WINNER BEST ACTRESS, SPECIAL JURY AWARD & FIPRESCI PRIZE
- Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival, 2007

WINNER GRAND JURY PRIZE - Fribourg Film Festival, 2007

WINNER BEST ACTESS - Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo International Film Festivals, 2007

ALICE'S HOUSE (Brazil)
April 11-15, 21 7:30 & 9:30

In one small São Paulo apartment, a world of drama is unfolding. Alice is a forty-something manicurist, who lives with her three teenage sons, her husband and her elderly mother. Everyone in Alice's world has a secret: her husband has developed a passion for underage girls; one of her sons is a gay hustler, the other a petty thief; and her mother is slowly going blind. Meanwhile at work, her clients are also living secret lives full of sexual intrigue and shaved pubic hair. When an old love makes a sudden reappearance in her life, Alice, too, has something to hide.

Documentarian Chico Teixeira's first dramatic feature bears the earmarks of his nonfiction background, as well as the influence of Lars von Trier's Dogma films, but Teixeira brings a wry compassion (read: particularly Brazilian) quality to this story of ordinary people leading ordinary lives, with the occasional touch of quiet desperation.

Anchored by a stunning performance from Carla Ribas (in her first starring role) as Alice, a woman whose fragility and longing shine forth from her dark eyes, this family drama is a glimpse into the decisions and choices that shape a life. Beneath the soap-opera stories lies another darker, and more sorrowful truth--namely the infinite varieties of deception practiced by husbands and wives, children and parents, friends and lovers.

In recent years, Brazilian cinema has shown either the country’s lower class in films like City of God and Carandiru, or portrayed historic Latin-American characters such as Olga Benario and Che Guevara. Alice's House is a refreshing look at Brazil, with an innovative and intelligent portrayal of an urban middle class Brazilian family.

Alice’s House is Chico Teixeira’s first narrative feature film. A celebrated documentarian, Teixeira is lauded for his ability to get close to his subjects and get them to open up about their innermost feelings. Among his documentaries are Shanty Towns (1989), Old Age (1991), Creatures Born in Secret (1995) and The Inner Me (2000). His documentary Creatures Born in Secret earned 21 national prizes.

“Documaker Chico Teixeira gives a light, natural feel to his small but fetching first feature,set in a working class household in Sao Paulo that gets turned upside down by everyday dramas of sexual and emotional betrayal. Illuminated by a glowing Carla Ribas in the title role, it is well worth a look..” — Variety

"Teixeira's ordinary characters have a quiet genuineness and clarity rare these days in cinema."--Screen International

Screeners available

Official Site: http://www.aliceshousethemovie.com/

Download Full Press Book in English, Spanish and Portugues: http://figafilms.com/presskits.html

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VIFC TICKETS AND INFO

Call the Starbucks Hotline 604.683.FILM (3456) for the latest info and listings. Tickets can be purchased in advance on-line at www.vifc.org or in person 30 minutes before showtime.

Double Bill Pricing!
The Vancity Theatre is offering double bills at a special price. At just $12 for two films ($10 for Students/Seniors and Bronze and above members), it's one of the cheapest (and still most comfy) seats in town!

Note: Double Bill pricing is not available for online sales. However, you can purchase your first ticket online at the regular price and get the double-bill price on the second ticket when you arrive at the box office. Double Bills are two consecutive films on the same day at the Vancity Theatre; rentals and Special Events are not included.

Adult tickets: $9.50 (Double Bill - $12)

Student/Senior $7.50 (Double Bill - $10)

Matinees $7.50

Bronze and above members receive a $2 discount on their tickets. (Double Bill - $10)
Silver and above members also receive a $2 discount for a guest ticket.

As a registered non-profit society, the VIFC screens films that have not always been seen by the BC Film Classification Board. Under BC law, any person wishing to see these unclassified films must belong to the VIFC Society and be 18 years or older. Valid for one year based on the date of purchase, the VIFC basic membership cost is $12, but includes the ticket price of your first film.

Please note that membership benefits and restrictions are valid for VIFC presentations only. They are not applicable to Vancity Theatre "Rental" presentations by other organizations.

For More Membership Information go to http://www.vifc.org/membership.html.