Film Fusion

• 25th Oct 2004

The Fuse project in Leeds has finished its music programme until later this year, but in the meantime offers a film festival substitute for music fans.

Over 230 screenings and events will be held from 28th October to 7th November, including these muso movies:

Howlin' Wolf Night
Monday 1 November, The Wardrobe, 8pm, £5.50/£4.50

A tribute to the late great Howlin' Wolf featuring a screening of the documentary The Howlin' Wolf Story, an exclusive live performance by Skip “Little Axe” Macdonald and also a booksigning of the first comprehensive Howlin' Wolf biography: Moanin' at Midnight by acclaimed author Mark Hoffman. Veteran music bio director Don McGlynn's definitive film features extraordinary archive footage of the Wolf stalking the stage at the 1964 American Folk Blues Festival, on the TV show “Shindig” with the starstruck Rolling Stones and in and around the Chicago club circuit during its heyday.

Haack Night
Tuesday 2 November, The Wardrobe, 8pm
£5.50/£4.50

Haack night features the dazzling documentary Haack: King of Techno and a dj set by Ed, co-founder of legendary homegrown and multi-talented collective V3ctor. Bruce Haack is a legendary cult musician with the strangest career arc: he used homemade analogue synths, combining wildly varied influences and sweetly surreal lyrics. He made dozens of albums of music for children and appeared on various 60s TV shows, but his last album was a rap collaboration on Def Jam records. Modern artists like Beck, Mouse on Mars and Money Mark testify to his enduring.

Cutting Edge Tour 2004: The New Music Players Live Accompaniment To A Propos De Nice And Rain
Saturday 6th November, The Venue, 8pm
£8.50, £6.50

Leeds International Film Festival and the British Music Information Centre present a brand new live accompaniment to two classic silent films. The Cutting Edge Tour presents concerts of the newest music performed by outstanding contemporary musicians. This set features The New Music Players with three pieces of music written to two films. Ed Hughes and Hans Eisler both respond to Joris Iven's lyrical impression of a rain shower in Amsterdam, Regen, and Michael Finnissy to Jean Vigo's satirical travelogue on the Cote d'Azur, A Propos de Nice.

Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley
Saturday 6 November, Hi-Fi, 5pm
Sunday 7th November, Faversham, 5.15pm
£4.00/£3.00

An exploration of a musical enigma, Amazing Grace goes in search of cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley who made one great album for Columbia records then died in a tragic accident aged 30. Fans, colleagues and critics pay tribute and intimate footage of the artist combine in a committed, passionate testament, six years in the making.

Bluegrass Journey
Sunday 31 October, Faversham, 3.15pm
Friday 5 November, Hi-Fi, 5pm
£4.00/£3.00

A vibrant and exhilarating performance documentary, Bluegrass Journey celebrates the artistry and community of contemporary bluegrass music with footage from the legendary Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in New York. Featuring some talking but mostly playing by leading practitioners such as The Del McCoury Band, Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Rhonda Vincent and Nickel Creek.

“Beef” and “Beef 2”
Beef – Monday 1 November, Faversham, 7.45pm
Sunday 7 November, Faversham, 1pm
Beef 2- Tuesday 2 November, Faversham, 7.45pm
Sunday 7 November, Faversham, 3.15pm
£4.00/£3.00 (for each film)

From labels and lawyers to managers and media – these battles rage behind the scenes in the music business. The increasing popularity and commercialisation of rap music has created enormous wealth and irrevocably changed the tradition of battling within hip hop culture. The true Hip Hop is no longer a fight to prove ones skills, but a fight to survive in this billion dollar Hip Hop industry. Featuring interviews with 50 Cent, D12, Redman, Method man, Eminem, LL Cool J, Cypress Hill, KRS-One, Ice Cube and others.

The White Stripes – Under Blackpool Lights
Wednesday 3 November, Hyde Park Picture House, 9.30pm
£4.00/£3.00

Under Blackpool Lights is the unlikely location for the first concert film by the The White Stripes, capturing a characteristically dynamic January 2004 performance. Jack and Meg play a storming set to a packed crowd featuring recent hits from the celebrated Elephant LP such as 'Seven Nation Army' and 'The Hardest Button To Button', old favourites like 'Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground' and 'Hotel Yorba' and some typically inventive cover versions.

Fala Tu: Living Rap In Rio
Sunday 31 October, Faversham, 5.15pm
Monday 1 November, Faversham, 6pm
£4.00/£3.00

Brazil, 2003,
Dir. Guilherme Coelho
The hopes and dreams of a new generation of musicians in Rio, struggling to survive in Rio's favelas (slums). For these young musicians, rap is the new samba, a musical style that belongs to the country's poorest people. The church-going Combatente sings in an all-girl rap three-piece.

Scratching TheSurface
Tuesday 2 November, Faversham, 6pm
£4.00/£3.00

USA, 1997, Dir.Tara Fitzpatrick
Focusing in on a diverse range of Artists including Graffiti writers, rappers, beatboxers, breakers, producers and DJs, Scratching the Surface represents a fresh perspective on an ever evolving subculture. From Tokyo to Osaka Scratching the Surface: Japan, reminds us all of the genuinely international medium that Hip Hop has become.

If I Should Fall From Grace: The Shane McGowan Story
Sunday 31 October, Faversham, 1pm
Saturday 6 November, Hi-Fi, 3.15pm
£4.00/£3.00

Ireland, 2001, Dir. Sarah Share
Shane McGowan gained a reputation as being a hard-living, party-loving, Irish punk-rock icon, still revered as one of the finest songwriting talents of his generation. An insightful documentary with intimate footage of the great man in a relaxed mood, as well as plenty of great music and extensive live footage capturing The Pogues in their element.

The Billy Nayer Show – Live
Saturday 6 November, Joseph's Well, 8pm
£5.50/£4.50

The Billy Nayer Show line up at Leeds International Film Festival for their very first live appearance in the UK. The rock band led by Cory McCabe, director of The American Astronaut, wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack for this cult movie. The band also collaborated on the music for the short film The Ketchup and Mustard Man. This live set promises to be just as original and unique as their films.

Calypso Dreams + Lord Superior Live
Friday 5 November, Hi-Fi Club, 7pm
£5.50/£4.50
Sunday 7 November, West Indian Centre, 8pm
£4.00/£3.00

Calypso Dreams is simultaneously a fantastic introduction to and celebration of the Calypso tradition in Trinidad and Tobago. A style of music and social commentary as well as a vital element of carnival culture, it's a fascinating subject full of colourful characters. Featuring intimate footage of spoken and musical contributions from great Calypsonians such as The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Pretender, Mighty Bomber and Lord Blakie and a tribute to the late grandmaster Lord Kitchener. Also featuring a live performance by one of the elder statesmen of Calypso, the legendary Lord Superior from Trinidad.

Queen Kelly
Thursday 4 November, Holy Trinity Church, 7.30pm
£4.00/£3.00

Queen Kelly is a lost classic from the end of the American silent period directed by the great Erich Von Stroheim and starring Gloria Swanson. The duo were later immortalised in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, which featured clips from the legendary unfinished masterpiece, originally envisioned as a 5 hour epic, but shut down a third of the way through production during the onrush of the sound era. It was restored in 1985 to great acclaim, a seductive and delirious melodrama about an innocent convent girl courted and corrupted by a dissolute prince who ends up running a brothel. The screening will feature live accompaniment from City of Leeds organist Simon Lindley.