grew up hearing.

However, over the last five decades, plus, there have been so many movies that used rock ‘n’ roll music to add to the story, or perhaps to fill some gaps, that the category must be narrowed further. Just think of how many movies copied the manner in which George Lucas used oldies in "American Graffiti" (1973). Still, calling that movie a rock 'n' roll flick would be a stretch. 

So, for this list of five, only those films which present the music as concert footage are being considered. All five on my list present the musicians, performing as themselves, on-stage, before a live audience. All are documentaries of concerts of a certain stripe, even if they were staged for the purpose of making the film. Which means that as much as I like "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) I can't put it on this particular list.

Tomorrow I might change my mind, after all it's my list, but today my five favorite rock 'n' roll concert films are:

“Gimme Shelter” (1970): Directed by Albert Maysles and David Maysles. Performers: The Rolling Stones, also with Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Tina Turner and more.

“The Last Waltz” (1978): Directed by Martin Scorsese. Performers: The Band and various guest musicians.

“Monterey Pop” (1968): Directed by D.A. Pennebaker. Performers: Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and Papas, Otis Redding, and more.

“Stop Making Sense” (1984): Directed by Jonathan Demme. Performers: Talking Heads.

“The T.A.M.I. Show” (1964): Directed by Steve Binder. Performers: The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Lesley Gore and more.

Sorry, "Woodstock" (1970) didn't make the cut.

Karen Newton: 'We Need the Bijou'

James Parrish and Terry Rea hamming it up before the screening.

At Karen Newton's blog, I Could Go On and On, she writes about what a good time she had on Sunday night, in spite the somewhat daunting weather conditions. She liked the pre-screening gathering at the Portrait House, she liked the movie at The Byrd -- "Finding Vivian Maier" -- and she liked the after-party at the New York Deli, during which Chez Roué played live. Here's a sample:

...No one will ever convince me that watching a movie at home with stops for bathroom breaks and food runs is anything like a genuine film experience.

Which is exactly why we need the Bijou. I don't want to just read about amazing films, I want them to have a place to play in Richmond where I can watch them with 100 or so of my closest strangers (or people I know, I won't discriminate). 

Because if 900 people come out on a blustery, nearly sub-zero work night to see a documentary about a dead nanny with a Rolleiflex, we are most definitely a film town.

We Bijou-builders, (James and Terry) like what Karen wrote in her piece -- "Picture That." So please click here to read the entire piece. Thanks, Karen.

And, we'd also like to see other reviews covering our fundraising show on a chilly, breezy Feb. 15 evening. The planning for our next show is already underway, so stay tuned.   

-- Photo by Terry Brown.

Thanks to Vivian's fans

Sure, some Richmonders had already heard about the eccentric nanny who took a bunch of cool photographs -- a so-called "street photographer" -- and died a few years ago in poverty in Chicago, or somewhere. Yet, as James and I (Terry) went about promoting the Bijou's benefit screening we found that few people could remember her name. After all, during her lifetime, 1926-2009, Vivian Maier did her level best to fly under the radar.

Given those particulars, how could we have gone wrong by booking "Finding Vivian Maier" (2014), a documentary feature about a rather obscure shutterbug? (Remember, we had to pay up front for the film rental.)

Our formula for guaranteeing success? 

• Select a film made by a couple of cats nobody had heard of. 
• For our low-budget promotion effort depend completely on posters and shoe leather. 
• Gamble that we could garner some favorable publicity about the screening from local publishers. 
• Using Facebook, hope to get film buffs and the local photography community talking about the movie. 
• While ignoring the fact one could see the same film on cable television, or get the DVD from Netflix, by all means, show it on a breezy, frigid mid-February night. 

Rather than stretch the facetiousness any thinner, the point is James and I had a lot of help and it all added up to a bottom line success -- nearly 1,000 people showed up. So now we'd both like to take time out from congratulating ourselves for whatever we might have done right, whether by plan or accident, and say, "Thank you."

Make that, "THANK YOU!"

Without the help we got from our partners and sponsors for this venture, as well as the local media, it simply would not have happened. Chief among them was Gordon Stettinius, of Candela Books + Gallery, who first suggested "Finding Vivian Maier" to James as a film to consider playing. That happened months ago. Then James and I looked at the DVD of the film and decided to take the plunge.

From James Parrish's comments on Facebook on Feb. 16:

A special thanks to our partners and sponsors -- Candela Books + Gallery, VCUarts Photography and Film, The Byrd Theatre & Foundation, IFC Films, Plan 9 Music, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, New York Deli, Portrait House and Terry Brown Photography.

And thanks to Bygones Vintage Clothing, Ipanema Cafe and Alchemy Coffee (in addition to Candela) for selling advance tickets.

A huge shout out to Roger Carroll, Debo Dabney, Brian Sulser and Johnny Hott of Chez Roué for the perfect nightcap!

Last night's success definitely gives Terry and me more hope and confidence that Richmond wants and will support a small, independent art house cinema, cafe/bar and nonprofit film center dedicated to everything from Hollywood to home movies with detours.

No doubt, when the movie we had picked for our second fundraiser screening received an Academy Award nomination in mid-January it helped draw attention to the title we had already booked some six weeks before. So for whatever part of the Bijou's success on Sunday was pure luck, we're especially grateful to the gods who watch over the show biz risk-takers.

Once again, a roomful of patrons got to feel the difference between watching a movie alone on a small screen and being part of a packed house seeing the images traipse across a movie house screen. After our success with "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) back in September and "Finding Vivian Maier," we have demonstrated the range the Bijou will be comfortable working within. We intend to exhibit old films and new films, big films and small films.

Moreover, the Bijou Film Center will be a friend to movie-lovers of all persuasions. A friend to filmmakers. A friend to other exhibitors. A friend to people who have amateur films they want preserved and transferred to digital. And, a friend to those who'd like to have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, and perhaps a bite to eat, while they discuss their thoughts about this and that, to do with the illusion of moving images.  

Soon we'll be posting some information about our further plans to help make the dream of a Bijou Film Center for Richmond come true. In the meantime, visit our Facebook page for routine daily posts and to see some of the photos from the Feb. 15 event that have been/will be posted.

The details on how to buy a Bijou T-shirt will also be posted soon here at the Backlight, as well as on the Bijou's Facebook page.

Last, but not least, thanks to Vivian and her fans.

"Finding Vivian Maier" on WRIR's Open Source

From Don Harrison on WRIR's Open Source:

Today we talk to Terry Rea and James Parrish of the Bijou Film Center about this weekend's benefit screening of the Oscar-nominated "Finding Vivian Maier" at the Byrd Theatre on Sunday, February 15, 2015. Gordon Stettinius of Candela Books + Gallery also joins us to talk about the lasting impact of the late Maier's striking street photography. 

Note: Apologies to all who tried to listen in to WRIR yesterday at 4 p.m. to hear Don Harrison's Open Source interview about "Finding Vivian Maier." There were technical problems and the station aired on old episode, which ironically featured an interview with Terry Rea on the proposal for a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom. To listen to the interview about "Finding Vivian Maier" that was supposed to have run yesterday afternoon click here to hear it via SoundCloud.

 

Finding Vivian

Here's a trailer for the Bijou's screening of "Finding Vivian Maier" (2014) at The Byrd. It presents a little gallery of her photographs and the music of Chez Roué. Here are the event's details:

What: Richmond premiere screening of Academy Award nominee "Finding Vivian Maier" (2014); proceeds to benefit the Bijou Film Center and the Byrd Theatre Foundation.

When: Sun., Feb. 15, 2015 at 7 p.m.

Where: The Byrd Theatre in Carytown.

Admission:

$7.00 at the box office; Advance tickets for $5.00 available at Bygones Vintage Clothing, Candela Books + Gallery and Ipanema Café through Feb. 14.
Advance tickets available online here. 

After-Party: Chez Roué will perform live on stage at the New York Deli at 9 p.m.; no cover charge.

More information:

• The full press release with all the details is here. 
• News of the showing of a portfolio of Vivian Maier's work before the screening is here. 
• The Bijou Film Center's Facebook group page is here.
• The "Finding Vivian Maier" trailer is here.

Richmond Magazine and STYLE Weekly point readers to Feb. 15 screening

Two articles about "Finding Vivian Maier" came out online today.

For Richmond Magazine Harry Kollatz wrote:

Then, you scan some of the prints. You start a blog. You make queries. And what you’ve found is the artistic legacy of one Vivian Maier. She turns out to have been a fantastic street photographer, but something of a hermit, who supported herself as a nanny — an eccentric shutterbug Mary Poppins, though without the cheer and singing and the happy ending. But, there is nonetheless something magical about all those images, how close she was able to get to her subjects and their variety. By now, as some stories do, Vivian has possessed you. You study photography and take it up.

Click here to read The Hat's: "'Finding Vivian Maier' at the Byrd on Sunday."

For STYLE Weekly Brent Baldwin wrote:

She hadn’t paid rental fees on the storage, so her images and audio recordings were auctioned to several buyers. Maloof’s discovery is now the subject of the recent Oscar-nominated documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier,” which will be screened Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Byrd Theatre. The showing is a joint fundraiser for the Byrd and the Bijou Film Center.

Click here to read Baldwin's "Who Was Vivian Maier?" You can also read this piece in the Feb. 11 paper edition of STYLE Weekly.

-- Selfies by Vivian Maier

Vivian's Accumulating Notices

 Another one of Vivian Maier's intriguing selfies.

From the Candela Books + Gallery newsletter for February:

Candela Books + Gallery is pleased to have a portfolio of Vivian Maier’s work on consignment from Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York for a limited time. We will be sharing (from 4:30-6:30) this portfolio of Vivian Maier's work before the movie at a preview reception hosted by The Portrait House directly across the street from the Byrd Theatre. Candela will also share the portfolio by appointment through February 21st.

Click here to read the entire post.

Here's a link to Jerry Williams' timely Tales from the Grips post at The Sifter.

And, here's a link to the Feb. 9 article in The Commonwealth Times.

Thanks for the help in promoting the screening of "Finding Vivian Maier" at The Byrd on Sun., Feb. 15 (7 p.m.). More info here.

Note: Here's the link to a 2013 BBC documentary about Vivian Maier. 

Lohmann: 'Finding Vivian Maier' at the Byrd

One of many selfies shot by the mysterious 
street photographer Vivian Maier.

Writing for the Richmond Times-Dispatch Bill Lohmann provides an overview of the Feb. 15 fundraiser screening of Academy Award-nominee "Finding Vivian Maier" at The Byrd.

“Finding Vivian Maier” is about a woman who worked as a nanny and made thousands of photographs, mostly of strangers, and then kept them hidden from the world until the negatives were acquired at an auction.

Click here to read Lohmann's piece that ran in Thursday's (Feb. 5) Weekender section.

A ‘Gem’ of an Idea

The February issue of Richmond Magazine -- its annual Sourcebook -- has an article (on Page 74) about the Bijou Film Center, which mentions the upcoming event on Feb. 15, featuring a screening of "Finding Vivian Maier" at the Byrd Theatre.

While collaborating on the 40th anniversary of the opening of Richmond’s Biograph Theatre for the James River Film Society in 2012, James Parrish and Terry Rea discussed the idea of bringing a “little cinema” to Richmond. “Little cinema” was an idea that formed in the 1920s, when Hollywood had made everything big — big screens, big theaters, longer films.

Click here to read the article by Stephanie Manley.

Click here for more on the Feb. 15 event, which includes an after-party. 

-- Photo by Sarah Walor

The first Bijou T-shirt

This is a mockup of the T-shirt that will be available (in limited supply) at the Bijou's upcoming screening of "Finding Vivian Maier" at the Byrd Theatre on Feb. 15. White ink on black cotton.

Here are the details for the event:

What: Richmond premiere screening of Academy Award nominee "Finding Vivian Maier" (2014); proceeds to benefit the Bijou Film Center and the Byrd Theatre Foundation.

When: Sun., Feb. 15, 2015 at 7 p.m.

Where: The Byrd Theatre in Carytown.

Admission:

$7.00 at the box office; Advance tickets for $5.00 available at Bygones Vintage Clothing, Candela Books + Gallery and Ipanema Café through Feb. 14.
Advance tickets available online here. 

After-Party: Chez Roué will perform live on stage at the New York Deli at 9 p.m.; no cover charge.

More information:

The full press release with all the details is here.

The Bijou Film Center's Facebook group page is here.

The "Finding Vivian Maier" trailer is here.

 

Jan. 22 Press Release

Date January 22, 2015
To: All media for immediate release
Re: Richmond premiere of "Finding Vivian Maier" (Academy Award nominee)
From: The Bijou Film Center

“Finding Vivian Maier” (2014) is a movie about a mysterious photographer. From the 83-minute film, directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, viewers learn that Vivian D. Maier was an eccentric nanny, a tall lady who spoke with an odd accent. Stemming from a serendipitous purchase at an auction Maier’s remarkable photographs have become known to the public, but only in the last few years.

When it came to selfies, Vivian Maier wrote the book.

In conjunction with our partners, The Byrd Theatre, Candela Books + Gallery, the VCUarts Department of Photography and Film, the Bijou Film Center will present the Richmond premiere of “Finding Vivian Maier” on Feb. 15, 2015, at 7 p.m., at the Byrd Theatre.

By the way, in the wake of its praise from movie critics, "Finding Vivian Maier" has been nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It's a documentary that doubles as a mystery movie.

The film poses questions about its subject: Why would anyone take thousands upon thousands of photographs, then hide the images from the scrutiny of others? What was her background? Why would she not even make prints of a good many of them? If the photographer didn’t want to look at the souvenirs of frozen time she had captured, what was the point? Who was Vivian Maier?

Viewers of the film are shown clues. Vivian routinely photographed whatever caught her eye in her travels, mostly people on Chicago streets; it seems a good many of her subjects were strangers. She was quite opinionated. Gradually, we are prompted to suspect there was a dark side to her. Some of the now-adult children she minded as a nanny remember her fondly, others not so much. Regardless of her offbeat nature or her motives, one thing is for sure -- Vivian Maier (1926-2009) had quite a knack for knowing when to snap the shutter.

Now some art/photography critics are seeing Vivian Maier as one of the 20th century's great street photographers. Recently made prints of the scenes she happened upon and documented with her Rolleiflex are hanging in posh galleries. Other critics are resisting the popular culture momentum to lift Vivian's work to such a lofty perch.

Admission: Tickets at the box office will be $7.00. The proceeds from this one-time-only screening will be split between the Byrd Theatre Foundation's "Journey to the Seats" and the Bijou Film Center.

Advance tickets are now available online at Eventbrite for $5.00 (plus processing fee). Between Jan. 23 and Feb. 15, advance tickets can be purchased for $5.00 (cash or check) at Bygones Vintage Clothing, Candela Books + Gallery and Ipanema.

For the after-party at the New York Deli, to begin shortly after 9 p.m., the live music will be provided by Chez Roué. There will be no cover charge for this portion of the evening's entertainment.  

Contacts:

• James Parrish: Email: jtparrish@bijoufilmcenter.org. Phone: (804) 564-3224.
• Terry Rea: Email: ftrea9@gmail.com. Phone: (804) 938-7997.

About the Filmmakers and Their Award-Winning Film:

"Finding Vivian Maier" is distributed by IFC Films. It represents the directorial debut for both filmmakers.

Not long before her death, a huge cache of her photos was discovered by John Maloof, who was searching for old photos of a Chicago neighborhood. For $380 Maloof bought the trove in a storage box at an auction. All he knew was that it was chock full of photos, negatives and random junk. He took a chance. Maloof never spoke with Vivian. After her death he began discovering what his acquisition entailed. With its evidence of who the photographer was, it led him to wonder if Vivian was even who she said she was.

Maloof is a filmmaker/photographer/entrepreneur. He now serves as an overseer and marketer, a self-styled curator, of a significant portion of Vivian Maier’s work. He edited the book, "Vivian Maier: Street Photographer."

A former lawyer, Charlie Siskel is a television and film producer with movie credits that include "Bowling for Columbine" (2002), and "Religulous" (2008). He is the nephew of the late Gene Siskel, who was a Chicago-based film critic, best known as Roger Ebert's debating partner. 

Quotes from reviews:

Absorbing, touching and satisfyingly enjoyable. -- New York Times.

A faithful tribute. This fine documentary unveils the "mystery woman." -- The New Yorker.

More connect-the-dots detective thriller than traditional doc, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s revelatory riddle of a film unmasks a brilliant photographer who hid in plain sight. -- Entertainment Weekly

Riveting documentary about one of the 20th century’s greatest photographers. It’s no ordinary artist biopic. Haunting. -- Indiewire

More background on the film and filmmakers is available here.

Happy Hour before the screening and raffles:

Between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. there will be a pre-screening happy hour at the Portrait House, across Cary Street from The Byrd. The first of several drawings for raffle prizes (tickets $1.00 each) will take place in that time. Later drawings will be held at The Byrd and afterward at the New York Deli.

After the Screening:

Immediately following the screening of "Finding Vivian Maier" there will be a brief discussion about the photographer, her work and the film in the Byrd's auditorium. It will be led by Gordon Stettinius of Candela Books + Gallery. For those who would rather continue that conversation than take in the live music at the New York Deli, the discussion will move across Cary Street to the Portrait House. 

At the New York Deli the live music show will go on between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. The four virtuoso performers in the Chez Roué ensemble are:

• Roger Carroll on saxophone and vocals
• Debo Dabney on keyboard
• Brian Sulser on bass. 
• Johnny Hott on drums.

For Chez Roué fans it's important to bear in mind that this gig will be Roger Carroll's next-to-last performance in Richmond, before he moves to Chicago.

List of the event's partners and sponsors:

Click on the links to see websites for the Bijou's indispensable partners for this event, as well as the sponsors who have chimed in to help us put it together.

• The Byrd Theatre
• Candela Books + Gallery 
• VCUarts Department of Photography and Film

• IFC Films
• New York Deli
• Plan 9 Music
• Portrait House
• Terry Brown Photography
• Visual Arts Center

About the Bijou Film Center:

The Bijou Film Center's studio/office is now at 1 E. Broad St. in Richmond's downtown "arts district." That's the neighborhood in which we intend to find a location to establish a nonprofit film center, which will include a 100-to-120-seat movie theater auditorium, a small cafe and a film preservation business that will specialize in doing high-quality transfers of our clients' old Super 8 films and VHS videos to a digital format. We expect to launch that aspect of our endeavors in a few months. The cinema and cafe will take longer.

As we progress we will strive to become a hub for all things to do with film exhibition, film preservation and film production in Richmond. More information about the community that is forming around the Bijou Film Center can be found on the Bijou's Facebook page and its Bijou Backlight blogzine.

A hundred years ago Richmond's first movie theater, The Bijou, was already a fixture in the city's thriving theater district, some seven blocks east of our current digs on Broad Street. Richmond's first Bijou was the brainchild of a former baseball player named Jake Wells, who went on from there to establish a chain of 43 theaters in the Southeast.

The Bijou Film Center's founders:

James T. Parrish, Jr. is a fundraiser, artist and leader in the Richmond arts community. He was founder of the Richmond Flicker (1998-2008) and co-founder of the James River Film Society. He currently serves as the Director of Foundation Relations for Virginia Commonwealth University.

F.T. "Terry" Rea was the original manager of Richmond’s repertory cinema, the Biograph Theatre (1972-83). He was the founder/editor/publisher of SLANT (1985-94), a Fan District-based periodical, devoted to popular culture and politics. He is now a freelance artist/writer.

More Info: bijoufilmcenter@gmail.com and www.bijoufilmcenter.org

 

Chez Roue' signed for Feb. 15 Bijou fundraiser

The Bijou Film Center is delighted to announce that Chez Roue' will play live at the New York Deli (9 p.m. - 11 p.m.) following the screening of Academy Award nominee “Finding Vivian Maier” (2014) at the Byrd Theatre on Sun., Feb. 15.

"Finding Vivian Maier" is being presented in conjunction with our partners for this occasion: The Byrd Theatre Foundation, Candela Books + Gallery and the VCUarts Department of Photography and Film. Showtime for the movie is 7 p.m. Admission at the box office will be $7.00. Advance tickets for $5.00 will be available soon at selected locations. Advance tickets are already available online at Eventbrite for $5.00 (plus $1.27 handling fee).

Please note, there will be no cover charge for the live music at the Deli. In the photo above, left-to-right, Chez Roue' are: Debo Dabney on piano, Roger Carroll on saxophone, Johnny Hott on drums. Brian Sulser (seen only in the mirror) is on bass. For Chez Roue' fans it's important to bear in mind that this gig will be Roger Carroll's next-to-last performance in Richmond, before he moves to Chicago.

We’re still polishing some details, including lining up prizes for the raffles, but the schedule is now set for the Bijou Film Center’s second Bijou at the Byrd fundraising event. As before, film-wise, there will also be a wee surprise.

This is going to be a lot of fun. Stay tuned for more information soon.

-- Photo credit: Scott Elmquist, Style Weekly