Before September 17’s season opener for Community Cinema, Women, War & Peace: Peace Unveiled, a diverse group of women gathered for lunch at the downtown library to learn about Women and Girls Lead, a multi-year initiative from ITVS to use media to bring attention to issues facing girls and women worldwide, and discuss how make Nashville a better place for girls and women.
The group got an overview of the initiative from Nashville Public Television (NPT) president and CEO Beth Curley, and watched clips from this season’s Community Cinema season films that are part of Women and Girls Lead. Together with NPT, I invited those assembled to get involved by partnering on Women and Girls Lead films, taking advantage of free educational tools, tuning into Independent Lens this season, and hosting community discussions. I invite you to the same, and ask that you join our Facebook community page,Women and Girls Lead Nashville, for updates.
In an informal engagement session during the lunch, NPT’s director of education, Jo Ann Scalf, asked the group to envision how a city can be most hospitable to girls and women. Ideas ranged from introducing them to better heroines (not princesses) to celebrating their math and science skills to creating a hub for all girl-related programs and services in Nashville. Two teachers from the group expressed interest in hosting documentary screenings for students, a service we’re excited to provide in select schools this season as part of the Belcourt Theatre’s education program.
After the luncheon, we officially opened our Community Cinema season with Peace Unveiled, an unsettling but ultimately inspiring documentary about Afghan women fighting for a seat at the negotiating table between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Instead of a panel discussion, we heard from Elizabeth Barger, cofounder of CODEPINK, a women-led grassroots peace and social justice movement, and Judy Meeker, another CODEPINK cofounder and founder or More Than Warmth, a quilt project that promotes friendship with nations at war and provides opportunities for cultural understanding among children worldwide.
On October 15, we’ll screen the fabulous Deaf Jam, another great film that focuses on a powerful young woman. It follows New York City’s Aeta Brodski as she prepares to be one of the first deaf poets to compete in a youth slam, leading to an unexpected collaboration. Following the film, we’ll be treated to an ASL poetry performance from local deaf poets, thanks to a partnership with Hearing Bridges. And thanks to our new partnership with the Belcourt Theatre, we’re able to bring Deaf Jam to Hume-Fogg High School for its Food For Thought series and to Martha O’Bryan Center’s middle school afterschool program—another chance to promote cultural understanding through film!
And don’t forget our September 28 screening another part of Women, War and Peace, the award-winning Pray the Devil Back to Hell, at Lipscomb University. The film is screening as part of the university’s excellent HumanDOCS series and starts at 8:30 p.m. in Ward Hall. See you there!
Allison Inman is a national engagement coordinator for ITVS and the Community Cinema coordinator in Nashville. She is also the education and engagement coordinator for the Belcourt.
Season Opens Saturday, September 17 with Afghanistan-set “Peace Unveiled.”
ITVS, together with partner station NashvillePublicTelevision (NPT) and series partners Nashville Public Library, NashvilleFilmFestival (NaFF) and HandsOnNashville, is proud to announce the 2011-12 season of ITVSCommunityCinema Nashville. Now in its four year, Community Cinema Nashville returns with 10 compelling documentaries, eight of which are culled from this year’s lineup of the venerable PBS series “Independent Lens.”Two are from the upcoming five-part PBS special “Women, War and Peace.” Each film isfollowed by engaging panel discussions or performances and Q&A sessions. All screenings are free and take place one Saturday per month at 3:00 p.m., with a catered reception at 2:30 p.m., in the auditorium theatre at the downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street, except where noted.
The season opens in Nashville on Saturday, September 17 with “Women, War and Peace: Peace Unveiled,” Gina Reticker’s profile of three Afghan women determined to ensure that women have a seat at the table when the post-U.S. surge government under Hamid Karzai begins peace talks with the Taliban. The film, written by Abigail Disney and narrated by Tilda Swinton, is also part of a larger multi-year public media initiative called Women and Girls Lead that will focus, educate and connect citizens worldwide in support of the issues facing women and girls.
Combining independent documentary film, television, new media, and global outreach partnerships, Women and Girls Lead amplifies the voices of women and girls acting as leaders, expands understanding of gender equity, and engages an international network of citizens and organizations to act locally and reach out globally.
Nashville organizations serving girls and women are attending a Women and Girls Lead information session prior to the September 17 screening of “Peace Unveiled.” Organizational leaders will join ITVS regional coordinator Allison Inman, NPT president and CEO Beth Curley at 1:30 p.m. for lunch and a chance to preview clips from this season’s Women and Girls Lead films and the Community Cinema Nashville season, and learn about free resources organizations and individuals can use to further the missions of empowering girls and women here Nashville. RSVP to Allison_inman@itvs.org required. At 2:30 p.m., a catered reception will be open to the public in the conference room adjacent to the auditorium. Representatives from women’s grassroots peace and social justice initiative CODEPINK will be on hand demonstrating the More Than Warmth quilt project, inviting Community Cinema participants to help make quilts for the people affected by war around the world.
Films that are joining “Women, War and Peace: Peace Unveiled” at Community Cinema Nashville that are also part of the Women and Girls Lead initiative include “Women, War and Peace: Pray the Devil Back to Hell” (Gina Reticker / USA); “Taking Root” (Alan Dater, Lisa Merton / USA); “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock” (Sharon LaCruise, Noland Walker / USA); and “Strong!” (Julie Wyman / USA).
Rounding out the season are “Deaf Jam” (Judy Lieff / USA); “We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân” (Anne Makepeace / USA); “More Than A Month” (Shukree Hassan Tilghman / USA); “Revenge of the Electric Car;” (Chris Paine / USA); and “Hell and Back Again” (Danfung Dennis / USA, UK, Afghanistan).
Community Cinema Nashville, coordinated by Allison Inman, began in 2008 and has steadily built to an audience ranging from 70-200 per screening, with dozens of community partners contributing each month to reception activities and panel discussions. Other organizations that have participated in Community Cinema Nashville include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Community Food Advocates, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, YWCA Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Oasis Center, Islamic Center of Nashville, Kilowatt Ours, Scarritt Bennett’s Wisdom House, eXile International, PFLAG Nashville, Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, Pakistani American Association of Nashville, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Nashville Musicians Association, Earth Matters Tennessee, Sustain VU, Middle Tennessee School for the Blind, Belmont University Copyright Club, Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission, National Kidney Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Zeitgeist Gallery, and more.
“The Women and Girls Lead Initiative adds an exciting new element to this year’s season, both with the film choices and the engagement possibilities,” says Inman. “Last summer’s Women’s Empowerment Film Festival at the Library reached hundreds of girls and women, so I know our audience is hungry for these kinds of stories.”
ITVS Community Cinema Nashville 2011-12 Season:
All screening take place at (except where noted):
Nashville Public Library
615 Church Street
Screening 3:00 p.m. / Reception (hosted by the Nashville Public Library Foundation) 2:30
September 17, 2011
Women, War and Peace: Peace Unveiled (Gina Reticker / USA)
When the U.S. troop surge was announced in late 2009, women in Afghanistan knew that the ground was being laid for peace talks with the Taliban. “Peace Unveiled” follows three women who immediately began to organize to make sure that women have a seat at the negotiating table. One is a savvy parliamentarian who participated in writing the Afghan constitution that guarantees equality for women; another, a former midwife who is one of the last women’s rights advocates alive in Kandahar; and the third, a young activist who lives in a traditional family in Kabul. Convinced that the Taliban will have demands that jeopardize women’s hard-earned gains, they maneuver against formidable odds to have their voices heard in a peace jirga and high peace council. We go behind Kabul’s closed doors as the women’s case is made to U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, General David Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who promises the women that “peace and justice can’t come at the cost of women and women’s lives.” But will this promise be kept? Narrated by Tilda Swinton. “Peace Unveiled” is one of five films in the upcoming PBS special “Women, War and Peace.”
September 28, 2011
Women, War and Peace: Pray the Devil Back to Hell
(Gini Reticker / USA)
(Special Co-Presentation with Lipscomb’s HumanDocs series; screening is at Lipscomb University’s Ward Hall)
8:30 p.m.
A winner of the best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”is the astonishing story of the Liberian women who took on the warlords and regime of dictator Charles Taylor in the midst of a brutal civil war, and won a once unimaginable peace for their shattered country in 2003. As the rebel noose tightened around the capital city of Monrovia, thousands of women – ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim – formed a thin but unshakeable line between the opposing forces. Armed only with white t-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they literally faced down the killers who had turned Liberia into hell on earth. In one memorable scene, the women barricaded the site of stalled peace talks in Ghana and refused to move until a deal was done. Their demonstrations culminated in Taylor’s exile and the rise of Africa’s first female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Inspiring and uplifting, the filmis a compelling example of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations. “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” is one of five films in the upcoming PBS special “Women, War and Peace.”
October 15, 2011
Deaf Jam (Judy Lieff / USA)
National poetry slams for youth have been gaining momentum but few, if any, deaf teens have ever been included in these contests. In “Deaf Jam” a group of New York City deaf teens reveal their passions, frustrations, and senses of humor as they discover American Sign Language poetry — eventually stepping into the world of the youth poetry slams with their hearing peers.
November 26, 2011
We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân (Anne Makepeace / USA)
The Wampanoag nation of southeastern Massachusetts ensured the survival of the first English settlers in America, and lived to regret it. “We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân” tells the story of the return of the Wampanoag language, the first time a language with no Native speakers has been revived in this country. Spurred on by an indomitable linguist named Jessie Little Doe, the Wampanoag are bringing their language and their culture back.
December 17, 2012
Taking Root (Alan Dater, Lisa Merton / USA)
How does the simple act of planting trees lead to winning the Nobel Peace Prize? Ask Wangari Maathai of Kenya. In 1977, she suggested rural women plant trees to address problems stemming from a degraded environment. Under her leadership, their tree-planting grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, defend human rights and promote democracy, earning Maathai the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
January 14, 2012
Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock
(Sharon LaCruise, Noland Walker / USA)
As a black woman who was a feminist before the term was invented, Daisy Bates refused to accept her assigned place in society. “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock” tells the story of her life and public support of nine black students to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, which culminated in a constitutional crisis–pitting a president against a governor and a community against itself.
February 11, 2012
More Than a Month (Shukree Hassan Tilghman / USA)
Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African American filmmaker, is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. Through this tongue-in-cheek journey, “More Than a Month” investigates what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America.
March 17, 2012
Revenge of the Electric Car (Chris Paine / USA)
Revenge of the Electric Car presents the recent resurgence of electric vehicles as seen through the eyes of four pioneers of the EV revolution. Director Chris Paine (“Who Killed the Electric Car?” 2006) has had unprecedented access to the electric car research and development programs at General Motors, Nissan, and Tesla Motors, while also following a part time electric car converter who refuses to wait for the international car makers to create the electric cars the public demands. As more models of electric cars than ever before start to arrive in showrooms and driveways across the world, Chris Paine’s film offers an inspiring, entertaining and definitive account of this revolutionary moment in human transportation. “Revenge of the Electric Car” follows these auto makers as they race each other to create the first, best, and most publicly accepted electric cars for the new car market.
April 21, 2012 (Nashville Film Festival Screening)
April 28, 2012
Hell and Back Again (Danfung Dennis / USA, UK, Afghanistan)
What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home – injured physically and psychologically – and build a new life? “Hell and Back Again” asks and answers these questions with the conflict in Afghanistan as the backdrop. Two overlapping narratives intercut: the life of a Marine on the war front, and the life of the same Marine in recovery at home – creating a realistic depiction of how Marines experience this war.
May 19, 2012
Strong! (Julie Wyman / USA)
A formidable figure, standing at 5’8″ and weighing over 300 pounds, Cheryl Haworth struggles to defend her champion status as her lifetime weightlifting career inches towards its inevitable end. “Strong!” chronicles her journey and the challenges this unusual elite athlete faces, exploring popular notions of power, strength, beauty and health.
ITVS COMMUNITY CINEMA is a monthly screening series featuring upcoming selections from the Independent Lens season. Presented in partnership with local public television stations and leading community organizations, ITVS Community Cinema holds preview screenings in over 90 cities across the country making a real contribution on a range of current social issues by connecting communities with organizations, information, and the opportunity to get involved.
ABOUT ITVS AND INDEPENDENT LENS
ITVS is a leading funder and presenter of award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web, and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens on Tuesday nights at 10 PM on PBS. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts.
At Saturday’s Community Cinema screening of “Pushing the Elephant,” audience members participated in an activity designed to help them envision forgiveness. “Pushing the Elephant” tells the story of Rose Mapendo’s remarkable emergence from violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as an advocate for the rights of women and the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. Dr. Bethany Haley and Quincee Gideon from Nashville nonprofit eXile International, along with Marie-Aimee Abizera from African Leadership Refugee Ministry, passed out stones prior to the screening, explaining that the stone represents the burden of unforgiveness. Following the panel discussion with Haley, Gideon and Abizera, audience members were encouraged to release their stones in a basket next to a candle that symbolized hope or renewal.
Prior to the screening, Haley, Gideon and Abizera informally led the forgiveness exercise while audience members mingled over refreshments outside the auditorium. Community Cinema coordinator Allison Inman introduced Nashville Public Television’s Joe Pagetta, who promoted the Nashville Film Festival’s upcoming screening of “Fambul Tok,” a documentary about formal forgiveness and reconciliation ceremonies in Sierra Leone. NPT’s president and CEO, Beth Curley, announced a new public media initiative from ITVS and PBS targeting issues affecting girls and women globally. During the panel discussion, Curley also pointed audience members to NPT’s ongoing “Next Door Neighbors” series, which tells the stories of Nashville’s immigrant communities.
Dr. Bethany Haley of eXile International discusses the insiduousness of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo by Frank Keesee.
Marie-Aimee Abizera, a survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, encourages the audience to get to know the immigrants and refugees in their community. Photo by Frank Keesee.
eXile International displayed art made by war-affected children in the DR Congo. Photo by Frank Keesee.
Marie-Aimee Abizera passes out stones to the audience in an exercise on forgiveness. Photo by Frank Keesee.
The broadcast premiere of “Pushing the Elephant” is today (March 29) at 9 p.m. on Independent Lens.
More than 100 people joined us at the downtown Nashville Public Library on January 22 for our screening of Jim Bigham and Mark Moormann’s inspiring documentary For Once in My Life. Thanks to all who came out! And special thanks to event partners Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.
Guests enjoyed snacks at a reception hosted by the Nashville Public Library Foundation, and music by theVSA/Blair Dulcimer Choir, which features local youth, including students on the autism spectrum. ITVS Community Cinema organizer Allison Inman welcome the audience, as did Nashville Film Festival executive director Sallie Mayne. Following the screening, audience members engaged with a panel comprised of disability advocate Lorre Mendelson, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee’s Career Solutions development director Debbie Grant and music therapist Tina Haynes. Vicki Yates of NewsChannel5 moderated.
Photos by volunteer photographer extraordinaire Frank Keesee and and NPT/NaFF’s Joe Pagetta as indicated.
Panelists from left: music therapist Tina Haynes; moderator Vicki Yates of NewsChannel5; disability advocate Lorre Mendelson and Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee's Career Solutions development director Debbie Grant. Photo by Frank Keesee.
Photo by Frank Keesee
Photo by Frank Keesee
Tara Bumgarner and ITVS Community Cinema coordinator Allison Inman. Photo by Joe Pagetta
Photo by Joe Pagetta
Suzanne Kay-Pittman and Niketa Hailey-Hill of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. Photo by Joe Pagetta
Photo by Frank Keesee
NPT's Joe Pagetta. Photo by Frank Keesee
Sunshine! Photo by Joe Pagetta
Photo by Joe Pagetta
Robert Meyers and Nashville Film Festival's Sallie Mayne. Photo by Joe Pagetta
The VSA/Blair Dulcimer Choir. Photo by Frank Keesee
Nothing makes me cringe like hearing a typically thoughtful friend mutter the “R-word.” It seems like the ugly word has made a comeback in recent years, just when I thought it was gone for good. Surely people don’t realize the hurt the word can cause to people who have, or care about someone who has, an intellectual disability.
Working on screenings for the January Community Cinema film, For Once in My Life, about musicians with disabilities, I learned about the Special Olympics/Best Buddies “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. They’re rallying people to stop the derogatory use of the words “retarded” and “retard,” and they’ve already got more than 146,000 pledges.
Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame joined the cause. Here’s what he has to say about it.
Will you take the pledge to help stop the use of the R-word?
I took the pledge to force myself to be more vocal about it. Hope you will too.
We love our Community Cinema panel discussions, but this month’s film calls for something different. The Calling — which tells the story of four people studying to become religious leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths — is 80 minutes instead of our usual 60, so we don’t have enough time at the end for a quality discussion before the library closes. Instead we’re offering an hour-long, pre-screening reception featuring foods from various faith traditions. Our hope is that the interfaith dialogue we were seeking can happen more casually — over food!
The Calling will screen Saturday, December 18, at 3 p.m. at Nashville Public Library’s main branch in the auditorium. The interfaith reception will start at 2 p.m. in the library gallery, adjacent to the auditorium (both are found down the hall past the elevators on the mail level).
Danny Alpert’s The Calling is a four-hour special that will air on PBS’ Independent Lens Monday, December 20, and Tuesday, December 21, 8-10 p.m. The complete series profiles seven young Americans — Christian, Muslim and Jewish — who are part of a new generation of religious leaders. The series follows them as they navigate the challenges of training and face the inevitable doubts and setbacks.
The abridged Community Cinema version, which we’ll screen on December 18 at the library, focuses on four of the seven characters: Rob Pene, a Samoan studying at the Haggard School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University; Shmuly Yanklowitz, a student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in Riverdale, New York; Tahera Ahmad, an outspoken young Muslim scholar, schoolteacher, and student in Hartford Seminary’s Muslim Chaplaincy program in Connecticut; and Steven Gamez, who recently became a pastor at St. Philip of Jesus Catholic Church in San Antonio.
If you’d like to attend the free screening of The Calling December 18, please RSVP to Allison Inman at allison_inman@itvs.org by December 15 to help us with food planning. Audio description and closed captioning for the film are available by request — also by December 15. We are working hard to make our screenings more accessible. Email or call 615-585-8321.
Did you know that your power in Nashville comes from coal extracted by mountaintop removal mining? I learned this by entering my zip code on the website for Community Cinema’s November film, Deep Down. Try it yourself here.
Exploring the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining through the citizens of Maytown, Kentucky, Deep Down shows why some locals defend coal companies and the jobs they bring despite the consequences of strip mining on the land they love. Deep Down is the story of two friends, Terry Ratliff and Beverly May, who find themselves in the middle of a local debate when a coal company moves in. Wise to the effects of strip mining on the land, water, and health of the people, Beverly leads a group of citizens against the company while Terry seriously considers an offer to buy his land for mining. Beverly pleads for her neighbors to help her preserve the profoundly rich resources of the Appalachian mountains while they argue that mining is their livelihood, plain and simple.
Deep Down screens Saturday, November 6, at 3 p.m. at Nashville Public Library’s downtown branch (615 Church St.). At 2:30, we’ll host a free reception with refreshments and a demo from Kilowatt Ours on saving energy in the home.
We’re lucky in Nashville to have Deep Down filmmaker Sally Rubin joining us from Los Angeles for a panel discussion after the film. Also on the panel are:
Sally Rubin is also attending an event Friday, November 5, at David Lipscomb University called “God’s Mountains: Faith, Justice, and Mountaintop Removal,” where she’ll show the film to area faith leaders who are interested in environmental issues. Deep Down’s faith-based outreach program features materials faith leaders can take to their communities to educate and inspire members about the issues of mountaintop removal and creation care. Lipscomb University will show the film for students (and the public) Wednesday, November 10, at 8:30 p.m. at Shamblin Theatre as part of the university’s HumanDocs film series.
Hope to see you Saturday at the library! No RSVP needed. Seating is first come, first served.
If you’re joining us on Saturday, October 30 for the Community Cinema Nashville screening of REEL INJUN: ON THE TRAIL OF THE HOLLYWOOD INDIAN, you’ll be treated to what is sure to be an engaging post-screening discussion.
Joining us for the post-screening discussion will be: Bill Miller, Grammy-winning Native American recording artist, painter and speaker Dr. Daniel Usner, Jr., professor of American Indian history at Vanderbilt University (moderator) Chanda Joesph, Bureau of Indian Affairs Albert Bender, Cherokee historian, activist and writer JJ Kent, Lakota recording artist, storyteller and cultural educator
The screening of REEL INJUN: ON THE TRAIL OF THE HOLLYWOOD INDIAN takes place Saturday, October 30, 3 p.m. Get there early for a 2:30 p.m. reception hosted by the Nashville Public Library Foundation.
Nashville Public Library
615 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37219
Screening is FREE and open to the public
The 2010-11 Community Cinema Nashville Schedule is now available. Visit the “2010-11 Schedule” in the main menu.
Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian By Neil Diamond Kemosabe? Loincloths, fringed pants, and feather headdresses? Heap big stereotypes. Reel Injun is an entertaining trip through the evolution of North American Native people (“The Indians”) as portrayed in famous Hollywood movies, from the silent era to today. Jim Jarmusch, Clint Eastwood, Graham Greene, John Trudell and others provide insights into the often demeaning and occasionally hilariously absurd stereotypes perpetuated on the big screen through Hollywood’s history. Saturday, October 30, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Deep Down By Sally Rubin and Jen Gilomen Beverly May and Terry Ratliff grew up on opposite sides of a mountain ridge in eastern Kentucky, where coal is king. When a mountaintop removal coal mine encroaches on their community, the two find themselves on opposite sides of a debate that divides their community and the world — who controls, consumes, and benefits from the planet’s dwindling supply of natural resources? In a small town in dire economic straits and high unemployment, the coal company’s offer to buy land and provide jobs can be hard to resist. What can a community do when it must choose between its present and its future? Saturday, November 6, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
The Calling Danny Alpert, Series Director A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans — Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim — preparing to become the nation’s next generation of religious leaders, The Calling explores the forces that are drawing a new generation of young people to serve their communities and their faith. The Calling offers entertaining, often surprising stories on how faith is lived in a modern, largely secular world. Saturday, December 18, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
For Once In My Life By Jim Bigham For Once in My Life is the story of a unique band of singers and musicians, and their journey to show the world the greatness – and killer soundtrack – within each of them. The 28 band members have a wide range of mental and physical disabilities, as well as musical abilities that extend into ranges of pure genius. In a cinema vérite style, the film explores the struggles and triumphs, and the healing power of music, as the band members’ unique talents are nurtured to challenge the world’s perceptions. Saturday, January 22, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story By Daniel BirmanCyntoia Brown was an average teenager in Nashville, Tennessee. But a series of bad decisions led the 16-year-old into a situation that ended with her killing a man who had picked her up for sex. She was sentenced to life in a Tennessee prison, meaning, in her case, that she will serve a minimum of 51 years. This film challenges our assumptions about violence and explores how factors such as biology and family history can doom some young people from the start. Saturday, February 26, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Pushing the Elephant By Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel When civil war came to Rose Mapendo’s Congolese village, she was separated from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. Rose managed to escape with nine of her 10 children and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. More than a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the U.S. where they must come to terms with the past and build a new future. Saturday, March 26, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Bhutto By Duane Baughman As the first woman to lead an Islamic nation, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s life story unfolds like a tale of Shakespearean dimensions. She evolved from pampered princess to polarizing politician in the most dangerous country on Earth. Accused of rampant corruption, imprisoned, then exiled abroad, Bhutto was called back to Pakistan as her country’s best hope for democracy. Struck down by assassins, her untimely death sent shock waves throughout the world, transforming Bhutto from political messiah to martyr in the eyes of millions around the world. Saturday, April 23, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Welcome To Shelbyville By Kim A. Snyder Set in the heart of America’s Bible Belt, Welcome to Shelbyville focuses on the citizens of Shelbyville, Tennessee, as they grapple with rapid demographic change and issues of immigrant integration. The film captures the complexity of the African American, Latino, white, and Somali subjects as their lives intertwine against the backdrop of a crumbling economy and the election of a new president. Saturday, May 14, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Two Spirits By Lydia Nibley Fred Martinez was one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at 16. Two Spirits explores the life and death of a boy who was also a girl, and the essentially spiritual nature of gender. Saturday, June 11, 3 p.m. (2:30 reception)
Screenings will be held at Nashville Public Library’s Main Branch, located 615 Church Street in downtown Nashville. All screenings are free and open to the public.
Community Cinema is presented locally by NPT, Nashville Public Library, Hands On Nashville, and Nashville Film Festival.
The group got an overview of the initiative from Nashville Public Television (NPT) president and CEO Beth Curley, and watched clips from this season’s Community Cinema season films that are part of Women and Girls Lead. Together with NPT, I invited those assembled to get involved by partnering on Women and Girls Lead films, taking advantage of free educational tools, tuning into Independent Lens this season, and hosting community discussions. I invite you to the same, and ask that you join our Facebook community page, Women and Girls Lead Nashville, for updates.
After the luncheon, we officially opened our Community Cinema season with Peace Unveiled, an unsettling but ultimately inspiring documentary about Afghan women fighting for a seat at the negotiating table between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Instead of a panel discussion, we heard from Elizabeth Barger, cofounder of CODEPINK, a women-led grassroots peace and social justice movement, and Judy Meeker, another CODEPINK cofounder and founder or More Than Warmth, a quilt project that promotes friendship with nations at war and provides opportunities for cultural understanding among children worldwide.
Rounding out the season are “Deaf Jam” (Judy Lieff / USA); “We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân” (Anne Makepeace / USA); “More Than A Month” (Shukree Hassan Tilghman / USA); “Revenge of the Electric Car;” (Chris Paine / USA); and “Hell and Back Again” (Danfung Dennis / USA, UK, Afghanistan).
