The award-winning film “Rain in a Dry Land” (U.S.A., 2006, 82 minutes) traces the experience of two immigrant Somali Bantu families as they make their way from African refugee camps to urban America and face profound challenges in adjusting to a new life.
The film will screen Tuesday, Feb. 10, as part of the Labor and Community Film Series. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Rondo Library, corner of Dale and University in St. Paul. Admission is free and open to the public. [via]
Thanks to Community Cinema, the documentary “TULIA, TEXAS” will be shown for free on Saturday, January 24th at 3:15 at Seattle International Film Festival Cinema.
The documentary TULIA, TEXAS follows a story that was both of one of the biggest drug busts in the history of Texas and a huge miscarriage of justice.
In July of 1999, 46 people were arrested in the small town of Tulia, Texas on drug charges based on the undercover work of “gypsy cop” Tom Coleman. 39 of those arrested were African Americans and most were convicted. By five years later, as new information came to light about Coleman and his methods, and cases were challenged, most of them had been freed.
SIFF Cinema is located at 321 Mercer St in the Nelsholm Family Lecture Hall in the lower level of McCaw Hall on the Seattle Center campus. [via]
Cine en el Centro film series presents a FREE screening of Maria Full of Grace at the East Las Vegas Community/Senior Center. 250 North Eastern Ave., Las Vegas; today, Thursday, January 15 from 6PM to 10PM. Series curator Luis Bonilla will introduce the film at 6 p.m. After the screening, Bonilla will lead a discussion on the film in Spanish.[via]
The film tells the story of one young woman’s journey from a small Colombian town to the streets of New York. A bright, spirited 17-year old, Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in rural Colombia and works stripping thorns from flowers in a rose plantation. The offer of a lucrative job involving travel – in fact, becoming a drug “mule” – changes the course of her life. Far from the uneventful trip she is promised, Maria is transported into the risky and ruthless world of international drug trafficking. Her mission becomes one of determination and survival and she finally emerges with the grace that will carry her forward into a new life. [via]
The award-winning feature film, “Follow Me Home,” will be shown on Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Grand Lake Theatre, 3200 Grand Ave., in Oakland. This screening is presented by Speak Out, and will be followed by a discussion with Native American activist Lakota Harden.
Follow Me Home is a defiant, humorous, poetic tale exploring race and
identity. Weaving together traditions of Native, African, and Latin cultures, the film tells the story of four artists (played by Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego, Calvin Levels and Steve Reevis, with Alfre Woodard) and their journey across the American landscape to their final destination, the White House. Given our own historic election and the millions of people that will also be making a similar journey to witness Barack Obama’s inauguration, this film is both timely and incredibly relevant to what is happening now.
The film¹s writer-director Peter Bratt, of South American Indian ancestry,
won Best Director honors at the 1996 American Indian Film Festival. The film was also an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and won Best
Feature Film Audience Award at the 1996 San Francisco International Film
Festival.
Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for youth ages 17 and under. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling their 24/7 ticket hotline at 1-800-838-3006. The screening benefits Speak Out’s work with youth nationwide. For more information call (510) 601-0182 or email info@speakoutnow.org [via]
Tin Roof Films will hold a free screening of “The Last Bullet,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at Chattahoochee High School, Alpharetta, GA .
“The Last Bullet” is a short film emphasizing the courage and valor of soldiers in the Vietnam War.
During an intense nighttime skirmish between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces, buddies Shane and Matt tumble into a bomb crater moments after a barrage of bullets assail them. Shane escapes serious injury but Matt is hit and rapidly losing blood from a gunshot to the leg. Unable to pull Matt to safety, Shane makes a decision – to save his friend, he must leave him alone and run for help. Now by himself, Matt confronts his own mortality and when an explosion leaves him deaf, he cannot hear the radio blaring Shane’s return with reinforcements. As enemies and friends approach Matt’s position, who will Matt kill with his last bullet?
“Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life” will be shown in Hoag Auditorium at North Georgia College & State University on Tuesday, January 13 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are greatly appreciated.
15-year-old Darius Weems from Athens, Georgia, who was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children worldwide.
In 1989, Darius watched his beloved older brother, Mario, pass away from the same disease at age 19. Soon after, Darius lost use of the muscles in his legs and began using a wheelchair.
A group of Darius’s college-age friends felt there was no need for his quality of life to disintegrate along with his muscles. So, they decided to take Darius, who had never seen a range of mountains, never dipped his toes into an ocean, and never crossed a state line on the adventure of a lifetime.
This “band of brothers” rented a wheelchair-accessible RV and hit the road in July of 2005.
Their three-week, cross-country journey had one major goal: to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV’s popular show, “Pimp My Ride,” to customize Darius’s wheelchair. Along the way, they evaluated wheelchair accessibility at many of America’s major tourist attractions and raised awareness of DMD by holding over a dozen press conferences.
They also found joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.
Darius’ 7,000-plus mile adventure was filmed from start to finish, resulting in a documentary called “Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life.” It became one of the most decorated movies of 2007, capturing 28 film festival awards. Critics also gave the movie rave reviews.
KAFM Radio’s Reel Time has its first showing of an independent film with “Girls Rock!” on Thursday, January 15, at the KAFM Radio Room, 1310 Ute Avenue, Grand Junction, Colorado
“Girls Rock!” is a film about a five-day rock ‘n’ roll camp for girls ages 8-18. The girls form bands, write songs and play a gig, all while dealing with emotional drama, self-confidence issues and troubled home lives. The camp is “an experiment in empowerment that will leave no one unchanged,” according to the Web site www.girlsrockmovie.com.
“Girls Rock!” focuses on four girls: a 15-year-old metal fan, a 17-year old who lives in a group home, an 8-year-old loner whose world revolves around her dog and a 7-year-old rebel with a rock attitude.
ReelTime will feature an independent, alternative film or documentary on the third Thursday of every month with show times at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to www.kafmradio.org. [via]
Artist Peter Kingstone will be on hand for this special screening of his first feature length film, The Astounding Adventures of Strongman and Quickboy. Kingstone made the film in 2007 with some friends and $750. The film is a narrative about disease, death, love, getting older, and sex.
Monday, January 12 2009, 6:30pm | HIV Edmonton, Ross Armstrong Room, 11145 Jasper Ave | Suggested donation of $5.00
Dave and Adam have a meager existence as prostitutes in Toronto, when Dave receives a call from a friend in Sudbury. They must rush off in hopes of saving her. Adam spends most of his time writing comic books and is retelling his story as Strongman and Quickboy, as they fly of to Nebulon 5 to battle Xenon and save Princess Ariana. He has also brought along his video camera to capture the action. These two narratives coexist along the road, till they meet King Kipling, who crystallizes their concerns through pop philosophy and changes the course of the tale. The music of cougar party plays alongside the trip.
The feature was a community effort made on a very limited budget of $750.00. The video was shot on evening and weekends in Toronto and on the road to Sudbury during the fall of 2006. The main actors are Matt Thomas (Adam/Quickboy), Richard Fourhier (Dave/Strongman) and Paris Cameron-Gardos (King Kipling) each in their first major roles. Sholem Krishtalka executes all the illustrations.
To RSVP, for questions or comments please contact Ted at tkerr70@hotmail.com [via]
Milking The Rhino examines the deepening conflict between humans and animals in an ever-shrinking world. It is the first major documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live with wild animals. Shot in some of the world’s most magnificent locales, Milking The Rhino offers complex, intimate portraits of rural Africans at the forefront of community-based conservation: a revolution that is turning poachers into preservationists and local people into the stewards of their land.
Tuesday January 13th 2009 at 5 p.m
At Goethe-Institut – Corner of Loita/Monrovia Street Maendeleo House
Free Entrance
The film will run for 85 minutes and there will be time for discussion following the screening. Two special guests featured in the film will be in attendance, Dr. Helen Gichohi, President of the African Wildlife Society in Nairobi and Ian Craig of the Lewa Conservancy. [via]
“Welcome to Macintosh – The documentary for the rest of us” will be presented for one night only during the week of “Macworld” 2009 in San Francisco. On Thursday, January 8th a special “Macworld Exclusive” version of the film will be presented on the big screen, with Guy Kawasaki, Jim Reeks, Ron Wayne and others on hand for Q&A after the film.
Seating is limited and selling fast. Tickets are available online via BrownPaperTickets. Doors open at 7pm. Show starts at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be available in the lobby.
When:
Thursday: January 8th @ 7:00pm
Where:
Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
1881 Post Street at Fillmore
San Francisco, CA 94115
Welcome to Macintosh – The documentary for the rest of us, is the first documentary of its kind to mix history, criticism and an unapologetic revelry of all things Apple into a movie experience. The film explores the early years of Apple, the many challenges Apple has faced, and what the future may hold for the company and its products. Ex-Apple employees, engineers and community members offer insight on the company’s innovations, failures, cultural impact and what the future may be like beyond the reign of its co-founder Steve Jobs. Interviews include notable Apple personalities Andy Hertzfeld, co-creator of the original Macintosh, Guy Kawasaki, long time Mac evangelist, Leander Kahney, author of the book Cult of Mac, Jim Reekes, creator of the Macintosh start-up sound and Ron Wayne, original co-founder of the Apple Computer Company. Welcome to Macintosh is an independent motion picture and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Macintosh, iPod and iTunes are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
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The award-winning feature film, “Follow Me Home,” will be shown on Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Grand Lake Theatre, 3200 Grand Ave., in Oakland. This screening is presented by 
