Brown CINEMA Café: Selections from the America Now! Film Programme is a series of short films examining questions on the current face of America while mobilizing a responsive dialogue. Join us tomorrow, August 30 for a selection of short films curated by E.G. Bailey and Shá Cage. This Brown CINEMA Café event will feature opportunities to connect before and after the film to discuss the pressing issues surfaced by the films.
Featured Films Include:
Borderland
by Valerie Schenkman Sanjines
Joel (26), an up and coming Latino immigration officer, moves to a small Hispanic town to pursue his career. After the first day of training, Joel realizes that his job is in direct conflict with his personal identity. Joel must decide how to serve his country while honoring his culture.
The Lovers
by Johnny Vong
While on vacation in Los Angeles, the lives of a young Canadian couple are torn apart by an unspeakable act of violence.
Postera
An award winning film by Zak Cederholm and The Poet Azeem
With a foundation of raw emotional truth, and visual art, balanced on the thin line between fact and fiction, POSTERA is a poetic mosaic of past, present, and future, crafting a journey into the mystic mind of ‘The Misfit King,’ The Poet Azeem.
ABOUT
AMERICA NOW!
The America Now! special program culls together a series of screenings from an international call to filmmakers that are speaking to the American condition. America is at the nexus of police brutality, the rise of a new civil rights movement in the protests of Black Lives Matter, deep divisions on the issue of immigration, gun control, terrorism and more, all in a charged election cycle. Covering a range of subjects and genres, the films speak to these issues using innovative techniques, subversive methodologies and direct commentary.
At a time when a struggle for survival has consumed most households, there is an emergence of nationwide activism and a demand for accountability. Critics have been stunned that these movements are not dying out but gaining momentum in a growing climate of unrest in America. Curated by Tampere Film Festival together with filmmakers and theatre artists, E.G. Bailey and Sha Cage, who navigate through various community-based, socio-economic and political systems, this program speaks to this unrest and highlights stories that are urgent, poetic and passionate, echoing the divergent voices of where America stands and where it is going.
The Poet Azeem is a self-educated song writer, poet, and playwright who began his career as a spoken word artist in the 1990’s. Featured in the PBS special – United States of Poetry, and once ranked 2nd Best Slam Poet in the nation, Azeem went on to release 6 critically acclaimed Hip Hop albums, named Best Rapper in the Bay Area 2004, and has toured in 25 different countries with his work. His solo theater piece titled RUDE won 2nd place for best solo theater performance in NYC’s Downtown Urban Theater Festival. “Onstage he’s a powerful force, an expert at working a crowd, and a source of inspiration for his audience.” -Better Propaganda
Zak Cedarholm is a Film Director, Photographer, & Editor honoring the individual voice through the investigation and revelation of his subject’s personality, consciousness, philosophy, and work in order to communicate a universal narrative of the human experience.
Valerie Schenkman Sanjines is a Chilean American artist, who pursues storytelling through narrative filmmaking, documentary, and the visual arts. She has worked internationally as a multimedia journalist in places like Afghanistan, Palestine and Haiti. She is now pursuing an MFA in narrative film direction and screenwriting at Columbia University.
Johnny Vong is a Canadian filmmaker and photographer currently based in Los Angeles, California. He is a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate in the Film and Television production program at the University of Southern California – School of Cinematic Arts and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Integrated Media from OCAD University (Toronto). Johnny was formerly the Digital Producer at Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and the School of Performing Arts at George Brown College. Prior to this, he was the New Media Marketing Coordinator at The National Ballet of Canada.
In partnership with Tru Ruts and IFP Minnesota, Brown CINEMA Café showcases work created by and about communities of color. Check back often for updates on upcoming screenings, dialogues, and more!
The Catalyst Series is a platform for transformative, socially engaged new work. Through performing, media, and visual arts, the Catalyst Series sparks lasting dialogue in provocative and visionary ways, showcasing work by today’s emerging and vangaurd artists. The series offers a pathway for traditionally underrepresented artists, emerging local changemakers, and projects that ignite innovation.
ABOUT TRU RUTS |truruts.com Tru Ruts is an artistic organization based in Minneapolis with a history of high caliber artistic work ranging from films to theatre performances, a record label to workshops and residencies. Tru Ruts projects include Freestyle Theatre, Foto Libre, Speakeasy Records and others.
IFP Minnesota’s mission is to advance a vibrant and diverse community of independent film and media artists through networking, education, funding, and opportunities for showcasing their work. IFP MN envisions a world where expression through images is encouraged and valued. It is the goal of IFP MN to lead the way in supporting the independent filmmaker by creating a healthy and viable filmmaking community in Minnesota.
As Minnesota’s premier multidisciplinary, multicultural arts organization, Intermedia Arts builds understanding among people by catalyzing and inspiring artists to make changes in their lives and communities. We provide creative people of all ages with the opportunities, tools, and support to come together across disciplines, sectors, and boundaries to connect, create, share, collaborate, innovate, think big, and act as catalysts for positive community-driven and community-defined change.
We are a nationally recognized leader in empowering artists and community leaders to use arts-based approaches to solve community issues. By stimulating deeper community engagement and providing a platform for the stories and experiences of underrepresented communities locally, nationally, and internationally, we contribute to a stronger, healthier society.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota
