On Screen Dayton

Award-winning filmmaker and former Daytonian Tony Heriza returns to the Gem City to premiere his new documentary “CONCRETE STEEL & PAINT” at noon on Saturday, November 14 at the NEON movies. Following the film is a discussion with the director Tony Heriza and with Public Defender Carl Goraleski, and University of Dayton Law Professor Vernellia Randall. Admission is $5.00. Clilck to view the trailer: Concrete, Steel & Paint

“CONCRETE STEEL & PAINT” – filmed in Graterford prison and in the city of Philadelphia – documents a unique collaboration. When men in a prison art class agree to collaborate with victims of crime to design a mural about healing, their views on punishment, remorse, and forgiveness collide. At times the divide seems too wide to bridge. But as the participants begin to work together, mistrust gives way to genuine moments of human contact and common purpose. Their struggle and insights gained are reflected in the art they produce. The documentary is edited by local filmmaker and two-time Oscar nominee Jim Klein. Tony Heriza is one of the founders of CITYFOLK.

Yellow Springs movie house The Little Art just recently received it’s is 501(c)(3) NON PROFIT organization status from the government! While this won’t change much for the general public, what is does mean is that the Little Art can:

• Allow donors a tax deduction for their contributions
• … Seek foundation and government grants for special projects
• … Offer a wider range of programs and events

According to owner Jenny Cowperthwaite for the past 8 years “THE FRIENDS OF THE LITTLE ART’s financial support” is what kept the doors open anyway.

In celebration of this momentous turning point in the Little Art’s 80-year history of showing movies in Yellow Springs this weekend all showings Ang Lee’s TAKING WOODSTOCK will be FREE! Of course, donations are welcome and now they are also a tax deduction.

Roger Ebert says, “TAKING WOODSTOCK” has the freshness of something being created, not remembered.” Director Ang Lee “distills the flavor of this transforming event and hints at how it transformed some who were there,” writes the Philadelphia Inquirer. The San Francisco Chronicle raves: “If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be there — to actually be there, man — this movie gets it.”

For months local filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar filmed, interviewed and lived the last days of the Moraine Assembly Plant to create an emotionally raw and poignant look at the employees on their final weeks at work. In August HBO came to Dayton to debut the documentary to a full house of GM employees at the Schuster Center. Then on Labor Day the story played nationwide on HBO.

Now HBO has gone even further to celebrate the town that provided the story for The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant. On Saturday Oct 24 there will be three screenings at the Neon Movies and Little Art Theater. HBO has generously rented the theaters so the shows can be free and open to the public.

Some of the former GM workers featured in the film will be at each screening for Q & A afterwards.

Just last week The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 82nd Academy Awards has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar nominations and Last Truck has made that list.

Showtimes:

Neon Movies
5th & St. Clair, Downtown Dayton
12:00pm and 1:30pm

Little Art Theater
247 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs
4:00pm

As part of Miami Valley Grown’s first ever Local Food Week, a screening of Fresh will take place on Thurs, October 8th at 8pm at the 2nd Street Market.

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

Miami Valley Grown is a local group of volunteers working to connect local growers, farmers & producers with local buyers, striving to educate our community of the benefits of buying locally.

For more info on MVGrown & Local Food Week, please visit MiamiValleyGrown.org

Come out and support local media and your first amendment rights as DATV presents the “Media That Matters Short Film Festival” on September 17th at 7:30pm, at the Neon Movies in Downtown Dayton. I went to this event last year and it was a really good time, the short films were very well done and really made you think.. well worth the price of admission to see these amazing short films.

The “Media That Matters Short Film Festival” is the premier national showcase for short films on the most important topics of the day. “Media That Matters” engages diverse audiences and inspires them to take action.

The festival features 12 jury selected short films that tackle a broad range of social issues with humor, humanity and honesty in 12 minutes or less. Topics range from gun violence and media censorship to urban development and climate change.

“By presenting this showcase DATV hopes to inspire Dayton area residents to use media to help make a difference in our community,” said Dan Suffoletto, Marketing Director.

Tickets to the festival are only $15 and I’ll deliver them myself to your house… or they can be purchased online at www.datv.org, at the Neon Movies box office, or at DATV’s Public Access Center located at 280 Leo St. in Dayton.

The event includes light refreshments and door prizes, with drinks available for purchase. Attendees will also receive a “Take Action Guide” that gives information about how they can take the messages of the films and make a difference in their daily lives.

Proceeds from the event will benefit DATV. DATV’s mission is to be a community forum that empowers all citizens to learn, create and express their ideas through electronic media. To accomplish its mission DATV provides the training equipment and facilities for local residents to make a difference in their communities by creating their very own noncommercial cable TV programs.