Tag Archives: Sunset Film Society

For the month of Feburary, film historian, educator, writer, archivist, publisher, collector and host Jay Duncan has a series of classic movie love stories at the International Museum of Art via the Sunset Film Society.

As part of the on-going Saturday afternoon tradition, the Sunset Film Society will present their ‘Bittersweet Romance’ series.

Duncan shares, “In matters of the heart, there are universal truths. Love, infatuation, betrayal, heartbreak and strength are inherent in us all. The Sunset Film Society has assembled four films spanning nearly 40-years which feature such timeless themes”

The presentations start at 2:00 p.m. with Jay’s insightful commentary, anecdotes and the facts behind the films.  As always, there is free admission, free parking and a full-service concession stand with freshly popped theater popcorn, beverages, candy and snacks.

For patron’s convenience, the door on Brown Street will be open at 1:30pm to enter directly downstairs into the auditorium.

February 2, 2019 — CASABLANCA (1942)

Nominated for 8 Academy Awards and winning 3 (Best Picture, Director & Screenplay) CASABLANCA is on most every list of the “Greatest Films of All Time” and the personal favorite of many. An American expatriate must choose between his love for a woman
and helping her and her husband, a Czech Resistance leader, escape from the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.

Peppered with memorable scenes and dialog which have become part of our consciousness. Directed by Michael Curtiz. Music by Max Steiner. Based on the unproduced stage play “Everybody Comes To Rick’s” by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. Screenplay by
brothers Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch. Dynamite ensemble cast!

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains.

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February 9, 2019 — BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945)

The thrill, pain and tenderness of an illicit affair is realized as two married middle-age strangers meet at a train station and find themselves drawn into a short but poignant romance. Intense and unforgettable in the dour gray England of 1945.

Underscored by the swirling Second Piano Concerto by Rachmaninoff. Adapted by Noel Cowardfrom his 1936 one-act play “Still Life.” Straightforward and quiet direction by David Lean, notable for such epics as BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAII, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, and DR. ZHIVAGO.

Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Joyce Carey Stanley Holloway.

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February 16, 2019 — ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)

Gregory Peck is a reporter and Audrey Hepburn is a royal princess out to see Rome on her own and incognito. Hepburn won the Academy Award for Best Actress in her American movie debut, as did the Screenplay and Costume Design. Directed by William Wyler (BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, BEN-HUR).

Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert.

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February 23, 2019 — SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980)

A contemporary playwright falls in love with a woman in a seventy-year-old photograph and sets out to find the object of his affection. Heartfelt and sensitive adaptation by Richard Matheson of his 1975 novel, “Bid Time Return”, and featuring a lovely music score by John Barry. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc.

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright.

Multi-million dollar talent is showcased during this month of Thanksgiving, as the Sunset Film Society presents stories of determination and inspiration.

Among the movies this month, the showings will feature Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Michael Caine, Charlize Theron, Tobey Maguire, Robert De Niro and Max Von Sydow.

In addition to the regular showings at the International Museum of Art’s Theater (1211 Montana Avenue), there will be a Special Sunday Screening of ‘Meetings with Remarkable Men’ at 2pm on Sunday, November 4th.

For theater patron’s convenience, the door on Brown Street will be open at 1:30pm to enter directly downstairs into the auditorium, with showtimes at 2 pm.  As always, freshly-popped Theater Popcorn, beverages, candy and snacks will be available for purchase.

November 3, 2018 — AWAKENINGS (Columbia: 1990) Color

November 4, 2018 — MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN (Enterprise: 1979) Color -El Paso Premiere!-

November 10, 2018 — THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (Buena Vista: 1999) Color

November 17, 2018 — GOOD WILL HUNTING (Miramax: 1997) Color

November 24, 2018 — FINDING FORRESTER (Columbia: 2000) Color

Film-by-film details:

November 3 — AWAKENINGS -121 minutes- Based on Oliver Sacks’s 1973 memoir of the same title. It’s the story of Malcolm Sayer, who, in 1969, discovered beneficial effects of the drug L-Dopa. He administered it to catatonic patients who survived the 1917–28 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. Leonard Lowe and the rest of the patients were awakened after decades and have to deal with a new life in a new time. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards. Directed by Penny Marshall. Music by Randy Newman.

Starring: Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Robert De Niro.

November 4 — MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN -108 minutes- Peter Brook, one of the pioneers of the experimental theatre movement of the 1950s and 1960s was the director of Meetings with Remarkable Men. Based on the1963 book by Asian mystic G. I. Gurdijeff, here played by Dragan Maksimovic. Gurdijeff devotes his entire existence, from youth to old age, in a quest of the meaning of life. He eventually develops a form of meditation incorporating modern dance. Terence Stamp who plays Prince Lubovedsky, briefly retreated from his career after this picture in favor of Eastern meditation. A rare opportunity for anyone in the outside world to be allowed to observe this form of sacred dance that the Sufis have been using for thousands of years. Sponsored by The Gurdjieff Foundation of Texas.
Starring: Dragan Maksimović, Natasha Parry, Terence Stamp.
November 10 — THE CIDER HOUSE RULES -125 minutes- John Irving wrote the screenplay based on his novel of the same name, which tells the coming-of-age of Homer Wells, who lives in a World War II-era Maine orphanage run by a doctor who performs illegal abortions. Winner of two Academy Awards. Directed by Lasse Hallström (Chocolat).

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Michael Caine (Winner, Best Supporting Actor).

November 17 — GOOD WILL HUNTING -126 minutes- A 20-year-old South Boston laborer (Matt Damon), is an unrecognized genius who, as part of a deferred prosecution agreement after assaulting a police officer, becomes a client of a therapist (Robin Williams) and studies advanced mathematics with a renowned professor. Through his therapy sessions, Will re-evaluates his relationships with his best friend, his girlfriend, and himself, facing the significant task of confronting his past and thinking about his future. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Academy Award, Best Original Screenplay by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Starring: Matt Damon, Minnie Driver, Robin Williams (Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor). November 24 — FINDING FORRESTER -136 minutes- An African-American teenager, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown), is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. By chance, Jamal befriends a reclusive writer, William Forrester (Sean Connery), through whom he refines his talent for writing and comes to terms with his identity. Directed by Gus Van Sant.

Starring: Sean Connery, Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham.

For more info, visit the Sunset Film society’s website.

The 3rd annual International Film Festival, presented by the Sunset Film Society, will raise the curtain on the month-long film extravaganza on Saturday, September 1st with an epic film from Poland.

With a 1 p.m. start time, rather than the regular 2 p.m., the festival leads off with ‘With Fire and Sword,’ a 3-hour Polish historical epic, with a 10-minute Intermission as part of the presentation.

Hosted by film historian, educator, writer, archivist, publisher, and collector Jay Duncan, the films selected for the festival span the globe, and cover a wide swath of both world history and film history.

Via a news release, Duncan shares, “We are honored to be partnering with the General Casimir Pulaski Polish American Society of El Paso (Joanna K. Sikorski), Alliance Francaise d’El Paso (Josette Shaunessay), the Consul Honoraria de España en El Paso (Martha Vera), and Natalia Savchenko for the Mexican and Russian selections.”

“It is only fitting that we begin our French presentation of the 3rd annual International Film Festival with a brief history and presentation of one of Georges Méliès most famous and noteworthy productions, presented in the original hand-colored process. The literary source material was adapted from H.G. Wells’ “First Men in the Moon” and Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon”. It is with extreme pleasure that the Sunset Film Society pays tribute to this famous French film pioneer–tragically overlooked in America–as the Cinema’s 1st Creative Artist.”

As with all presentations by the Sunset Film Society, freshly popped theater popcorn, beverages, candy and snacks will be available for purchase.

Below is the schedule for the film festival. All films will be shown in the country’s respective language with English subtitles

Sept.. 1, 2018 WITH FIRE AND SWORD (Syrena EG: 1999) -175 minutes- Color POLAND

Sept. 8, 2018 A TRIP TO THE MOON (Star Film: 1902) -15 minutes- Hand-Tinted- FRANCE

Also – THE BELIER FAMILY (Mars Distribution: 1999) -105 minutes- Color FRANCE

Sept. 15, 2018 SPANISH AFFAIR II (LaZona Films: 2015) -99 minutes Color SPAIN

Sept. 22, 2018 THE MALDONADO MIRACLE (Showtime: 2003) in English -99 minutes- Color MEXICO

Sept. 29, 2018 THE BATTLE FOR SEBASTOPOL (20th Century-Fox: 2015) -122 minutes- Color RUSSIA

To view in-depth information on each film, visit the Sunset Film Society’s webpage.

July marks the 3rd Anniversary of weekly film showings by the Sunset Film Society at the International Museum Of Art, and the community is invited to the celebration.

To celebrate, the society will spend the month of July showcasing some of the best animated features ever produced, starting with the Walt Disney classic, ‘Peter Pan.’

“What better way for the entire family to celebrate Saturdays in July than in the cool auditorium of the International Museum Of Art watching some of the finest examples of Disney and Pixar animation ever produced…beginning with one of the most memorable Disney cell-animated features of the ’50s, followed by 3 Pixar computer generated masterpieces, children of all ages are sure to temporarily escape the troubles of the real world and enjoy adventures in the “reel” world,” society officials shared.

Every Saturday, families are invited to 1211 Montana Avenue to escape the sweltering afternoon heat of the Southwest Summer, heading downstairs at the historic International Museum of Art’s auditorium.  There attendees can watch the movies, free, while enjoying the freshly-popped theater popcorn, beverages, candy and snacks available for purchase.

Hosted by Jay Duncan, he shares his wealth of knowledge, personal exhibits of his own movie memorabilia and in-depth behind-the-scenes knowledge at each and every screening.

Jay’s connection to classic movies started on a Saturday evening – January 19, 1985  to be specific – on El Paso’s only independent television station at the time, KCIK-TV Channel 14, hosting “Jay’s Pix.”  That program led to the formation of the Sunset Film Society in August of 2013 – El Paso’s very first film society – presenting and celebrating Films of Yesteryear.

For the convenience of the movie-goers, the door on Brown Street will be open at 1:30pm, to allow attendees to enter directly downstairs into the auditorium.   Following the July 7th presentation, officials will host an anniversary celebration.

July’s Film Schedule

July 7 — PETER PAN (RKO: 1953) -76 minutes- TECHNICOLOR Walt Disney’s 14th animated feature film was based on the 1904 play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up by J.M. Barrie. Filled with memorable characters and images, the production also boasts a wonderful music score by Oliver Wallace and songs by Frank Churchill. Follow the “second star to the right-straight on ’till morning” and it’s off to Never Land to see Captain Hook, the Mermaid Lagoon, the Lost Boys, an Indian tribe a hungry crocodile and Tinker Bell! Wonderful. A Must See! Featuring the voice talents of: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conreid

July 14 — TOY STORY (Buena Vista: 1995) -81 minutes- Color The first feature-length computer-animated film and the first feature film produced by Pixar. Taking place in a world where anthropomorphic toys pretend to be lifeless when humans are present, the film’s plot focuses on the relationship between Woody, an old-fashioned pullstring cowboy doll (voiced by Tom Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure (voiced by Tim Allen), as they evolve from rivals competing for the affections of Andy, their owner. Nominated for 3 Academy Awards, this animated film realized a sophistication of realism and production design never before seen! Directed by John Lasseter.

Additional voice talents: Don Rickles, Annie Potts, Jim Varney, John Ratzenberger.

July 21 — THE INCREDIBLES (Walt Disney Pictures: 2004) -115 minutes- Color A family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live a quiet suburban life. Mr. Incredible’s desire to help people draws the entire family into a battle with a former fan who now plots to wipe out all superheroes with his killer robot. Director Brad Bird, who was Pixar’s first outside director, developed the film as an extension of 1960s comic books and spy films from his boyhood and personal family life. A sequel, The Incredibles 2 opened in theaters on June 15, 2018.

Featuring the voice talents of: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson.

July 28 — UP! (Walt Disney Studios: 2009) -96 minutes- Color An elderly widower named Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) and an earnest boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai) tie thousands of balloons to a house, and set out to fulfill a dream to see the wilds of South America and complete a promise made to Carl’s late wife, Ellie. The film received 5 Academy Award nominations…including Best Picture, making it only the second animated film to do so (Beauty and the Beast). Co-written and directed by Pete Docter. Up! was Pixar’s first film to be originally presented in Disney Digital 3-D. Moving and poignant.

Additional voice talents: Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger.

For more information, visit the Sunset Film Society’s webpage.