John Sayles interview on air on KPCC at 11 AM on Friday, January 4.

From his beginnings as a novelist and versatile screenwriter for-hire to his development into one of the leading voices in American film, John Sayles has demonstrated a consistently high level of affection for his characters as well as increasingly penetrating insights into contemporary life. Sayles’ rich perspective on communities and their function has been applied to characters in urban New Jersey, remote Alaska, and even a small Irish fishing village, among many others. Capable of writing blue collar laborers and billionaire moguls and everyone in between, Sayles presents a vision of America more varied in subject matter and tone than any other working filmmaker. Join us at the Aero for an in-person appearance by Mr. Sayles and a selection of some of his best films, including his newest, HONEYDRIPPER, the touching BABY, IT’S YOU and the powerful CITY OF HOPE.

HONEYDRIPPER, 2007, Emerging Pictures, 123 min. Iconoclastic filmmaker John Sayles, in his sixteenth feature film (just released on December 28), continues his extraordinary examination of the complexities and shifting identities of American sub-cultures. With his usual understated intelligence, Sayles uses the rhythms of the citizens of Harmony, Alabama to immerse the audience into the world of the Jim Crow south. It’s a fable about the birth of rock n’ roll—a quintessentially American subject, but with a fidelity to time and temperament that is unusual in an American director. It’s 1950 and it’s a make or break weekend for Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover), the proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge. Deep in debt, Tyrone is desperate to bring back the crowds that used to come to his place. He decides to lay off his long-time blues singer Bertha Mae, and announces that he’s hired a famous guitar player, Guitar Sam, for a one night only gig in order to save the club. Into town drifts Sonny Blake, a young man with nothing to his name but big dreams and the guitar case in his hand. Rejected by Tyrone when he applies to play at the Honeydripper, he is intercepted by the corrupt local Sheriff, arrested for vagrancy and rented out as an unpaid cotton picker to the highest bidder. But when Tyrone's ace-in-the-hole fails to materialize at the train station, his desperation leads him back to Sonny and the strange, wire-dangling object in his guitar case. The Honeydripper lounge is all set to play its part in rock n' roll history. Discussion following with director John Sayles.

Saturday, January 5 – 7:30 PM

CITY OF HOPE, 1991, Sony Repertory, 129 min. Director John Sayles demonstrates both his talent for characterization and his insightful approach to social issues with this ambitious ensemble piece. Vincent Spano plays the son of a contractor involved in a bitter property dispute that threatens to tear apart the New Jersey city where he lives, while Joe Morton plays an idealistic city councilman struggling to build a constituency. Their stories extend into the lives of dozens of supporting characters across race and class lines, all of whom are fully developed and painfully real. A thoughtful and moving portrait of early 1990s American life that is unfortunately even more relevant today in its vision of urban corruption and political maneuvering.

BABY IT'S YOU, 1983, Paramount, 105 min. Dir. John Sayles. In 1960’s New Jersey, Jill (Rosanna Arquette) is a high schooler who loves her greaser boyfriend "Sheik" (Vincent Spano), until she gets to college and suddenly discovers that the world offers her a lot more options. With heartbreaking honesty and genuine affection for his characters, as well as the help of two pitch-perfect lead performances, Sayles perfectly captures the transition into adulthood. An added bonus: for once the selection of classic pop songs on the soundtrack actually makes dramatic points rather than simply wallowing in nostalgia. Discussion in between films with director John Sayles and Vincent Span (CITY OF HOPE).

Sunday, January 6 – 7:30 PM

LONE STAR, 1996, Sony Pictures Classics, 135 min. Chris Cooper plays an easygoing Texas sheriff who discovers unpleasant truths about his town and his own past in this intricately plotted murder mystery. Displaying his usual talent for ensemble characterization, director John Sayles follows nearly a dozen major players (Kris Kristofferson, Frances McDormand and Matthew McConaughey are among the film's many talented actors) as their stories intersect and raise questions about political corruption, multiculturalism, and other contemporary issues.