CUFF Screening - Desert of Forbidden Art

Director - Tchavdar Georgiev and Amanda Pope

Thursday, September 15th at 7pm - Uptown Stage and Screen

Desert of Forbidden Art

Directed by Tchavdar Georgiev and Amanda Pope

Narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley, Ed Asner, and Sally Field

http://www.desertofforbiddenart.com/

Thursday September 15 @ 7pm, Uptown Stage & Screen

How does art survive oppression? Artists staying true to their vision under Soviet rule are executed, sent to mental hospitals or gulags. Their plight inspires young Igor Savitsky. Incredibly, he daringly rescues 40,000 forbidden works and creates a museum in the desert of Uzbekistan, far from KGB eyes. Penniless Savitsky cunningly amasses an eclectic mix of Russian Avant-Garde art, even discovering an unknown school of artists with a startlingly original style. Located in one of the world's poorest regions, one of the world’s most remarkable collections of 20th century Russian art is now a lucrative target. The collection remains as endangered as when Savitsky first created it, begging the question: whose responsibility is it to preserve this cultural treasure?

Q&A with visiting director Tchavdar Georgiev to follow screening!

September 15 - September 15
The Uptown Stage and Screen , 612- 8th Avenue SW [ map ]

We are in the process of becoming Calgary's most diverse Arts Centre consisting of the Uptown Screen (movie theatre), the Uptown Stage (movie theatre & live performance venue), Mezzanine Level Bar- The Marquee Room, and visual art gallery. There is also a treats concession and box office. Located in the Barron Building, on 8th Avenue in downtown Calgary, the theatre was built in 1951 by Mr. Jacob Barron, a Calgary lawyer and owner of National Theatres, a chain of local movie houses. It is the finest example of Art Deco architecture in the city. The theatre lobby has been likened to a Lapidus designed Miami Beach hotel lobby. The Uptown offers some unique features: the programming is the best in town; location and access is excellent, with the C-Train just paces away, and plenty of parking; and the ability to queue up indoors.

THE STAGE

The Stage was constructed in March 1993 by removing seats from what was once the balcony seating and building a stage. Calgary was without a venue of this size for many years until the Stage was built. It was operated as a "road house" -- meaning we don't produce work, but rent to others. The venue has since had projection equipment installed and functions primarily as a film house. There are 340 seats, with a very steep "rake" (slope) to the back, with no posts nor internal blocks to visibility. The acoustics are very good, and though there are no objective measurements of acoustics, we have been pleased with the comments of performers.

THE SCREEN

Formerly the main floor of the original movie theatre, this space was turned into an individual cinema in the mid-seventies after the balcony was walled off to form a separate cinema. 125 seats of the original 600 were removed to build a projection room. It is a lovely old theatre with many of the original touches still intact such as the great plaster torches with their stylized flames licking toward the ceiling, drawing the eye to the screen. The curtain is a magnificent brocade affair which looks gold under the lights. The capacity is now 460 and it is used almost exclusively for film. The format is, as it is in the Stage, is "First Run" with an "art/international" film bent.

THE COMMUNITY

The Uptown Stage and Screen proudly supports the Bow River Keepers by obtaining donations for them at our box office and concession, and by promoting their events and initiatives.
Learn more about them HERE!

The Uptown sponsors CJSW 90.9FM - Calgary's community campus radio station. Support Community Radio by becoming a Friend of CJSW, and reap the benefits! WWW.CJSW.COM

The Marquee Room proudly organizes and curates monthly art exhibits, pertaining to relevant and local issues and to the ever-changing visual arts community in Calgary. Local artists are showcased in a variety of mediums, and an opening gala takes place in conjunction with Calgary's First Thursdays, every month.