Grand Illusion Cinema

It felt like 2011 was one of the Grand Illusion’s most eclectic years of years in a while. Since becoming our own non-profit 8-1/2 years ago, we’ve maintained a schedule that is part art house, part repertory house, part grindhouse. Here are a bunch of highlights:

• Legendary musician and filmmaker John Cohen premiered his new film, Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy Kentucky to a packed house, then threw down some old time jams with NYC band The Dustbusters.
• The premiere of a brand spanking new 35mm print of John Huston’s classic adventure, The African Queen.
• An incredible “Trailer War” between the Grand Illusion (namely programmer Ivan Peycheff) and Portland Grindhouse Film Fest‘s Dan Halstead.
• Our first ever booth at the U District Street Fair where we sold a limited edition screen printed poster by our friends Monocol (still available for sale). The cinema showed classic cartoons for free! We’ll be there again in 2012.
• A late night screening with a rare (and nearly pristine!) 35mm print of  the hair metal horror film Trick or Treat.
• Our 2nd annual fundraiser, featuring a beautiful 35mm print of Hitchcock’s Rear Window and another fabulous Monocol poster (also still available for sale).
• Road to Nowhere, Monte Hellman’s exquisite new film premiered at the GI in August, then we showed his masterful Two Lane Blacktop a month later as part of a Warren Oates mini-retrospective.
• A brand new 35mm print of Truffaut’s The Soft Skin (soon to reappear at SAM’s Truffaut series).
• It was a year full of great new documentaries and we showed lots of them: docs about Jim Woodring (with Jim in person), Wavy Gravy (with Wavy via Skype), Bill Hicks, Fishbone (with co-director Lev Anderson in person), KARP (with director Bill Badgley in person), Herschell Gordon Lewis, plus General Orders No. 9 and American Grindhouse.
• Our friend Dennis Nyback came to town with unique programs at least four times, including a week of pre-code musicals.
• Our Summer Classics series brought rare 35mm screenings of Suddenly Last Summer, Picnic, American Graffiti, and a new print of Stand By Me.
• The Sprocket Society presented a Secret Matinee series (and they’re doing it again in 2012), a rare screening of Robert Enrico’s Ambrose Bierce trilogy, a night of silent funnies, and a Super Secret Triple Creature Feature—all on 16mm film!
• We presented two experimental 16mm film shows with the artists in attendance: New Hampshire filmmaker Jodie Mack brought her graphic yet abstract films to the GI, complete with live musical accompaniments and audience participation. Florida’s Roger Beebe presented a multi-projector spectacle, at times operating 3-4 16mm and Super 8mm projectors simultaneously (including video), full of punk attitude and wry humor.
• All Monsters Attack celebrated its 5th anniversary with 35mm double features of Alien(s), Wolfmen, and Zombies.
• We hosted the first annual Seattle Shorts Film Festival to sold out crowds. Festival director Monica Magee assembled two great programs of short films from around the world. Bring your short attention spans back next year!
• Our first ever VHS-themed event, presented with Scarecrow Video, VHSXMAS. It was a wild holiday montage compiled by board member (and former programmer) Spenser Hoyt and edited by yours truly, general manager Brian Alter. Look for a 2nd annual show in December 2012!
• A week run of Jimmy Stewart in the comedy classic Harvey, leading up to our 41st glorious engagement of It’s A Wonderful Life.

Please don’t stop paying attention to us because early 2012 is shaping up to be just as varied: Ernst Lubitsch graces our screen first thing in 2012; Mike Ott’s (2011′s Indie Spirit Awards “Someone to Watch”) new film, Littlerock, hits the screen after that; and later in January we bring new anime, a doc about comic writer Warren Ellis, and a special engagement of Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive.

A major reason we can continue do what we do is our members. Without their support throughout the year we’d surely be doomed (or it would at least be a lot harder!). Thank you members! Membership dipped slightly in 2011, so if you value the Grand Illusion please consider becoming a member in the new year. Memberships start at $30/year and if you see 10 films you pay for it via the $3 discount you get on tickets.

Happy Holidays!

The volunteers of the Grand Illusion