Wednesday, Dec 4 - Saturday, Dec 7

FIDEL

To some he is a champion of the poor and powerless; to others he is a ruthless dictator. He is often dismissed as a relic yet many revere him as a savior. He is Cuban President Fidel Castro. The film's director, as an American living in Cuba, obtained rare interviews with Castro and access to rare footage from the Cuban archives. She includes footage of Fidel swimming with bodyguards, visiting his childhood home and school, joking with his friend Nelson Mandela and celebrating his birthday at the Buena Vista Social Club. Castro's story unfolds through the words of Alice Walker, Sydney Pollack, Ted Turner, Muhammed Ali, Ramsey Clark, Harry Belafonte, Arthur Schlesinger and Charles Rangel. For more info, log onto Fidel. Produced and directed by Estela Bravo. In Color/B&W. 91 mins. 2002. WEST COAST THEATRICAL PREMIERE! NIGHTLY at 6:00 ONLY!; WED / SAT MATS at 2:00

"Stimulating viewing!" -- SF Bay Guardian

Sunday & Monday, December 8 & 9

The Roxie is pleased to present a return engagement of the illuminating new film AYURVEDA: The Art of Being. Originating in India and then spreading to Egypt, Greece, Rome Tibet, China, Russia and Japan, Ayurveda is probably the world's oldest continually practiced holistic healthcare system. In AYURVEDA: The Art of Being, the Indo-French director, Pan Nalin travels all over India and follows several Indian practitioners of this discipline as they apply-with astonishing success-the ancient Ayurveda doctrines in this age of nuclear power, the internet and instant everything. The film follows healers who scan their patients by covering the body with a certain kind of mud to detect disease, tribesmen in remote Indian deserts who never become ill simply by telling themselves not to do so, doctors curing leukemia with the bark of a tree… But AYURVEDA: The Art of Being is not about the quantifiable success of ancient healing methods. The film discovers the mysteries of human mind and body in the light of Ayurveda, where every disease is an imbalance of a human being's life energies thus allowing for the possibility that every disease can be cured by re-establishing and maintaining this balance. AYURVEDA is a journey through India-but it is also a journey in time: times of ancient ways of healing, times of tribal ways of healing, times of modern ways of healing. Official Website. Runningtime = 102 mins. Showtimes: Nightly at 7:00 & 9:15, Sunday matinees at 2:00 & 4:30.

"Pan Nalin's rich documentary offers an intimate look at Ayurveda, an ancient natural healing art practiced in rural India, and explores its influences on alternative health care worldwide." -- SF Bay Guardian

"Bodies of knowledge ... Ayurveda gains converts who are looking for ways to balance and maintain health." -- SF Chronicle

Tuesday & Wednesday, December 10 & 11

The Cockettes

The rousing, albeit bittersweet, story of the glittery, gender-defying performance troupe who briefly transformed their thrift shop finery and rip-roaring anarchy into one of San Francisco's most enduring treasures. Come back to a time and place-our own beloved Baghdad by the Bay, circa 1969-and re-experience the phenomena that helped define an era where a steady diet of radical personal politics and a seemingly never-ending supply of drugs ruled the day. Lovingly directed by Bill Weber and David Weissman. Color/B&W. 35mm. 90 mins. 2002. Also on the program, the hilarious short: "Sing-Along San Francisco" (Dir: Georgina Corzine, 5 mins. 35mm. 2002). COMPLETE SHOWS TUE AT 7:00 AND 9:30; WED AT 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30. JOIN US FOR A COCKETTES LOOK-A-LIKE PARTY TUE AT THE 9:30 SHOW! FILMMAKERS IN PERSON!

Thursday & Friday, December 12 & 13

Pleasure & Pain
BEN HARPER
On Tour!

An intriguing and intimate portrait of the charismatic roots musician, singer/songwriter Ben Harper. Harper, whose music is a vibrant fusion of rock, reggae, funk, blues and jazz, is a truly unique counterpoint to our modern-day, pre-fabricated pop bands. He and his band, The Innocent Criminals, have built an enormous following, not from videos or radio play, but through the word of mouth generated from their powerful concerts. This remarkable film follows Harper as he tours across the U.S. and Europe. Visually, the film is as eclectic and layered as Harper himself, combining concert footage with candid moments and capturing the spirit of live performances unlike any other rockumentary.! Directed by Danny Clinch and Sam Lee. 92 mins. Official Website Digital Video. 2001. USA. BAY AREA PREMIERE THU & FRI AT 6:00, 8:00 AND 10:00.

Saturday, December 14

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

This raucous comedy extravaganza comes to the Roxie in a new print for the holiday season! If you're already a fan of this bizarre farce you don't need us to tell you just how side-splittingly wild it is! Be forewarned: this film contains irreverent lunacy and very bloody battle scenes! With Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. Color. 35mm. 90 mins. 1975. Great Britain. SAT AT (2:00), 4:00, 6:00, 8:00 AND 10:00.