The West Newton Cinema is hosting Spotlight: Newton Filmmakers, a multi-day event showcasing films (mostly documentary with a few narrative shorts) by some of Boston’s best, who also happen to live or have lived in Newton, with Q&A’s after each screening. There will also be a reception on Saturday, September 28 (Tickets required) with light eats and a cash bar. Proceeds will benefit the West Newton Cinema Foundation. The events will take place at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street, West Newton). Tickets range from $15-90.
The screenings are as follows:
Thursday, September 26
6PM — Short Films
- Dog Days, Repetition Compulsion (directed by Ellie Lee)
- Exit Interview, The Attic (directed by Linda Goetz)
- Seduction Theory (directed by Steve Ascher and Jeanne Jordan)
7:45PM — So Much So Fast (directed by Steve Ascher)
A man suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and his brother becomes obsessed with finding a cure. A cliffhanger of romance and cutting-edge science by Oscar nominees Ascher and Jordan.
Friday, September 27
6PM — Rebel (directed by Maria Agui Carter)
Rebel is the story of a woman, a myth, and the politics of national memory. Shrouded in mystery and long the subject of debate, the amazing story of Loreta Velazquez is one of the Civil War’s most gripping forgotten narratives. While the U.S. military may have recently lifted the ban on women in combat, Loreta Janeta Velazquez, a Cuban immigrant from New Orleans, was fighting in battle 150 years ago — one of an estimated 1,000 women who secretly served as soldiers during the American Civil War. Who was she? Why did she fight? And what made her so dangerous she has been virtually erased from history?
7:45PM — Out of Sight (directed by David Sutherland)
Diane Starin, the thirty-four-year-old blind woman who is the star of Out of Sight, is no goody two- shoes. But she is a strong, independent, and complex woman who breaks horses, hearts, and stereotypes. Her story is a complicated one-part western romance, part soap opera, and part the tale of a thoroughly modern single woman struggling to win financial independence.
Saturday, September 28
1PM — The Gate of Heavenly Peace (directed by Richard Gordon and Carma Hinton)
During the spring of 1989, nightly news accounts filmed in Tiananmen Square enthralled viewers worldwide as they watched the largest popular demonstration in modern Chinese history unfold. This riveting and explosive documentary revisits these events and explores the complex political process that led to the protests and eventual Beijing massacre of June 4th.
7PM — Bonnie Blue (directed by Bestor Cram and Executive Produced by Judy Laster)
Born in 1935 on Bonnie Blue plantation in Tunica, Mississippi, apprenticing with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin’ Wolf, and schooled by Muddy Waters, James ‘Super Harp’ Cotton became a mentor to harp players around the globe as he brought the delta blues into mainstream rock ‘n roll. Orphaned at nine, Cotton’s journey tracks America’s history and his story is one of empowerment during a time when the weight of racial inequity made the journey seem impossible. Bonnie Blue – James Cotton’s Life in the Blues is a unique portrait of an era and its impact today. Cotton’s music made history; his musical voice was unique, and the blues were never the same.
Sunday, September 29
1:30PM — Wild Innovators: Rooted in Justice (directed by Maria Agui Carter)
In the heart of Chicago’s industrialized South Side, a group of activists is planting urban gardens, empowering farmers of color, and bringing healthy produce to communities living in a food desert. They’ve even turned an audacious dream into reality by building a $30 million facility that turns organic waste into rich compost and clean energy—and reinvests the profits from the sale of both back to the community that owns it.
1:30PM — A Reckoning in Boston (directed by James Rutenbeck)
What happens when you discover that your assumptions are flawed? Kafi Dixon and Carl Chandler enrolled in a rigorous night course in the humanities at a community center in their Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. Kafi, 44, sharp, witty and restless, dropped out of school at 15. She had her first baby a year later and two more soon after. Carl, 65, who lives on a small pension and disability payment in one of Boston’s most dangerous neighborhoods, began the class with a keen interest in learning but little faith in educational institutions. A white filmmaker starts his inquiry by documenting adult students Kafi and Carl at the Clemente Course in Boston. Over time, he comes to terms with his own complicity in racism. Alongside the students, a unique filmmaking collaboration forms to explore Boston’s history of racism and gentrification.
4PM — A Father’s Kaddish (directed by Jen Kaplan)
A story of love, loss, art and ritual. A Father’s Kaddish tells the story of how Steven Branfman used the art of pottery to help him work through his grief after the death of his 23-year old son. The film is a potent and moving journey through the universal experience of loss, mourning and rebuilding a life.
4PM — Why We Dance (directed by Michal Goldman) ***A Sneak Preview***
Some people live to dance. We dance to live. A film about women moving into old age, seeking empowerment and connection as we go. At the heart of the film is dance teacher Ketty Rosenfeld, who radiates joy
