The University of Chicago’s Artspeaks 2012 series will welcome award-winning Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman for a public conversation with Gretchen Helfrich, JD’09, Monday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The event will take place in the 474-seat Performance Hall at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, 915 E. 60^th St., during the preview period of the new building. Folman will share a glimpse into the teeming cinematic imagination that brought moviegoers Waltz with Bashir, the 2009 feature documentary that revolutionized the aesthetic possibilities of animation. His latest project, The Congress, freely adapts Stanislaw Lem’s 1971 sci-fi novel The Futurological Congress and stars Robin Wright Penn and Jon Hamm.  

Now in its eighth season, the Artspeaks series engages internationally renowned artists from varying disciplines in creative conversations with the University of Chicago and the community—giving voice to vision. Combining public presentations and workshops, the Artspeaks programs offer a rare encounter with eminent talent in an intimate setting. Previous seasons have included visits by photographers, painters, musicians, authors and filmmakers, including notable figures such as Dame A.S. Byatt, Uri Caine, Atom Egoyan, Oskar Eustis, Leon Fleisher, David Henry Hwang, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, Peter Sellars, Anna Deavere Smith, Kara Walker, and John Zorn. Visit artspeaks.uchicago.edu for more information on Artspeaks, and visit arts.uchicago.edu/ondemand for videos of previous Artspeaks programs.

Artspeaks is made possible through the generosity of the University of Chicago Arts Council and the Office of the President.

About Ari Folman
Award-winning Israeli filmmaker and director Ari Folman completed his military service in the mid-1980s and set off to travel the world. Two weeks into the trip, Folman abandoned his dream, settling into a Southeast Asian guesthouse—inventing tales of his global adventures for friends back home through letters. The experience of writing down his fantastical travels over the course of a year convinced Folman to return to Israel and study cinema. Folman is widely acclaimed for his animated feature documentary Waltz With Bashir, which won the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film and was published as a graphic novel by McMillan in 2009. Other films include Comfortably Numb (1991) and Saint Clara (1996), which he both wrote and directed. Folman has written for several successful Israeli TV series, including Saturdays & Holidays, Parashat Hashavua, and the award-winning In Treatment (BeTipul), which was the basis for the acclaimed HBO series with Gabriel Byrne.

About Gretchen Helfrich
Gretchen Helfrich, JD’09, is a lawyer at Mayer Brown LLP, and a graduate of the Law School at University of Chicago. But longtime Chicagoans may remember Helfrich as the host of Chicago Public Radio’s Odyssey, a daily talk show of ideas, which ran on WBEZ 91.5 FM from 1998 to 2006. Odyssey featured conversations with scholars, artists, filmmakers, journalists, and others and explored the ideas that shape our world. When Odyssey went off the air in 2006, Helfrich left radio to pursue another interest– the law. After studying at the University of Chicago, she went to work in the litigation and dispute resolution practice at Mayer Brown in Chicago.

Tickets
Tickets are priced at $10 general admission, $5 students with valid ID. To reserve tickets in advance, call 773-702-8080 or visit the box office, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 5720 S. Woodlawn Ave. Tickets can be purchased at the door if available. A reception with the artist will follow.

For Images and Promotional Material:
http://www.blueflowerarts.com/images/stories/images/galleryimages/folman1.jpg

For Additional Information Contact:
Brian LaDuca
Managing Director, Program Coordinator & Instructor
Theater & Performance Studies and University Theater
Phone: 773.702.9315
Fax: 773.834.9154
Email: bladuca@uchicago.edu
taps.uchicago.edu