THURSDAY – City College
THURSDAY – SEPTEMBER 11
AARON DAVIS HALL
CITY COLLEGE
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
Hi Noon – 12 PM
CHANGING FACE OF HARLEM
Shawn Batey (US, 62 min) Harlem Spotlight
2014
Told through the personal accounts of residents, business owners, politicians, developers, and clergy, CHANGING FACE explores the development and transition of the historic Black community over a ten- year span. The film tackles the pressing issues of class and cultural preservation as the neighborhood struggles to change for the better.
Watch the trailer: http://changingfaceofharlem.com/video-clips/
Preceded by
LIVING JAZZ WITH BILL SAXTON
Indrani Kopal (US, 10 min) Harlem Spotlight
Bill Saxton, a veteran saxophonist and the establishment of his intimate Jazz Club on what was once called ‘Swing Stree’ – Bill’s Place at 133rd Street in Harlem, NYC.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfRfLi4kUsY
and
RHYTHMS OF RESISTANCE
Jason O’Hara (Brazil, 29 min)
Rio de Janeiro introduces a controversial policing program (UPP) in the favelas. The Police murder two young boys in cold blood. Another officer protests, disappears, and is found murdered hours later. Artists in the communities resist against police brutality and social exclusion through their music and performance art, questioning the rhetoric of pacification and to what extent the UPPs are intensifying the criminalization of poverty.
Watch the trailer: http://rhythmsofresistance.info/?page_id=22
Q&A with the filmmakers follows
2:30 PM
101 CHODYANGAL / 101 QUESTIONS
Sidhartha Siva (India, 106 min) US Premiere
2013
A fifth grader is given an assignment to come up with 101 questions. He struggles with this task learning about the complexities of nature as his father, a factory employee, struggles with the ills of human nature.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKQIpzT_4OM
Preceded by
ONE QUESTION
Anthony Di Salvo (US, 8 min)
35 persons with developmental disabilities answer the same single question: If you can change one thing about yourself, what would you change? The production crew for this remarkable film included eight people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
and
WALK WITH ME
Timothy Offor (US, 5 min) New York Premiere
A young African American college student attempting to overcome stereotypes ironically falls victim to them.
4:30 PM
MAGKAKABAUNG / THE COFFIN MAKER
Jason Paul Laxamana (Philippines, 103 min) East Coast Premiere
2014
A single father is plagued by how to keep his job and care for his young daughter.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jnpKpN8wgU
Preceded by
LA DONNA
Nicolas Dolensky (Argentina, 14 min)
Three people engaged in a night of make believe and seduction.
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb_ahExFrJE
Q&A with the filmmakers follows
7 PM
THE COOLER BANDITS
John Lucas(US, 100 min) New York Premiere
2014
Over 2 decades ago, a group of teenagers made the poor choice to engage in a series of robberies, not understanding that the serious consequences of their actions would alter the rest of their lives.
Although no one was physically injured they received stiff prison sentences of up to 500 years.
This film follows the captivating journey of four friends in four stages of incarceration, struggling to confront their future after two decades of imprisonment. The film humanizes the staggering statistics of African-American men branded Felon for life.
Watch the trailer: http://coolerbandits.com/
Preceded by
COALITION FOR WOMEN PRISONERS: HARLEM NYC
Melanie Hibbert (US, 12 min) World Premiere
This short documentary features interviews, photographs, and found footage of members of an advocacy group in Harlem that works on issues related to women in prison. The speakers range from lawyers to non-profit directors to volunteers to formerly incarcerated women. These speakers highlight current issues facing women in the correctional justice system.
and
THE GAME CHANGER
Indrani Kopal (US, 17 min) East Coast Premiere
Every Sunday afternoon for the last seven years, Susan Slotnick has driven an hour up the mountains to the Woodbourne Correctional Facility, a medium security prison for men, to teach modern dance. The lives of men whom she touched have never been the same since. This is her story.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJv8Z-_BWKQ