"Films
on the Lawn"--an outdoor movie series
DaVinci
Middle School lawn
Northeast
27th Avenue and Couch Street
Thursday
nights, July 20-Aug. 24
Gates open
at 8:30 pm, shows start approximately 9:15 pm
$3
suggested donation. Free for teenagers accompanied by senior
citizens.
Political windbags lament the supposed loss of "traditional
family values" and whine over "the way things used to be,"
yet no one seems to be concerned about the movie-viewing
habits of the American family. In an age when shopping malls
have become the centers of modern civilization, "going to
the movies" means dropping the kids off at the local megaplex
to see the latest Will Smith-and-a-white-costar-saving-the-world
epic, while mom and/or dad checks out the latest Tom Hanks-meets-Meg-Ryan-by-accident
romantic comedy.
Going to the movies was once a great family tradition.
Going to the drive-in was even better. There was always
a certain thrill that came with watching movies outside
the confines of a traditional movie theater. Sprawling out
on a blanket to battle the mosquitos and inevitable fatigue
that accompany dusk-to-dawn movie marathons is a seemingly
lost part of American culture.
Rachel Stein, the driving force behind the "Films on the
Lawn" series of outdoor film screenings, hopes to capture
some of the lost tradition of watching movies under an open
sky--if only for a few weeks. Stein was inspired to start
the series because of her love of drive-in theaters and
her nostalgic memories of watching movies al fresco. There
will be screenings of an eclectic lineup of films ranging
from animated shorts to documentaries. "I wanted to provide
a place for families to bring a blanket, kick back and enjoy
the show," says Stein, who heads the community-based Soul
Force Productions, which is responsible for the series.
Soul Force, she says, is dedicated to "creating a comfortable
and compelling atmosphere for all members of society to
interact and gain a greater understanding of each other."
The series kicks off its six-week schedule of Thursday
night screenings on July 20 with four short films that celebrate
the diversity of different cultures. Desert Nomads
documents the lives of the wandering tribes of the Sahara
Desert. First Moon captures the celebration of the
Chinese New Year. Iyomande explores the three-day
Bear Festival of Japan's Ainu people in the 1930s. And
Harlem Renaissance presents dramatic vignettes of excerpts
from work by black poets and essayists such as W.E.B. DuBois
and Countee Cullen.
Other films that will be screened throughout the summer
include The Village Potters of Onda, an account of
Japanese folk potters; Navajo Code Talkers, which
explores the pivotal role Navajo Indians had in winning
World War II; and Children of the Silent Night, a
comparison of the lives of two children--one deaf, the other
blind.
One of Stein's hopes is that the series will not only promote
community interaction but generational interaction as well.
To that end, the Junior/Senior Link Program offers free
admission to teenagers and senior citizens who accompany
each other to the screenings. It might seem pretty touchy-feely,
but Stein's efforts to build mutual respect between people
at either end of the age spectrum gives us something we're
all yearning for: a chance to sit together under the stars
and watch some movies
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