Wednesday, February 13th at 7pm
HIP-HOP: BEYOND BEATS & RHYMES
a film by Byron Hurt
Beyond Beats & Rhymes provides a riveting examination of manhood, sexism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture. In this critically acclaimed film, Byron Hurt pays tribute to hip-hop while challenging the rap music industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive, deeply conservative stereotypes manhood.
Co-sponsored by Video Vangards (YAC).
Wednesday, March 12th at 7pm
UP THE RIDGE
a film by Amelia Kirby & Nick Szuberla
Up the Ridge offers viewers an in-depth look at the United States prison industry and the social impact of moving hundreds of thousands of inner-city minority offenders to distant rural outposts. It explores competing political agendas that align government policy with human rights violations, and political expediencies that bring communities into racial and cultural conflict with tragic consequences.
Co-sponsored by the Prison Book Project & The Real Cost of Prisons Project.
Wednesday, April 9th at 7pm
YOUNG, JEWISH AND LEFT
a film by Irit Reinheimer & Konnie Chameides
A celebration of diversity, Young, Jewish and Left weaves queer culture, Jewish Arab history, secular Yiddishkeit, anti-racist analysis, and religious/spiritual traditions into a multi-layered tapestry of Leftist politics. Personal experiences from many of today's leading Jewish activists reframe the possibilities of Jewish identity. It presents a fresh and constructive take on race, spirituality, Zionism, queerness, resistance, justice, and liberation. A discussion with filmmaker Konnie Chameides will follow the screening.
Konnie Chameides is a southern Jew transplanted as a Yankee. He gives anti-racist and anti-sexist trainings to activist, student, and non-profit organization and has led successful fair labor and voting rights campaigns. In 2003, Konnie started working on Young, Jewish, and Left, seeking to understand how his Jewish identity intersects with his politics, family history, culture, and gender expression.
Co-sponsored by the Jewish Community of Amherst.
Wednesday, May 14th at 7pm
THE AGGRESSIVES
a film by Daniel Peddle
They don't aspire to be men, and they can't be called drag kings, though they do participate in NYC's predominantly African-American lesbian drag balls. This fascinating documentary reveals the lives of a varied group of self-identified "aggressive" women. Homeboy Marquise fosters a masculine image by strapping her chest until suddenly forced to live as a woman after enlisting in the army. Passing as a femme boy, Tiffany doesn't identify as a lesbian because she only dates transgender men. Raw and uninhibited ex-con Octavia goes from drug dealer to construction worker. Androgynous Kisha balances her aggressive life with a career as a fashion model. The Aggressives is an insightful look at a little explored subculture.
Wednesday, June 11th at 7pm
MORRISTOWN: IN THE AIR & SUN
a film by Anne Lewis
Morristown chronicles nearly a decade of change in Morristown, Tennessee, through interviews with displaced or low-wage Southern workers, Mexican immigrants, and workers and families impacted by globalization. The film shows how working-class people in Mexico and eastern Tennessee are caught in the throes of massive economic change, challenging their assumptions about work, family, nation and community.
Food For Thought Books is a worker-owned and collectively-run bookstore located in downtown Amherst, offering an exceptional selection of hand-pick titles that matter and all manner of nourishment for the heart and mind.
FILMS FOR THOUGHT
2nd Wednesday
7pm
Food For Thought Books
Downtown Amherst
Feb 13: Beyond Beats & Rhymes
March 12: Up the Ridge
April 9: Young, Jewish & Left
May 14: The Aggressives
June 11: Morristown