Lit Flicks: Litquake’s Literary Film Festival

Litquake presents four films with a basis in literature and literary culture.  Tickets are $10/showing, available online via Landmark Theatres.

Co-presented by SF360.org. Sponsored by the generosity of Margaret and Will Hearst.

1 pm
Dante’s Inferno
Directed by Sean Meredith, 78 min., 2007

Melding the seemingly disparate traditions of apocalyptic live-action graphic novel and charming Victoria-era toy theater, Dante’s Inferno is a subversive, darkly satirical update of the original 14th century literary classic, retold with the use of intricately hand-drawn paper puppets and miniature sets. This comedic travelogue of the underworld is set against an all-too-familiar urban backdrop of used car lots, gated communities, strip malls, and the U.S. Capitol and populated with a contemporary cast of reprobates, including famous and infamous politicians, presidents, popes, and pimps — and the Prince of Darkness himself. Featuring the voices of Dermot Mulroney and James Cromwell.



2:30 pm
Red Poet
San Francisco Premiere!
Directed by Matthew Furey, 55 min., 2009

Poet Jack Hirschman loses his prestigious position as a professor at UCLA due to his anti-war activism. What follows is a precipitous fall from grace and a descent into homelessness marred by personal loss and tragedy. Through it all, he remains true to his artistic vision and builds an international following for his work. In 2006, he is named Poet Laureate in his beloved home city, San Francisco. Red Poet tells the timeless story of a man's personal journey and redemption through the uncompromising pursuit of his poetry and art.

A conversation with Matthew Furey and Jack Hirschman to follow, with poetry reading by Hirschman. Moderated by Michael Fox of SF360.org.

4:30 pm
Ghost World
Directed by Terry Zwigoff, 111 min., 2001

Based on the popular and highly-acclaimed underground comic book by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is a raw-edged comedy about two teenage girls, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), who are out of sync with the world around them. Their uncensored commentary spares no one as they try to find a place for themselves in a modern America of endless strip malls and fast-food chains. After graduating from high school, they face an unpleasant immediate future: crappy jobs and slim prospects for romance. As they edge toward the unfathomable mystery of adulthood in a world in decline, Enid and Rebecca struggle to maintain their identity and the bonds that kept them sane.

7 pm
The Practice of the Wild
Directed by John J. Healey, 53 min., 2009

Along with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner Gary Snyder was a central figure of the Beat generation. He helped bring Zen Buddhism into the America scene, was an active participant in the anti-war movement, and an inspiration for the quest for human potential. All along he was a founding intellect, essayist, and leader of the new environmental awareness. This film revolves around a life-long conversation between Snyder and his fellow poet and novelist, Jim Harrison. These two old friends and venerated men of American letters debate the pros and cons of everything from Google to Zen koans, punctuated by archival materials and commentaries from Snyder friends, observers, and intimates.

A conversation to follow between Wild producer Will Hearst and Gary Snyder's longtime friend and publisher, Jack Shoemaker of Counterpoint Press. Moderated by Robert Avila of SF360.org.