Çortlanh (Obsertirr January 5, 2011 Page 11 Arts X S ÏNTK1 Reel Music Festival Lines Up African- American films and more featured * “Every sound has a story and every story has a sound,” writes the Northwest Film Center, announc­ ing the 28th annual Reel Music Fes­ tival with intentions to celebrate the unexpected stories behind some of the world’s greatest music from Fri­ day, Jan. 7 through Jan. 18 at vari­ ous screening locations in Portland. Featuring everything from col­ lections of vintage performance clips to new documentary and dramatics films, to cutting-edge music videos and animation. Reel Music embraces films that explore a variety of musi­ cal genres rock, classical, opera, and avante garde as well as jazz, blues, reggae, folk, and hip-hop, and fuses them into a unique cinematic cel­ ebration, says the press release. Believing in the power of cinema to unify communities, the North­ west Film Center will celebrate a number of films of both traditional African music and contemporary African-American contributions to music, including three of the follow­ ing: Benda Bilili! — French directors Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye follow the Benda Bilili band's remarkable fairy tale journey from the streets of Kinshasa, Congo, to international stardom. ‘BendaBilili’ is Congolese for ‘see beyond,’ which has profound meaning for this group of musicians, composed of five paraplegics and one able- bodied teenager who makes music from a tin can connected to a stick with a piece of nylon. They sing about life on the streets, suffering from polio and sleeping on card­ board, and ride around on custom­ ized Mad Max-style tricycles. Fan­ tastic music and remarkable charac- Sweet Street Food Cart on the comer of MLK and Lombard Monday - Saturday, 11:00am - 9:00pm ‘Kinshasa Symphony’ goes behind the scenes to feature the only orchestra in the Congo. The documentary is one o f the many films featured this month at the Northwest Film Center’s Reel Music Film Festival. Ray Charles ters make this an uplifting and un­ forgettable film. Ray Charles America - Ameri­ can director Manya Spraic profiles Ray Charles, one of the few music icons who resonated with so many aspects of American culture. Over time, both his story and his work became two sides of the same coin. Few came from less—dirt poor, blind, and ultimately orphaned—to achieve more. The film examines the social and political context of Charles’ work and how his unique approach to music and his ability to transcend racial barriers changed the cultural landscape as we know it. Through in-depth interviews, unreleased music, and never-before- seen footage, the film tells of Charles' impact in broader stories of love, politics, art, and business. Kinshasa Symphony - German directors Claud Wishmann and Mar­ tin Baer bring to life the African beats in Beethoven by profiling the 200 musicians of the Kimanguiste Sym­ phony Orchestra, the only orchestra in the Congo. For musicians who have survived two putsches and the effects of a decades-long war, a pas­ sion for music is inspiration to over­ come mundane obstacles like a lack of electricity. Kinshasa Symphony paints a picture of the diverse, fast- paced, vibrant city in which these musicians live and work— and the courage of ¿community that demands a better tomorrow. For a complete lineup, visit the website nwfilm.org. Screening loca­ tions include the Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave., Portland Art Museum’s Fields Ballroom, 1119 S.W. Park Ave., McMenamin’s Mission The­ ater, 1624 N.W .Glisan, and Missis­ sippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi Ave. Wednesday Special: 3 Wings $2.00 Friday Special: Rib Sandwiched Beef or Pork $4.00 ca// 503-995-6150 to place order J Standing Room O nly in A ssociation w ith W o m e n o f Excellence. Inc. p ro u d ly presents 7 W omth 7 Stools The staçe pbv of the jwnuev of ? tbveis* m w t t Dolores Wiinihigstad Tbeatte Friends of Chamber Music Fiends o f Chamber Music bring the presti­ gious Pacifica Quartet, one o f the finest chamber ensembles performing today, to Portland, for 7:30 p.m. concerts on Monday, Jan. 10 and Tuesday, Jan. 11 at Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 S. W. Park Ave. Call 503-224-9842 or any Ticketmaster outlet. TICKETS ON SAU NOW For Special Group Rates So to www.*m»rg«th