Rural America has a rude awakening,
June 1, 2007
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Film and talk From Defense to Offense: Challenging Corporate Rule Tues, June 12, 3–4pm Santa Ana Theater Biblioteca Pública Insurgentes 25 50 pesos |
A short film will be shown by local resident Georgeanne Johnson, called From Defense to Offense: Challenging Corporate Rule will be shown Tuesday, June12. It features environmental lawyer Thomas Linzey who speaks about “we the people” and the erosion of rights and presents the premise that “conservative rural America is waking up to the fact that their local community’s rights to govern have been nullified by the rights of corporations.”
For the past two years Johnson has been following lawyer Thomas Linzey’s work with the environment and the “democracy schools.”
Through one of San Miguel’s “coincidence moments,” she met a new San Miguel resident, Anneke Campbell, who told her about a Town Hall Meeting in tiny Rustburg, Va. Campbell and her husband, both documentary film makers, were going to Rustburg to film a town hall meeting which promised to be one of the new genre of town hall meetings taking place in rural Pennsylvania and Virginia. Two weeks later, intrigued by the possibility of witnessing grassroots “revolution” in action, Johnson rendezvoused with Campbell and husband, Jeremy Kagan, in the parking lot of the Rustburg High School.
After the film Johnson will speak of her experiences attending a “democracy school” in rural Virginia. Informational handouts will be available at the screening
Tibetan Buddhist film festival
| Mon, June 4–Fri, June 8 Teatro Santa Ana Biblioteca Pública Insurgentes 25 |
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During the week of June 4–8 there is a great opportunity to discover the history, cultural and spiritual traditions and present reality of Tibet and Tibetans. From the “Land of the Snows,” the Tibetans were driven from their birthplace and dispersed throughout the world due to the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959. Although the Tibetans lost control of their homeland, the world has gained the possibility of experiencing a wealth of spiritual practices, techniques and ceremonies which can be used in everyday life.
The 2nd Tibetan Film Festival in San Miguel is a prelude to a tour of Tibetan Gelupa Monks coming to San Miguel June 15–24. It is also a reminder that Tibetan Buddhist groups exist in town. On Tuesday, June 5 a member of Shambhala Training International presents two films and talks about the programs available in Mexico. The films are The Three Prajnas by Sakyong Mipham, the head of the Shambhala lineage, and Words of My Perfect Teacher, created by Dzongar Khyentse Norbu. He is a renowned Buddhist master and monk whose feature films The Cup and Travellers and Magicians have had resounding international success. Music is by Sting and Eva Casidy, and Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Segal also appear. For further information, see
www.bibliotecasma.com.
“Cinemateca Programación para la semana del 4 al 10 de Junio 2006”
José Luis Pick’n’tip:
The Picks:
Tibetan Buddhist Film Festival
During the week of June 4–8 there is a great opportunity to discover the history, cultural and spiritual traditions and present reality of Tibet and Tibetans. From the “Land of the Snows,” the Tibetans were driven from their birth place and dispersed throughout the world due to the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959. Although the Tibetans lost control of their homeland the world has gained the possibility to experience a wealth of spiritual practices, techniques and ceremonies that can be used in everyday life. This 2nd Tibetan Film Festival in San Miguel is a prelude to a tour of Tibetan Gelupa Monks coming to San Miguel June 15–24.
The Tip:
Important:
In order 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. I also want to remind you of our new ticket price; 50 pesos and discount cards for 12 shows are available for 450 pesos.
Starting Monday, after noon, buy your tickets in advance for any movie or show of the week. If you have a discount card, collect your pass to assure you get a seat; don’t take the risk of being locked out…. Nos vemos en el Cine….
You want to receive this info by email? Write to José Luis at alephamour@hotmail.com.
Thank you.
The Movies:
Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia 2007)
Tuesday, June 5 at 7:30pm
Chinese Drama, Chinese with English subtitles, 114 minutes
Director: Yimou Zhang
Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Ye Liu, Gong Li, Dahong Ni, Jay Chou
This lavish film from landmark director Yimou Zhang follows the romantic intrigue and political machinations in the house of the Emperor Ping (Chow Yun Fat) and his ailing wife (Li Gong). Even their children are swept into their secret passions and schemes to power, but will their reign end in a bloody coup? Sumptuous costumes and dazzling martial arts form the backdrop for this complex tale of loyalty and deception, love and betrayal.
La Bouche (1999)
Wednesday, June 6 at 7:30pm
French Comedies, French with English subtitles, 104 minutes
Director: Daniele Thompson
Cast: Sabine Azema, Emmanuelle Béart, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Francoise Fabian
If you liked Home for Holidays, then La Bouche should be added to your list of movies to see. In this light French comedy from screenwriter-turned-director Daniele Thompson, three daughters scheme to reunite their parents, who divorced 25 years ago and haven’t spoken to each other since. It’s a Christmas dinner that will give every person from a dysfunctional family a nod of acknowledgement and many laughs.
Kids Movie series
Saturday, June 9 at noon
For 8 and unders meet in the Sala Infantil and over 8s meet in Teatro Santa Ana.
Free entrance, theater capacity.
Musical Saturdays:
Will resume in Winter
Tibetan Buddhist Film Festival
Buddha’s Lost Children
Monday, June 4 at 3pm.
English subtitles, 120
This true story really is as the caption says: “a breathtaking true story of compassion and tough love.” Even if you have no passion for Buddhism or Thailand, as one might expect you’d need to have, this film is a must see. This little community, in the remote hills of Northern Thailand, is not portrayed as exotic and alien, but instead brought to life with a pallet of our most familiar human emotions. Mark Verkerk follows their struggles and joys through an observational style of storytelling, allowing you to look and discover for yourself this spectacular world. In this way you are given an insight into the lives of not only the fascinating character of the Abbot Phra Kru Ba, but more importantly into the lives of the novices; the lost children of this troubled border region. You can hardly not be moved by this gorgeous portrait. These characters, undoubtedly, will enrich your life with their joy for life, compassion, strength, wisdom and stunning smiles.”
Vajra Sky over Tibet
Monday, June 4 at 5pm.
English, 87 minutes
Vajra Sky over Tibet, a documentary feature, is a cinematic pilgrimage to some of the most revered venues and festivals still surviving in Tibet. This poignant journey bears witness to the indomitable faith of its endangered Buddhist community and the imminent threat to its very survival. The vastness of the Tibetan sky, reflecting snowy mountains, rushing rivers, and turquoise lakes, leads the journey west. Tibetans respond to the denial of the human right to practice one’s religion without interference with a defiant devotion. As interviews were not appropriate because of likely retribution, Vajra Sky employs the evocative voices of Tenzin Choegyal and Dadon, both Tibetans in exile. Many of Tibet’s most legendary musicians and singers are featured in the compelling soundtrack.
The 3 Prajnas
The Three Prajnas: Hearing, Contemplating & Meditating
Tuesday, June 5 at noon
English, 115 minutes
Sakyong Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche
Mipham Rinpoche explores the three-fold process of coming into the stream of Buddhist teachings and meditation with an audience of new and seasoned meditators.
Himalaya
Tuesday, June 5 at 3pm
English, 104 minutes
Set against some of the most spectacular scenery ever seen on film, Himalaya tells the story of a generational struggle for the leadership of a tiny mountain village between its proud old chief and a headstrong young caravaner. The balance of power shifts uneasily as they make their annual salt trek across the Himalayas.
Director Eric Valli is a photographer and an author whose work is regularly published in National Geographic, Geo, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, and Life. He has been living in Nepal since 1983 and his first journey through the Dolpo (northwest region of Nepal) dates back to this period. He wrote several books about this country before shooting in 1997. In 1992, he was awarded the Gurka Dakshin Baho award from His Majesty the King of Nepal for his body of work on the country.
Words of My Perfect Teacher
Tuesday, June 5 at 5pm
English, 103 minutes
Dzongsar Khyentse Norbu is one of the world’s great Buddhist masters, but he is not your typical teacher. He is a cell-phone toting soccer-obsessed monk and film director whose feature films The Cup and Travellers and Magicians have been resounding international successes.
This is a poignant, often hilarious tale of students who follow Khyentse Norbu—a teacher who defies convention. Shot in the UK, Bhutan, Germany (where the monk meets the hooligans at a World Cup qualifying match), Canada and the US, the film features appearances by Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Segal and music by Sting, Joy Drop, Manu Chao, Eva Casidy, Laur Fugere and many others. Khyentse Norbu was born in a remote area of Bhutan in 1961 to a royal family of poets and yogis. At age seven, he was recognized as the third incarnation of the great Buddhist saint, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, but a glimpse of a Bollywood epic on TV irrevocably changed his life. In his own filmmaking, he relies on the ancient Buddhist divination system called ÒMoÓ to make key decisions on subjects such as film stock, production schedules and casting.
Samsara
Wednesday, June 6 at 2pm
English, 138 minutes
This is an exquisitely sensitive look at part of the life of a young lama(monk), and the choices he makes. It is a joy for anyone interested in Himalayan culture and religion. The photography of the extraordinary setting is moving, the soundtrack haunting, and the lead actors deeply touching in their portrayals. It took me a while to slow down and appreciate the rhythm of the film, as it is almost a meditation. R rated for explicit sexual scenes.
Good Medicine by Pema Chodron
Wednesday, June 6 at 5pm
English, 99 minutes
Buddhist teachings are rooted in the idea that the only appropriate response to pain and suffering, is compassion. This principle is embodied in the practices of mahayana Buddhism. Tonglen (taking and sending) meditation, covered in this workshop, is perhaps the most immediate and direct way to cultivate genuine compassion. The transformative practice of tonglen turns the tangles of aggression, ignorance and attachment into a remedy for the suffering of all beings. Tonglen reduces the amount and density of suffering in the world, replacing it with unconditional spaciousness. This exchange takes place with the medium of the breath: suffering of self and others is taken in with the in-breath; relief is offered with the out-breath to whomever needs it. To do tonglen formally, or at the moment of encountering a painful or difficult situation, naturally changes the energy of the environment by replacing the dynamics of fear, grief, or anger with compassion.
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
Thursday, June 7 at 3pm
English, 104 minutes
Ten years in the making, this award-winning documentary was filmed during a remarkable nine journeys throughout Tibet, India and Nepal. Cry of the Snow Lion brings audiences to the long-forbidden “rooftop of the world” with an unprecedented richness of imagery… from rarely-seen rituals in remote monasteries, to horse races with Khamba warriors; from brothels and slums in the holy city of Lhasa, to the magnificent Himalayan peaks still traveled by nomadic yak caravans. The dark secrets of Tibet’s recent past are powerfully chronicled through riveting personal stories and interviews, and a collection of undercover and archival images never before assembled in one film. A definitive exploration of a legendary subject, Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion is an epic story of courage and compassion.
Milarepa
Thursday, June 7 at 5pm
English, 90 minutes
Milarepa tells the story of the formative years of Milarepa, an 11th century Tibetan poet and mystic and his journey from seeking revenge to enlightenment. Set in the magnificent Spiti Valley close to the border between India and Tibet, the film has spectacular cinematography and convincing performances. In the process of making the film, Chokling took in some 40 destitute young boys, many of them orphans, and used his film to help feed, house and care for the boys. Milarepa (1052-1135) is one of the most widely known Tibetan Saints. According to a blessing Milarepa uttered towards the end of his life, anyone who but hears the name Milarepa even once attracts an instant blessing and will not take rebirth in a lower state of existence during seven consecutive lifetimes.
As Chokling Rinpoche states, “His (Milarepa) story shows that the path to enlightenment is accessible to all and can be anyone's aspiration and realization.”
Tibet’s Stolen Child
Friday, June 8 at noon
English, 135 minutes
Tibet’s Stolen Child is a documentary film on the Panchen Lama.
A young boy, the Panchen Lama, is the center of a swirling storm of international controversy. Identified by the Dalai Lama as one of Tibet’s most important spiritual leaders, this child was kidnapped by the Chinese government just days after the Dalai Lama’s announcement.
A 60-minute documentary by Garthwait & Griffin Films, Inc. and the International Campaign for Tibet, Tibet’s Stolen Child shows how this is not only a story of Tibet and a small boy... it is a story of the world. Six Nobel Peace Laureates (His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Jose Ramos-Horta, Elie Wiesel, John Hume, and Mairead Maguire) and other moral and religious leaders from around the world examine this abduction. They share their own experience of intolerance and draw similarities to the current situation in Tibet. They discuss what happens when governments use persecution as a weapon. Set within a framework of the rights of children, comparative religion, social justice and peace studies, Tibet’s Stolen Child poses questions of basic humanity and its place within a world dominated by politics and economics.
Kundun
Friday, June 8 at 3pm
English, 135 minutes
The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as “Kundun,” which means “The Presence.” He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.
In 1937, in a remote area of Tibet close to the Chinese border, a two-year-old child is identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the compassionate Buddha. Two years later, the child is brought to Lhasa where he is schooled as a monk and as head of state amidst the color and pageantry of Tibetan culture. The film follows him into adulthood. When he is 14, the Chinese invade Tibet and he is forced into a shaky coalition government; he travels to China to meet with a cynical Mao; and, finally, in 1959, ill and under siege, he flees to India. Throughout, he has visions of his people’s slaughter under Chinese rule.