Known for his vibrant reinterpretations of classical portraits featuring African-American men, New York-based painter Kehinde Wiley has turned the practice of portraiture on its head and in the process has taken the art world by storm.

The film Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace follows the artist as he embarks on an exciting new project: a series of classical portraits of African-American women – something he’s never done before. The film documents the project as it unfolds, tracking Wiley’s process from concept to canvas, casting his models on the streets of New York and enlisting Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy to create couture gowns for each woman.

The film offers a tantalizing look at the intersection of art and fashion and an intimate portrait of one of this generation’s most intriguing and accomplished visionaries.

Run Time: 60 minutes

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

Join the Reno Phil, the Nevada Museum of Art, and filmmaker Kerry Candaele for a screening of Candaele’s powerful documentary film – Following the Ninth. Described as “thrilling, smartly assembled and gracefully paced,” by the New York Times, this film follows Beethoven’s ninth and final symphony and its impact across the world. 

Approximate running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

David Lynch’s 1980 feature film, “The Elephant Man” is a period biography in which the director’s hallmark strangeness comes from historical fact rather than his own imagination. It’s the story of Joseph Merrick–the genetically disfigured “Elephant Man” referred to in the film as “John”–who lived in Victorian-era London. The film traces Merrick’s liberation from the exploitative world of side-show entertainment with the help of a doctor who acknowledges Merrick’s humanity. Though considered one of Lynch’s more conventional works, Elephant Man is nevertheless an extended meditation on the medium of film, through its invocation of early-cinematic culture, expressionistic visuality, and use of atmospheric and sometimes destabilizing sound. 

A discussion about this film will be led by Pardis Dabashi. Dabashi is assistant professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she specializes in 20th-Century American Literature and Film Studies. Her research examines the intersection of affect, politics, and form in the Euro-American novel and cinema of the 19th and 20th centuries. She has additional interests in problems of method and literary-critical argumentation.

Film run time: 124 min

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 masterpiece “Persona” tells the story of a stage actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullman) who after suffering a psychic break, seeks retreat with her nurse Anna (Bibi Anderson) at a remote beach house. Over the course of their time together, Anna’s failed attempts to understand Elisabeth eventually transform into a strange form of merger with her. Known among other things for Bergman’s haunting closeups of the human face, “Persona” explores both the thrill and the violence of representation, the allure and the danger of trying to know the Other.

A discussion about this film will be led by Pardis Dabashi. Dabashi is assistant professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she specializes in 20th-Century American Literature and Film Studies. Her research examines the intersection of affect, politics, and form in the Euro-American novel and cinema of the 19th and 20th centuries. She has additional interests in problems of method and literary-critical argumentation.

Film run time: 81 minutes

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

Known for his vibrant reinterpretations of classical portraits featuring African-American men, New York-based painter Kehinde Wiley has turned the practice of portraiture on its head and in the process has taken the art world by storm.

The film Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace follows the artist as he embarks on an exciting new project: a series of classical portraits of African-American women – something he’s never done before. The film documents the project as it unfolds, tracking Wiley’s process from concept to canvas, casting his models on the streets of New York and enlisting Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy to create couture gowns for each woman.

The film offers a tantalizing look at the intersection of art and fashion and an intimate portrait of one of this generation’s most intriguing and accomplished visionaries.

Run Time: 60 minutes

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

Clyfford Still’s striking compositions and idiosyncratic personality made him one of the preeminent figures of the American Abstract Expressionist movement. Through interviews and previously unreleased recordings, Still’s artistic philosophy and his relationships with contemporaries Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock are revealed. After his death, the legacy of the enigmatic artist faces further uncertainty, as museums vie to be the permanent home of the Still collection—if they can meet  the strict demands of his will.

Following the film, enjoy a discussion with film Director Dennis Scholl and JoAnne Northrup, Curatorial Director and Curator of Contemporary Art.

Run time: 77 min

After the moment of the gunfight at the OK Corral in late 1881, Wyatt Earp became famous in his own time. He was already known within the western territories as a tough lawman. The gunfight represented the epitome of what the wild west stood for: good guys against bad guys in a thrilling duel. The real event was thirty seconds long. The motivations behind it have complicated details. But Wyatt wanted us to forget all that. He was never shot in a gunfight and lived into old age. By chance, at a championship boxing match at the turn of the century – which became the first feature-length movie – Earp saw the power of cinema in action. He decided he could rewrite history through the magic of movies, hanging out in Hollywood in the 1920s to try to get a movie made about his life. And it actually worked.

Following the film screening enjoy remarks by screenwriter and producer Tim Kirk.

Film run time: 76 minutes

Held annually in Telluride CO, Mountainfilm is a documentary film festival that showcases nonfiction stories about environmental, cultural, climbing, political and social justice issues that matter. Mountainfilm on Tour showcases a curated selection of powerful films from the festival. This special screening is presented in partnership with the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association.

NOTE: Doors open at 5 pm with cash bar.

Safe Haven | Directed by Tim Kressin
Inner-city Memphis is not the likeliest setting for an enormous rock climbing gym. But since it opened in March 2018, Memphis Rox, the nation’s only nonprofit climbing gym — open to all, regardless of ability to pay — has proven that the challenges of technical climbing have strong appeal, and can provide benefits well beyond the traditional outdoor-recreation community. (USA, 2018, 8 min.)

Cracking Ice Ceilings | Directed by Mariano Carranza
The cholita climbers of Bolivia have been subverting the culture of machismo since 2015 by climbing mountains. Not content to stay in their traditional roles as high-mountain cooks, these 11 escaladoras wanted to see for themselves what it felt like to go to the top. Pairing the traditional cholita garb of colorful skirts, shawls, bowler hats and brooches with ice axes and crampons, these women climb for the same reason many others do: that feeling of freedom that comes with standing on the summit. (USA, 2017, 3 min)

Brotherhood of Skiing | Directed by Tyler Wilkinson-Ray, Colin Arisman
The Brotherhood of Skiers has been bringing camaraderie and dance parties to the slopes since 1973. The annual summits, which unite African-American ski clubs across the country, are fundraisers for youth programs to pass the love of skiing down to the next generation. First born of necessity — safety in numbers in the aftermath of the civil rights movement — four decades later, the Brotherhood of Skiers is still creating a safe space and upending stereotypes. (USA, 2018, 10 min.)

Sweetheart Dancers | Directed by Ben-Alex Dupris
Indigenous dancers Sean and Adrian challenge the rulebook of San Manuel’s Native American Sweetheart Special as they attempt to compete in the annual couple’s competition. Dancing not only against the other dancers, but against the drums of oppression and closed-mindedness, this Two-Spirit couple is determined to rewrite the rules of “one man, one woman” with their resplendent charisma, character and resilience. (USA, 2019, 13 min.)

The Litas | Directed by William DeSena
Growing up gay and black in Los Angeles in the 1960s, Gevin Fax felt alone. Then, at age 12, she discovered dirt-biking. “The boys grew out of it, but she never did,” her father reminisces in this short about the Litas, a 5,000-strong global women’s motorcycle collective founded in 2015. For Gevin, finding the Litas was a revelation. “I’m truly present when I’m alone on that bike and I can just be,” she says. (USA, 2018, 7 min.)

All In: Alaska Heli Skiing | Directed by Scott Gaffney
Tune in for a tutorial on how to absolutely shred Alaskan spines. (USA, 2018, 4 min.)

Mi Mamá | Directed by James Q Martin, Jade Begay
There is a force of healing in nature and a power of connection — connection with ourselves, our hopes and dreams, and with the mystery and grandeur of life on our planet. For Nadia Iris Mercado, there is also in nature a connection with her ancestry. And, the connection she makes most strongly, and most tenderly, is with her mother — who sacrificed her own hopes and dreams to give Nadia the best possible chance to realize hers. (USA, 2019, 6 min.) 

The Wild Inside | Directed by Andrew Michael Ellis
“Saying goodbye to an animal – it’s hard,” says Chris, who is leaving Florence, Ariz. State Prison after serving a six-year sentence. He’s one of 30 minimum-security participants in the prison’s pioneering Wild Horse Inmate Program, working five days a week to “gentle” the wild mustangs, which are saved from slaughter. Training them as saddle horses keeps recidivism at bay in Arizona, where inmates face a 49 percent chance of reincarceration within five years. Since 2012, only three of the prison’s 53 WHIP trainers are back behind bars. (USA, 2019, 15 min.)

R.A.W. Tuba | Directed by Darren Durlach, David Larson
“I like the tuba because it reminds me of my life, it’s the underdog.” That’s Richard Antoine White, whose biography reads like a manual in how to overcome odds. White grew up intermittently homeless on the streets of Baltimore, and went on to become a world-class symphony musician, professor and the first African American in the world to receive a Doctorate in Music for Tuba Performance. He’s got music in him, yes. But he’s also got a drive rarely seen, even in the most competitive artistic circles. As he puts it, “the only thing that will stop me from being successful is death.” (USA, 2019, 29 min.)

Jágralama | Directed by Marek Partys
In the high steppe of Little Tibet, a young boy develops an unlikely obsession: ice hockey. He fashions pucks out of stones, trains on homemade skates and worships Czech hockey icon Jaromír Jágr. And he has his heart set on an outsized dream. (Czech Republic, 2018, 2 min.)

NOTE: Online tickets are now closed. A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Seating is limited.

Local filmmakers of all ages were invited to submit films for the annual 3-Minute Film Competition. Join the Holland Project and the Nevada Museum of Art in a screening of the top films selected by a team of jurors. Participate in the process by casting your vote for your favorite.

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is a theatrical program featuring seven short films selected from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, widely considered the premier showcase for short films and the launchpad for many now-prominent independent filmmakers for more than 30 years. Fueled by artistic expression and limited only by their runtime, short films transcend traditional storytelling. They are a significant and popular way artists can connect with audiences. From documentary to animation, narrative to experimental, the abbreviated form is made for risk-taking.

Run time: 96 minutes. Recommended for 16+

PROGRAM

sometimes, i think about dying
Directed by Stefanie Abel Horowitz
Fran is thinking about dying, but a man in the office might want to date her. 2018, U.S., 13 minutes.

Fast Horse
Directed by Alexandra Lazarowich
The Blackfoot bareback horse-racing tradition returns in the astonishingly dangerous Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles with second-hand horses and a new jockey on his way to challenge the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy. 2018, Canada, 13 minutes.

Suicide by Sunlight
Directed by Nikyatu Jusu
Valentina, a day-walking Black vampire protected from the sun by her melanin, is forced to restrain her bloodlust to regain custody of her estranged daughters. 2018, U.S., 17 minutes.

Muteum
Directed by Äggie Pak Yee Lee
In an art museum, we learn – from outer to inner, from deep to its deepest, seriously and sincerely. 2017, Estonia/Hong Kong, no dialogue, 4 minutes.

Crude Oil
Directed by Christopher Good
Jenny breaks free from a toxic friendship and learns to harness her magical, useless superpower. 2019, U.S., 15 minutes.

The MINORS
Directed by Robert Machoian
A slice of life about a grandpa and his grandsons, the future and the past. 2018, U.S., 10 minutes.

Brotherhood
Directed by Meryam Joobeur
When a hardened Tunisian shepherd’s son returns home after a long journey with a new wife, tension rises between father and son. 2018, Canada/Tunisia/Qatar/Sweden, in Arabic with English subtitles, 25 minutes.