THE MATRIX (1999)
If you haven’t seen The Matrix (1999) directed by the Wachowskis and starring Keanu Reeves, here’s your chance to see what all the talk is about. And if you’ve already seen it, here’s your chance to reconsider what it means to take “the red or the blue pill.” A local Vendantist will introduce the film’s metaphysical dimensions […]
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994)
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL. A NOTE FROM SKYE MCLENNAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (2021-PRESENT): As a young girl, the first time I watched this film was a revelation. It transported me to the desolate, yet strangely rich outback where my grandparents and father had lived. The characters boldly navigated conservative mining towns and embraced […]
PURSUIT OF EQUALITY (2005)
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL. A NOTE FROM WENDY EIDSON, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (2006-2021): Skye asked me to suggest a film that was pivotal in my career and this documentary jumped out in my mind as just that. I was the Artistic Director my first year with the festival and was hired in late […]
MURIEL’S WEDDING (1994)
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL. A NOTE FROM SKYE MCLENNAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (2021-PRESENT): MURRIEEEEEEL! Another Aussie staple and favorite of mine, MURIEL’S WEDDING draws us into her world of love and imagination. Muriel’s quest for love and acceptance takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions. With its blend of humor, heartache and hope, […]
GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
The series starts out with Groundhog Day (1993) — starring Bill Murray — a look into a life of “time out of time.” Murray is forced into a mindful contemplative existence when he finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. This very “Zen” film will be introduced by a local Buddhist from […]
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL. A NOTE FROM MARY HARRIS, SLO FILM FESTIVAL FOUNDER: This classic film noir from 1944 was shown the first year of the Festival, in 1993. It’s one of the first films I saw from that genre and has remained a life-long favorite. Directed by Billy Wilder, with screenplay […]
DERSU UZALA (1975)
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL. A NOTE FROM JIM DEE, PALM THEATRE OWNER: World-renowned Japanese director Akira Kurosawa —whose filmography includes such classics as Rashomon and Seven Samurai, felt his career was over and attempted suicide in 1971. He emerged from this low point to direct this powerful, intimate epic based on the […]
CHASING CHASING AMY
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL.
BIG NIGHT (1996)
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL ENCORE FESTIVAL. A NOTE FROM JIM DEE, PALM THEATRE OWNER: Italian brothers Primo and Secondo — portrayed by Tony Shaloub and Stanley Tucci (who also directed) attempt to bring their cuisine to the U.S., opening a restaurant in New Jersey in the 1950s. Hoping to stay in business, their biggest […]
A MAN ESCAPED (1956)
A Man Escaped or The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth (1956) concludes this series. Considered by many the greatest prison escape movie of all time, the legendary French director Robert Bresson turns Andre Devigny’s memoir of life in the French Resistance into a stunning, meditation on the deepest meanings of freedom, struggle, and inner liberation. The […]
