Dhera Strauss, the president of the Kalamazoo Film Society, and long-term member Madeline Cimini spoke with Cara Lieurance about the four short films, available to view for free, which will be discussed on Sunday, Jul 26 at 7 pm in a Zoom meeting of Film Society members. Non-members are invited to request access by email.
When Celebration Cinema, the Kalamazoo Film Society's current presenting partner, is able to open again, Strauss says they plan to offer four films in response to the Black Lives Matter movement., including I Am Not Your Negro; Just Mercy; Do The Right Thing, and Blindspotting. No admission will be charged for these films.
From the Kalamazoo Film Society website:
Preston’s Gone (10m15s) Army veteran, Preston Thornton was experiencing paranoid delusions at his home. After calling the Veteran’s Crisis line, deputies arrived to transport Preston to a hospital, and tragedy followed. The film asks how a veteran ended up dead and what could have been done to prevent his death. The answers lead to a broken mental health care system that’s failing Louisiana’s most vulnerable residents. Note: this film contains graphic real life violence.
In This Family (12m22s) Ten years after being outed by his teacher, a gay man revisits raw audio recordings of his Filipino family’s reactions. With grace, charm and a forgiving heart, Drama Del Rosario recounts his journey from would-be singer to acclaimed documentary filmmaker.
Beep (8m47s) An elderly man searches trash sites looking for machines to repair. One day he finds a small robot, and they return to his dusty workshop. There, they listen to Latin music as the robot helps repair the broken paraphernalia…and tries to fix his new friend.
We Gon’ Be Alright (8m23s) Historian and music critic, Jeff Chang visits East Palo Alto, a historically Black and Latino community in the heart of Silicon Valley. There, he hangs out with rapper, dancer and performer Isaiah Phillips (a.k.a. Randy McPhly), who appeared in Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” video. They tour the area and talk about the domino effects of gentrification
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