Films 2010
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 3:20PM 
The Sarasota Fringe Film Festival Wednesday April 7-Sunday April 11
Theaters for the Fringe are in the Main Street Plaza Building, Sarasota, adjacent to the Hollywood 20 multiplex. Ticket offices at the facility open March 20th. You can purchase on-line now. Go to the links listed on the sidebar of this web-site.
A FULL LISTING AND SCHEDULE OF ALL 2010 FILMS WILL BE AVAILABLE NOT LATER THAN APRIL 1ST, SCROLL BELOW TO SEE THE FILMS THAT ARE POSTED....
What is it about doctors that makes them click? Yes they are dedicated souls. Medicine can do that to a person. So can music! Rx: Music!, is the hilarious story of how a bunch of doctors obsessed with playing music, form their own bands, and challenge each other to a “no holds barred” battle of the bands. The film takes us deep inside the medical mind and we wind up at a concert where twelve competing bands made up of doctors let it all out. What drives them? How winning can be as life saving as saving lives…
Film length: 70 minutes HD, Location: Sarasota Florida Producing Group: Sarasota Fringe Films in association with Planet Group Entertainment
Johnny B. Homeless
A Short Film Series by Al Thompson 30 Minutes
Each night, homeless Johnny spends the night on a friend's couch and each morning he wakes up on another friend's couch to experience another day in another world not of his making. This amazingly hilarious short series started out as a "webisode" creation. Comedy Central is about to "pick it up" and give it its rightful place up there with South Park, The Colbert Report, and all of the other great stuff they offer.
An Interview with The Fabulous Mrs. Palmer
A Short Film by Catherine O’Sullivan Shorr 15 Minutes
Sarasota’s own Bertha Palmer came to town at the turn of the 20th Century, and was largely responsible for its early development. She and her husband were from Chicago. He died there, she died here. In this film we find her in heaven sitting on a piano being played by her husband (in heaven, everybody plays piano). She tells her story to camera and sings about Sarasota. Sounds silly, but it really works!
Reflections…A History of Sarasota County
A Documentary Film by Sarasota County, Historic Spanish Point 45 Minutes
This film is a must for all Sarasota lovers. Get the whole history picture. Impress your friends with your newfound knowledge! Maybe there will be a quiz later? Just kidding. Discover the roots of today’s communities and their characteristics. Discover the evidence of the past that has been preserved.
All Night with Andy
Directors Various 4-5 Hours
“All Night With Andy” is a dusk-to-dawn sidebar of films by and about Andy Warhol, scheduled for Friday evening April 9. Films include: “Andy Warhol’s Factory People” (three hour version), “Superstar in a Housedress, the Jackie Curtis Story”, “Andy Makes a Movie”, and others. If you like Andy, you will like this all-night event! It will be very cool. More details to follow.
Skywalker Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and other Tales
A Short Film by Bill Walker 15 Minutes
Sarasota’s own Bill Walker sits down long enough to tell his story of adventure, fear and trepidation walking his ass off all over the planet. Find out why a middle-aged businessman, who never spent a night outdoors in his life, hikes the entire Appanacian Trail, all 2000 miles of it in one season, then goes on to do the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest ramble up and down the west coast of America the following year. All 7’2” of him. We have some weird people living in this town!
Finding Jacob
A Short Feature Film by Brett Stumpp 24 Minutes
Jernard Burks of "The Hangover" stars as Jacob Brown. Deeply affected by what was taken from him years ago, Jacod Brown's potential was never fully realized. Now content with a meager existence, Jacob is challenged by a life he thought was beyond his reach. A deeply moving, beautifully executed film by one of America's soon to rise filmmaker stars!
The Brave and the Kind
A Feature Film by John Yost 75 Minutes
John is an aspiring film director, working in obscurity at an upstate New York college. He struggles to find creativity within his workingclass family and the comfortable, somewhat complacent life he’s built with his wife. John seems to discover it when an interview with his WWII-vet grandfather, inspires him to film a biopic about normal people — with himself, his friends and family as subjects. But when life goes off-script in the darkest of ways, John questions all his assumptions about art, relationships, and his ability to assume an adult mantle of responsibility. Is the kindness and bravery of those around him enough to show John the way through tragedy, or will his existential crisis destroy his family, his career, and ultimately end his life? Life happens in between.
My Brother’s War
A Short Film by Jessica Hines 15 Minutes
Photographer Jessica Hines documents her brother’s Vietnam War experiences, and the result of his Post Traumatic Stress syndrome, causing his disappearance years later in Vietnam and the ultimate loss of his life. A shocking illustration of what can happen to individuals in the aftermath of war. The rippling effects of war never disappear, and they can manifest decades later, as in this poignant case.
Stormchasers...Tales of the T I V
Directed by Ronan Patrick Nagle A Short Film Compilation 40 minutes
If you have ever watched Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” Series, you have probably wondered about the Tornado Intercept Vehicle designed by Shawn Casey and piloted by Ronan Nagle, Executive Producer of the Series. This compilation takes the viewer inside the TIV, and inside the brains of its designer-filmmaker and pilot. “The TIV is basically a “tripod on wheels” designed to create IMAX film of the inside of a tornado.” Very wacky, very scary, very cool! In addition to the compilation, outtakes from the Series will be screened.
Salsa! Cuba Samba! Rio Movida! Portugal
Three Films by LesFilmsDuVillage/Yves Billon Three Hours
If you love World Music, you will go crazy watching and listening to there authentic films. Over a forty year period, Director Yves Billon has filmed more genuine “ethnic” musics that any other Frenchman, or any other anybody for that matter. Be prepared to dance in the aisles!
Sarasota Teen Film Camp Films
Ten new short films written, produced and directed by Sarasota Teens 2009-10. Details on all films to be posted.
Stickie Situation
Action Feature Film by Larry and Rizq Productions 76 Minutes
Port Charlotte, Florida. A gang of hoods with an action-packed past duel it out, and Stickie survives. He goes to God, becomes a youth counselor at the Highway Holiness Apsotolic Church. Loud and fun. Not “Shaft” but not bad!
Tour De Food
Documentary Short Feature Pilot by The Blue Ribbon Boys 37 Minutes
Tour de Food is a culinary cycling tour that follows the route of the 2010 Tour de France. Join the guys from Blue Ribbon with their celebrity and top Chef friends as they cycle through some of Europe's most fascinating culinary regions. Each stage of the race presents a unique opportunity to explore that specific regions local flavor and meet the people who create them.
Cham Lineages of Bhutan
East of Mount Everest and bordered by India and Tibet, Bhutan is a remote and mystical kingdom, considered by many as “The Last Shangri-La.” A sovereign nation that has maintained its cultural, artistic, and religious traditions intact, it is one of the few countries in Asia never colonized by its neighbors or Western powers. Watch the Monks and farmers dance, they seem to have every reason to be happy! Duration: 40 Minutes
Cham Lineages of Bhutan was produced by Core of Culture, a non-pofit organization committed to safeguarding ancient dances. This historical record was recognized as 'Best Practices in Dance Research and Production' by the Dance Heritage Coalition, and the project given the Global Vision Award for Cultural Preservation in 2007. This is state-of-the-art ancient dance preservation footage.
Churning the Sea of Time A Journey up the Mekong to Angkor
A Feature Documentary Film by Les Guthman 68 Minutes
One of the most mythic and potent journeys of our time, through the exquisite, complicated, surprising terrain of Vietnam and Cambodia to the great ruins at Angkor, the magnificent Khmer temples that are being painstakingly restored deep in the jungle. A stunningly filmed HiDefinition odyssey up a river far distanced in time from the corridor into the heart of darkness portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”. Asia Classics "side-bar".
Under the Thunder Dragon
A Feature Documentary Film by Sean White 47 Minutes
Bring a rare sport into the rare land of Bhutan, and you get the recipe for a truly unbelievable adventure. This is the story of extreme mountain unicyclists Kris Holm and Nathan Hoover’s wild journey across the remote Himalyan kingdom of Bhutan…on only one wheel each! Follow them as they travel where few foreigners have set foot. This film is a real combo of art, culture and Xtreme sports! Asia Classics "side-bar".
The Yunan Great Rivers Expidition
A Documentary Film by Jim Norton Narration: Ed Norton 47 Minutes
In a remote corner of southwest China, three of Asia’s greatest rivers plunge off the Tibetan Plateau through steep canyons in the Himalayas thousands of feet deep. This stunningly beautiful film captures the incredible journey of a whitewater expedition. More than a wild adventure, the two month expedition was an ambitious partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Chinese Government to help protect one of the most biodiverse and culturally diverse regions of the planet.
Into the Tsangpo Gorge
A Documentary Film by Scott Lindgren Narration: Peter Strauss 45 Minutes
In a remote corner of Tibet, seven young kayakers take on the most feared white water river on the planet: A raging torrent that drops 9,000 feet in 150 miles, through the world’s deepest river gorge. Awesome action, scenery. Bring your life jacket!
Red Light, Go!
Documentary Film by Manny Kivovitz 60 Minutes
Bike Messengers…NYC They’re a culture unto themselves! They’re different folks with a raison d’etre that defies conventional society. Getting around in New York City is in itself a challenge. Being a bike messenger requires skills that are both athletic and cunning, and their challenge is not only to provide their service but also to do it in jig time. For them it’s a bit like golf…playing against themselves, daily. Just like busmen, their free time is devoted to riding and learning more about how to deal with the challenge of New York City people and traffic.
Skiing Everest
A Feature Documentary by Les Guthman and Mike Marlot 82 Minutes
Follow Mike and Steve Marlot on their adventures skiing Mt. Everest. Their team manage to ski down from a height of 25,000 feet on their first attempt. Second time around, they make it to 28,000 feet as cold and potential frostbite turn them around, but they manage to ski from just under 8000 meters, making them the only human beings to ever ski Everest more than once. No drugs, no oxygen, these Colorado boys are real heros!
PANAMA CANAL: THE LONGEST SHORTCUT
A Film by Diana Colson 28 Minutes
The building of the Panama Canal was one of history's greatest engineering achievements. For more than 50 years, men, nations and technology were pitted against the climate, diseases and terrain of Panama in a struggle that was as dramatic and costly as any war. This historic event is brought to life by hundreds of archival photographs dating from 1850 to 1914. 28 minutes
The Films of Salvador Dali
Director, Salvador Dali 60 minutes
Born in 1904, Dali was a surrealist who lived in, and painted the world of the imagination. With his work as a filmmaker, designer and writer, Dali became the role model for contemporary artists today. This series of his short films presented in association with the Dali Museum of St. Petersburg, are disturbing and mind-blowing. This is a benefit screening in support of the new museum.
Midsummer
Short Feature Directed by Hans Montelius (Swedish with English subtitles)
At midsummer in Sweden, according to an old tradition, young girls pick seven flowers. When they place the flowers under their pillow that night, they dream of their future love. This short film presents an interesting twist on that tradition.
Frida Kahlo In her own words… ‘The Pain and The Ecstasy’
A Film by Inez Monterrry 52 Minutes
Of the world's great painters who truly 'suffered for her art', Frida Kahlo, the ultimate symbol of Mexican Bohemia in the Surrealism of the thirties and forties, probably sacrificed more than most of her peers on the altar of creativity. Filmed on location in her birthplace of Mexico, contains never before seen archive footage, and focuses not only on her remarkable paintings but also on her own words drawn from her private diaries. Every painting tells a true story. Recorded interviews with those who remember Frida Kahlo, complete a portrait of the artist .and the person, her indomitable spirit, and the magical, painful realism of her complicated life.
A Cigar at the Beach
Short Feature Directed by Stephen Mills
On a trip to Florida, to visit his sick father, a cigar smoker leaves his family at the motel to puff away on the beach. He is visited by a group of erotic beauties and is taken to an off shore freighter to play poker in the ship’s belly. A huge wave engulfs everything, including the cigar. Winner of many cinematic awards and rejected by scores of Festivals, the surreal “Cigar” will make you think.
The Hills Have Thighs
Feature Film Written and Directed by Bubba Cromer
The Hills Have Thighs is an irreverent film set in the South as narrated by the lead character Drip Drywallan Appalachian version of Kevin Spacey in American Beauty. He investigates the disappearance of local hillbilly Daniel Boone Owen, who vanished after a corn liquor-induced stupor. Spanning Upper Pickens County, South Carolina and lower Transylvania County, North Carolina. There are other colorful, larger than life characters, including: Drip's mother who lives with him at a cat shelter known as Pussy Heaven; an Obama-obsessed Limousine Liberal from California named Tree-Tree, who has a penchant for Mammy Dolls and sees nothing wrong with her extensive collection of Negrobelia; and a colorful variety of big-boned ladies with even larger attitudes.
See Follow-Up STORY to THe Charleston Premiere of The DIrector's Cut by clicking here: http://www.myparkcircle.com/
Cape Horn Passage to California
A Documentary Film Directed by Warwick Tompkins 40 Minutes
After years of preparation, the “Wander Bird” leaves Gloucester, June 26, 1936.
It takes 240 days transversing the seas of the 19th century clipper ships to reach San Francisco. The Captain( and filmmaker) is Warwick Tompkins. The whole family makes the journey with the rest of the crew. Young son “Commodore” Tompkins, age four, is on board. He’s already a veteran of six Atlantic passages under sail. Today, he’s still sailing around the world at age 79! We hope all of the salty dogs in town will come out to screen this great documentary and perhaps meet the “Commodore”!
“Hard Love: CFAR’s Journey
"Nothing is easy in love, especially when the subject of your affection is over 500 pounds with stripes. The volunteers of the Central Florida Animal Reserve have taken on this challenge in an effort to preserve the lions, tigers, leopards, and cougars in their care
Hard Love takes the viewer behind the scenes to an incredible world where big cats walk among us. In this world, over 50 lions, tigers, leopards, and cougars rule the day, surrounded by volunteers committed to fulfilling their needs. Powerful relationships form between species based on love and compassion--but all is not purrs and nuzzles.
Saddam, Master of Baghdad
A Film by Michel Vuillermet and Jean Pierre Beaurenaut 52:00 Minutes
Without Saddam, there would never have been a war in Iraq. But who was Saddam? This extraordinary film, never before seen in the United States, dissects Hussein’s incredible ability to survive for years in spite of the ruination of his own country. Elements in the film include propaganda materials, confidential and secret documents spirited out of the country, testimonies with politicians and exiled former followers and personalities from the world stage who dealt directly with the man. SADDAM was originally produced and released in 2003, just prior to the start of the war in Iraq. "SADDAM, The Final Chapter" incorporates his capture and final demise. You paid for it, now you can decide for yourself if it was worth the countless lives lost over the past seven years on all sides.
Iraq…The Song of the Missing Men
A Feature Film by Layth Abdulamir 93 Minutes
"Song” tells the story of an Iraqi man frustrated by his ability to find proper medication for his very sick son. Shot on location in Iraq shortly after the War began, we witness a becalmed Baghdad, American soldiers have vanquished Saddam, the Sunnis and Shiites have not yet started warring against each other, and Osama Bin Laden’s people are not yet in place. It is a strange film, one of early hope for the country, not yet rocked by civil war. American military personnel are busy sightseeing. This was the first feature shot on location in Iraq after the fall of Saddam. Shot by Iraqis for international distribution, the film has never been seen in the United States.
Rat Pack…Dean, Sammy and Frank
A Documentary Film Directed by Del Jack, re-edited by Sarasota Fringe Films. 70 Minutes
On the 26th of January 1960, the marquee in front of the Sands Hotel in LasVegas looked like a who’s who of contemporary show business. Rat Pack offers a definitive biography of the key players. History buffs and geezers of all ages, who can still remember, will love this replay of the past. And if they don’t remember, they will!
Gabriel Garcia Marquez…A Witch Writing
Documentary Directed by Mauricio Martinez-Cavard 60 Minutes
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel prize-winning author of such luminous novels as 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and 'Love In The Time Of Cholera', was born in 1928 in the tiny Caribbean village of Aracataca, situated in a tropical region of northern Colombia in the home of his grandfather, a pensioned colonel from the civil war at the beginning of the century. This is the setting for the imaginary, magical world of his writing, and the setting for this very special film...a wondrous recreation of the life and times that gave birth to his own lyrical creations...
Whether writing short stories, epic novels, non-fiction or screenplays, Gabo, as he is affectionately known, is above all a brilliant storyteller. His writing is a tribute to both the power of the imagination and the mysteries of the human heart. This Film reveals Marquez as a skillful and spellbinding storyteller, taking us from birth ("Since I was born I had known I would be a writer.") to the turning points in his life that formed him and his body of work. Oprah likes this!
Hollywood Backyard
A Feature Documentary by Sasha Von Wetter 72 Minutes
What were the hippies really like? Hollywood Backyard is the story of Topanga, hippieland in the sixties. If you were there you would recognize a lot of the musical stars in this film. Even Grammy Winner Billy Preston is there, riding his horse, living out his cowboy dreams. Wear your beads and tie-dyes when you see this one! It’s a hoot.
The Test
A Short Film by Antonio Chavez 7 Minutes
A young Hispanic girl leaves a message to her boyfriend with the news that she is pregnant. Dismayed, she hopes for the best outcome. Best for her, best for him, best for….
LensCulture…Conversations with Contemporary Photographers
A Documentary Film by Jim Casper and Vincent Vierron (series pilot) 30 Minutes
LensCulture takes us deep into the heads of three contemporary photographers who are very focused in their work. We go into Russian prisons as a photographer teaches juvenile inmates the art of photography. In South Africa, we witness the strange world of the poor white population. In England we discover the photos within a photograph. Sense the strange things that drive photographers’ passions. If you like the art of pictures, you’ll be hooked by LensCulture. American Premier screening.
History Will Tell
A Documentary Film by Zarafa 52 Minutes
General Franco squashed the Republican uprising in Spain just before WWII began. Hitler was his big pal. Franco managed to stay in control of Spain for many generations. Now the first generation of “Free Democratic Spain” has reached adulthood. How do they feel about their past, their future? If Spain is your thing, you need to see this film. Not a travelogue. Bring your note book, there will be a quiz later.
Hannibal in Paradise Pondichery The Indian Island Mauricius A Mixed-Race Island
Two Films by Marc Mopty 110 Minutes
Remember at the end of “Silence of the Lambs”, when Hannibal Lechter walked away from camera on and exotic island looking for his next meal? Film Director Mopty plays Lechter, back to camera, rumpled linen suit included, and shows us the two most likely places in the world where Hannibal would have actually gone. Tasty!
Wilbur's Night Out
Short Feature Directed by Kamran Cave
Wilbur needs a break form the wife, and heads for the local sportsbar to try his hand at picking up chicks. The chick he goes for turns out to be the husband of his wife's best girlfriend. Very funny and well done!
May I be Frank
A Feature Documentary by Carey Mosier, Ryland Engelhart, and Conor Gaffney 90 Minutes
Frank Ferante is a mess. 54, Obese, depressed, and addicted. He stumbles into a local San Francisco, raw, organic, vegan restaurant. For the next 42 days Frank eats raw food, takes a weekly colonic. Frank get a new body, a clearer mind, and most importantly, a soaring spirit. Frank is ready to fall in love again.
On the Road with Judas
A Feature Film by JJ Lask 92 Minutes
“This deliciously playful tapestry of narrative point of view-at times recondite but always stimulating- of the author, the filmmaker, and the subjects is seamlessly integrated and invigoratingly sophisticated. Poignant as well as cerebral, this post modern film is a multiplicity of voices that underscores the complexity of truth and fiction.” Geoffrey Gilmore, Sundance Film Festival. Wow! That’s a mouthful. Not for the kiddies, but maybe they will understand it better that we adults. Not to be missed!
Fernando Botero....An Artist Bigger than Life
A Film by Mauricio Martinez-Cavard
Born in 1932 into the abject poverty of Medellín, Colombia, Fernando Botero is now considered the most famous living artist in the world. Also the wealthiest. And he makes no qualms about it. "Life is such an adventure when you are poor,” he is fond of saying. “To be without money is a great experience" But as this entertaining film abundantly shows, it is far more fun to be rich and famous.
This is his personal story, in his own words. Funny and fascinating, Botero has a unique way of looking at the myriad life around him, and his musings on the mysterious, monumental forces that formed him enlighten and entertain. A rare look into the private world of an uncommon man, a true artistic genius, and we are a welcome part of his party.
The Art of Sidney Nolan…Mask and Memory
A Film by Catherine Hunter 53 Minutes
Australian painter Sidney Nolan, had a pretty strange life, what with three wives, his work is autobiographical in nature, strange, fringe. From Australia, to Africa, Antartica to Europe, by the end of his life he said he had become a painter of the entire planet. You gotta like the artist’s work…or hate it!
An 'All Night with World Music' Film Festival!
Mali
Banras
Rajasthan
Roumania
Films about World Music from Mongolia, Banaras, Rajasthan,Mali, Roumania Ireland, Morocco and Others. This will be an all nighter for the World Music nuts in town. Strong coffee and related goodies will be available to sustain you!
The USSR State Funeral of Stalin
(COLOR ’52 Minutes)
Never before seen in the USA! This is a remarkable alternative film created from Color Archives and using the official Russian State Radio Broadcast as the narrative track. Rare footage has been restored and edited into what can best be described as a ‘you are there’ documentary covering the funeral of Stalin. The Great Hall in Moscow glitters in candlelight and is filled with flowers and memorial wreaths. The common people and high level comrades pass by the bier to pay their respects. At the same time we witness simultaneous memorial services all over the communist world of the early 50’s: China, Korea…all of the Russian Eastern European satellite states. This is a remarkable alternative film.
On the Road, Naked…The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs
A Documentary Film by Jean François Vallée 60 Minutes
‘On The Road’ takes us on a terrifying, hallucinogenic ride: For us, a mesmerizing horror movie, for Borroughs, his reality. Subliminal nightmarish messages repulse yet fascinate. We cannot take our eyes away from the Hieronymous Bosch interior of this tortured, convoluted mind. David Cronengberg, well-known, controversial Canadian filmmaker (Scanners, Crash, Existenz) created a, naturally, mind-boggling film of the novel ‘Naked Lunch’. One falls into the fevered brain of Burroughs and leaves the theater relieved to escape what Burroughs himself never could. Try Naked Lunch for breakfast!
Organism
A Short Film by Hillary Harris
Harris was one of the early realizers of time lapse photography. In Organism he explores the similarities of big city life with the ever-flowing blood stream of human life. Not strange at all, this film will make you see something so similar between your physiological self and the busy world, that even Hillary recognized in the 1960s.
Vitreous-Floaters
A Feature Film by Justin Jones 86 Minutes
A few drinks and a little romantic chaos can unleash feelings too strong to ignore. A group of students try to figure out what they want and how to get it as they navigate the harrows of love and sex in college. Rah, Rah, sis-boom-ba! A good film that's probably too long, but well worth the sit!
Pie in the Sky…The Brigid Berlin Story
A Feature Documentary by Vincent Fremont 70 Minutes
"My mother wanted me to be a slim, respectable socialite. Instead I became an overweight troublemaker." -Brigid Berlin
In Andy Warhol's CHELSEA GIRLS she jabs herself straight through her jeans with a needle full of speed. Brigid's dad, head of the Hearst Corporation and a Richard Nixon intimate, and her picture-perfect mom fought a losing battle. Berlin treats us to taped phone conversations with confidant Andy and displays her own art (polaroids taken throughout her life, "tit art," a book of celebrity penis drawings). Cameos by John Waters, Taylor Mead, Larry Rivers, Bob Colacello and Patricia Hearst, and scenes from Warhol's BIKE BOY, IMITATION OF CHRIST and CHELSEA GIRLS.
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Harlem Black Hope
A Documentary Film by Philippe Couture 52 Minutes
Filmmaker Philippe Couture lives in Hong Kong and went to Harlem with his camera six weeks before the election of Barak Obama. Being French/Asian, he found a good degree of acceptance with the local gentry and created an amazing film that reflects Harlem's attitude toward the Obama candidacy, and believe it or not, there were even some black Republican supporters who speak up in the very revealing film.
A Tale of Two Cities….Homeless in Sarasota
A Documentary Film by Bob Gray and Anne Derwent
"A Tale Of Two Cities", explores the issue of homelessness in the affluent town of Sarasota, FL. Winner of a 2004 Communicator Award of Excellence, "A Tale Of Two Cities" addresses the various causal factors behind homelessness, looks at our area resource network, where we fall short, and culminates in a glimpse at preventative measures and suggestions for addressing this pervasive, yet often ignored, societal blight. While over the past few years since this documentary was produced some of the faces have changed, the core fundamentals have not. It is as relevant, if not more so, today.