NOTE: INDOOR SCREENINGS AT THE FARMINGTON CIVIC THEATER

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Just Mercy

2019 | USA | 2h 17min | PG-13 

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

 

June 4th, 2021 at 6:45 pm at the Farmington Civic Theater. 

 

Just Mercy is based on the powerful and thought-provoking true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the main testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings, as well as overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.

Award-winning filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (“The Glass Castle,” “Short Term 12”) directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote, based on Bryan Stevenson’s bestselling memoir.

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Short Term 12

2013 | USA | 96 min | R 

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

 

June 4th, 2021 at 9:45 pm at the Farmington Civic Theater. 

 

Short Term 12 follows Grace (Academy Award Winner Brie Larson), a twenty-something staff member at a foster care facility as she reckons with caring for the teens in her charge and her own past. This lovingly realized film finds truth and humor in unexpected places. Also starring Rami Malek and Lakeith Stanfield.

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NOTE: OUTDOOR SCREENING AT THE VILLAGE COMMONS

 

Trolls World Tour

2020 | USA | 90 mins | PG

Directed by Walter Dohrn

 

June 5th, 2021 at 9:20 pm at the Village Commons parking lot. This film is FREE. Bring your own chair!

 

Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder. A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb, aided by her father King Thrash, wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends, set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who's looking to upstage them all.

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NOTE: VIRTUAL SCREENINGS 

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Cured

2020 | USA | 80 min

Directed by Bennett Singer and Patrick Sammon

 

This film is screened virtually from June 4-11, 2021. Purchase tickets here.

 

Mentally ill. Deviant. Diseased. And in need of a cure.

These were among the terms psychiatrists used to describe lesbians and gay men in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. According to the medical establishment, every gay person—no matter how well-adjusted—suffered from a mental disorder. And as long as lesbians and gay men were “sick,” progress toward equality was impossible. Cured chronicles the battle waged by a small group of activists who declared war against a formidable institution—and won a crucial victory in the modern movement for LGBTQ equality.

This feature-length documentary takes viewers inside the David-versus-Goliath struggle that led the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973. Viewers meet the key players who achieved this victory, along with allies and opponents within the APA. The film illuminates the strategy and tactics that led to this pivotal yet largely unknown moment. Indeed, following the Stonewall uprising of 1969, the campaign that culminated in the APA’s decision marks the first major step on the path to first-class citizenship for LGBTQ Americans.

While Cured is indisputably about science, medicine, and politics, at its core this is a film about activism and the process of social change. It features a diverse group of crusaders with stubborn dedication and big personalities who came together at a crossroads in LGBTQ history. Their tenacity, resourcefulness, and ingenuity brought about a change that transformed not only LGBTQ people’s perceptions of themselves, but also the social fabric of America.

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CURED: A Conversation with Directors Patrick Sammon & Bennett Singer

Patrick Sammon & Bennett Singer, directors of the documentary film CURED, speak with Jonathan Braue, co-founder at Woodward Original.

June 8th, 2021, at 8:00 pm, FREE, premiering on YouTube here (and available on-demand thereafter). 

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End of The Line

The Women of Standing Rock

2020 | USA / Finland | 87 MIN

Writer & Director Shannon Kring

 

This film is screened virtually from June 4-11, 2021. Purchase tickets here.

 

End of The Line: The Women of Standing Rock is the incredible story of a small group of indigenous women who risk their lives to stop the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline construction that desecrated their ancient burial and prayer sites and threatens their land, water, and very existence. When the population of their peaceful protest camp exceeds 10,000, the women unwittingly find themselves the leaders of a global movement.

Featuring exclusive footage including never-before-seen evidence of police brutality surrendered to the filmmakers by a disgraced law enforcement officer, End of The Line is both an exploration of the rise of indigenous and feminine power in the areas of social and environmental justice, and a searing and deeply personal story of four brave women. Together, they must face the personal costs of leadership, even as their own lives and identities are left transformed by one of the great political and cultural events of the early 21st century.

 

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Missing in Brooks County

2020 | USA | 80 MIN

Directed by Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss

 

This film is screened virtually from June 4-11, 2021. Purchase tickets here.

 

Anyone looking for a family member last heard from in Brooks County will eventually find their way to Eddie Canales, who runs the South Texas Human Rights Center. Eddie’s phone rings constantly with calls from families of those who have gone missing while circumventing the local immigration checkpoint. One day, the brother and sister-in-law of Homero Roman arrived to see Eddie. Omar and Michelle tell Eddie that from the age of five, Homero lived in Houston with his family, but after a traffic violation at age 27, he was deported. He tried to adjust to life in Mexico, a place he barely remembered, but eventually decided to return. He went missing in Brooks County.

Meanwhile, the family of Juan Maceda shows up at Eddie’s doorstep. Juan grew up in Guerrero, Mexico with his mother. By the time young Juan graduated high school, his future was written: either join the criminal gangs or languish in poverty. Juan decided to join his father in the United States. He paid to join a group that would be smuggled across the border into Texas. He went missing in Brooks County.

Eddie helps the families look for their loved ones by engaging with Border Patrol agent Alex Jara and mounting an extensive search of the private ranches where many bodies are found. Together, they come upon clues to the mystery of what happened to their loved ones and confront the agonizing reality of life and death in Brooks County.

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​Missing in Brooks County: A Conversation with Director Jeff Bemiss

June 10th, 2021, at 8:00 pm, FREE, join via ZOOM here.

Jonathan Braue speaks with director Jeff Bemiss about his film “Missing in Brooks County” as part of the 2021 Greater Farmington Film Festival.

 

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Not Going Quietly

2021 | USA | 96 min

Directed by Nicholas Bruckman

 

Audience Award Winner—Documentary Feature, 2021 SXSW

 

This film is screened virtually from June 4-11, 2021. Purchase tickets here.

 

Ady Barkan and his wife Rachael always said they were the luckiest people they knew. A rising star in political organizing and new father, Ady had his whole life in front of him. But four months after his son Carl is born, Ady is diagnosed with ALS, a deadly disease that will ultimately paralyze his entire body.

Despairing at the loss of decades of happiness with his family, Ady decides to return to his roots as an activist. Traveling to protest a bill that will cut into the healthcare programs he needs to survive, Ady chances to meet a powerful Senator on an airplane. The conversation is captured on video, goes viral, and catapults him into the public eye.

Capitalizing on the power of his new platform, Ady launches the Be A Hero campaign to fight for healthcare justice. With a diverse group of activists, he barnstorms across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV, building a people-powered movement. Along the way they educate and empower others to use the tactic of birddogging—confronting elected officials with emotional, personal stories intended to directly impact legislation.

As Ady’s natural voice fades, his influence grows, transforming him into one of the most powerful activists in America. But as he learns to wield his newfound power, he must also learn to adapt as a father and husband. As Ady nears the end of his life, he seeks to form a lasting bond with Carl, while also creating a better world for him to inherit.

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The New Corporation

The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

2020 | Canada | 106 Min

Directed by Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott

 

This film is screened virtually from June 4-11, 2021. Purchase tickets here.

 

 

From Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott, filmmakers of the multi-award-winning global hit The Corporation, comes this hard-hitting and timely sequel.

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel reveals how the corporate takeover of society is being justified by the sly rebranding of corporations as socially conscious entities. From gatherings of corporate elites in Davos, to climate change and spiraling inequality; the rise of ultra-right leaders to COVID-19 and racial injustice, the film looks at corporations’ devastating power. Countering this is a groundswell of resistance worldwide as people take to the streets in pursuit of justice and the planet’s future.

In the face of spiraling inequality, climate change, and the hollowing out of democracy, The New Corporation is a cry for social justice, deeper democracy, and transformative solutions.

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Everything is Sound: Film and Conversation with Dan Snyder

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June 7th, 2021 at 7:00 pm, FREE, premiering on YouTube here (and available on-demand thereafter). 

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As part of the 2021 Greater Farmington Film Festival, KickstART Farmington Executive Director Dwayne Hayes speaks with musician Dan Snyder of the band Paper Lights about his film project "Everything is Sound" and the process of recording music at national parks across the country. This presentation includes a screening of the short film "Everything is Sound." More information about Dan Snyder is available at paperlightsmusic.com.

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August Snow: From Page to Screen. A Conversation with Author Stephen Mack Jones

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June 9th, 2021 at 7:00 pm, FREE, premiering on YouTube here (and available on-demand thereafter).

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As part of the 2021 Greater Farmington Film Festival, KickstART Farmington Executive Director Dwayne Hayes speaks with writer Stephen Mack Jones about his August Snow novels and the process of bringing the story of Snow from the page to the screen.

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