SLIFF 2010: STROKE (2000) with Director Rob Nilsson

Director Rob Nilsson made STROKE, an intriguing, character-driven story in 2000. STROKE is a curious blending and blurring of the documentary and the fictional narrative, featuring Ron Perlam among the various actors that appear in this collaborative experiment. For those familiar with the work of independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (NIGHT ON EARTH, COFFEE AND CIGARETTES), this film should be a welcome experience.

Rob Nilsson has been making truly independent films since NORTHERN LIGHTS, his first film from 1978, which won the Camera d’Or at Cannes. Nilsson’s 1987 film HEAT AND SUNLIGHT also earned him the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. I encourage you to take this rare opportunity to attend the screening of STROKE with director Rob Nilsson, and be sure to see his new film IMBUED, which is also playing the Saint Louis International Film Festival.

Rob Nilsson Seminar

Saturday, November 13th at 10:30 am
in the Sverdrup building, Room 123
on the Webster University campus

— Free —

American-indie pioneer Rob Nilsson — winner of a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (for “Heat and Sunlight”) and a Camera d’Or at Cannes (for “Northern Lights”) – will offer practical advice on independent filmmaking. Nilsson, a SLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award winner, will also accompany his films “Imbued,” which plays on Nov. 12, and “Stroke,””which screens after the seminar.

Synopsis for STROKE, from Cinema St. Louis:

Veteran indie filmmaker Rob Nilsson, who receives a SLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award at the fest, offers this strong, representative sample of his ambitious nine-film cycle, “9@Night.” Akin to Kieslowski’s “Decalogue,” the “9@Night” films share characters and narrative threads, but each film also functions as a stand-alone work. Like all of the films in the series, “Stroke” is largely improvised and was created in collaboration with its stars, the real-life residents of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. In this film, 55-year-old poet Phil is cared for by longtime friend Johnny after suffering a debilitating stroke. Johnny, however, has troubles of his own – in particular, the unwelcome attention of strip-club owner Modisco, a neighborhood scumbag who also preys on Svetlana, a one-time adult-entertainment worker whom he pressures to resume her previous occupation. When Johnny and Svetlana become trapped in a convoluted blackmailing scheme, the thuggish businessman relentlessly tightens his grip.

Scene from STROKE and the Trailer:

STROKE will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 13th at 1:00 pm at the Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus. Director Rob Nilsson will be in attendance at the screening.