Examined Life, An Intimate and Stimulating Scrutiny of Philoshophical Thought, Opens on SFFS Screen at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas March 6

Conversations with Nine Contemporary Intellectuals Pull Philosophy Out of Academic Journals and Classrooms and Put It Back on the Streets

February 5, 2009

San Francisco, CA – Astra Taylor’s Examined Life (Canada, 2008), an engaging encounter with some of the world’s most formidable thinkers including Bay Area residents Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor, will open on SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas on Friday, March 6, 2009.

Plato tells us, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The eight contemporary philosophers profiled in Astra Taylor’s lively and engaging documentary Examined Life no doubt would agree. Whether it’s Cornel West speaking in brain-bending sentences from the backseat of a car (“I’m a jazz man in the world of ideas”) or Kwame Anthony Appiah talking about what it means to be a global citizen, these intellectuals offer a wide-ranging set of concerns to ponder. Peter Singer, who focuses on applied ethics, believes that we have the moral obligation to really think about how we spend our money, while Michael Hardt tries to imagine what modern revolution in the United States might look like. Taylor winningly transcends the typical talking heads portrait by bringing her subjects out into the world—on walks, in rowboats or right beside a garbage dump—where their engagement with present-day existence can be seen, heard and felt. Bay Area residents will particularly appreciate the stroll taken by UC Berkeley professor Judith Butler and disabled artist and writer Sunaura “Sunny” Taylor as they interrogate the very notion of taking a walk on the streets and in the shops of San Francisco’s colorful Mission District. Taylor’s earlier film Zizek! (2005) profiles Slavoj Žižek, the Slovenian philosopher known as the “Elvis of cultural theory.” Photographed by John M. Tran. With Cornel West, Slavoj Žižek, Judith Butler. 88 min. Distributed by Zeitgeist Films.

Director Astra Taylor and subject Sunaura Taylor are expected to answer audience questions following the evening shows on Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7.

For screeners and interview requests contact Hilary Hart at 415.561.5022 or publicity@sffs.org
For photos and press materials visit: http://download.sffs.org/press/

At the Sundance Kabuki all seats are reserved and an amenities fee is in effect for most shows. Tickets are available through the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas box office, at kiosks in the lobby and online at sundancecinemas.com/kabuki with print-at-home capability. San Francisco Film Society members receive discounted admission to SFFS Screen programs at the box office only (not online or at the lobby kiosks).

Coming soon to SFFS Screen:
February 6: Heart of Fire, the heart-stopping story of an outspoken young Eritrean girl caught up in the upheaval of war
February 7–8 (special limited engagement): Trouble the Water, the Oscar-nominated documentary about a New Orleans couple who videotape Hurricane Katrina’s devastation from the eye of the storm
February 13: Owl and the Sparrow, a charming story of three lonely strangers who form a unique family, embedded in a thoughtful portrait of contemporary Vietnam
February 20: Just Another Love Story, a violent entertainment involving mistaken identities, adultery and Thai gangsters
February 27: Silent Light, a masterfully told story of love, family and adultery in a Mennonite community in northern Mexico

For full, complete and up-to-date information on all SFFS Screen programming, including ticket purchasing, visit www.sffs.org. Information and tickets are also available at www.sundancecinemas.com.

The San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating film and the moving image. SFFS Screen, the innovative exhibition partnership with Sundance Cinemas, enables the Film Society to present its acclaimed film programs and events at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas year-round on a daily basis.

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