[URPE] [NYC] [Brechtevents1] Machetero, St.Clair Bourne, Ida B.Wells, Castro, Sacco & Vanzetti and MORE

Fri Aug 12 07:55:46 MDT 2005

  P L E A S E     F O R W A R D    W I D E L Y

The Brecht Forum
451 West St.  (Betw Bank & Bethune)
New York, NY 10014

1,2,3 A,C to 14th st.
(212) 242- 4201
www.brechtforum.org

__________________________________________________________________________
In this email:

August 11   Machetero
August 14   The Black and the Green   (Discussion with Filmmaker St.
               Clair Bourne)
August 16   The Spook Who Sat By The Door
August 17   Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice
August 18   Fidel
August 21   Ashes and Embers  (Discussion with Filmmaker Haile Germia)
August 23   Shorts: Red Eye, Isolated Incidents & The Adventures of  
Super Nigger: Episode I, The Final Chapter
August 24   As An Act of Protest
August 27   Sacco & Vanzetti Commemoration
__________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, August 11
7:30 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival 

Machetero

Discussion with Filmmaker Vagabond

 A brand new revolutionary drama from a young Nuyorican. How do 21st 
Century Urban Guerrillas come into being? The definitions,ideas and 
notions of terrorism in a post 9/11 world are challenged in this 
controversial and explosive film. A French journalist played by Isaach 
de Bankole (Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes, Mandalay) comes to New 
York to interview a so called "Puerto Rican terrorist" played by 
Not4Prophet (lead singer fo the Puerto Punk band Ricanstruction) about 
his decision to use violence as a means to free himself and his people. 
As they speak the next generation of Machetero, Kelvin Fernandez (in his 
first strarring role) may be growing up in the streets of the ghetto 
cultivated by a system that breeds an unending cycle of violence.

The film features songs written and performed by Ricanstruction with an 
original improvised score that moves from hardcore be-bop punk jazz to 
haunting and surreal Afro-Latin percussion.

 Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Sunday, August 14
4:00 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

The Black and the Green

Discussion with Filmmaker St. Clair Bourne

      The Black and the Green is a film about human rights, social change,
the role of religion, specifically in the Irish conflict -- from the
unique perspective of African-American observers. Set in 1986, the film
describes a journey of discovery by five African-Americans as they
travel to Northern Ireland. Arriving at Dublin and traveling to Belfast,
the group attempts to find the truth behind the headlines and seek out
common elements in that situation and the Black movement in the U.S..

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Tuesday, August 16
7:30 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

The Spook Who Sat By The Door

Discussion to Follow Screening

Adapted from Sam Greenlee's novel, The Spook Who Sat by the Door is a
cult classic that was named one of the most influential black films of
the 70s. Lead actor Larry Cook plays Dan Freeman, the first CIA-recruit
since the start of the agency. After an intense training and a
mind-strong career of five years, Freeman returns to the ghetto where he
grew up to plot a new American Revolution.

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Wednesday, August 17
7:30 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice

Discussion to Follow Screening

      This multi-award-winning film documents the dramatic life and
turbulent times of the pioneering African American journalist, activist,
suffragist and anti-lynching crusader of the post-Reconstruction period.
Ida B. Wells (1863-1931) was considered the equal of such well-known
contemporary African American leaders as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B.
DuBois. Nobel Prize-winning author, Toni Morrison reads selections from
Wells' memoirs and other writings.

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Thursday, August 18
7:30 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

Fidel

Discussion to Follow Screening

      Fidel Castro up close, personal and brilliant as ever--a unique
opportunity to view the man through exclusive interviews with Castro
himself. Alice Walker, Harry Belafonte, and Sydney Pollack discuss the
personality of the man. Former and current US government figures
including Arthur Schlesinger, Ramsey Clark, Wayne Smith, Congressman
Charles Rangel and a former CIA agent offer political and historical
perspectives on Castro and the long-standing US embargo against Cuba.
Family members and close friends, including Nobel Prize-winning author
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, offer a window into the personal life of Fidel.
We see him swimming with bodyguards, visiting his childhood home and
school, joking with Nelson Mandela, Ted Turner and Muhammad Ali, meeting
Elian Gonzalez, and celebrating his birthday with members of the Buena
Vista Social Club.

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Sunday, August 21
4:00 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

Ashes and Embers

Discussion with Filmmaker Haile Germia

This award-winning film is the story of a Vietnam veteran who, nearly a
decade later, begins to come to terms with his role in the war and his
role as a black person in America. His transformation from an embittered
ex-soldier to a strong and confident man is provoked and encouraged by
the love and chastisement of his grandmother and friends.

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Tuesday, August 23
7:30 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

Selected Shorts:
Red Eye, Isolated Incidents & The Adventures of Super Nigger: Episode I,
The Final Chapter

Discussion to Follow Screening

      This evening we will present a selection of strong and creative short
films--some drama, some comedy, some documentary--by young black
filmmakers. Films include:
Red Eye directed by Kevin Gordon. What goes through a person's mind in
the blink of an eye? Could you let an assumption made in a split second
influence your judgment? Red Eye deals with several different issues in
our culture, including prejudice, xenophobia, in a silent manner, yet is
powerful enough to be felt with or without volume.
Isolated Incidents, directed by retired comedian Kahil Shkymba,
expresses the sentiment of the countless people across the country who
are affected by police abuse of power.
The Adventures of Super Nigger is directed by Alrick Brown. The title of
this film often catches people off guard, but it should be understood
that "Super N" is an allegory about the shooting death of Amadou Diallo
and the title fits into the larger context of the film and the life of
the filmmaker.

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Wednesday, August 24
7:30 pm
VISUAL LIBERATION FILM SERIES
Black August Festival

As An Act of Protest

Discussion to Follow Screening

      This intense and visceral feature film is a clear 'line in the sand'
which demands the eradication of racism. The story follows Cairo Medina,
a young black actor and his journey to escape the psychological torture
of colonization by searching for ways to counter the effects of racism
and police brutality before they destroy him.

Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
__________________________________________________________
Saturday, August 27
7:30 pm

Outcry for Justice:
Poetry in the Struggle for Freedom of Sacco and Vanzetti

(Created and Directed by Paula Panzarella)

August 23 marks the 78th anniversary of the execution of Nicola Sacco 
and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. "The two Italian immigrant anarchists had been 
tried and found guilty of a 1920 payroll robbery that left two people 
dead. The state argued that Sacco and Vanzetti were terrorists who 
carried out the robbery to get money for weapons. Evidence against them 
only established that they were guilty of selling copies of Luigi 
Galleani's Cronaca Sovversiva, a newspaper which advocated the deed. 
Guilt by association was enough. While protests and an international 
movement to free the men managed to delay the executions for seven 
years, the state's thirst for blood was not to be denied.

On the evening of their execution, in 1927, mass rallies took place in 
numerous cities. For decades, the tragedy of Sacco and Vanzetti stood as 
a testament to the violence of the state and the disregard for real 
freedom, truth and justice in the so-called liberal democracies. Each 
year, people gather to mark the date of the executions and speak out 
against ongoing exploitation and oppression. " (Jeff Shantz)

Join us at the Brecht Forum for an evening of performances and 
commentary on the lives and deaths of  Sacco and Vanzetti.

Cast: Marlene Buchanan, Joan Cavanagh, Stephen Kobasa, Frank Panzarella, 
Tony Rosso, Sylvia Forges Ryan, Glenn Stevens and Maggie Testa.  With 
mandolin and guitar accompaniment.

Paula Panzarella, is a New Haven resident, performance poet, freelance 
writer and social justice activist. She has edited poetry anthologies 
including the three volumes of Poems on the Road to Peace, poetry 
presented a the Yale University Peabody Museum's 2002-2004 celebrations 
of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
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