Cinema Arts Program: Between the Imagined and the Real August 2, 2008

The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation (2005, 30 min.), by John Canemaker and Peggy Stern, is an autobiographical, animated film exploring the difficult emotional terrain of father/son relationships as seen through Canemaker’s own turbulent relationship with his father. Featuring the voices of noted actors Eli Wallach and John Turturro in the roles of father and son, this film combines memory, fact, conjecture, audio recordings, photos, and original animation to tell the story of an Italian immigrant’s troubled life and the devastating consequences of his actions on his family.

Winner of the Academy Award for animated short in 2005.

Washing Walls with Mrs. G (1980, 6 min.), by Tony Buba, chronicles an afternoon spent with the filmmaker’s grandmother, who tells stories from the past. Tony’s mother and grandmother were both born in Tursi, Italy. This short, simple film is a loving and humorous portrait of family.

Showing at the McBean Theatre.

Official Website: http://www.exploratorium.edu