Tucson: Sundance Institute "FILM FORWARD" June 5-9, FREE ADMISSION! 10 Films

 

From: Pierce, Lisa Ann - (lisapierce) [mailto:lisapierce@email.arizona.edu]
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 2:57 PM
Subject: June 5-9, FREE ADMISSION!

 

Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that discovers and supports independent film and theatre artists from the U.S. and around the world, and introduces audiences to their new work.

FILM FORWARD: ADVANCING CULTURAL DIALOGUE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 26, 2011

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE TO BRING 10 FREE FILM SCREENINGS TO TUCSON,
PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LOFT CINEMA AND
TUCSON PIMA ARTS COUNCIL, JUNE 5- 9

FILM FORWARD: ADVANCING CULTURAL DIALOGUE PRESENTED WITH UNIVERSITY OF 
ARIZONA, TUCSON FILM OFFICE, YMCA OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA, TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART, 
DUNBAR SCHOOL PROJECT, TUCSON CHINESE CULTURA CENTER, PIMA COUNTY PUBLIC 
LIBRARY, TUCSON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER AND CINEMA LA PLACITA

Special Private Military Screening to be Held at Davis-Monthan U.S. Air Force Base
Filmmaker Q&A with Sundance Film Festival Favorites A Small Act and Winter’s Bone

TUCSON, ARIZONA -- Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue, an initiative of the nonprofit Sundance Institute created in partnership with U.S. federal cultural agencies, will present free screenings of 10 award-winning films throughout the city of Tucson, it was announced today by Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute. The free screenings will run Sunday, June 5 through Thursday, June 9 at a variety of locations, presented in conjunction with The Loft Cinema and the Tucson Pima

Arts Council.

A joint venture of Sundance Institute and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Film Forward connects contemporary U.S. and international films and filmmakers with diverse global audiences and features documentary and narrative films. To date, Film Forward has brought films and filmmakers to Tunisia, Turkey, Nashville, China, New York, Washington, D.C. and, most recently, Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

“Tucson is rich in diversity as well as one of the nation’s leaders in support of the arts. For three years its Loft Cinema has been a valuable partner in our mission-driven, community-based Art House Project,” said Putnam. “We are excited to see so many local cultural organizations embrace the Film Forward initiative and we are very much looking forward to five rewarding days of screenings and conversation,” Putnam added.

Descriptions of the 10 films can be found below. The five-day schedule of free events includes:

Sunday, June 5

7:00 p.m. Screening of A Small Act followed by Q&A with producer and cinematographer, Patricia Lee The Loft Cinema

3233 E. Speedway

www.loftcinema.com/FilmForward

7:30 p.m. Screening of Afghan Star Tucson Jewish Community Center 3800 East River Road

www.tucsonjcc.org/

Monday, June 6

12:00 p.m. Private screening of Winter’s Bone for military personnel followed by a Q&A with the film’s line producer, Kate Dean

Davis Monthan U.S. Air Force Base

1990 S Craycroft Road

http://www.dm.af.mil/

7:00 p.m. Screening of Winter’s Bone followed by a Q&A with the film’s line producer, Kate Dean The Loft Cinema

3233 E. Speedway

www.loftcinema.com/FilmForward

7:00 p.m. Screening of Freedom Riders with special guests University of Arizona student May Mgbolu, one of 40 students from throughout the nation who recently retraced the route of the 1961 Freedom Riders, and Jimmy Hart, Director of African American Studies for TUSD, with the special participation of YWCA Social Justice Project participants

The Dunbar Project

325 West 2nd Street

http://www.thedunbarproject.org/

Tuesday, June 7

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Free Filmmaker-to-Filmmaker Workshop with Patricia Lee, producer and cinematographer of A Small Act

Topic: Using dramatic narrative techniques in documentary filmmaking.

Joel D. Valdez Main Library

101 North Stone Avenue, Lower Level Meeting Room.

http://www.library.pima.gov/locations/main/

6:00 p.m. Screening of Son of Babylon

Joel D. Valdez Main Library

101 North Stone Avenue, Lower Level Meeting Room. http://www.library.pima.gov/locations/main/

7:00 p.m. Screening of BOY The Loft Cinema

3233 E. Speedway

www.loftcinema.com/FilmForward

Wednesday, June 8

7:00 p.m. Screening of Last Train Home Tucson Chinese Cultural Center

1288 West River Road.

http://www.tucsonchinese.org/TCCC.php

7:30 p.m. Screening of Udaan Tucson Museum of Art

140 N. Main Ave.

http://www.tucsonmuseumofart.org/

Thursday, June 9

7:00 p.m. Screening of Amreeka The Loft Cinema

3233 E. Speedway

www.loftcinema.com/FilmForward

8:00 p.m. Screening La Mission Cinema La Placita

110 S. Church Avenue

http://www.cinemalaplacita.com/

About the Films

The films to be screened in Tucson represent fresh explorations of universal themes. Boy, La Mission, Udaan and Winter’s Bone navigate the transition to adulthood and re-define family in broadly different circumstances; Amreeka and Last Train Home depict contemporary challenges of immigration for those seeking work and a better life; Afghan Star explores the story of youthful dreams and the clash of global pop culture in a traditional Muslim society; Son of Babylon focuses on the enduring nature of family love in a society decimated by war. Finally, A Small Act shows the impact of one individual’s choice to give, within a global context. Film Forward mirrors the diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints it promotes, underscoring the importance of mutual understanding and respect for other cultures and traditions that is at the heart of cultural exchange.

U.S.A. Arts Organizations

The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) bridges the interests of American federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation and excellence in the arts and humanities, and helps incorporate these disciplines into White House objectives. First Lady Michelle Obama is the Honorary Chairman of the PCAH.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The NEH is the nation’s leading supporter of research education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal grant making agency dedicated to creating strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The IMLS works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. www.sundance.org

The Loft Cinema

The Loft is a nonprofit, community-supported cinema that honors the vision of filmmakers, celebrates ideas and promotes the appreciation and understanding of the art of film. It is Tucson’s premiere venue for art films - independent, foreign, alternative and classic narrative films and documentaries. Since The Loft was purchased in 2002 and transitioned into a nonprofit arts organization, the cinema has hosted

more than 100 filmmakers and scholars and screened films from more than 50 countries. www.loftcinema.com

Tucson Pima Arts Council (TPAC)

The Tucson Pima Arts Council is the designated arts agency for the City of Tucson and Pima County. This year TPAC awarded more than $272,000 in grants to 52 arts organizations throughout the greater Tucson community. TPAC also oversees the public art programs for the city, county and other entities, including 14 projects completed and seven awarded during the past year. Other TPAC priorities include the community arts program, which serves neighborhoods and rural areas by funding residencies for professional artists and underserved youth. TPAC also presents the annual fall Open Studio Tour and the spring Lumie awards. TPAC advocates for and promotes arts and culture as a vital part of Southern Arizona. www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org

Film Forward Films

A Small Act / USA(Director: Jennifer Arnold)—A young Kenyan’s life changes dramatically when his education is sponsored by a Swedish stranger. Years later, he founded his own scholarship program to replicate the kindness he once received.

Afghan Star / Afghanistan/UK (Director: Havana Marking)—After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol has come to television in Afghanistan: millions are watching and voting for their favorite singer. This film follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they risk their lives to sing.

Amreeka / USA (Director and Screenwriter: Cherien Dabis)—When a divorced Palestinian woman and her teenage son move to rural Illinois, they find their new lives replete with challenges. Cast: Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Alia Shawkat, Joseph Ziegler.

Boy / New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Taika Waititi)—When his father returns home after many years away, 11-year-old Boy and his little brother Rocky must reconcile reality with the fantasy dad they created in their imagination. Cast: Taika Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone.

La Mission / USA (Director and Screenwriter: Peter Bratt); A traditional, Latino father in San Francisco's Mission District struggles to come to terms with his teenage son's homosexuality. Credited by Latino media as being both authentic and genuine to various aspects of American Hispanic cultures. Cast: Benjamin Bratt, Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Talisa Soto Bratt, Jesse Borrego.

Last Train Home / Canada (Director: Lixin Fan)—Getting a train ticket in China proves a towering ordeal as a migrant worker family embarks on a journey, along with 200 million other peasants to reunite with their distant family.

Son of Babylon / Iraq (Director: Mohamed Al Daradji; Screenwriters: Mohamed Al-Daradji, Jennifer Norridge, Mithal Ghazi) In the days after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a young Kurdish boy and his grandmother venture through Iraq on a quest to find their missing father/son. Cast: Yasser Talib, Shazda Hussein, Bashir Al-Majid.

Udaan / India (Director Vikramaditya Motwane; Screenwriter: Motwane)—Following his expulsion from boarding school, Rohan returns to the small industrial town of Jamshedpur. After 8 years away, he finds himself closeted with an authoritarian father and a younger half brother whom he didn’t even know existed. Udaan explores deep-rooted family dynamics and a triumph of the human spirit.

Cast: Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia, Ram Kapoor.

Winter’s Bone / USA (Director: Debra Granik; Screenwriters: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini)—An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her missing father while trying to keep her family intact. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan..

Cast: Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia, Ram Kapoor.

 

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