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HOLLYWOOD THEATRE TO HOST ARTIST TALK WITH GUS VAN SANT AND JAMES FRANCO BEFORE NORTHWEST PREMIERE OF FRANCO’S MY OWN PRIVATE RIVER
The PSU MFA Art and Social Practice is proud to announce the following event from our friends at the Hollywood Theater.
WHEN: September 25th
TIMES: 12:00-2:10pm in the downstairs auditorium & 12:30-2:40pm in the upstairs right auditorium (doors at 11:00am)
NOTE: The total run-time per event is 2 hours 10 minutes, including the 30-minute artist talk and 140-minute screening.
WHERE: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR
TICKETS: $35 for General Public and $30 for members
After casting Franco in the award-winning film “Milk” (2008), Van Sant showed him the dailies and other footage that he had shot many years before for “My Own Private Idaho” (© 1991 New Line Cinema Corp. All rights reserved), which starred River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as street hustlers in Portland, Oregon. Franco describes being mesmerized by Phoenix’s “uninhibited acting” in this unreleased footage. “I humbly asked Gus if I could…cut something together, and if he didn’t like it, I would never show anybody,” Franco said. “I thought it would be interesting because it took us six months to cut the film together, and James was going to do it in a month,” Van Sant said. “By himself.” “My Own Private River” consists largely of shots of Phoenix’s character, Mike, woven into a compelling portrait; his edit captures the gifted actor at his most emotionally expressive and physically dynamic. The score is by Michael Stipe.
Gus Van Sant was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1952. He obtained a BA from the Rhode Island School of
Design where he studied painting and cinema. Best known for his work as an award-winning director, he has
also exhibited his art at galleries and public institutions including Jamison-Thomas Gallery, Portland, PDX
Contemporary Art, Portland, and The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon.
James Franco was born in Palo Alto, California in 1978. He obtained a BA from the University of California,
Los Angeles and an MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. He is currently enrolled in the Digital
Media Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. An acclaimed actor, Franco is also actively engaged
in performance art, painting, video, and installation art. He has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Clocktower Gallery, New York, and Peres Projects, Berlin.
SCREENING WILL RAISE FUNDS FOR ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE THEATRE
Presenting Sponsor:
Barran Liebman
Contributing Sponsors:
Hotel Deluxe
New Belgium Brewing
Oregon Film
For more information contact:
Justen Harn
503-493-1128
About the Hollywood Theatre: For the last 19 years the Hollywood Theatre (formerly known as Film Action Oregon) has earned a national reputation for its unique combination of award-winning film programming, cutting edge educational programs supported in part by LAIKA (an Oscar winning studio), and fiscal sponsorship services for local filmmakers. Each year the Hollywood Theatre screens close to 300 of the best films from all over the world, provides educational opportunities for over 2,000 young people and supports multiple Oregon-based, independent film projects. The organization has been honored by two of the most respected names in film, both the Sundance Institute and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for its myriad contributions to the film community.