Greetings, At delicatessen this month they are featuring films based on the theme of music. I was asked to program one evening and I chose this totally obscure and wonderful film by Jem Cohen. The film was recommended to me by a friend in Norway whose opinion I trust, and when i finally saw it I was surprisingly deeply moved. So this is the perfect opportunity to screen the Amsterdam premiere of this unique documentary film. So I hope you can make it to this special screening this coming Wednesday! WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9 20:30 BENJAMIN SMOKE (2000) Directed by Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen 72 minutes In English Atmospheric documentary renowned filmmaker Jem Cohen covering the last years of Benjamin, a legendary musician who many admired, including Patti Smith. This is not a bio pic, but rather a portrait of a unique soul. This film was a project of love, and took ten years to complete. Benjamin lived for many years in Cabbagetown, a neighborhood in Atlanta, an "unsafe" area peopled with hustlers and eccentrics. There, he occasionally dressed up as a drag queen at a young age. When he was just nine years old he would appear in public wearing woman’s clothing, "with a towel on my head, going to the Waffle House in a dress". In New York he found work at the famed club CBGBs which he described as "the filthiest place I ever was". He earned $20 a day, his duties consisted of sweeping up broken glass left by performers and audiences from the evening before. Benjamin was a known character in the underground scene in 1980s Atlanta and participated in a number of Atlanta music experiments such as Easturn Stars, Monroe is Naked Again, Freedom Puff, Blade Emotion,and the Opal Foxx Quartet. For the band, Benjamin donned the stage name "Miss Opal Foxx". His voice was compared to Tom waits and has since been described as "resembling the roar of a wounded lion". After some of the musicians of the group died tragically, the band SMOKE was conceived in 1992. Benjamin Smoke was renowned for his on-stage banter, never shying away from provoking his viewers, "for a faggot, do I have a rockin' band or what?" Benjamin was addicted to speed and he also had AIDS though he claimed "HIV is not a death sentence". He eventually lost his life due to Hepatitis C. This sensitive film is a tribute to people who live their own way, who have determination and a special kind of courage, and who never give into conforming to whats considered normal- in other words its a tribute to the human spirit. This is a very beautifully composed and meticulously processed film. Cohen and Sillen make use of many textures and tones the medium can offer, sometimes alternating between black and white, color, sepia, grainy, pristine and other celluloid manifestations. The use of stills is wonderfully limited to crumbled, cracked and stained photos that look as if they had just been pulled out of pockets. Interspersed through the words of Benjamin Smoke are the views of many musicians who knew him, including Patti Smith. What one critic had to say: "In life, the late Atlanta musician known as Benjamin was a jumble of identities--singer, drag queen, drug addict, and wry raconteur. The story of the 10 years before his 1999 death from complications due to HIV makes for an engrossing viewing experience for indie film fans. Directors Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen capture this eccentric figure in glimpses of 16mm and Super 8 as he philosophizes and performs with his bands, the Opal Foxx and, later, Smoke. The film's tone turns bleak as Benjamin's health begins to deteriorate, but his resilient nature, and a moving appearance by Patti Smith that provides a coda for his life, brings a bittersweet finale in this fascinating portrait of a deep dreamer." Delicatessen Sumatrastraat 32 Film starts at 20:30 2 Euro

Per 1 december verlaat Anton Smit IDTV Film om als creative producer zelfstandig verder te gaan. Tien jaar geleden richtte Anton Smit samen met producent Hanneke Niens IDTV Film op, met wie hij prijswinnende films maakte als De Tweeling, Van God Los en Cloaca. Met veel passie, volharding en loyaliteit aan de makers heeft Anton Smit onder de vlag van IDTV Film successen geproduceerd als de Oscar-genomineerde film De Tweeling (Gouden Kalf beste Speelfilm 2002, Marieke van der Pol en Ben Sombogaart), Van God Los (Gouden Kalf regie en scenario 2003, Pieter Kuipers en Paul Jan Nelissen), Familie (Gouden Kalf Kritiekprijs 2001, Maria Goos en Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen), Cloaca (Gouden Kalf Speciale juryprijs 2003, Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen en Maria Goos), televisiefilms als Escort (Frank Ketelaar) en De Uitverkorene (Emmy Award voor Best Actor Pierre Bokma, Theu Boermans, Frank Ketelaar en Kees Prins,) en Bride Flight (2008, Ben Sombogaart, Marieke van der Pol). Voordat Anton Smit samen met Hanneke Niens in 1999 IDTV Film oprichtte maakte hij carrière in de theaterwereld en bij de televisie. Zo was hij bij IDTV verantwoordelijk voor televisieprogramma’s als Pleidooi, Oud Geld, Fort Alpha en Finals en voor het succesvolle televisieprogramma Taxi (Gouden Roos, Montreux). In de jaren ervoor was Anton Smit werkzaam bij de VARA als hoofd Fictie. Anton Smit heeft op dit moment meerdere speelfilms in ontwikkeling, onder meer met IDTV Film. In het voorjaar van 2010 komen twee films in de bioscoop uit waar hij als creative producer bij betrokken is: First Mission van regisseur Boris Paval Conen en Vreemd Bloed van regisseur Johan Timmers naar een scenario van Maria Goos. Beide films worden uitgebracht door distributeur A-Film.

Kamerleden bij filmdebat in Het Ketelhuis Op woensdag 9 december vanaf 20.30 uur staat Bioscoop Het Ketelhuis weer in het teken van het halfjaarlijkse debat over actuele kwesties in de vaderlandse filmpolitiek, dit keer onder de titel 'Het Winteroverleg'. Op de agenda staat o.a.: - De Oscar-soap: een reconstructie van een klucht. Kan het ook anders? Met San Fu Maltha (producent van Oscarinzending Oorlogswinter) en René Mioch (ervaren Oscar-verslaggever). - Gaat de bioscoop- en filmtheaterbranche binnenkort totaal digitaal? Verrassende inzichten in de actuele stand van zaken. Met Han ten Broeke (Tweede Kamerlid VVD), John Leerdam (Tweede Kamerlid PvdA), Ron Sterk (Nederlandse Vereniging van Bioscoopexploitanten) en Hans van Brussel (Nederlandse Vereniging van Speelfilmproducenten). - Tien jaar de Oversteek. Het samenwerkingsproject tussen Filmfonds en VPRO heeft speelfilms opgeleverd als De Poolse bruid, Met grote blijdschap,Îles flottantes, Guernsey, Diep, Langer licht en Nothing Personal. Moet het filmfonds zich tot zulke low budget films beperken? Een pleidooi van Wilant Boekelman (producent van Oversteek-film Het Zwijgen). - Het Theu Boermans-Effect. Wat zijn de gevolgen voor de filmbranche van de gerechtelijke uitspraak over de schijn van partijdigheid van de adviescommissie van het Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten? Met een column van Dana Linssen (hoofdredacteur van De Filmkrant). Het Winteroverleg wordt georganiseerd door Het Ketelhuis, in samenwerking met De Filmkrant. De presentatie is als vanouds in handen van Karin Wolfs (freelance filmjournalist) en Alex de Ronde (directeur van Het Ketelhuis). Woensdag 9 december – Aanvang: 20.30 uur – Toegang gratis Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek, Pazzanistraat 4, Amsterdam. Reserveren kan telefonisch 020 684 00 90 of per e-mail [email protected]

Hello all, I did screen this one about a year ago, and the cinema was packed to the ceiling.....and some people unfortunately had to be turned away. Therefore its time to screen this one again I feel. This counter-culture film is a landmark in poetic cinema, and is so rare here in the West that you might not have another possibility to ever see this one again. The extraordinary soundtrack alone has become legendary in Japan for being far before its time.....so i hope you can make it to CAVIA for this VERY special screening! - Jeffrey TUESDAY DECEMBER 8 THROW AWAY YOUR BOOKS, RALLY IN THE STREETS Sho o suteyo machi e deyou (1971) Directed by Shugi Terayama 138 minutes In Japanese with English subtitles Terayama Shuji was Japan's infant-terrible of the sixties of the last century. Genius, avant-gardist, iconoclast, photographer, director, playwright, novelist, filmmaker, cultural critic and poet. In his time, his work incited scandal and outrage. Today, he is a cult hero. He is one of the favorite directors of the music group STEREOLAB and they called their 1996 album after his short film Emperor Tomato Ketchup. While driven to create art in many genres, Terayama nurtured above all his role as outsider, encouraging disaffected youths to rebel against social convention. His theatrical troupe, Tenjô Sajiki, was a haven for talented pop artists, transvestites, dwarfs, circus performers, and gamblers. His directorial style was so idiosyncratic that it was generally believed that his theatre works could not be remounted after his death. In 1971 Terayama created this wild film THROW AWAY YOUR BOOKS AND RALLY IN THE STREETS which still divides modern Japanese audiences like hell....it is considered a masterpiece by many (especially the young) but also draws a lot of critical flack (especially from the establishment). It is dreamily composed of wonderfully noisy music, trippy colored filters, psycho-sexual imagery and a broken free-form narrative full of psychedelic surrealism. Its plot is elliptical and loose, and it seems to have been a big influence on Harmony Korine's GUMMO. Its been called a "phantasmagoric masterpiece of Rebellion." Here is what one viewer had to say about this film : "Another hugely rewarding experiment from the Japanese underground, this is the reason I soak up forgotten independent cult cinema like a sponge. The film focuses on several young Japanese people and their various trials and tribulations... but the way it's presented is utterly fresh and unique. Accompanied by an outstanding noise/proto-punk/psychedelic rock soundtrack, colourful characters, startling visuals, odd camera angles ,flashy editing and a blatant disregard for cinematic conventions, this comes with my highest recommendation. It's runtime is used to full capability with not one dull moment in the slightest. A vital, fresh, important and above all terrifically fun slice of anarchist cinema. Perhaps influential on Harmony Korine, among many other great modern filmmakers this film has gone unnoticed for far too long. Join the cult, spread the word and see this wonderful cinematic treat." Ciné INTERZONE Filmhuis Cavia- Van Hallstraat 52-B Time: 20:30 Nightly membership- 3 Euros Filmhuis CAVIA is a non-profit volunteer organization committed to the importance of cinema

10 JAAR OVERSTEEK De grote Oversteekdag in het Ketelhuis. Op woensdag 9 december organiseren Waterland Film en bioscoop het Ketelhuis in samenwerking met het Nederlands Fonds voor de film en de VPRO Televisie in bioscoop Het Ketelhuis in Amsterdam ‘De Grote Oversteekdag’. De hele dag worden er in drie zalen Oversteekfilms vertoond. Er zijn twee debatten. De dag is voor iedereen toegankelijk. Programma: 08.30 Het Grote Oversteek ontbijt 09.30 Aanvang vertoningen eerste drie Oversteekfilms 11.30 Oversteek voor beginners Een openbaar onderdeel met vraag en antwoord over de vraag waaraan je als beginnende maker met je filmplan moet voldoen om je te kwalificeren voor de Oversteek. 13.30 Speciale voorvertoning van ‘Nothing Personal’ (Vanaf 10 dec. In de bioscoop) 15.30 Het Grote Oversteek debat Vijf korte discussies met makers van de huidige reeks, ervaren makers, toekomstige makers van Oversteekfilms. Regisseurs, scenarioschrijvers, producenten en financiers over de vraag: Levert De Oversteek op waarvoor hij is bedoeld? 17.00 Borrel 19.30 Aanvang vertoningen laatste drie Oversteekfilms De Oversteek werd 10 jaar geleden opgezet en is de samenwerking tussen de VPRO, en het Filmfonds waarbinnen nieuwe talentvolle filmmakers hun eerste of tweede speelfilm kunnen maken. Inmiddels zijn binnen deze serie 14 films voltooid. Films als ‘De Poolse bruid‘ van Karim Traïdia, ‘Drift’ van Michiel van Jaarsveld, ‘Amnesia’ van Martin Koolhoven, ‘Guernsey’ van Nanouk Leopold, ‘Langer licht’ van David Lammers en ‘Nothing Personal’ van Urszula Antoniak. Voor de exacte programmering van de films kijk op www.ketelhuis.nl