SMITHEREENS on 35mm: Post-film Q&A w/ Susan Berman

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10
34th Annual Olympia Film Festival presents:
SMITHEREENS on 35mm
Post-film Q&A w/ SMITHEREENS star, Susan Berman
moderated by Diana Arens, MPA
7:30pm doors / 8:00pm film
$15 general admission / $12 OFS members & students / $5 Kids

Known as the first American film to compete for the coveted Palme d’Or at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, Susan Seidelman’s Smithereens is an inimitable and uncompromising look at a raw and unfiltered New York City. Strewn trash, smudged bottles of alcohol, cold nights: the palette of an unflinchingly independent film. Seidelman’s punk rock opus, seen here on a brand new 35mm print, showcased the textured talents of Susan Berman and rock icon Richard Hell. The film’s perceptive narrative predates Instagram culture, with its protagonist, Wren (Berman), creating a narcissistic guerrilla marketing scheme that feels all too prescient. With its quiet moments of sharp naivete and striking soundtrack by The Feelies, Smithereens is a film that is still relevant today.
Dir: Susan Seidelman / 1982 / US / 89 min

SUSAN BERMAN

Susan Berman’s turn as the dismissively cavalier and molar-gnashing Wren changed the landscape of independent American cinema in 1982. Her performance has been discussed in academic forums and national publications since the film’s inception.