|
Bioneers Summer Film Series June 30, 2006 This past winter the successful Bioneers Film Series was met with deep appreciation by winter snowbirds and San Miguel residents alike. Participants expressed their appreciation for learning about the many hopeful things happening to create a sustainable future. The film series is held so that people can see that there are positive steps to address the looming problems of a dire future. Ecology, education, economics, alternative science, democracy, global warming, globalization, energy alternatives, free press and indigenous wisdom are some of the themes addressed in the annual Bioneers Conference. Starting on Tuesday, July 4, a film in the Summer Bioneers Series will be shown each Tuesday at 5pm at the library’s Teatro Santa Ana. Each film is about 45 minutes long and is followed by a “Conversation Café” for those who wish to stay and discuss the film. The Summer Series starts off with a film featuring Thom Hartmann, a 20th-century Renaissance man in the genre of his “mentor,” Thomas Jefferson. Hartmann hosts a nationally syndicated radio talk show and is a renowned innovator in the fields of psychiatry, ecology and economics. He is also the best-selling author of 14 books, imcluding his latest, What Would Jefferson Do? From his background in psychiatry, Hartmann was involved in the beginnings of NLP, neuro-linguistic programming. He has applied his experience and knowledge in this field to the current state of “democracy” in the United States. He is concerned about the health and vitality of democracy in the US, and he speaks to the influence of NLP in the origin of the Republican think tanks. He explains how the Republican infrastructure has used NLP to “own” the framing of the political debate over the past 20 years. He persuasively makes the case for the necessity of the average citizen to understand the history and current status of “framing the debate.” According to Hartmann, understanding the “frame” is the key to having a genuine dialogue that is crucial to the health of democracy. Bioneers Summer Film Series, Thom Hartmann Tuesday, July 4, 5pm, Teatro Santa Ana, Insurgentes 25, 40 pesos The Center for Global Justice kicks off its summer film series on Thursday, July 6, with the screening of Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room. Based on the best-selling book by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, the film is a true crime story of arrogance, intolerance and greed by co-conspirators Kenneth Lay, Jeffery Skilling and CFO Andy Fastnow, who perpetrated one of American history’s most odious business scandals. It tells the story of how Enron went from 65 billion dollars in assets to total bankruptcy in 24 days, costing investors everything and leaving thousands of employees jobless and stripped of their pension benefits. We see how the villainous powerbrokers worked behind the scenes to divert company profit to personal accounts and manipulated earnings while marketing themselves as the decade’s biggest success story. Narrated by Peter Coyote, the exposé features insider accounts and incendiary corporate audio and videotapes that will have viewers’ blood boiling. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, presented by Center for Global Justice Thursday, July 6, 3pm, Teatro Santa Ana, Insurgentes 25, 50 pesos Cinemateca José Luis’s Pick and Tips: This week’s pick: Mad Hot Ballroom Watching the kids dance is irresistible, but director Marilyn Agrelo is sensitive to the full complex of emotions invoked by the competition. It's a dynamic snapshot of youth in the big city, of kids who talk tough and act up but savor the discipline and structure of their dance classes. Clearly, the dance lessons are life lessons as well, nurturing self-confidence, team spirit, the joy of dancing and even a slight touch of Old World etiquette in a world that otherwise is too busy to be courteous. The tips: In order to be able to provide the best viewing experience, the show times for some movies may be adjusted to accommodate their length. Be sure to check the schedule carefully. Also, please remember the new ticket price of 50 pesos. Discount cards are 400 pesos for 10 shows. On Monday after 4pm buy your tickets for any selection of the week. Don’t take the risk of being locked out! Nos vemos en el Cine…. Lila Says (Lila dit ça, 2005) Monday, July 3, 3pm Wednesday, July 5, 7:30pm French with English subtitles, 89 minutes Director: Ziad Doueiri Based on a controversial French novel, Lila Says tells the story of a quiet young poet named Chimo (Mohammed Khouas) who develops a crush on the pretty, blond Lila (Vahina Giacante), a girl who recently moved into his Arab ghetto with her aunt. When the leader of a rival gang also falls for Lila, the ensuing love triangle initiates a journey of sexual discovery and sets off a chain of devastating events. The War Within (2005) Tuesday, July 4, 7pm English, 93 minutes Director: Joseph Castelo After he is mistakenly arrested on suspicion of terrorism, Hassan (Ayad Akhtar), a Pakistani student, is so angry and offended that he joins the ranks of a New York-based terrorist cell that's planning an attack. But keeping his new life secret from his former best friend, Sayeed—who is living the American Dream in New Jersey—proves difficult, especially after Hassan falls in love with Sayeed's sister (Nandana Sen). Cultural Matinee Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (2003) Wednesday, July 5, noon This amazing documentary from Thomas Riedelsheimer won the Golden Gate Award Grand Prize for Best Documentary at the 2003 San Francisco International Film Festival. The film follows renowned sculptor Andy Goldsworthy as he creates with ice, driftwood, bracken, leaves, stone, dirt and snow in open fields, beaches, rivers, creeks and forests. With each new creation, he carefully studies the energetic flow and transitory nature of his work. Cinema for Mexican Youth La Misión (The Mission, 1986) Wednesday, July 5, 5pm English with Spanish subtitles, 125 minutes Director: Roland Joffe A Jesuit missionary (Jeremy Irons) establishes a church in the hostile jungles of Brazil (circa 1750) and then finds his work converting the Rain Forest Indians threatened by greed and political forces among his superiors. Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro) is a heartless soldier who kills his own brother and then convinces Irons's missionary to oversee his penance and conversion to the clergy. Won the 1987 Oscar for best cinematography. Global Justice Feature Film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Thursday, July 6, 3pm English, 109 minutes Director: Alex Gibney Based on the best-selling book by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, Enron is a true crime story of arrogance, intolerance and greed by co-conspirators Kenneth Lay, Jeffery Skilling and CFO Andy Fastnow, who perpetrated one of American history's most odious business scandals. ABC Africa (2002) Thursday, July 6, 6pm Friday, July 7, 4pm Farsi with English subtitles, 84 minutes Director: Abbas Kiarostami Over the course of a 10-day visit to Uganda, director Abbas Kiarostami captures the faces of a thousand orphans. Although this documentary about the ravages of AIDS and civil war in the African nation may seem a bit radical, one of the most remarkable things about the film is the way Iran's most celebrated auteur makes such weighty material his own, forging a work that plays like a visual poem and is a testament to Africa's unquenchable spirit. Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) Friday, July 7, 6pm Monday, July 10, 3pm English, 120 minutes Director: Marilyn Agrelo Ballroom dancing goes from lame to cool for a group of New York City public school kids in this insightful documentary. The film follows a group of 11-year-olds as they learn to dance old-school styles including the merengue, rumba, tango, foxtrot and swing. Candid interviews capture the kids’ initial reluctance at learning ballroom dance and their transformation into serious competitors determined to win a citywide competition. Kids’ Cartoons Saturday, July 8, 1pm Free Musical Saturdays Resume! Video Opera: Tosca Saturday, July 8, 2:30 pm |