Since we don't have a community radio station here or an art film theater where other points of view can be aired and discussed it seemed possible that a film society could serve the purpose of educating and motivating, bringing together old activists and new.
So, OpenEyeDocs is an idea right now. We'll see how things turn out!
February 22, 2005: Thanks to Jeremy Jansen and UW-L Campus Progressives, about 70 people were able to see Global Banquet: Politics of Food. And, thanks to Richard DeWilde and Linda Halley of Harmony Valley Farm near Viroqua, a great discussion happened afterward. The students who attended asked some very deep questions! And we learned how the food choices we make and who and what policies we support with our tax dollars can have a big impact on the whole world.
I'm sorry I didn't get brochures for the 16th Annual Upper Midwest Organic Growers Conference but there is a link up here and at the website's main page.
March is set. On Thursday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library (yes, you CAN bring your own comfy beanbag or lawn chair (no LaZBoys, please!)),we'll show Libby, Montana, a film about the beautiful little town and the company that poisoned it. One reviewer wrote, "Equal parts mystery, horror film, black comedy, corporate indictment and human tragedy Libby, Montana is expertly compiled and genuinely compassionate when addressing the people involved. The film pulsates with urgency and commitment." It's one more indictment of the corpocracy (some call it facism.)
OK - we haven't filed the non-profit papers yet but must do soon so we can start raising money to have a real, regular series in the fall! Yikes - there's too much to do!
I'm trying to set up a screening of Weapons of Mass Deception, the new Danny Schechter film about what we find out through the mainstream media and what we don't find out and why. We may work together with UW-L Campus Progressives again; that collaboration turned out very well.
January 21, 2005: Wow! What a turnout last night! It was amazing, really. I think there were about 25 organizations represented and there must have been at least 150 people there. The music was great! Thanks to Mudcat Grant and Billy X. Curmano and his band. Thanks to Ray and all the others who helped move tables and chairs. Mike McCabe was a fantastic and inspirational speaker and Guy Wolf was a wonderful host. There's no formal evaluation form, but if you want to suggest improvements for our next event or programming, musicians or just donate other ideas, please email OpenEyeDocs@hotmail.com
We're still working on a pre-series as we get ready to file non profit papers. The next film is really great - Global Banquet: The Politics of Food reveals the profound negative impact of globalization on our food system. It examines the ethical questions at the heart of the globalization debate and shows what farmers, laborers, environmentalists, animal rights activists, church groups and students, here and in the developing world, are doing to address the situation. Maryknoll Productions will give permission to show the film with no fee. I'm seeking a place to to show this film! The library is booked so I'm looking elsewhere and hope to have date, time and venue finalized by January 28. This film is a good introduction to food issues which will be discussed at the Upper Midwest Organic Growers Conference at the La Crosse Center on February 25 and 26.
Please email if you'd like to join us in the planning for season one starting September 2005! (Oh, yes! And please join the new virtual community, Coulee Progressives at www.ezboard.com Registration is FREE (just wade through the ads and look for "no thanks" at bottom right.)
January 7, 2005: If you came here because you received an invitation to the January 20 "Don't Mourn - ORGANIZE" event and now you are wondering what the heck that has to do with this, here's a brief explanation:
I'm trying to start a film society in the area so we can show some good documentaries about current events topics, have a discussion and maybe get more actively involved in important issues. (My first idea was a community radio station or a public access cable channel but that's waaaaay over my head in terms of time, energy and money needed - though if I win the lottery . . . ) Anyway, I think there are people currently not connected who might get connected by coming to a film and I think all of us who are connected in one way or another could stand to weave together a bit more. Thus on the front page of the OpenEyeDocs website in the bottom left, you can find handouts for films I've show in a "pre-series" in September, October and November of 2004.
I had received permission to show the film, Baraka, in December and had planned to show it on 12/28 and to have an involvement fair but that date turned out to be terrible - so many people were out of town or burned out by the holidays.
In the meantime, Guy Wolf attended the People's Legislature in Madison on January 4. Before he left I told him about my idea and my hope that we could reschedule the event in January. He, too, was planning an event in January to follow-up the People's Legislature and suggested that we combine the two events (alas, as things have worked out I will probably NOT be able to show the film!) We ended up with the Don't Mourn, ORGANIZE! event on 1/20 about which I sent announcements and invitations.
The OpenEyeDocs people (all two or three of us so far!) will have a table at the event and hope to get more interest so we can continue a pre-series this spring and start a full season in the fall. (I plan to show a film called "Global Banquet" in February just before the Organic Growers conference in La Crosse. Maybe people who come to see the film, which deals with issues of hunger, food production and globalization, will be interested in the conference and/or in other food/economy related actions.) We hope to do some films this summer too, also still in the planning stages!
I hope this explains things a bit more!
So, I hope you can make it to the January 20 event to meet like-minded people, network, volunteer, discuss, engage, plan and have a great time. We'll definitely have great music thanks to James "Mudcat" Grant (and possibly others) and there will be food and drink and we're even going to have a few door prizes. Local progressive candidates and leaders will be there and you can hear a report about the People's Legislature and do some planning for concrete action for the new year. Whew!
December 11, 2004: (Day 39) Today I saw a great documentary that I thought I'd seen before, but it turns out, I hadn't. Its called The Global Banquet and it's about food and world trade and food for people rather than food as a trade commodity. It's very good. I am going to see about getting rights to screen it in February just before the Organic conference in La Crosse.
I stopped in K-Mart to pick up a candy gift for work and wandered through the store (I know I shouldn't have - they're not BLUE) and found some good dvd's in the $4.99 section so I got three of them: Touching the Void, which was broadcast several times on PBS in November, The Boys of 2nd Street Park: A generation's look at life, loss and love and In This World, "the hazardous journey of two Afghan boys who travel from Pakistan through Iran, Turkey, Italy, France and the UK in search of refuge in London." Since my unsatisfactory experience donating a video (Fear and Favor in the Newsroom) the the public library, it might be good for the yet-to-be-born film society to also have a library of videos available for check out by members (thanks, Nancy, for this idea!) More on this in January. (In the meantime, please email me if you'd like to borrow any I've shown so far. A few are already out but I expect them back soon.
By the way, so many people will be gone in late December I will postpone the "activist fair" and screening of Baraka until January (need to call and see if there's an evening available.) So please pass the word.
December 9, 2004: From the Abyss: Day 37. I read about a new documentary on Jimmy Gillman's site and emailed the filmmaker to see about rights. (read the Gillman review here.) The film is "Heir to an Execution" and it's about the treason trial and execution of Ethyl and Julius Rosenberg in 1953 and what happened to their children and their families. The normal screening fee is about $350 but we might be able to do a deal (if we can get the institution started.)
There are a few others in the works, too. A new film by Danny Schechter, "Weapons of Mass Deception", looks at the role of the media in furthering the misinformation that led to and supports (in a manner of speaking) the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Schechter is trying to get this film shown on college campuses; I will hope to get more information about this early next year.
Three others in the pipeline: "The Letter" is about a small town in the northeast. When Somali refugees came to settle there, the mayor of the town wrote them a letter asking that they not invite any more Somalis to the town because the influx of people strained the town's budget. I'm also looking into "The Corporation" and "Control Room", both highly acclaimed films from last year.
November 30, 2004: From the Abyss: Day 28. Tonight we showed Unconstitutional and while there wasn't a big crowd, there were more than 10 people there - VICTORY! And, thanks to Maureen and Bob Freedland, we had a very good discussion following the film. Why hasn't La Crosse passed an "anti-PATRIOT Act" resolution??? After all, Eau Claire has passed one! Plus it was verrrry interesting to view the FOIA documents Maureen passed around.
Unfortunately, no one showed at 6 so we can get a nonprofit started and maybe start fundraising and funding some good films in a real theater! Maybe the holidays??? I will keep trying - I just need one other person, really, but having four to five more would be great. So email me if you can help!
Resolve to Get Involved! (thanks, Jess) Hey! If you run or are involved in a community or national or global organization that helps make the community better (peace and justice, labor issues, environment, health, education, civil and human rights . . .) please get your literature to me. And, if you're free on Tuesday, December 28, please stop by the library between 5:30 and 7 p.m. to mingle, talk, schmooze, get some ideas. Then watch the free film at 7 (bring your sleeping pad or bag and curl up on the floor if you want!)
I hope to meet with anyone interested in being on the initial board of Open Eye at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30 (an hour before the 7 p.m. screening of "Unconstitutional" at the La Crosse Public Library auditorium.
YES! Attorney Maureen Freedland has agreed to lead a discussion on civil rights following the 11/30 film. I will also have some information from the ACLU and, as usual, a handout with articles and web sites in case you'd like to do more research.
Ok- I tried starting a bicycling listserv a while back but it never took off. Anyone interested in a local movie listserv???
We have an idea for the summer. It's just an idea right now, but picture this . . . it's a nice warm night in May and you've gone to Cameron Park to do a little shopping and it's getting dark . . . suddenly a movie starts up on the bakery wall. It's a family film and you think you might just sit on your blanket and watch it . . .
November 5, 2004: From the Abyss: Day 3. I had my virgin tumble (politically speaking) in 1972 as a new 19 year old voter. I spent most of my first quarter of sophomore year campaigning (like, I mean canvassing in Sioux City trailer parks) for George McGovern. I really thought he had to win - who could vote for the candidate who was continuing the war? Well, lots of people, that's who. Anyway, what this means is that I was really disappointed by November 2 but my hope is that the 1972 example will hold through the impeachment. We can dream, can't we?
Also disappointing was the poor turnout for "Going Upriver" at the Rivoli. Rumor has it that only about 15 people attended each night! It's such a good film, too, whether or not you like or voted for Kerry. Maybe there was too much going on that weekend or maybe there really isn't much interest in this type of film. If you DID go, I invite you to write to the Rivoli and thank them for showing it.
I hope we can get a meeting this month to talk about starting a non profit. It would be great to do some fundraising in December and plan some good films for January through May. One month at a time right now. Please email if you'd like to be involved.
"Unconstitutional" is on for November 30 at 7 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library. I hope we will also have a speaker to lead a discussion after the one hour film.
Viroqua.org is a new forum for folks in the blue-green state of vernon county and area. Check it out. Hmmmm - we need one of those. And don't let down - didn't you see Lord of the Rings?
October 21: YEE-HAW! The Rivoli got the film and will show it in the regular lineup starting Friday, October 29! We are also working on setting up a screening of Unconstitional: The Attack on Our Civil Rights during November. It may be screened at UW-L as part of a civil rights day/event there. Still tentative - all.
October 20: I received Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry Monday and watched it. Very powerful! The Rivoli is still trying to get a 35mm copy of the film. Either way, the film will be shown at the Rivoli on Wednesday, October 27 (see above!). I'm still waiting to hear about times. As it turns out, a group called keep It Going is helping folks sponsor screening parties so as soon as I find out the time, I'll register on that site. I also learned this evening that it's being shown for a class at Viterbo University on Thursday, October 21 (see events page.) So, we WILL show this film. EVERYONE should see it. I'm preparing a handout about VVAW, the war, the protests and the dirty tricks (that lead all the way to present times with the Swift Boat people and the continuing falsehood that the Winter Soldier Investigations were fake. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'll put up the handout sometime next week. This is very exciting. I hope lots of folks will come!
October 12: Venues are the most difficult issue right now. A downtown location seems best for drawing community members and people from surrounding communities but they all cost money. Campus locations may be less expensive if we can coordinate with a student group - I'm working on that. In the meantime, if you are interested in making this happen, please email me! and choose "Join" in the menu at the left to take the survey.
The Winona Film Society has been running for quite a while. I finally made email and answering machine contact with a couple of people associated with that organization and hope to get some advice from them. I heard that they are having more difficulty drawing enough people to their events to pay for them (screening rights for films are often fairly high.)
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election was shown on Tuesday, October 12 at the La Crosse Public Library. This venue was much less expensive than the Rivoli ($20) and seats 100. Ten people came to the screening. This turnout was disappointing but those who attended found the film interesting. Obviously better publicity is needed. Also, the La Crosse Tribune erred in its listing of the event; they listed TWO nights of screening (October 12 and October 13) so it's possible that a few more people were planning to attend on the second night. The venue was fine - a borrowed multimedia projector, a dvd player and my computer speakers worked well. I had popped lots of corn for the film which I donated to the political headquarters about a block away!
More information about the film at www.unprecedented.org
The handout for suggested reading is available here.
Hijacking Catastrophe: Fear, 911 and the Selling of American Empire was shown three times in September 2004. The first screening followed a presentation by Green Party candidate, David Cobb, at UW-La Crosse. About 60 people viewed the film there. The second screening was held at the Rivoli Theater Screening Room which seats 52 people. The cost to rent this space was $156 with some paid by donations. So many turned out to view the film that the manager agreed to a second screening. Overall, about 160 people viewed this film.
More information about the film at www.hijackingcatastrophe.com