VIVA

TICKETS for VIVA at 518 Val Sat Feb 3, 5p HERE

Director Anna Biller – 2007 USA 120 – IndieFest 2007 program note:

“I am reworking old sexploitation movies from the 60s and early 70s from a woman’s point of view. Vintage sexploitation films interest me because they revolve around fantasies of a woman’s power over the male, her beauty, her desirability, her sex appeal.” – Writer/Director/Star Anna Biller

“Viva” is a cult freak-out retro 1970s spectacle, about a bored housewife who gets sucked into the sexual revolution. Abandoned by her Ken-doll husband, Barbi is dragged into trouble by her girlfriend, who spouts women’s lib as she gets Barbi to discard her bra and go out on the town.

Biller’s highly stylized film draws on classic exploitation cinema for its look and characters—right down to the campy and self-assured performances, the big lighting, the plethora of negligées, and the delirious assortment of Salvation Army ashtrays, fabrics, and bric-a-brac. Whether you’re looking for alcoholic swingers, stylish sex scenes, a sea of polyester, Hammond organ jams, glitzy show numbers, white horses, blondes in the bathtub, gay hairdressers, or psychedelic animation, “Viva” has it all!

With an absurd sense of humor that lets it all hang out, “Viva” is a sumptuously visual commentary on the icons of the Playboy-era sexual revolution and its symbols, and a tribute to the best of exploitation cinema, from Herschell Gordon Lewis’ “Suburban Roulette” to Radley Metzger’s “Camille 2000.” – Bruce Fletcher, SF IndieFest

ABOUT INDIEFEST Year Nine

Dates: Feb 8-20, 2007

Venues: Castro, Roxie, Victoria, California Theaters

Features: 33  Shorts: 53  Parties: 4  Bands: 3 Total Films: 86  Total Films To Date: 702. 

With: Jeff Ross, Bruce Fletcher, Stacey Wisnia, Anita Monga, Caitlin Curtin, Alicia Perre-Dowd, Joanne Parsont, Babalou, Robert Archambault, Fay Dearborn, Dan Verel, Catherine Fougere, Darren McKeenan, Karen Larsen

Sponsors: KRON, imeem.com, Bay Guardian, Guba, Grapeflix, cTwo Hotels, sfstation.com, 960AM The Quake, Live 105, Alice Radio, KUSF, Rainbow Grocery, Yelp, Borderlands Books, Brunos, Complex Corp, Cosmic Hex, Copyworld, Film Arts Foundation, Adolph Gassers, Johnny Love Vodka, Makers Mark, Kink.com, Level Vodka, Lost Weekend Video, Red Hook, Sauza, SF360, sfist.

NOTES: David Lynch’s Inland Empire sells out the Castro opening night and the party at the Porn Palace was one of the best we’d ever thrown: Adrian & Mysterious D (from Bootie) DJing in the back. Pancake Playhouse setting up shop in the front. Whiskey and vodka flowing. Peter from Kink kept putting animated octopus porn on screen. The space was mind blowing. Great night. Sadly, this ended up being Bruce’s last year with IndieFest. But it was our first year doing Roller Disco at the Women’s Building which lasted for a nice long run. This was our first year presenting all shows in proper movie theaters! Oh, and the after party the guys from Rolling threw was pretty great too, and in theme!