Nikoloz Shengelaia (USSR, 1928). Live Music by Trio Kavkasia. One of Russian and Georgian cinema's greatest silent-film achievements, this historical epic evokes the tragic fate of a nation pacified in 1864 by the Tsarist Russian Empire. Features beautiful portrayals of Caucasus customs and celebrations. Special admission prices apply. (80 mins)

Veronica Selver, Sharon Wood (US, 2000). Veronica Selver, Sharon Wood in person. Special guests KPFA alums Alan Snitow and Larry Bensky, Pacifica historian Matthew Lasar. A history of KPFA and radical radio in the US. Preceded by Norman Yonemoto and Nicholas Ursin's Second Campaign, shot during the People's Park protests. (76 mins)

For our final meeting, the Trio Kavkasia (Carl Linich, Alan Gasser, Stuart Gelzer) offers a demonstration of Georgian polyphonic music and Carl Linich will speak about characteristics of traditional folk songs. Susan Oxtoby wraps up the course with a talk illustrated with film clips. Session five of a five-session course. Course registration required.

Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan, 1983). A trio of bored teenagers finds trouble and women from the small island of Fengkuei to the bustling southern port of Kaohsiung in Hou's fourth film. “A triumph of the hauntingly ordinary” (Village Voice). (99 mins)

(US, 1964–91). Our second program devoted to “expanded cinema” includes selection of rarely screened double projection films, as well some experimental approaches to single projection. Films by Storm De Hirsch, Morgan Fisher, Takahiko Iimura, Ken Jacobs, Paul Sharits, and Bud Wirtschafter. (65 mins)

Art Napoleon (US, 1969). Michael Smith in person. Activist-turned-actor Michael Smith, a member of the Oakland Seven, plays a radical opposed to the war in Vietnam in this youth-market entry, shot on the streets of Berkeley. (87 mins)

Stanley Kubrick (US, 1999). Special Halloween Screening: Wear a Mask! A married couple (real-life duo Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) free fall through a psychological landscape of sexuality and fantasy. “A spellbinder: provocatively conceived, gorgeously shot, and masterfully executed” (Chicago Tribune). (159 mins)

Tengiz Abuladze (USSR, 1977). Over twenty stories make up this episodic Georgian pastorale, set in the pre-Revolutionary birthplace of the famous painter Pirosmani. “Coordinated with the utmost consideration for what pleases the eye” (Hollywood Reporter). (108 mins)

Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan, 1984). Two city kids spend a summer in the countryside while their mother is hospitalized in the film that marked Hou's arrival on the world-cinema stage. “Gentle, deeply humane and totally assured” (Tony Rayns). (98 mins)