Staff Picks: FACETS Discoveries
Here at FACETS, we’ve been busy renovating and are finally reopening! While we were limited in what we could offer in-person during lock-down, as things open back up again we’ve decided to use this opportunity to make our space better serve you. One particularly exciting building update we can’t wait to unveil is The Café. Our beloved video rentals store has been redone to enhance the fun hangout qualities it already had and offer even more! Now, whenever you stop by FACETS to rent or watch a film, you can also sit and stay a while with comfortable seating options, free WiFi, new food and beverage items, free daily screenings from our Catalog, and a new way to browse rentals organized by subgenre and mood.
We hope The Café will serve as a place to relax, grab some drinks and talk film with friends. To celebrate our September 17 reopening we are kicking off a publication series of Staff Picks: a monthly rotation of 12 films recommended by 12 incredible FACETS employees! Each film is available to rent from our catalog and is on display front and center The Café. Our first theme is “A Film You Discovered at FACETS.” Each of our employees have reflected on their time here and recommended a film they discovered through working at this local cinephile hub. We hope by recommending these films to each of you that we can get some conversations started about film while also letting you all know a little bit more about us. Our mission is to create platforms for thought-provoking films, important conversations, and community-driven education. We hope this series will serve as a tool for you all to discover new films, but also to build discussions and more personal conversations between customers and staff about film. After all, we are not just a theater or a rentals store, but a local cinematic community resource for you to explore.
Caught
Chosen by Cherish Peters, FACETS Facility Maintenance Manager
First up is the person who made our reopening and renovations possible, Cherish Peters! As the head of our Facility Maintenance here at FACETS, Cherish is who you can thank for renovating our entire building and giving you a much more comfortable experience when we reopen. Having worked here for two and a half years, Cherish is responsible for making sure our building is operating optimally and that patrons and members such as yourself are fully able to enjoy all our in-person offerings. While we’ve not been able to see you all in-person since the lockdown orders began, you can see the results of all of Cherish’s hard work when you come in to celebrate our reopening and many renovations in September! With 14 years in construction and carpentry under her belt, we’re confident you’ll enjoy the often under-appreciated and not often thought of work Cherish has done to make sure our facility is not only up to code but functioning the best it can for you all.
As you come check out our newly renovated space and appreciate the hard work everyone has put into it, we hope you check out Cherish’s pick: Caught by Max Ophüls. “I discovered this film looking through the new displays at FACETS. I recommend it because it touches base on ‘careful what you wish for’ and it was nice to step back in time.” is what Cherish has to say about her film. We hope you can also discover a hidden gem film when browsing our new displays, just like she did!
Rent Caught from FACETS.
Invisible Adversaries
Chosen by Paul Gonter, FACETS Marketing Director
Next up is our Marketing Director, Paul Gonter. Having worked at FACETS for 7 years, you’re likely familiar with the by-products of his work in promoting FACETS and our programs. Prior to joining FACETS, Paul co-founded and helped run a non-profit study abroad program for medical students called Dr. Interns. Working on promoting this program to various universities across the U.S., Paul now brings his talents a little closer to home working with FACETS on spreading our goal of educating through film to the Chicagoland area and much of the Midwest.
His recommendation is the 1977 film by Valie Export Invisible Adversaries, which centers around photographer Anna who has now become obsessed with her theory that extraterrestrial life forms are replacing humans on Earth. And to say their intentions are not so friendly would be an understatement. When reflecting on his discovery of the film Paul had the following to say: “I discovered the FACETS release of Valie Export’s Invisible Adversaries, the ‘radical feminist Invasion of the Body Snatchers,’ while I was an intern. To this day, it is one of the most rewarding sci-fi films I’ve ever seen. Export’s constant experimentation can get overwhelming, but its intensity only adds to the protagonist’s unsettling reality that aliens are colonizing the minds of her fellow citizens, making reality more aggressive and disjointed.”
Rent Invisible Adversaries from FACETS.
Klute
Chosen by Emma Greenleaf, FACETS Marketing Coordinator
The other half of our marketing team is Emma Greenleaf, our Marketing Coordinator. Beginning her time at FACETS with an internship in 2018, Emma has had a hand in almost all the different parts of our organization: from media education, to projection and film rentals. She now uses all these experiences to help you all better understand our organization and everything we have to offer through social media, newsletters, publications like this, and film programming. As such, you’re likely very familiar with all the work she does but perhaps, unfortunately, not so familiar with Emma herself.
To help with this, we’re pleased to share her recommendation of the film Klute by Alan J. Pakula and her reflections on it. When asked why she recommended this film specifically, and to discuss it in more detail Emma remarked: “Jane Fonda’s first Academy Award-winning role as a sex worker who helps with an investigation of a business man’s disappearance is an underrated entry in the 1970’s neo-noir canon that has only recently been receiving the praise it deserves. When I began working in rentals, FACETS was one of the only places with a copy of this rare film available. I rented it and was floored by the tension the film builds throughout, the nuanced depiction of sex work, and the magnetic, understated performances by Fonda as Bree Daniel and Detective John Klute himself, Donald Sutherland. Criterion has since released the film on their label and it has been making the repertory cinema circuit screening on its original 35mm print. However, nothing will ever compare to the feeling of watching it for the first time on the rare FACETS DVD.”
Rent Klute from FACETS.
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Chosen by Deidre Searcy, the Program Director of the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
Deidre Searcy (otherwise known as Dee) has been a part of FACETS for years, and just this year has stepped into the lead role as the CICFF38 Festival Programmer. If you’ve enjoyed any of our Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF) or other such events over the years, just wait for what Deidre is programming for our 2021 Festival! Prior to working at FACETS she was Co-Director of Street-Level Youth Media where she campaigned to and worked with inner city schools positioning media arts as a catalyst for change. However, even before that she was the former Project Director for the non-profit Education Development Center, Inc. which has allowed her to use her media educator and arts education expertise along with her 20 years of experience developing in and out-of-school curriculum to create ever-evolving programs here at FACETS.
Based on West African folk tales, Deidre’s pick is an animated film from 1998: Kirikou and the Sorceress by Michel Ocelot. In Deidre’s own words: “[Kirikou and the Sorceress] is an amazing work. It blew my mind as a fine example of animation and a beautiful representation of people of color. I discovered Kirikou as a young Mom looking through the Facets Catalog but learned about Michel Ocelot as a Programmer for CICFF. The film was the winner of the Children’s and Adult Jury Prizes for Best Animated Feature.”
Rent Kirikou and the Sorceress from FACETS.
Song of the Sea
Chosen by Madisen Dempsey, FACETS Patron Services Manager
Patron Services Manager Madisen Dempsey is next up on our list with her pick: Song of the Sea by Tomm Moore. While we could try to convince you to watch it ourselves, we’ll let Madisen talk a bit about drove her to it: “My young Irish heart is constantly craving a bit of Emerald Isle magic, and this fantasy delivers. A part of FACETS’ year round screening opportunities for student groups this past spring, Tomm Moore’s animated legend is stunning to watch and lovely to listen to. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a bit of soft Irish storytelling at the end of a long week!”
With training in live theater, music and film, having worked in and for multiple theaters across the Chicagoland area all while managing tours for the traditional Irish music group “Ensemble Galilei,” if there’s two things Madisen knows best it’s film and Irish culture. As such, we trust Song of the Sea will hold a special place in every Hibernophile’s heart, so come rent it from us and see what all the fuss is about.
Rent Song of the Sea from FACETS.
The Mirror
Chosen by Charles Coleman, FACETS Film Program Director
Another film expert is our Cinema Program Director Charles Coleman, who has worked at FACETS for 20 years! Our film aficionado, Charles has taught film courses and given lectures at a variety of institutions such as the University of Chicago, Chicago Public Library and the Art Institute. Known for his one-of-a-kind screenings showing rare and up-and-coming films, it’s clear that Charles has his finger on the pulse of cinema.
Charles’ staff pick is a 1974 Andrei Tarkovsky film, The Mirror. Spoken only like a true cinephile professor could, Charles recommends the film with the following review: “Andrei Tarkovsky’s fourth feature is perhaps the great director’s most personal and evocative work. It traverses three generations of a poet’s family in 20th-century Russia, through events connected only by his poetic subconscious. ‘The Mirror’ employs radical shifts in both texture and color, (using film stocks, newsreel footage, and states of consciousness), by abstracting the elemental details of everyday life to conjure the nostalgic sensations of memory and an enigmatic feeling of being on an introspective journey.”
Rent The Mirror from FACETS.
Amiga Animation Vol. 1 & 2 (Archival Collection)
Chosen by Nick Edelberg, Catalog Fulfillment Manager
Our next recommendation comes from Nick Edelberg, our Catalog Fulfillment Manager. Working his way up from projectionist, Nick now heads the rentals department, shipping and catalog fulfillment.
Serving as our resident catalog expert, Nick dug through our vast film collection to bring you his film recommendation: Amiga Animation Vol. 1 & 2 (Archival Collection), with the following commentary: “A real joy of working here is the enormous vault of VHS tapes, many of which are obscure enough never to have made the leap to more modern formats. Among the many weird and delightful discoveries made while digging through this inventory, I found this – it’s a demo tape expressing the power of the Amiga – a top-of-the-line computer around 1986. What you get is dozens of tiny, colorful, experimental, lo-fi scenes, all about 15 seconds long. Good for parties.”
RentAmiga Animation Vol. 1 & 2 (Archival Collection) from FACETS.
Zarafa
Chosen by Kathleen Beckman, Director of Youth Programs
Next up is one of our most long-standing employees: Kate Beckman, who has worked here for nearly 24 years! As Director of Youth Programs, those of you who have taken advantage of our summer camps may be familiar with her work while our regulars at the old DVD shop may not be quite as familiar with the contributions she has made to our organization. To make a long story short, if you’ve enjoyed any of our youth-geared activities (summer camps, field trips, our children’s film festival, etc.), you have Kate Beckman to thank! Having developed and taught at our educational programs since 1997, she said in all her (nearly) 24 years of working at FACETS her all-time favorite film is Zarafa, a 2012 CICFF selection.
French-Bulgarian film Zarafa (directed by Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie) centers around the story of Maki, a young boy who escapes the slave trade, befriends a giraffe (the film’s namesake) and somehow winds up in Paris! This animated film is sure to delight all ages, serving as an educational tool about heavy topics like slavery, but also light ones like the first giraffe in France (the inspiration for Zarafa stemming from the story of Charles X receiving a giraffe as a gift from Egyptian viceroy Mehmet Ali). While travel restrictions may limit your ability to travel the world physically, take a trip from Egypt to France via this award-winning animated gem.
RentZarafa from FACETS.
Death Bed: The Bed that Eats
Chosen by John Mcdevitt, FACETS Customer Service Representative
Another gem is John McDevitt’s staff pick: George Barry’s Death Bed: The Bed that Eats, a film discovered during John’s time volunteering back in 2018–from our very own DVD shelves! Perhaps this film will have the same grip on you as it had on John, which they describe in their recommendation: “While I was volunteering at FACETS in 2018, I rented the Cult Epics DVD of Death Bed: The Bed that Eats, and I’ve been under its spell ever since. It’s a nightmarish fairy tale like none other, with a strange, elaborate mythology I find eerily convincing, and its surreal images of an inhabited painting and a bed full of digestive fluid are unforgettable.”
Projectionist, Media Educator and Patron Services Team member our regulars may be more familiar with John’s face and the work that they do. Before officially joining our team in 2018 they volunteered at our box office, so perhaps you’ve met them before without even realizing it! If you see them around the theater or our new café, feel free to ask them more about their pick. Who knows, you just might find your new favorite film!
RentDeath Bed: The Bed that Eats from FACETS.
Where is the Friend’s House?
Chosen by Matt Silcock, FACETS Director of Operations.
Another potentially new favorite film for you to pursue is Matt Silcock’s pick: Where is the Friend’s House? Giving Kate a run for her money, Matt is another long-time staff member going on 20 years at FACETS. Starting his journey here in shipping and receiving and working his way up to Director of Operations, Matt is another staff member you may not be quite as familiar with but whose work you’ve also certainly appreciated regardless.
According to Matt, “[Where is the Friend’s House?] was my introduction to non-European international cinema, which in itself is profound for someone raised in Iowa on Star Wars and Steven Spielberg. I felt like I was seeing Iran and its citizens for the first time, because I literally was if you don’t count the evening news (and I believe you shouldn’t). It was also my introduction to the poetic and enigmatic work of one of my favorite all-time writer/directors, Abbas Kiarostami. And, it was originally released on the Facets label (now on Criterion)!”
While you may not see Matt around The Café, check out Where is the Friend’s House? and get a discussion going with your friends about your own takeaways from the film. Alternatively, come make some new friends at The Café and rent up a copy of the film, engaging with some fellow cinephiles in a similarly thought-provoking conversation. For our more introverted customers, feel free to simply take the film home with you and get a conversation going in your head–if you’re so inclined we’d love for you to share some of these thoughts on our social media pages (follow us @facetschicago) and get the conversations going over there!
RentWhere is the Friend’s House? from FACETS.
A New Leaf
Chosen by Jake Laystrom, Youth Programs Coordinator
Our next featured staff member, Jake Laystrom has worked at FACETS since 2020 as Youth Programs Coordinator but previously interned with our Children’s Film Festival, and his recommendation comes from not being able to find much of beloved film maker Elaine May’s work virtually. HIs recommendation is Elaine May’s A New Leaf and in his own words: “After falling in love with Mike Nichols and Mikey and Nicky, the trail led me to Elaine May’s other under appreciated films. Walter Matthau is of course one of the best to ever do it as well, so stumbling on this film was like a dream come true. Of course, streaming failed me and FACETS was the only place I could find a copy. Justice for Elaine May!”
If you, like Jake, have a film you’re desperately searching for (or a filmmaker you’re looking for more of) feel free to reach out to us and we’ll do our best to see what we can find! You can also pop into our new café to browse films categorized by microgenre, and ask any of our knowledgeable employees if they’ve got a recommendation for you.
Rent A New Leaf from FACETS.
Spirited Away
Chosen by FACETS Executive Director, Karen Cardarelli
Last by certainly not least on this month’s list is FACETS Executive Director herself, Karen Cardarelli. Having joined the organization shortly after our founder Milos Stehlik’s passing in 2019, Karen had big shoes to fill and made it her mission to carry on Milos’s legacy. She founded Emerald City Theater in 1996 and grew the organization to serve 60,000 Chicagoans on a yearly basis.
In her own words about the film, Karen first saw Spirited Away about five years ago. It opened my eyes to a world of animation far beyond Disney-type films. And made me curious to see more, especially international animated features and shorts. Which ultimately engaged me with and introduced me to FACETS’ Chicago International Children’s Film Festival!”
Rent Spirited Away from FACETS.
While you’re at it check out our Staff Picks shelf and grab a copy of any of the above mentioned films. Get some conversations going with old friends, meet some new people at our shop, or use the space to simply unwind and appreciate some good films. The Cafe will be here waiting for you with an extensive selection, employees and fellow customers with a similar passion for film and a relaxing environment. Take a break and come experience the edge of cinema with us here at FACETS: whether it be virtually via streaming or in-person at our newly renovated space we’ll be ready to reconnect over film any time.