December 3 – December 17, 2022 Sarah Polley: An American Cinematheque Retrospective Aero Theatre and Los Feliz 3
The American Cinematheque is proud to present a retrospective for acclaimed filmmaker, Sarah Polley, and thrilled to welcome her in person for an advance screening of her newest film, WOMEN TALKING. Sarah Polley received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for her first film as director- AWAY FROM HER, based on the short story The Bear Came Over the Mountain by Alice Munro. This film also garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for star Julie Christie. Her next film TAKE THIS WALTZ starred Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman. STORIES WE TELL, her documentary which examines secrets and memory in her own family, won Best Documentary Film awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, and the New York Film Critics Circle, as well as a Writer’s Guild of America award for its screenplay. Polley executive produced and wrote the Netflix limited series Alias, Grace, which she adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel. As an actor, Polley starred in a wide variety of films including Atom Egoyan’s THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Best Supporting Actress award from the Boston Society of Film Critics), Doug Liman’s GO (Independent Spirit Award nomination), Zack Snyder’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, Jaco Van Dormael’s MR. NOBODY opposite Jared Leto, Kathryn Bigelow’s THE WEIGHT OF WATER opposite Ciaran Hinds, David Cronenberg’s EXISTENZ, Isabel Coixet’s THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS AND MY LIFE WITHOUT ME (Canadian Screen Award, Best Actress), Audrey Wells’ GUINEVERE, Wim Wenders’ DON’T COME KNOCKING, Michael Winterbottom’s THE CLAIM, and Terry Gilliam’s THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN. Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith. Sarah Polley adapts and directs an act of female imagination inspired by true events with WOMEN TALKING, starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod, Kate Hallett, Liv McNeil, August Winter with Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand. Image courtesy of Derek Shapton.