Deaf Jam

Saturday, October 15, 2011 • 2:30 PM & 3:30 PM • FREE
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Filmmaker Judy Lieff explores the beauty and power of American Sign Language (ASL) poetry in Deaf Jam, the story of deaf teen Aneta Brodski’s bold journey into the spoken word slam scene. Longing to explore and fully participate in the hearing world, Aneta dives into ASL poetry, a vibrant three-dimensional art form where body movements convey meaning. ASL poetry liberates a deaf poet from the confines of spoken language. There is no paper or text. Rhymes are measured in hand shapes and meter in movements. Images cut and dissolve as its verses transcend all spoken word. Learn more about this film.

We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân

Saturday, November 26, 2011 • 2:30 PM • FREE • Add to your calendar
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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. Learn more about this film.

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai

Saturday, December 17, 2011 • 2:30 PM • FREE • Add to your calendar
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Is it really possible for one person to change the world? In the case of Wangari Maathai, the answer is a resounding yes. Inspiring and uplifting, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai is the story of a woman whose stand for peace and justice was as strong and immovable as the trees she planted. The wisdom of Maathai was that she understood the intrinsic connection between her people and the natural environment, an environment that had dramatically eroded through decades of British colonialization, poverty, civil war, and the Kenyans’ own exploitation and mismanagement of resources. But by planting trees, Matthai and the rural women she worked with were able to restore not only the land, but also their culture, their heritage—even their lifeblood. Learn more about this film.

Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock

Saturday, January 14, 2012 • 2:30 PM • FREE • Add to your calendar
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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 who registered 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. Unconventional, revolutionary, and egotistical, Daisy Bates reaped the rewards of instant fame, but paid dearly for it. Learn more about this film.

More Than A Month

Saturday, February 11, 2012 • 2:30 PM • FREE • Add to your calendar
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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. Learn more about this film.

Revenge of the Electric Car

Saturday, March 17, 2012 • 2:30 PM • FREE • Add to your calendar
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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, Paine’s film offers an inspiring, entertaining and definitive account of this revolutionary moment in human transportation. Learn more about this film.

Hell and Back Again

Saturday, April 28, 2012 • 2:30 PM • FREE • Add to your calendar
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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. Will also be screened April 21 at the Festival. Learn more about this film.

Strong!

Saturday, May 19, 2011 • 2:30 PM • FREE• Add to your calendar
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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. Learn more about this film.