Fests and events, 7/26.

Fantastic Fest director Tim League has a wrap-up and a list of award-winners from the PIFAN festival in Pucheon at Twitch.

Scott Foundas: "For every household name of contemporary British cinema represented in the UCLA Film & Television Archive's excellent series, The Next Wave: British Films of the 1970s and 80s - Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach - there are just as many others whose names are less known but whose contributions to this renaissance moment in the British film industry were no less significant." Through August 23.

Also in the LA Weekly, Ernest Hardy previews Dances With Films, "one of the few [festivals] with a committed ideological thrust (no 'name' actors, directors, writers, etc are allowed)." Through July 31.

"The 400 Blows, Truffaut's profoundly affecting and enduringly influential first feature, is on view in revival screenings this weekend at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," notes Joe Leydon in the Houston Chronicle. "It's a frankly autobiographical drama, at once brutally specific and brilliantly emblematical."

"Originally written in French in 1946 and translated into English by Beckett, First Love has been staged by Michael Colgan, the artistic director of the Gate Theater of Dublin, as part of the Lincoln Center Festival's program of Beckett works not written for the theater," writes Charles Isherwood in the New York Times. This weekend [Ralph] Fiennes joins Liam Neeson and Barry McGovern in two marathon performances of all three of the offerings, an indispensable ticket for admirers of Beckett's writing - and, for that matter, of first-rate stage acting."

Lynn Rapoport previews the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival for SF360. Through August 11.

In the New York Press, Simon Abrams previews the Hola Mexico Film Festival, running through Sunday.

Gabriele Barcaro previews Venice Days for Cineuropa. August 28 through September 6.

Nick Bradshaw sends a dispatch from the just-wrapped Britdoc 08 into the Guardian. Matt Dentler has pix. Related online listening: half an hour with the Observer's Jason Solomons.

Darren Hughes enjoyed Guy Maddin's introduction to and narration during Tod Browning's The Unknown at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival: "The sold out house never stopped laughing, it was so silly. Except the film isn't silly at all. (And I'm sure Maddin would agree)." He takes another, closer look. More from Sean McCourt at Hell on Frisco Bay.

More on Slovanian Cinema from Acquarello: Idle Running, Beneath Her Window and Paper Planes.

Posted by dwhudson at July 26, 2008 2:14 PM