DIVA presents a panel including Professor Doug Blandy of the University of Oregon and Dr. Julian of Black Lotus Tattoo among others will discuss tattooing and its influence on contemporary art among other topics. This presentation coincides with a tattoo exhibit, "Living Canvas, Breathing Art," and is free and open to the public.

"In this bizarre fantasy from the Czech Republic, an ordinary couple,Karel and Bozena, are unable to conceive a child. When Karel digs up a tree root and whittles something vaguely resembling a human baby, Bozena's strong maternal longings transform the stump into a living creature … with a monstrous appetite that can't be met by baby's formula!" "Little Otik," is directed by the surrealistic Czech Republic  director and animator Jan Svankmajer.
      The screening will be followed by a thought-provoking audience conversation lead by program coordinator, Steve Poizat-Newcomb. Discussion will focus on the film's form, content and significance. Poizat-Newcomb is Secretary of the DIVA Center's Media Arts Committee and brings to this open door seminar a background in film studies. Read More.

Local and regional video artists screen their short works in a competition following in the tradition of the poetry slam. An audience choice award sends the winner to the OpenLens Festival competition. A goal of this monthly event is to help develop a local video and film community where work can be screened and discussed by peers and the community. See the Video Slam web site for entry details.

January's program will be a presentation by local frame artist James Denier. With over 15 years of experience, James will share tips and techniques for choosing frame designs to enhance your art. There will also be a simple mat-cutting demonstration.
     At the Salon we engage in a group process to choose exhibitor(s) for the Members' Gallery, as well as creating a place for artist-members to come together to see each other’s work, socialize, and share great food. Bring your art, something tasty to share, and you! This month we will be selecting the show for July.

The showing of Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" is sponsored by Sierra Club Many Rivers Group, is free to the public with a moderated discussion to follow led by Bob Doppelt. He is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management, a courtesy associate professor in the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at the University of Oregon and author of "Leading Change Toward Sustainability: A Change Management Guide for Business, Government, and Civil Society".

The DIVA Center offers an evening of sound and video art featuring international artists from the Pacific Northwest and Melbourne Australia. This evening the vast Pacific expanse is bridged and common ground is found when Camilla Hannan and Tarab of Melbourne, Seth Nehil of Portland, Daniel Heila of Eugene and others for cutting edge sonic and visual stimuli come together in Eugene. Learn more about the visiting artist - download PDF press release

Visiting Sound and Visual Artists:

• Camilla Hannan - Melbourne, Australia
• Tarab (Eamon Sprod) - Melbourne, Australia
• Seth Nehil - Portland, Oregon
• Daniel Heila - Eugene, Oregon

DIVA welcomes film director Matt mcCormick to its Second Friday Film Forum for the screening of his new work, 'Future So Bright'. This is the performance version of a more comprehensive installation project. It presents a selection of images edited together into an abstract documentary about abandoned structures, forgotten spaces, and the disposable mentality of America's western expansion.
     Matt McCormick is a 34-year-old artist and award winning short film director. His work blurs the lines between documentary and experimental filmmaking to fashion witty and abstract observations of contemporary culture and the urban landscape

The Eugene Composers Collective is a group of local composers and musicians who offer cutting edge performances of new and experimental music around Eugene.  

This is a 45 minute video documentation of the world premiere of "The Fall '01", a choreodrama, at the Museo de la Ciudad, Queretaro, Mexico. "The Fall '01" is a dance work being developed for a world tour. "THE FALL '01 is a work in which the horror of 9/11 and Guantanamo frame
devastating scenes from the Iraq and Afghan wars. It is a story not literal, but starkly realistic, incorporating montage scenes from 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq and the torture gulag into a mixed-media performance driven by deeply dramatic, corporeal theatre. THE FALL '01 is not an
anti-war poster piece, but rather an in-depth, artistic study in unthinkable agitation propaganda and the dehumanization of war and torture, marking perhaps an empire at the precipice of its fall" The piece is the work of Agnieszka Laska and Luis Arreguin to a score by composer Jack Gabel with image montages by Uehara Takafumi. Dancing is performed by the Agnieszka Laska Dancers and Las Pleyades Danza Contemporanea.
     It has just been announced that the National Association of Film and Digital Media Artists (NAFDMA) has awarded this video the "Insight Awards' Award of Excellence ". Insight Awards are awarded to film or digital media that have made a contribution to society by raising social consciousness or public awareness.

"Twisted Love & Memorable Characters" is this evening's theme featuring selected films from the 2006 Eugene Film Festival. Every Second Sunday this series screens documentaries, short features, and experimental work selected from the festival's collection of 300 submissions.

Andorra by Zebediah Smith and Christopher Wolfe, USA, 18 min. For Andorra, a young, eccentric woman, every day is meant to be just so-always the same, safe routine. So when she skips her usual order of soy milk and orders whole milk with her tea, the regulars and staff are shocked and nervous as she is deathly allergic to dairy products. Is this simple cup of tea a suicide attempt? This dark and quirky comedy explores the anxieties and uncertainties of everyday life, as seen through the eyes of a character you won't soon forget.

Losing Toby by Drew Lindo, USA, 10 min. Steven, a sensitive soul recently dumped by his heartless ex, is shattered beyond repair. Not even his quirky coworker Alan seems able to raise his spirits. Enter Toby, a downloadable desktop buddy like none other. An adorable pink panda bear with a sweet voice and a kind heart. As Steven and his favorite new program grow closer, an unhealthy bond begins to grow between them.

Mad Lane by Eva Hassmann, USA, 15 min. "Mad Lane" tells the story of a young ambitious writer, Madeleine,and her struggle through different relationships to finally reach her place in life. A place that she would not have chosen beforehand but that she was lead to by following her principles

Perils in Nude Modeling by Scott Rice, USA, 10 min. For lonely souls like Ted Minor, a shot with a beautiful woman is a once-in-a-lifetime event. So when the nude model at the center of his old-school art professor's studio transforms from a lifeless statue to a flesh and blood temptress, Ted finds himself at a terrible crossroads between a lifelong ambition and a taboo kiss with the woman of his dreams.

"F" by Michael Lacey, USA, 36 min. 'F' is a story that takes place in the 1930's and 1940's then tragically ends in the 1950's. It’s the dark tale of Joseph Smoot-Nibbley, his overactive nose and his desire to sniff. Joe likes to smell feet. His nose has desires that most of us can't understand. He doesn’t want to hurt them. He just wants to love them.

On the Fourth Sunday of the month video artists screen their short works in a competition that follows in the tradition of the poetry slam. The audience votes to send a winning video to the annual best of the slam competition in December. The goal is to develop a local video and film community where work can be screened and discussed by peers. See the Video Slam web site for entry details.

The screening of "Swing Time", starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers will be followed by a conversation with Diane Retallack of the Eugene Concert Choir who will be present to
answer questions about the Concert Choir and its upcoming concert of Big Band classic songs. Thomas Blank hosts.
     The 1936 RKO Pictures release was directed by George Stevens and features the songs of Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, including "Pick Yourself Up," and the Oscar winning "The Way You Look Tonight."
    Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times has characterized "Swing Time" as, "the best of the Astaire/Rogers films."
    This event continues the on-going second Sunday DIVA film series celebrating the performing arts in Eugene.

Sherrlyn Borkgren is a photographer who, having completed a BA degree in Anthropology at the University of Oregon, and a Masters program in Visual Communication at Ohio University, went on to spend ten years of photographing the people and land of Central America as a photographer for Prensa Libre in Guatemala. She has been published by numerous European and American publications including, but not limited to, San Francsico Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, New York Newsday, and People Magazine.
    Borkgren will screen her short documentary video of photojournalistic dispatches from Iraq and discuss what it is like to be a media artist in the field.
    The Second Friday Film Forum provides an opportunity for the audience to meet and converse with a visiting film or video artist about their work screened during the evening. On occassion, the visiting artist will conduct a related workshop on Saturday morning.

March 10 - A Fundraiser for Civli Liberties Defense Center
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
Cost: $10 - includes hors d'ouevres, music, drinks and one free raffle tickets. $2 or $5 for additional raffle tickets
Info call: Civil Liberties Defense Center 541.687.9180, or write info@cldc.org

Fusion Fundraiser Rules: A Fusion Fundraiser is a fun cross between a silent auction and a raffle. Two rooms contain numerous generously donated items, each item having its own raffle jar. Participants place their raffle tickets in the jars in front of the items they hope to win. There is no limit to the number of raffle tickets a participant can purchase or put in any individual jar. Fusion Fundraiser raffle tickets are $2 apiece and may be purchased from room attendants or at the front reception area. There will also be a grand prize room. The tickets for these grand items will be $5.
     Prizes for the benefit include: A night for two at Brietenbush Hot Springs, Raft trip on the McKenzie River, Home sew kitchen goods, Gourmet dinner for four, Jewelry, Prints, Ceramics, Glass work, Climbing lessons, Radical videos, Eco-groovy T-shirts, Show tickets, Star gazing, Tattoo work, Clothing shop certificates, Piercing, An array of restaurant gift certificates, Expungement, and so much more.

Two Harbors (2006 Eugene Film Festival Winner Best Narrative Feature). Vic's days are filled with selling sci-fi collectibles and the hunt for extraterrestrial life. His search is remarkably unsuccessful until he meets an unusual young woman, Cassie. Vic becomes convinced that extraterrestrials are interested in Cassie, and he sets out to prove it, with shocking results. James Vculek's finely crafted character study examines the nature of friendship and wonders if we are all truly alone. Read interview with director.

BachelorMan. BachelorMan is a broad, hilarious sexy comedy in which a successful bachelor admired by his peers, finally falls head over heels in love. Ted Davis (David DeLuise) is the ultimate bachelor and when "BacheloretteWoman" (Missi Pyle) moves in next door -- he meets his match. Turning into a one-woman man, he then has to earn back the respect of his ardent male fans, who can only aspire in awe to his greatness. For more information, see www.bachelorman.com

The Best of the First Annual Eugene Film Festival Series screens on the second Sunday of the month. Selections are made from the EFF library of over 300 submissions made to the 2006 Eugene Film Festival. Come and enjoy some of the finest filmmaking available today.

The DIVA Center and Human Monster Productions presents an evening of cutting edge sound experiences when four groups will be ramping up the volume: The Late Severa Wires, I Died, Avoid the Future Shadow, and Eraritjaritjaka.
    The Late Severa Wires, from Sante Fe, was founded in 2001. The group members include Ultraviolet (turntables), Yozo Suzuki (guitar), Mike Rowland (drums), and Carlos Santistevan (bass). The ensemble creates sonic collages where the lines between instruments are blurred and new sounds emerge out of the collision and interaction of air molecules.
    Avoid The Future Shadow hails from Eugene with Adam Graham (guitar) Eric Ostlind (guitar) and Rowan Graham (keyboards).  The music of A.T.F.S. falls into the hyphenated category, i.e. ambient-noise-space-drone-rock, etc. The A.T.F.S. sound has been compared to film soundtracks and they often perform with video artists the JIRCS.
     Eugene's Eraritjaritjaka, has been described as sounding like machines left on until their motors overheat and burn out. Eraritjaritjaka provides a murky chaos that is a big cruel nasty blender of nonmusical music.

The Willamette Concert Opera is a company of professional singers presenting concert readings of grea vocal works. This presentation of "le Nozze di Figaro" stars Steven Mortier, Elizabeth Wells, Elyse Cook, Deac Guidi, Sharon Annette Lancaster. Performances are free, however a reservation is strongly suggested as seating is limited. Make reservations online.

Dubbed "the most inspiringly wicked social critic of the moment," novelist and essayist Curtis White is touring the Northwest this month with his new book "The Spirit of Disobedience: Resisting the Charms of Fake Politics, Mindless Consumption, and the Culture of Total Work" (PoliPointPress.)
     The program also includes a showing of the ground breaking film "Affluenza" and a discussion led by Curtis White, Jan Spencer and other local advocates for sustainable lifestyles, voluntary simplicity and community cohesion. The donation will benefit a new film series project by Eugene Media Action, a committee of Eugene PeaceWorks. For information call TOLL-FREE 1-877-876-7883 or 541-484-9167.

Director Andrei Tarkovsky's science fiction cult classic presents an uncompromisingly unique and poetic meditation on space travel and its physical and existential ramifications. Scientist Kris Kelvin travels to the mysterious planet Solaris to investigate the failure of an earlier mission. When his long-dead wife appears on the space station, he realizes that the planet has the power to perceive human desires and make them a reality.
      The screening in this series will be followed by a thought-provoking audience conversation lead by program coordinator, Steve Poizat-Newcomb. Discussion will focus on the film's form, content and significance. Poizat-Newcomb is Secretary of the DIVA Center's Media Arts Committee and brings to this open door seminar a background in film studies.

Ben Russell is an itinerant experimental film/videomaker whose works have screened at the Museum of Modern Art and at international venues in Tokyo, Cologne, Ghent, and Rotterdam. Russell started a microcinema called Magic Lantern in Providence, RI, which has facilitated his becoming a program curator as well as filmmaker.
      Russell brings a frenetic mix of post-psychedelic/noise/DIY 16mm films to Eugene this evening. The program deals with noise/post-psychedelia from a political/leftist perspective, features 8 films by 5 artists. There's live sound, DIY cameraless cinema, and audio mash-ups by the likes of Lightning Bolt and Nautical Almanac. Program titles and descriptions are available online.

John Adams is the most performed American composer of his generation. His operas "Nixon in China" and "The Death of Klinghoffer" have been international hits, although not without a touch of controversy. This documentary is an intimate portrait, filmed over twelve months, of a great composer at work in his High Sierra log cabin and in rehearsal with soloists Emanuel Ax and Michael Collins.
     The evening screenings in this series are presented, in rotation, by resident companies of the Hult Center on the first Sunday of each month. It is the goal of this on-going series to showcase the diversity of the arts that are available in Eugene. Screening and audience discussion lead by Thomas Blank.

The evening's theme is "Putting the 'International' in Eugene International Film Festival". A selection of short films submitted from around the world to the 2006 Eugene Film Festival will include:

"Binta and The Great Idea" (Academy Award Winner) by Javier Fesser, Spain. Binta is a 7 year old girl who lives in a small charming village on the Casamance river in southern Senegal. She goes to school. Her cousin Soda does not have the same good fortune. She is not allowed to learn about the things of the world. Binta admires her father, a humble fisherman who, concerned about the development of mankind, is determined to carry out an idea that has occurred to him.

"Missing Pages" Jerome Olivier, Japan. The head engineer of a large research firm, Kiyoshi Tanokura, announces to an audience of journalists that they have developed a time machine. When one critic questions the moral implications of such an invention, Kiyoshi brushes off the question – moral problems belong to philosophers, not engineers. Kiyoshi eventually learns how his invention has been twisted to serve the purpose of a small group bent on world domination. Along with the group of rebels, Kiyoshi must find a way to save himself and humanity from certain destruction.

"Anna und der Soldat" by Christian Prettin, Germany. Italy in 1950. The 18-year old Italian girl Anna is haunted by her past. Six years ago she lost her whole family in a massacre by the German Wehrmacht. Now she is living a hard and lonely life in her small village. Again and again she is drawing her horrific memories. The Italian Civilians had to dig their own graves before they were shot by the Germans. Suddenly one of the soldiers, who can not get along with his crime returns. The moment of revenge has come. With an old pistol of her grandfather Anna forces the stranger to dig his grave. But is she really able to bring it to the deadly end?

"Valour" by John Vaughan, Ireland. Valour tells the tale of Corporal Byrne the sole Survivor of a failed allied Assault during the First World War as he relates his story to his commanding officer on what happened on the Battlefield that day. But what he claims Happened and what really Happened are two completely different stories!

"Knight Lost" by Thomas Tate, Australia. Once a week, Mark Knight visits the St. Carcel mental ward with time for only a few games of chess with his ailing father Frank. It is a game they have played for years and the pitfalls are varied and well worn to both of them.
But with a rapidly disintegrating marriage and a real estate career without any financial security, Mark begins to lose patience with his sick father. Tired of his stories and ramblings, Mark lashes out, hoping to somehow shake his father loose from the fantasy of his imaginings. But something occurs that Mark could have never expected and he is suddenly faced with a thread that could unravel his entire life.

Experimental filmmaker Loren Sears will show and discuss a collection of his historical art films called the "Haight-Ashbury Quartet" at the DIVA Center on April 13th at 7pm.

The original films, from1967 and 1971, have been recently restored and transferred to video disc prior to Sears's taking them to the Cannes Film Festival and market in France this May. This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the Summer of Love, the milieu from which these films emerged.

The four short films are interesting from a visual, artistic viewpoint and from a social, historical one. While they consist of social documentary and "home movie" footage recorded in San Francisco, 1967, and the ensuing rural migration of that alternative culture, they are artistically reworked and resemble painting and music in their compositions. They have won festival and popular recognition both as art films and as documentaries at the Yale Film Festival and the Robert Flaherty Film Seminars, and have been shown widely in this country and in Europe. Some of this work has appeared in feature film documentaries on the milieu and in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Loren Sears began making film in 1965 and was a founding member of Canyon Cinema Cooperative and manager of Canyon Cinematheque in San Francisco; an innovator in film and video technology; artist-in-residence at KQED-TV in San Francisco; and helped to build the production departments for both the Public Cable Access Center and KLSR-TV in Eugene. Sears grew up in Eugene and graduated from the University of Oregon, pursuing careers in physics and computer science, before becoming a film and video artist.

Two young North Korean gymnasts prepare for an unprecedented competition in this documentary that offers a rare look into the communist society and the daily lives of North Korean families. For more than eight months, film crews follow 13-year-old Pak Hyon Sun and 11-year-old Kim Song Yun and their families as the girls train for the Mass Games, a spectacular nationalist celebration involving thousands of performers.
     DIVA's third Sunday Art House Films and Conversation features selections from domestic and foreign film classics rarely seen on the theater screen today. Thought-provoking audience discussions are lead by program coordinator, Steve Poizat-Newcomb, focusing on the significance of an evening's selected film.

New York Doll is a film that captures one of those rare occasions where life is not only stranger, but better than fiction. It is a documentary about the life of Arthur “Killer” Kane the founding member of the visionary rock group, The New York Dolls. Dolls is credited as being the definitive proto-glam-punk ensemble that pioneered a look and sound that helped pave the way for the punk and glam rock Dolls look-a-likes who would follow in the next decade. This documentary is the story of his life.

Official Selection Sundance Film Festival (2005)

Tony Richardson's "A Delicate Balance" is based on Edward Albee's play, stars Katharine Hepburn, Paul Scofield, and Kate Reid. The screening will be followed by an audience discussion with Thomas Blank, series host, and a representative from the Willamette Repertory Theatre.

The Best of the 33rd Northwest Film & Video Festival touring program presents a carefully selected cross-section of the state of filmmaking in the Northwest. These films—all chosen as official selections by Festival Judge, Stephen Seid, Video Curator at the Pacific Film Archives—screened at the Festival in Portland this past November. The Northwest Film Center presents this showcase in an effort to bring the filmmakers wider exposure and to offer this independent regional work to venues large and small and especially to those smaller communities where it is historically more difficult to access. Thomas Phillipson, NW Film Center Festival Coordinator, will host.

MAGIC HOSTESS, THE ELECTRIC CAN OPENER (4 mins.)
Rob Tyler - Portland, OR
Experience magic in the kitchen with this mesmerizing and, yes, thrilling study of a particularly keen and cutting appliance.

I AM (NOT) VAN GOGH (5 mins.)
David Russo/Seattle, WA
Russo’s dizzying style and masterful filmmaking—part animation, part live action, all breathtaking—offers his amusing take on the grant funding process.

CATFISH MAN (7 mins.)
Joel Bennett/Juneau, AK
Barehanded catfish grappling is a storied tradition in the South and this interview with a particularly colorful “noodler” is a great primer on the sport… should you be interested.

THE BIG ASS WORLD OF SCIENCE (5 mins.)
Mike Wellins/Portland, OR
A whirlwind survey of some hilarious albeit sketchy science rendered in super slick animation.

FIFTY YEARS LATER (3 mins.)
Matt McCormick/Portland, OR
McCormick examines Americana in decay by covering some of the same backroads his grandfather documented years ago on his Super8.

SCAREDYCAT (13 mins.)
Andrew Blubaugh/Portland, OR
JUDGE'S AWARD, BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SHORT
This thoughtful essay—spawned from the filmmaker’s brutal mugging— touches on difficult issues from obsessive/compulsive behavior, to racism, to current laws that struggle with the balance of victims’ versus human rights.

EUROPA (2 mins.)
Rick Phillips/Missoula, MT
An impressionistic treatment of colonialism, World War and the rape of Europe.

ALICE & BASTARD (18 mins.)
Ana Valine/Vancouver, BC
A surprisingly appealing slice of single-parent trailer park living in the 70’s told mostly through the eyes of the young, refreshingly not-particularly-precocious Alice.

PILEDRIVER (0:14)
Calvin Lee Reeder/Seattle, WA
JUDGE'S AWARD, NARRATIVE SHORT
This sweet and shocking love story blossoms with tight storytelling and without lengthy background checks.

A PAINFUL GLIMPSE INTO MY WRITING PROCESS (IN LESS THAT 60 SECONDS)
Chel White/Portland, OR
A painful glimpse for the writer is a break-neck amusement ride for the viewer.

REGARDING SARAH (14 mins.)
Michelle Porter/Vancouver, BC
JUDGE'S AWARD, MOST MEMORABLE
This multiple lens focus on a strong aging woman who tries to manage her deteriorating memory loss with the help of modern technology is as funny as it is devastating as it is sublime.

Rhythm from Wreckage presents its latest showcase of unusual experiments in time-based art from artists around the world. The electronic anomalists featured in this program glean new aesthetic information from malfunctioning apparatuses, cultural detritus, and other residual media.
    From live video improvisations to calculated re-animation, from dada-mined archives to worm hole theories of collage Rhythm from Wreckage is a celebration of anomalous audio-visual pursuits.
    Plumb the unseen worlds of everyday appliances with Jesse England (Springfield), Learn strange facts and machine mythologies from Nate Harrison (Los Angeles), and marvel at the synesthetic cinema found lurking in an SK-1 from Gijs Gieskes (Netherlands).  Plus! short video works from several artists who will be performing at this year's Eugene Noise Fest!! Read More.

Human Monster Productions and the DIVA Center presents a three-day gathering of international sound artists for the Third Annual Eugene Noise Fest 2007, May 17, 18, and 19.
    Over three ear bending days sound artists working with "non-musical" sources will provide area audiences with unique acoustic explorations and auditory experiences.

Friday evening artists include: Ecomorti (San Francisco), ______ + Soup Purse (Eugene and Portland), Bloodson Drifter (Eugene), Blue Sabbath Black Cheer (Seattle), Brizbomb (Vancouver, WA), Blowupnilist (Vancouver, WA.) Brutophilia (Vancouver BC), Crude Drawings (Ben-David + Dennis Naslund), Instagon (Sacramento), Pulse Emitter (Portland) Riververb (San Diego), Vankman (San Francisco), and Xenization (Eugene).

An evening of artists from across the country share the soundscape including: Audiometic (Sacramento), Chopstick (Sacramento),(co)sine (Portland), Du Hexen (Seattle), Eric Ostowski (Oly), IDX1274 (Cascadia, OR), Leporidae (Sac), Nymphs or Satyrs (Georgia), Raperies Like Draperies (Milwaukee, WI), Stimbox (San Francisco), The Sunken (Kelso, WA), UFO as Bacteria (Santa Rosa, CA), Want for Nothing + Chris Charlot (WA), Warning Broken Machine + Klowd (Eugene and Sacramento), and Xdugef (Los Angeles).

The fest continues at noon with performances by Disjunct (Portland), Earthquake Retrofit (Eugene), Eraritjaritjaka(Eugene), Hobby Knife (Eugene), Hook & Sail (San Francisco),I Died (Eugene), ¡ Go-Yo! (Portland), i.n.r.i. (Eug), Microwave Windows (San Francisco), Robotic Daly (Portland), Sugarhost (Denmark), square_wave (Eugene), and View (Eugene).

Told in a most non-linear of fashions, the gist of the filml has to do with a young woman given a pair of earrings that seem to retain some sort of magical power. The earrings allow Valerie to see the world around her as it really is. Full of greed, corruption and enough sexual deviance to make any early 70's filmgoer's head spin.
   Inspired by fairy-tales such as Alice in Wonderland and Little Red-Riding Hood, Jaromil Jires' film is a surreal tale in which love, fear, sex and religion merge into one fantastic world. The film is a success at combining the elements of a grotesque fairy tale, horror flick and sensual romp.
    DIVA's third Sunday Art House Films and Conversation features selections from domestic and foreign film classics rarely seen on the theater screen today. Thought-provoking audience discussions are lead by program coordinator, Steve Poizat-Newcomb, focusing on the significance of an evening's selected film.

On the Fourth Sunday of the month video artists screen their short works in a competition that follows in the tradition of the poetry slam. For many local film and video artists the monthly Video Slam at DIVA has given them the opportunity of using the event as a self-imposed deadline for producing short works on a routine bases.
   Those who have entered the slam find it a creative challenge and an opportunity to hone their skills and knowledge. Screenings and critiques provide needed feedback.
   At the end of each session the audience chooses a winning video (finished or in development). The monthly winners will be presented at an annual Best Of The DIVA Video Slam Festival in December. The goal is to develop a local video and film community where work can be screened and discussed by peers. See the Video Slam web site for entry details.

Director Penny Woolcock's film adaptation of John Adams' opera "The Death of Klinghoffer" is based on an actual 1985 incident when four young Palestinians hijack the cruise liner Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt. The hijackers demanded that Israel free 50 Palestinian prisoners. During the resulting standoff the hijackers killed a disabled American tourist, 69-year-old Leon Klinghoffer, and threw his body overboard with his wheelchair. After a two-day drama, the hijackers surrendered in exchange for a pledge of safe passage. When the opera "The Death of Klinghoffer" premiered in the United States it generated tremendous controversy

The screening will be followed by an audience discussion with Thomas Blank, series host, and a representative from the Eugene, Opera.

• Death Throes Noise. San Francisco. Visit MySpace.
• The Sunken- Noise/Experimental, Kelso, Washington.
• Telehorse Uma - Drone/noise/punk, Baltimore Maryland. Visit Myspace
• Horns San Francisco. Visit Myspace

The evening's host, Hemali Patel, will share the history, style, techniques, and cultural significance of the ancient art of Mehndi (Henna tattoos). She will demonstrate how to make the henna paste, how the designs are made and then applied on the body. Participants will end the evening enjoying a taste of Indian delicacies and view a classic Bollywood film. The first ten participants who register may get a henna tattoo.

Thomas Blank will discuss his life as a professional working in the television and film industry and share with the audience the processes of planning, development, and production that make television and film unique forms of communication and expression.

Many of the programs on which he worked will be familiar to audiences including; "Cybill" with Cybill Shepherd, "Father Dowling Mysteries", "Airwolf", "The A-Team", " The Incredible Hulk", "Ellery Queen", "The Binonic Woman", "ABC Afterschool specials", "The Amazing Spider-Man", and many other productions. Read More.

Can't: (Jessica Rylan). Using her own home-built synthesizers in sound installations and high-energy musical performances, Jessica Rylan defies genre. The intuition of folk meets the academic techniques of the avant-garde: a cappella and hissing white noise, acoustic guitar and dancing to
cone-ripping saw wave blasts. Her sound has traveled through galleries in the Netherlands to rock clubs in her native USA. Her latest release, ³Interior Designs², was issued in late March Œ07 on Important Records. She is currently a Research Affiliate at MIT¹s center for Advanced Visual Studies. More.

Naomi: Naomi hails from San Diego, CA. Her blend of sultry voice, stripped-down melodies, and a taste of militaristic beats can bring thoughts of what electronic music would be in 1935. Naomi breathes new life into a somewhat dead genre. This lady will make anyone with crossed arms and a bobbing head feel either uncomfortably shy, or want to dance. She¹s sexy, tough, and her music spends a good while in my car¹s disc changer. Her music would hold up even in a post-apocalyptic world. I imagine a 12-inch platter of vinyl would suit her. The voice coming through small pops and scratches would make an already great sound...well, too terribly sexy. More.

Ecomorti: Solo noise sets using endangered species sounds in pairs, disturbances and lullabies. More.

HOBBY KNIFE!!!: Eugene artist and practitioner of noise based on the sounds of childrens toys.

A venal Parisian couple (Mireille Darc and Jean Yanne) sets off on a sojourn to the country only to find themselves caught in the traffic jam from hell. But things go from bad to worse as they get carjacked by a man professing to be God and are later abducted by a band of anarchists. Director Jean-Luc Godard's scathing critique of the bourgeoisie is a darkly amusing allegorical tale teeming with taboos, including parricide and cannibalism.

On the Fourth Sunday of the month video artists screen their short works in a competition that follows in the tradition of the poetry slam. For many local film and video artists the monthly Video Slam at DIVA has given them the opportunity of using the event as a self-imposed deadline for producing short works on a routine bases.
   Those who have entered the slam find it a creative challenge and an opportunity to hone their skills and knowledge. Screenings and critiques provide needed feedback.
   At the end of each session the audience chooses a winning video (finished or in development). The monthly winners will be presented at an annual Best Of The DIVA Video Slam Festival in December. The goal is to develop a local video and film community where work can be screened and discussed by peers. See the Video Slam web site for entry details.

Two Great Political Songwriters of our Time are coming for one memorable night in Eugene!  David Rovics has been called the musical voice of the progressive movement in the US. Amy Goodman has called him "the musical version of Democracy Now!" Since the mid-90's Rovics has spent most of his time on the road, playing hundreds of shows every year throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. He and his songs have been featured on national radio programs in the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere.

Dave Lippman is widely known on many coasts and in some interiors for his sharp send-ups of topical subjects ranging from weapons of mass distraction to SUVs and the wars to defend them. He has toured widely in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Central America in a 35-year musical career.

Wonderful organic local refreshments served for donations.

Video artist, composer and flutist, Daniel Heila will screen selections of his single channel digital video work accompanied by live structured improvisation on flute, guitar and voice-over using looping techniques. The videos presented are part of an ongoing series of projects focusing on the West Eugene Wetlands. They include:

• Distant Progress - denizens and patrons of the preserve viewed from a great distance against the background of development
• Distant TRIO - a triptych of bird imagery
• Distance Airborne - animals and machines over the wetlands

Read more about Daniel Heila: Web or MySpace

Incite/ is the Hamburg-based experimental audiovisual electronics duo of Kera Nagel and André Aspelmeier. Incite/ plays bone-dry minimal electronics, fragmented slomo grooves and broken rhythmic arrangements in sync with abstract grayscale videos.

The program opens with audio-visual excursions by Rejouissance and Clocks Ticking Backwards (on tour from NYC) providing live improvised scores for short works by local and regional video artists including members of Eugene's JiRCs.

Read More: incite/ , Rejouissance, Clocks Ticking Backwards, and JiRCs

• Adventure of a Speck of Dust (2006) by Ljubodrag Starvovlah, Serbia (6 minutes)
  Best Experimental Film, 54th Belgrade Film Festival
• Yo Koyo Peya (The Land is Dying) (2005) by Tyler Kimble, U.S. (23 minutes)
• Surplus (2003) by Erik Gandini, Sweden (54 minutes) First prize, 2003 IDFA-Amsterdam Silver Wolf Competition.

• Network: A major ethical crisis has hit many big museums in the USA, a sign of the deeper crisis in the antiquities trade. Among institutions at risk are the Metropolitan and the Getty, whose reputations have been called into question in the murky market of international art. This film foretells this crisis and reveals an international ring of people involved in the smuggling of Greek antiquities.

• Signs Out of Time: This dramatic story told by renowned archaeologist Marija Gimbutas has never been timelier. Her work on the Neolithic cultures of Old Europe (6500-3500 B.C.) reveals evidence of a peaceful, woman-honoring, goddess-worshiping egalitarian civilization that existed for thousands of years with no war. This film weaves together interviews, archival footage, photographs, and narration to portray the scope of Marija's life and work. Using information, artifacts, and interview footage of Marija herself and both her supporters and critics, we explore her studies, excavations and publications, the depth and breadth of her scholarship, and the controversy around her theories.

August 11 - Program II: Best of the International Archeology Film and Video Festival
Time:
Sponsor: The Archeology Channel
Admission:

• Genghis Khan—Rider of the Apocalypse: The infamous Genghis Khan was born some 850 years ago and came to rule the largest empire in the history of the world. In so doing, he changed the course of history as no one before or since. Let's find out how this world-changing figure emerged in this opulent film with a cast of hundreds of actors. Lavish scenes bring to life the lost world of history's most powerful and feared warlord.

• Novgorod: Letters from the Middle Ages: How do we know what everyday life may have been like during the Middle Ages of Russia? Astounding discoveries of birch bark writings were made in 2003, letters which tell of life in the city of Novgorod, one of the few urban centers in the area to escape the Mongol invasions. The city's past is also explored through 10th and 12th century cathedrals and icons. This film's fictional re-enactments bring to light imagined scenes from Novgorod's illustrious past.

These events celebrate the best films from the 2007 edition of TAC Festival. (The 2008 edition of TAC Festival will take place at Eugene's McDonald Theatre, May 20-28.)

• Journeys Into the Ring of Fire: Peru: How were the Incas able to build a successful empire in one of the earth's most inhospitable areas and flourish despite a hostile climate, perilous terrain, and earthquakes? Through examining the archaeological evidence, geologist Iain Stewart explains how the Incas were able to feed their millions, build an efficient transportation network through rugged topography and protect their buildings against severe earthquakes. Also revealed by Iain Stewart are breathtaking design secrets in Machu Picchu.

• Unearthing the Lost Kingdom of Aratta: In southeastern Iran, a sudden change in the course of the Halil Roud River recently revealed traces of a 5000 year-old civilization on the Iranian Plateau that had been hidden until then. More than 80 archaeological sites have since been identified in the area. Five huge cemeteries were plundered, but the associated housing structures remain untouched. The large quantity of relics found, the cultural wealth of the objects and the size of the area inhabited suggest an entirely original civilization. Scientists hail this as an important discovery, one which may challenge the common belief that civilization arose from one location in Mesopotamia.

August 18 - Program IV: Best of the International Archeology Film and Video Festival
Time: 7:30 PM
Sponsor: The Archeology Channel
Admission: $6.00

• Tibet Tibet: This film presents a dazzling tale of one man's successful quest to find place, meaning and identity in the high, remote wilderness of Tibet. In the process, his global journey reveals something of the essence and wonder of Tibet's ancient, religious culture. It also describes some of the conflicts it suffers today, after generations of oppression under the Chinese government and modern-day mass tourism invading every aspect of Tibetan culture.

These events celebrate the best films from the 2007 edition of TAC Festival. (The 2008 edition of TAC Festival will take place at Eugene's McDonald Theatre, May 20-28.)

DIVA teams up with the Eugene Celebration to present "The Future is Now," an eclectic mix of independent films, exhibits, special speakers and workshops. Audience members are invited to think differently, open their minds and release their inner geek as they experience artistically adventurous films, tour engaging, interactive high-tech exhibits and meet some of the most innovative minds Oregon has to offer.

Join the DIVA Media Arts group in celebrating the beginning of our fall season. Learn what's new this year and why you should be involved with the media arts at DIVA. This is a great opportunity to network, meet old friends, and make new ones. Join the areas film and video community as they come together to celebrate the cinematic arts. Refreshments will be served.

This riveting Oscar-nominated documentary by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady offers an unfiltered look at a revivalist subculture where devout Christian youngsters are being primed to deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political messages. Building an evangelical army of tomorrow, the Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil's Lake, N.D., is dedicated to deepening the preteens' spirituality and sowing the seeds of political activism as they're exhorted to "take back America for Christ". This screening is followed by a thought-provoking audience discussion lead by program host, Steve Poizat-Newcomb.

Held in the tradition of the poetry slam this event showcases the work of local film and video artists. The audience selects the evening's best with that winner going on to the December Video Slam Festival.