For their spring programme, CINEMATEK and Courtisane have invited American filmmaker Billy Woodberry, a key figure in the L.A. Rebellion movement. Woodberry’s small but highly significant body of work will be featured in a retrospective running until 31 May. As a first pick in our selection, we highlight Bless Their Little Hearts (1984), Woodberry’s first feature, which emerged from the L.A. Rebellion scene alongside contemporaries such as Haile Gerima and Charles Burnett. The film is considered one of the finest produced by the collective. Burnett served as the film’s cameraman and cinematographer, while Woodberry directed and edited. Its simple, discreet, and almost shy tone stands in contrast to the often furious energy of protest cinema.
As part of the retrospective, Woodberry has also compiled a carte blanche programme. Alongside films like Notre musique (Jean-Luc Godard, 2004), O movimento das coisas (Manuela Serra, 1985), and Ceddo (Ousmane Sembène, 1977), he has made a curious selection of documentaries by Henri Storck and Joris Ivens. One can only speculate on Woodberry’s reasons for choosing them, but the social consciousness evident in Misère au Borinage (1934), and the formal experimentation in The Bridge (1928) and Images d’Ostende (1929), speak volumes in regards to the sensitivities of his own work.
The final film in our selection diverges from the others but certainly earns its place through its rebellious spirit: John Cassavetes’ Gloria (1980). This atypical film in Cassavetes’ oeuvre stars his wife, Gena Rowlands, as Gloria Swenson – a tough, chain-smoking ex-gangster’s moll. She becomes the reluctant guardian of a six-year-old boy who’s targeted by the mob after his family is murdered. Armed with a revolver, Gloria embarks on a perilous journey through New York City to protect the child. Rowlands' performance is widely regarded as one of her most iconic, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Roger Ebert described the film as “tough, sweet and goofy,” highlighting Rowlands’ ability to infuse depth into a genre piece.
