This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. DamNation’s majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.
Showing posts with label Liberty Brew View. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liberty Brew View. Show all posts
April 20, 2015
Earth week screening of DamNation in Springfield
A free screening of the award-winning documentary DamNation is happening in Springfield on Thursday, April 23, 7pm. The film will be followed by guest speaker, professor Clark Bullard, who will speak on the locally proposed Hunter Dam. The Liberty Brew & View screening is hosted with Prairie Rivers Network at the Capital City Bar & Grill theater dining room.
December 2, 2013
See Chasing Ice in Springfield, Wednesday, December 4
Liberty Brew & View is partnering with Springfield OFA for a free screening of Chasing Ice in Springfield this Wednesday, December 4, 7pm at Capital City Bar & Grill. This is a movie you must see on a big screen like the one in the Capital City theater room.
Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change. Using time-lapse cameras, his videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.
Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change. Using time-lapse cameras, his videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.
November 5, 2013
Springfield Screening of Two Americans with speaker Jeff Biggers
The Springfield ACLU chapter hosts an evening focused on immigration policy and civil rights with a free Liberty Brew & View screening of Two Americans followed by guest speaker Jeff Biggers.
The film is Two Americans.
Enter the heart of an American family living in the shadows of a state that has criminalized their existence. Walk the beat of the nation’s most recognized lawman as he stares down charges of his own.Followed by guest speaker Jeff Biggers, author of State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown Over the American Dream. Biggers previously authored Reckoning at Eagle Creek and frequently writes about environmental issues.
The parents of 9-year-old Katherine Figueroa are arrested when America’s Toughest Sheriff raids a Phoenix carwash suspected of hiring illegal workers. As young Kathy fights to save her parents from deportation, a community group succeeds in pressuring the County Board to investigate Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s spending priorities. When the sheriff retaliates against his political foes, his actions spark outrage, and a federal investigation.
It's Tuesday, November 19, 7:00pm in the theater room at Capital City Bar & Grill in Springfield.
February 18, 2013
The greatest American documentary of all time now on Showtime
I was at a friend's place looking at the "On Demand" programs listed under Showtime and saw that they're currently offering Harlan County, USA. If I've ever seen a better documentary film, I can't think of what it is. I haven't watched it in a few years and it's impact didn't lessen on another viewing.
It's about a coal mine strike in the 70's but, as usual, the core issues remain the same. Coal companies are still trying to bust unions, refusing to take responsibility for accidents, and trying to avoid paying for health care and retirement. And rural mining regions are still poor, as every region that bases their economy on coal mining always has been and always will be.
The Peabody family were building their first mansion on the outskirts of Chicago while Peabody Company miners were living in tents and shacks downstate. Unions made important gains over the years, but most of them are busted, and the exploitative nature of extracting industries hasn't changed. A coal based economy is a recipe for rural poverty, not an escape from it.
Anyway, the soundtrack makes brilliant use of traditional Appalachian music and miner songs. I gathered all the Nimrod Workman music I could find after the first time I watched Harlan. It includes this song, 42 Years
Like any great film, I took away new impressions after watching again. This time I thought more about the amazing, strong women Barbara Kopple caught in action. A couple of the more ornery citizens remind me of my grandmother and great-grandmother. I'm only a few generations removed from the coal mine, and one from the farm, so I guess it makes sense that I relate to the people in the film. Then again, maybe they're just relateable people, no matter what your background is.
You'll notice that the most stubbornly determined and outspoken people in the film are women. The same is true with the Illinois rural coal fights I've been involved in recently. The centers of the intellectual feminist movement may be in the urban northeast, but you'll get a real lesson about female empowerment if you ever organize in rural areas. I won't name any names in this post, but the women I'm thinking of know who they are.
If you haven't seen it yet, don't miss the chance. The Criterion Collection release has excellent unused footage and special features that are worth seeing, if you can find a copy.
Anyway, the soundtrack makes brilliant use of traditional Appalachian music and miner songs. I gathered all the Nimrod Workman music I could find after the first time I watched Harlan. It includes this song, 42 Years
Like any great film, I took away new impressions after watching again. This time I thought more about the amazing, strong women Barbara Kopple caught in action. A couple of the more ornery citizens remind me of my grandmother and great-grandmother. I'm only a few generations removed from the coal mine, and one from the farm, so I guess it makes sense that I relate to the people in the film. Then again, maybe they're just relateable people, no matter what your background is.
You'll notice that the most stubbornly determined and outspoken people in the film are women. The same is true with the Illinois rural coal fights I've been involved in recently. The centers of the intellectual feminist movement may be in the urban northeast, but you'll get a real lesson about female empowerment if you ever organize in rural areas. I won't name any names in this post, but the women I'm thinking of know who they are.
If you haven't seen it yet, don't miss the chance. The Criterion Collection release has excellent unused footage and special features that are worth seeing, if you can find a copy.
January 15, 2013
Liberty Brew & View screening of BUSTED: A Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters
Humor and helpful tips combine to make this video a must-see for freedom lovers everywhere. Created by Flex Your Rights and narrated by retired ACLU director Ira Glasser, BUSTED realistically depicts the pressure and confusion of common police encounters.
In an entertaining and revealing manner, BUSTED illustrates the right and wrong ways to handle common police encounters and pays special attention to demonstrating how you, the viewer, can confidently protect your rights and yourself.
“Our constitutional rights are worth only the paper they are written on unless we understand and exercise them. BUSTED makes an important contribution toward transforming the Constitution’s paper promises into real rights for real people.” —Nadine Strossen, President of the ACLU (1991-2008)
October 4, 2012
Local debate watch party news coverage. Romney's lies catching up.
The State Journal-Register sent a reporter to the Liberty Brew & View debate watch party at the Capital City Bar & Grill movie room. They got a few good quotes from the crowd.
Second, he let Romney lie. By not responding to each lie, he escaped the "he said, she said" cop-out stories. It will be more difficult for the press to cover Romney's lies as countering claims made by competing candidates. They'll be forced to fact check Romney and plainly admit themselves that he lied frequently.
Climate Progress has a good post on Romney's biggest lie of the night: his whopper that half the companies getting clean energy stimulus funds failed. The fact that he believed anything remotely close to that shows he's out of touch with reality on energy.
Ok, one last thing. Jim Lehrer is getting a lot of criticism but I liked the debate format. Even hosts of talking head soundbite shows complain that debates consist of nothing but pre-packaged soundbites. Lehrer let candidates get into details and talk at length about specific issues. So...isn't that what people who complain about soundbites wanted to see? I like it a heck of a lot better than the 30-second answers in the overcrowded primary debates.
Nick Whitfield of Springfield said he believed Romney flip-flopped during the debate about his tax break plan for the wealthiest Americans. “How do you debate a guy that doesn’t stay on the same spot?” he said.Nich hits on one of the two things Obama did best at the debate. First he hammered away at Romney as a flip-flopper. That's a powerful, ugly label independent voters will remember long after they forget the specific issues discussed.
Second, he let Romney lie. By not responding to each lie, he escaped the "he said, she said" cop-out stories. It will be more difficult for the press to cover Romney's lies as countering claims made by competing candidates. They'll be forced to fact check Romney and plainly admit themselves that he lied frequently.
Climate Progress has a good post on Romney's biggest lie of the night: his whopper that half the companies getting clean energy stimulus funds failed. The fact that he believed anything remotely close to that shows he's out of touch with reality on energy.
Ok, one last thing. Jim Lehrer is getting a lot of criticism but I liked the debate format. Even hosts of talking head soundbite shows complain that debates consist of nothing but pre-packaged soundbites. Lehrer let candidates get into details and talk at length about specific issues. So...isn't that what people who complain about soundbites wanted to see? I like it a heck of a lot better than the 30-second answers in the overcrowded primary debates.
September 27, 2012
Hot Coffee the Movie - free showing in Springfield
The next free Liberty Brew & View screening is the new documentary Hot Coffee. It's Thursday, October 18, 7pm at Capital City Bar & Grill, 3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy.
Here's the the director Susan Saladoff on the Colbert Report.
Seinfeld mocked it. Letterman ranked it in his top ten list. And more than fifteen years later, its infamy continues. Everyone knows the McDonald’s coffee case. It has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of America’s legal system, but is that a fair rendition of the facts? Hot Coffee reveals what really happened to Stella Liebeck, the Albuquerque woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s, while exploring how and why the case garnered so much media attention, who funded the effort and to what end. After seeing this film, you will decide who really profited from spilling hot coffee.This film has been getting excellent reviews and I've had several people request it.
Here's the the director Susan Saladoff on the Colbert Report.
September 12, 2012
Primary - Liberty Brew & View Screening Tuesday
The next Liberty Brew & View screening is the classic 1960 campaign documentary "Primary." I love this film and I've been wanting to show it for a long time.
Robert Drew’s chronicle of the 1960 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary campaign of John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey is widely considered to be the founding film of American cinema verité. It was the first documentary in which the synchronized sound camera moved freely with characters through a breaking story. "At that time I was proposing that we make a new kind of history of the Presidency," recalls Drew, "that we would see and feel all the things that bore on the presidency at a given time -- the expressions on faces, the mood of the country, the tensions in the room, so that future presidents could look back at this and see and learn."This was long before the 24 hour news cycle and campaign trackers. The documentary film crew was allowed a level of access to both candidates that no camera would have today. It's an entertaining look back at how campaigns have changed, and stayed the same. The free screening is Tuesday, September 18, 7:00pm at Capital City Bar & Grill in Springfield.
June 14, 2012
Liberty Brew & View returns Tuesday!
OK, fine! Since people won't stop complaining I'll bring it back! :D
It's good to know that Liberty Brew & View is appreciated and missed enough that people keep asking me to keep it going.
The next free screening is "Page One: Inside the New York Times."
Tuesday, June 19, 7:00pm at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill.
Page One: Inside The New York Times deftly gains unprecedented access to The New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, Page One chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil. Writers like Brian Stelter, Tim Arango and the salty but brilliant David Carr track print journalism's metamorphosis even as their own paper struggles to stay vital and solvent. Meanwhile, their editors and publishers grapple with existential challenges from players like WikiLeaks, new platforms ranging from Twitter to tablet computers, and readers' expectations that news online should be free. But rigorous journalism is thriving.
Page One gives us an up-close look at the vibrant cross-cubicle debates and collaborations, tenacious jockeying for on-the-record quotes, and skillful page-one pitching that produce the "daily miracle" of a great news organization
There will be two films in July, including "Better This World" sponsored by Springfield ACLU with a special guest speaker on July 17.
It's good to know that Liberty Brew & View is appreciated and missed enough that people keep asking me to keep it going.
The next free screening is "Page One: Inside the New York Times."
Tuesday, June 19, 7:00pm at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill.
Page One: Inside The New York Times deftly gains unprecedented access to The New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, Page One chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil. Writers like Brian Stelter, Tim Arango and the salty but brilliant David Carr track print journalism's metamorphosis even as their own paper struggles to stay vital and solvent. Meanwhile, their editors and publishers grapple with existential challenges from players like WikiLeaks, new platforms ranging from Twitter to tablet computers, and readers' expectations that news online should be free. But rigorous journalism is thriving.
Page One gives us an up-close look at the vibrant cross-cubicle debates and collaborations, tenacious jockeying for on-the-record quotes, and skillful page-one pitching that produce the "daily miracle" of a great news organization
There will be two films in July, including "Better This World" sponsored by Springfield ACLU with a special guest speaker on July 17.
September 6, 2011
Sounds Like a Revolution
The next free Liberty Brew & View screening is Sounds Like a Revolution.
Sounds Like a Revolution is a pro-active and energizing documentary about a new generation of activist musicians who are living proof that music is an important and powerful tool in the ongoing struggle for social change. From the Dixie Chicks to Michael Franti to the punk band Anti-Flag, artists across the musical spectrum recount their motivations and struggles in a post-9/11 environment where dissent was silenced and censorship was commonplace. With themes that explore the role of artists in society, freedom of expression and democratic participation Sounds Like a Revolution presents a unique historical perspective behind the new wave of protest music sweeping America and offers new hope for the future.
Tuesday, September 20, 7:00
Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL
Sounds Like a Revolution is a pro-active and energizing documentary about a new generation of activist musicians who are living proof that music is an important and powerful tool in the ongoing struggle for social change. From the Dixie Chicks to Michael Franti to the punk band Anti-Flag, artists across the musical spectrum recount their motivations and struggles in a post-9/11 environment where dissent was silenced and censorship was commonplace. With themes that explore the role of artists in society, freedom of expression and democratic participation Sounds Like a Revolution presents a unique historical perspective behind the new wave of protest music sweeping America and offers new hope for the future.
Sounds Like a Revolution - HD Trailer from Deltatime Productions on Vimeo.
Tuesday, September 20, 7:00
Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL
July 24, 2011
"YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip" screening in Springfield
Your Environmental Road Trip is coming to Springfield as an official selection of the Route 66 Film Festival. Since YERT is meant to inspire discussion, it's being shown in advance of the festival as a free Liberty Brew & View screening. Co-Director/Producer Ben Evans will be here for a Q&A session!
It rolls into Springfield Tuesday, August 9, 7:00pm at Capital City Bar & Grill, 3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy.
50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road - traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage - to explore every state in America (the good, the bad...and the weird) in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity's greatest environmental crises. As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events pushes them to the brink in this award-winning docu-comedy. Featuring Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and others.
It rolls into Springfield Tuesday, August 9, 7:00pm at Capital City Bar & Grill, 3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy.
50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road - traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage - to explore every state in America (the good, the bad...and the weird) in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity's greatest environmental crises. As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events pushes them to the brink in this award-winning docu-comedy. Featuring Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and others.
May 3, 2011
New facebook fan page for Liberty Brew & View
Facebook is making changes to the groups feature and archiving old pages. Consequently, I'm finally creating a new fan page for Liberty Brew & View. I'll use this page to send out notices and info about movies from now on. Please like and share!
Liberty Brew & View
Promote Your Page Too
The next movie will be "Billionaires' Tea Party" on May 17. I plan to announce a guest speaker by the end of the week.
Liberty Brew & View
Promote Your Page Too
The next movie will be "Billionaires' Tea Party" on May 17. I plan to announce a guest speaker by the end of the week.
April 18, 2011
Vanishing of the Bees Springfield showing
Vanishing of the Bees is getting a swarm of screenings this month and it stings Springfield as part of two environmental films hosted by the Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group. The free Bees showing is Wednesday, April 27, 7:00pm at Capitol City Bar & Grill's City Nights Theater. The documentaries will also serve as this month's Liberty Brew & View selection.
Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives.
Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables.
Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film explores the struggles they face as the two friends plead their case on Capital Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees.
Filming across the US, in Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and mother earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indicate alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting options abound and after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this harrowing mystery.
March 20, 2011
South of the Border
The next free Liberty Brew & View screening will feature a documentary by Oliver Stone, "South of the Border," Tuesday, March 29, 7:00pm at Capital City Bar & Grill.
Synopsis:
Diane Lopez Hughes will be the special guest speaker after the film. She'll talk about the School of the Americas Watch, their upcoming week of action, and lead a group discussion.
Synopsis:
There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Nėstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region.
Diane Lopez Hughes will be the special guest speaker after the film. She'll talk about the School of the Americas Watch, their upcoming week of action, and lead a group discussion.
January 21, 2011
Springfield showing of The Lord Is Not On Trial Here Today
The Springfield ACLU will host a Liberty Brew & View screening of The Lord Is Not On Trial Here Today. Writer/Director Jay Rosenstein will be the special guest speaker after the film.
This new documentary tells the story of a central Illinois trial that forever changed the relationship between religion and public schools in America.
Wednesday, February 16, 7:00pm
City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy
Capital City Shopping Center, Springfield, IL
This new documentary tells the story of a central Illinois trial that forever changed the relationship between religion and public schools in America.
She was called “that awful woman” by her neighbors, and “that atheist mother” by virtually every newspaper in the country. Her friends stopped returning phone calls rather than risk speaking with her. She was branded a communist, and the Illinois State Legislature nearly outlawed her and her husband from ever teaching at the state university again. She received up to 200 letters a day, some of the writers claiming they would pray for her; many wishing for much worse.
All because, in 1945, this young mother of three from a small central Illinois town, ironically with the biblical first name of Vashti, Vashti McCollum would file a historic lawsuit that would forever change the relationship between religion and public schools in America.
THE LORD IS NOT ON TRIAL HERE TODAY tells the compelling personal story behind one of the most important and landmark First Amendment cases in U.S. Supreme Court history, the case that set the foundation for the separation of church and state in public schools. The film recounts what Vasti McCollum later described as "three years of headlines, headaches, and hatred," but which eventually led to a decision that still resonates in the church-state conflicts of today, 60 years after the original decision in McCollum vs. Board of Education.
Wednesday, February 16, 7:00pm
City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy
Capital City Shopping Center, Springfield, IL
April 20, 2010
Reflecting on A Road Not Taken
When Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House he said,
Today, those solar panels are a museum piece. Carter's words set the tone for the tragically prophetic theme running through the new documentary "A Road Not Taken."
The documentary follows what happened to the solar system after it was taken down from the roof of the White House by Ronald Reagan. Through interviews with Carter and others they follow the path of the energy policies dismantled along with the panels.
In another speech, Carter said the energy crisis would test our ability to govern and lead ourselves as a nation. It's a test America failed miserably. I felt a mix of frustration and anger as I watched clips of Carter's emotional appeal to deal with the energy crisis. Why did his challenge go unanswered?
It's interesting to see the perspective of two foreign filmmakers as they look for the answer to that question.
Since the directors are Swiss, I was hoping for a Bergman-esque landscape shot as two people speak about death or the futility of love. Then I remembered that Swedish is totally different than Swiss. doh! There's nothing that bleak in their documentary, but they do have beautiful landscape scenes as the solar panels are driven back to DC for display in a museum.
Even as Carter sounds like a prophetic voice from the wilderness, the directors don't shy away from challenging him. Their question about his speech defining middle eastern oil as a vital national security interest is one of the movie's best scenes.
Sometimes, in order to move forward, we have to look back and learn from our mistakes. That's what makes this documentary essential for people who remember the Reagan years and for young people taking the nation's energy future down a new road.
A Road Not Taken will have its Midwestern premiere Tuesday at the Springfield Environmental Film Festival.
"A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”
Today, those solar panels are a museum piece. Carter's words set the tone for the tragically prophetic theme running through the new documentary "A Road Not Taken."
The documentary follows what happened to the solar system after it was taken down from the roof of the White House by Ronald Reagan. Through interviews with Carter and others they follow the path of the energy policies dismantled along with the panels.
In another speech, Carter said the energy crisis would test our ability to govern and lead ourselves as a nation. It's a test America failed miserably. I felt a mix of frustration and anger as I watched clips of Carter's emotional appeal to deal with the energy crisis. Why did his challenge go unanswered?
It's interesting to see the perspective of two foreign filmmakers as they look for the answer to that question.
Since the directors are Swiss, I was hoping for a Bergman-esque landscape shot as two people speak about death or the futility of love. Then I remembered that Swedish is totally different than Swiss. doh! There's nothing that bleak in their documentary, but they do have beautiful landscape scenes as the solar panels are driven back to DC for display in a museum.
Even as Carter sounds like a prophetic voice from the wilderness, the directors don't shy away from challenging him. Their question about his speech defining middle eastern oil as a vital national security interest is one of the movie's best scenes.
Sometimes, in order to move forward, we have to look back and learn from our mistakes. That's what makes this documentary essential for people who remember the Reagan years and for young people taking the nation's energy future down a new road.
A Road Not Taken will have its Midwestern premiere Tuesday at the Springfield Environmental Film Festival.
April 17, 2010
My thoughts on Earth Days
Earth Days premiers nationally on PBS Monday. You can also see it on the big screen for a brew & view showing during the Springfield Environmental Film Festival at 7:30, Monday.
It tells the story of the first Earth Day and the rise of the modern environmental movement. Interviews with movement leaders and historical footage give an interesting overview of the philosophies and tactics that developed environmentalism as we know it today.
Ken Burns' National Park series told the movement's first 100 years or so of history. Earth Days picks up with the second phase of environmentalism when the movement expanded its focus to public health and expanded its base beyond wealthy land conservationists. It stops on the verge of the movement's current third stage with its greater focus on social justice, a healthy environment as a human right, climate change, and expanding beyond the white middle class.
It's fun brain candy for people who enjoy thinking about movement politics. It's also important as a record of recent history. There are two generations of voting-age people who have no memory of the 60's and 70's. Unfortunately, our recent past is often retold by conservative, corporate-backed think tanks with their own spin. For some people, Earth Days will be an important lesson on how we got where we are and for others it will be a reminder.
I enjoyed the celebration of the movement's leaders, heroes, and triumphs. But, they don't shy away from discussing their failures. Throughout the movie, I saw how early successes contributed to later failures.
For example, I learned more about the tremendous accomplishments of Rachel Carson. I better understand why her success leads people to naively believe that simply educating the public and decision makers about the health impacts of specific toxins will lead to government action. It worked then, but it's not enough today.
I learned about the first "Dirty Dozen" list of pro-pollution members of Congress. Seven were defeated. It was an impressive accomplishment that changed the political landscape. After that victory, it's understandable why some people believed that having a Washington DC-based group, without organizing in communities nation-wide, was a viable strategy. It turned out not to be over time.
I saw many examples of lone-wolf or "one man with an idea" activism. I respect what they accomplished. But, I also see how that overly-individualistic mindset constrains the movement today.
The civil rights and labor movements were built from the ground up on the idea that working together is the best way to make great change. Many of the environmental movement's greatest victories were accomplished by a wealthy individual acting on their own or by government action. As the movement tries to grow, that history is both a blessing and a challenge.
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is this month. Earth Days the movie comes out at a good time to look back, celebrate the past, and plan for a better future because the consequences of failure are greater than ever.
It tells the story of the first Earth Day and the rise of the modern environmental movement. Interviews with movement leaders and historical footage give an interesting overview of the philosophies and tactics that developed environmentalism as we know it today.
Ken Burns' National Park series told the movement's first 100 years or so of history. Earth Days picks up with the second phase of environmentalism when the movement expanded its focus to public health and expanded its base beyond wealthy land conservationists. It stops on the verge of the movement's current third stage with its greater focus on social justice, a healthy environment as a human right, climate change, and expanding beyond the white middle class.
It's fun brain candy for people who enjoy thinking about movement politics. It's also important as a record of recent history. There are two generations of voting-age people who have no memory of the 60's and 70's. Unfortunately, our recent past is often retold by conservative, corporate-backed think tanks with their own spin. For some people, Earth Days will be an important lesson on how we got where we are and for others it will be a reminder.
I enjoyed the celebration of the movement's leaders, heroes, and triumphs. But, they don't shy away from discussing their failures. Throughout the movie, I saw how early successes contributed to later failures.
For example, I learned more about the tremendous accomplishments of Rachel Carson. I better understand why her success leads people to naively believe that simply educating the public and decision makers about the health impacts of specific toxins will lead to government action. It worked then, but it's not enough today.
I learned about the first "Dirty Dozen" list of pro-pollution members of Congress. Seven were defeated. It was an impressive accomplishment that changed the political landscape. After that victory, it's understandable why some people believed that having a Washington DC-based group, without organizing in communities nation-wide, was a viable strategy. It turned out not to be over time.
I saw many examples of lone-wolf or "one man with an idea" activism. I respect what they accomplished. But, I also see how that overly-individualistic mindset constrains the movement today.
The civil rights and labor movements were built from the ground up on the idea that working together is the best way to make great change. Many of the environmental movement's greatest victories were accomplished by a wealthy individual acting on their own or by government action. As the movement tries to grow, that history is both a blessing and a challenge.
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is this month. Earth Days the movie comes out at a good time to look back, celebrate the past, and plan for a better future because the consequences of failure are greater than ever.
April 7, 2010
Environmental Film Festival schedule
It's almost time for the Springfield Environmental Film Festival coming up on April 16, 19, and 20th. Each night will include a feature documentary, a short film, and speakers on issues impacting central Illinois.
All showings are FREE at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill, 3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL. Food and drinks are available for purchase while you watch the films on a large movie screen. Short films start at 6:30, speakers at 7:00 and feature films begin at 7:30.
A silent auction will be held to benefit the Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group, which is organizing the event. We'll even have door prizes after the short films.
Here's the nightly schedule with movie links.
Food Night: Friday, April 16
6:30 Food Miles
7:00 Lillie Jasper, Chief Operating Officer of the Springfield Urban League will speak about their community garden
7:30 Feature Film: The Garden
Movement Night: Monday, April 19
6:30 Portland: A Sense of Place
7:00 Speakers on bike and rail transportation
7:30 Feature Film: Earth Days
Energy Night: Tuesday, April 20
6:30 YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip) and Illinois Longwall Mining
7:00 Illinois Sierra Club Director Jack Darin speaks on promoting Illinois solar power
Sierra Club Regional Representative Becki Clayborn speaks on Illinois coal
7:30 Feature Film: A Road Not Taken
You can help spread the word by becoming a fan on the festival's facebook page and by printing out a flier here.
Each night is a big event on its own. The movies were selected for their quality and relevance to issues currently impacting the Springfield area. I hope you'll take this opportunity to have fun, learn something new and take action!
All showings are FREE at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill, 3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL. Food and drinks are available for purchase while you watch the films on a large movie screen. Short films start at 6:30, speakers at 7:00 and feature films begin at 7:30.
A silent auction will be held to benefit the Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group, which is organizing the event. We'll even have door prizes after the short films.
Here's the nightly schedule with movie links.
Food Night: Friday, April 16
6:30 Food Miles
7:00 Lillie Jasper, Chief Operating Officer of the Springfield Urban League will speak about their community garden
7:30 Feature Film: The Garden
Movement Night: Monday, April 19
6:30 Portland: A Sense of Place
7:00 Speakers on bike and rail transportation
7:30 Feature Film: Earth Days
Energy Night: Tuesday, April 20
6:30 YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip) and Illinois Longwall Mining
7:00 Illinois Sierra Club Director Jack Darin speaks on promoting Illinois solar power
Sierra Club Regional Representative Becki Clayborn speaks on Illinois coal
7:30 Feature Film: A Road Not Taken
You can help spread the word by becoming a fan on the festival's facebook page and by printing out a flier here.
Each night is a big event on its own. The movies were selected for their quality and relevance to issues currently impacting the Springfield area. I hope you'll take this opportunity to have fun, learn something new and take action!
March 6, 2010
The People Speak at Liberty Brew & View
For the first time, there will be a live performance with this month's Liberty Brew & View movie! The movie is "The People Speak" based on the book "Voices of A People's History" by historian Howard Zinn. You'll see the extended version with portions that weren't included in the recent History Channel airing.
Before and after the movie we're honoring Illinois' own history of dissent and activism. Some of Springfield's leading activists and actors will perform readings from people and events in state history, including Jane Addams, Chief Black Hawk, Mother Jones, Abraham Lincoln, Clarence Darrow and more. Illinois has a strong, often overlooked tradition of standing for peace, justice and equal rights that will be honored through these performances.
We're starting a little early at 6:40 to make time for performances before AND after the movie. This is a unique event for Springfield so I hope you'll decide to come early or stay late. It happens...
Tuesday, March 16, 6:40
City Nights Theater at Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield
The film features the actual words (in letters, songs, poems, speeches, and manifestoes) of rebels, dissenters, and visionaries from our past--and present--including Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Bob Dylan, Langston Hughes, Chief Joseph, Muhammad Ali, and unknown veterans, union workers, abolitionists, and many others never featured in high school textbooks. These dramatic moments from our history are brought to life by a group of remarkable musicians and actors.
Before and after the movie we're honoring Illinois' own history of dissent and activism. Some of Springfield's leading activists and actors will perform readings from people and events in state history, including Jane Addams, Chief Black Hawk, Mother Jones, Abraham Lincoln, Clarence Darrow and more. Illinois has a strong, often overlooked tradition of standing for peace, justice and equal rights that will be honored through these performances.
We're starting a little early at 6:40 to make time for performances before AND after the movie. This is a unique event for Springfield so I hope you'll decide to come early or stay late. It happens...
Tuesday, March 16, 6:40
City Nights Theater at Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield
February 7, 2010
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
I've often said that someone should make a big-budget Hollywood drama about Bayard Rustin. I can hardly imagine what his life must have been like.
He was one of the most important leaders of the civil rights movement and the principle organizer of the march on Washington. There's a reason most people have never heard of him. His choice to live openly about his homosexuality in the 1950's and his past affiliation with the Young Communist League kept him in the background of the movement. He remained controversial throughout his life and was promoting the future of democratic elections in Haiti shortly before he died. There's no reason to keep him in the background any longer.
Until someone makes that Hollywood drama, there's an excellent documentary which will be shown for Black History Month at the next Liberty Brew & View. The free screening of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin happens Tuesday, February 16, 7:00pm, at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill. As always, you can order food or drinks while you see the movie.
He was one of the most important leaders of the civil rights movement and the principle organizer of the march on Washington. There's a reason most people have never heard of him. His choice to live openly about his homosexuality in the 1950's and his past affiliation with the Young Communist League kept him in the background of the movement. He remained controversial throughout his life and was promoting the future of democratic elections in Haiti shortly before he died. There's no reason to keep him in the background any longer.
Until someone makes that Hollywood drama, there's an excellent documentary which will be shown for Black History Month at the next Liberty Brew & View. The free screening of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin happens Tuesday, February 16, 7:00pm, at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill. As always, you can order food or drinks while you see the movie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)