Thursday June 17, 2004 – 7:30pm
Italy, 1997. Director: Elisabetta Lodoli
Post-screening discussion with Cynthia Johnston
The earliest known representation of a human, a woman, is the so-called “Venus” of Willendorf, a small statue found near the town of Willendorf in Austria with a bulging, pear-like body, large pendulous breasts, ample abdomen, and prominent vulva. Not surprisingly, this Venus of Willendorf, Elisabetta Lodoli’s feature debut, tackles a subject infrequently depicted in film: bulimia.
Thursday April 15, 2004 – 7:30pm
USA 2003. Director: Sevan Matossian
Post-screening discussion with: Dr. Robin Friedlander & Dr. Caron Byrne
This cinema verite-style documentary captures with unflinching honesty a year in the lives of three unique residents with developmental disorders who live at Sueno House in Santa Barbara. Laura survived sexual and physical abuse, a gender transformation, and 10 years in a state hospital. Tim is a 47-year-old alcoholic with cerebral palsy and severe behavioural
problems.
Thursday February 19, 2004 – 7:30 pm
Canada 2002. Director: Connie Littlefield
Post-screening discussion with Connie Littlefield
Co-sponsored by the National Film Board of Canada
Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to “tune in, turn on and drop out,” D-lysergic acid diethylamide (or LSD) was being used by researchers to understand the human mind.
Thursday October 16, 2003 – 7:30 pm
USA 1993. Director: Allie Light
Co-sponsored by Women and Mental Health Committee of the Vancouver Community Mental Health Services of Vancouver Coastal Health, and the Women and Mental Health Discussion Group of the BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health.
A ground-breaking, Emmy-award winning documentary about women and mental illness. This moving and informative film features seven women – including Light and Karen Wong, the film’s associate producer – describing their experiences with depression, bipolar disorder, multiple personalities, schizophrenia, euphoria and recovery.
Thursday, November 21, 7:30 pm
USA, 2000. Director: Darren Aronofsky
Post-screening discussion with Mr. Dean Wilson
Co-sponsored by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU)
The follow-up to his darkly brilliant debut “PI”, director Darren Aronofsky’s second feature is a jaw-droppingly cinematic deconstruction of addiction. Adapted from Hubert Selby’s 1968 novel, this is a visceral and unflinching dissection of addiction.
