We believe watching a good film can change your life
We believe some films are made to be discussed
* Recommended Events
April 24th – 7pm
One Voice – Grand Lake Theater (Oakland Premiere)
We are honored to be a community partner for the Oakland Premiere of ONE VOICE: The Story of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir directed by Spencer Wilkinson and featuring original music by Terrance Kelly – Film Screening, Q&A and Live Performance by OIGC
*May 5th is 510 day at Lake Marriot
510 DAY!! A day to celebrate your love for THE TOWN and honor Oakland’s art, history, and culture!
*May 10th-12th – We Have Iré Theater Production
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater 700 Howard St. San Francisco, Ca
*May 11th Special Screening of Bakosó (SOLD OUT) – 5:30pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater 700 Howard St. San Francisco, Ca
May 14th – 8pm
Put Ya Fist Up! Short Films Series, 1255 7th St. Oakland, CA
Ballet and Bullets: Dancing Out of the Favela – A group of young ballerinas from one of the most violent favelas in Rio de Janeiro use dance to strive for a brighter future. (Director: Frederick Bernas, Rayan Hindi)
Ameya – 18-year-old artist and activist Ameya Marie fights for change through creating pieces that address topics such as police brutality, school shootings and misrepresentation of people of color in the media. (Director: Mackie Mallison)
Mariposas – Set in a universe of magical realism, a boastful father prattles on superficially about his daughter to another parent in the school pick up line, but is unable to perceive her when it matters most. (Director: Adrian Carey)
Fire in the basement – Elisa, Leo and Ramos are students in 1968 in a Mexico City on the verge of hosting Latin America´s first ever Olympic Games. They bond over a shared love of great coffee and great books, in particular the political writings of Marcuse. When the army bursts onto their Campus, there is a huge strike and the three young friends get involved in the burgeoning student protest movement. (Director: Eva Vazquez de Reoyo)
Fariseos – Ramiro, a young rarámuri, is arrested by the police in Ciudad Juárez. His body is discovered a few hours later. The struggle between good and evil, enacted by the rarámuris every Easter, is also embodied by Ramiro’s widow and her pursuit of justice. (Director: Angel Estrada Soto)
Story of a Baked Brownie – Narrated by a calming yet present female voice, and scored by the soulful beats of African drums, the vivid poem takes us from strength to strength as vital facets of our womanhood are intimately explored. Moreover, through their artistic personification, we are able to see the tenacity of women of color – that which has made us prevail beyond various constraints for centuries. (Director: Elelwani Netshifhire)
Tocumbo – In the heart of Mexico, a tiny ice cream shop serves up handcrafted love to their small community. Against all odds, a humble couple’s resolve to provide for their family pays off, one sweet tooth at a time. (Director: Carmen Velazquez Chagolla)
Tio Lino – Lino dedicates his life to teaching the youth of his Favela photography. His heart is so big his love feels tangible. (Director: Adrian Burrell)
*May 18th – Malcolm X Jazz and Arts Festival
Join EastSide Arts Alliance at the 19th Annual Malcolm X Jazz and Arts Festival! Featuring local musicians, poets, artist, vendors and community.
Performances By Avotcja and Modúpue, John Santos Quartet with special guest Bobi Cescedes and David Murray, Howard Wiley and Extra Nappy, Tribute to Aretha Franklin with Ms Faye Carol, Dwight Trible, La Favi, and Shavon Moore. Come enjoy the Dance Performances, kid zone and food court.
May 21st Short Films from Mama Africa
SEGA (Senegal) 24:05 When his efforts to reach Europe prove unsuccessful, Sega is thrust back to Dakar where he must now confront his family and friends and navigate his disappointment as well. Director- Idil Ibrahim
BURKINABE BOUNTY (Burkina Faso) 36:46 Burkinabè Bounty, a documentary from Cultures of Resistance Films, chronicles agricultural resistance and the fight for food sovereignty in Burkina Faso—a small, landlocked country in West Africa. Showcasing activist farmers, students, artists, and leaders in the local Slow Food movement, the film looks at how the Burkinabè people are reclaiming their land and defending their traditions against the encroachment of corporate agriculture. From women gaining economic independence by selling “dolo” beer, to youth marching in the streets against companies like Monsanto, to hip-hop musicians reviving the revolutionary spirit of Thomas Sankara, Burkinabè Bounty shows the creative tactics people are using to take back control of their food, seeds, and future. Director-
The Last Born (Malawi) 26:08 Set in Malawi, this is the story of the rise of an unexpected figure into chieftaincy and the battle for the salvation of underage girls from traditions that threaten their well being.
Director- Brian Antony Karani
MAMA BOBO (Senegal) 17min
Mama Bobo is a widow in her 80s. Day after day, she walks to the Gomis street bus stop in Dakar, Senegal. While sitting on the bus stop bench, she reminisces about her past life and her long-dead husband. One day, the bus stop disappears into thin air… Her family and neighbors try their best to get Mama Bobo back on her feet before it’s too late. Director – Robin Andelfinger, Ibrahima Seydi
Descendants (Barbados/England) 10:11 A young black filmmaker travels to England to confront the descendant of the man who enslaved her family in Barbados. Director – Paisley Sutton
Ingoma Nshya (Rwanda) 10:41 Ingoma Nshya short Doc is a double entendre in every sense of the word. It means new drums and at the same time new reign. It is the first women’s drumming group initiative in Rwanda to come of age and break the taboo against women drumming. Ingoma Nshya is actively involved in the development of culture in Rwanda with the aim of increasing the participation of women. This special group has the twin goals of healing and women’s empowerment by using positive methods to reconcile with the violent past of their country and personal tragedies. It is comprised of Rwandan women from all walks of life who have created, through their activities, a new and important female voice in the Rwandan cultural scene. For the women of Ingoma Nshya, culture is a driving force for their development that allows them to emerge from the devastation of the genocide, to create a new future and to dream of new possibilities for themselves and their country. Director – Jean Baptiste Nyabyenda
May 31st MOSSVILLE – When A Great Tree Falls
Mossville, Louisiana is a shadow of its former self – a community rich in natural resources and history, founded by formerly enslaved people, where neighbors lived in harmony, insulated from the horrors of Jim Crow. Today, however, Mossville no longer resembles the town it once was. Surrounded by 14 petrochemical plants, Mossville is the future site of apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol’s newest plant – a $21.2 billion project and the largest in the western hemisphere.
The community struggles to let go of their ancestral home – and at the center of it all is a man named Stacey Ryan. Stacey is 48 years old and a lifelong resident of Mossville. In the past ten years, Stacey has lost both parents to cancer and seen the neighborhood he grew up in demolished to make way for Sasol’s new multi-billion dollar project. He experiences these changes from the view of his parent’s home, a FEMA trailer smack in the middle of where the new Sasol facility is being built – and he refuses to leave. Having promised his dying parents to fight the sprawling chemical companies, Stacey struggles to keep his word as his power, water, and sewage are all cut off, and his health continues to decline from ongoing chemical exposure. His dilemma is a moral one, too: he has a 5-year-old son living nearby with the child’s mother that he wants to move out of state, yet for now, the pull of that promise to his parents keeps him living in the middle of a construction site. As Sasol encroaches on citizens’ property with buyout offers, Stacey and other community members have to decide whether to exist in a chemical war zone or abandon land that has been in their families for generations.
Director – Alexander John Glustrom