Tivoli Foundation Continues To Expand Virtual Film Series
While the historic downtown theatre is temporarily closed, The Bobby Stone Film Series presented by West Village at the Tivoli Theatre continues to bring the very best in cinema magic to the community. This is a new way for audiences to watch new releases from the safety of their homes during this unprecedented time while also supporting the Tivoli Theatre Foundation.
Here are the five newest films added to the virtual lineup:
Blackfish
Many of us have experienced the excitement and awe of watching 8,000 pound orcas, or “killer whales,” soar out of the water and fly through the air at sea parks, as if in perfect harmony with their trainers. Yet this mighty black and white mammal has many sides – a majestic, friendly giant, seemingly eager to take trainers for a ride around the pool, yet shockingly – and unpredictably – able to turn on them at a moment’s notice.
Blackfish unravels the complexities of this dichotomy, employing the story of notorious performing whale Tilikum, who – unlike any orca in the wild – has taken the lives of several people while in captivity. So what went wrong?
Shocking footage and riveting interviews with trainers and experts manifest the orca’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity over the last four decades and the growing disillusionment of workers who were misled and endangered by the highly profitable sea-park industry. This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans truly know about these highly intelligent, and surprisingly sentient, fellow mammals that we only think we can control.
When you look into their eyes, somebody’s home. Somebody’s looking back at you. . . but it may not be what you think.
Tickets: $5 – This film is provided by our distributor friends at Magnolia Pictures.
Military Wives
Military Wives centers on a group of women from different backgrounds whose partners are away serving in Afghanistan. Faced with their loved ones’ absences, they come together to form the very first military wives choir, helping each other through some of life’s most difficult moments, and quickly find themselves on an international stage.
Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) directs Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan in this feel-good crowd-pleaser inspired by true events.
Tickets: $4.99 - This film is provided by our distributor friends at Bleecker Street.
The Ghost of Peter Sellers
In September 1973 Peter Sellers embarked on the production of a 17th Century pirate comedy in Cyprus for Columbia Pictures (Ghost in the Noonday Sun). Sellers lost confidence with the film as soon as it began and desperately tried to sabotage it, firing the producers in the first week and then setting his sights on his friend, the director Peter Medak.
At its core lies the story of an unraveling production but also the tale of a young director firmly on a path to greatness. Medak had made three back-to-back successes; most notably The Ruling Class in 1972 with Peter O’Toole (nominated for the Palm D’Or). This film changed his career forever.
After 43 years the wounds have barely healed for Medak and this is his opportunity to tell the story and finally release the weight associated with its failure.
The Ghost of Peter Sellers is a comic-tragic feature doc about what it takes to be a film director and survive your biggest disaster
Tickets: $10 when you use promo code Tivoli – This film is provided by our distributor friends at Circle Collective.
The Painter and the Thief
Desperate for answers about the theft of her two paintings, a Czech artist seeks out and befriends the career criminal who stole them. After inviting her thief to sit for a portrait, the two form an improbable relationship and an inextricable bond that will forever link these lonely souls.
Tickets: $3.99 - This film is provided by our distributor friends at NEON Films.
Life Itself
Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and executive producers Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) present Life Itself, a documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert – a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent.
Based on his bestselling memoir of the same name, Life Itself explores the legacy of Roger Ebert’s life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.
Tickets: $5 – This film is provided by our distributor friends at Magnolia Pictures.