Spectacular Magazine May 2014 May 2014 | Page 32

F.Y.I WORKING FILMS, NORTH CAROLINA NAACP & ALLIES PRESENT MORAL MOVIES FILM SERIES WILMINGTON, NC - You’ve heard about Moral Mondays, but what about Moral Movies? Working Films, NC-NAACP, and state and local organizations from around North Carolina are partnering to present MORAL MOVIES – a four month series of award-winning films to jumpstart community dialogue and action on social, economic, and environmental issues relevant to the state. The series of free screenings kicked off on April 29th with American Teacher, a documentary that follows the lives and careers of four teachers and offers an opportunity to spotlight teacher pay and public education in North Carolina, which recently dropped to 46th nationally in rankings of teacher salaries. MORAL MOVIES will take place the last week of each month until July in Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, and Wilmington. The Durham screenings are hosted by the Durham People’s Alliance and those in Raleigh are hosted by Action NC. (See the schedule below for details on exact locations in each city). In addition to Working Films and the NC-NAACP, collaborating organizations include: North Carolina Association of Educators, Tarheel Alliance of Classroom Teachers, NC AFL-CIO, Democracy NC, NC Justice Center, The Durham People’s Alliance, The Mountain People’s Assembly, Beloved Community Center, Action NC, Pitt County NAACP, New Hanover County NAACP, and the Black Arts Alliance. Films that are part of the series include: American Winter – American Winter tells the interwoven stories of eight families living in and around Portland, Oregon, each of whom called 211info, a nonprofit referral organization, in search of help with paying bills, finding housing, or getting advice on how to weather the current financial downturn. In addition to vérité footage of each family, the documentary includes insights from several local officials and businesspeople; screenings 32 presented by the NC AFL-CIO. Freedom Summer - Written and directed by veteran documentarian Stanley Nelson (“The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords”), “Freedom Summer” expertly combines archival footage and photos with contemporary interviews to recall the pivotal 10-week period in 1964 when hundreds of activists, black and white – but primarily enthusiastic young white supporters, worked together to register African-American voters in violently segregationist Mississippi. Airing in June to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the events, and certain to become a widely employed educational tool thereafter, Nelson’s film is a well-shaped and powerful reminder of a time in recent American history when white supremacy was decisively and courageously undercut; screenings presented by Democracy NC. Inequality for All - A passionate argument on behalf of the middle class, Inequality for All features Robert Reich – professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member – as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. The film is an intimate portrait of a man whose lifelong goal remains protecting those who are unable to protect themselves. Through his singular perspective, Reich explains how the massive consolidation of wealth by a precious few threatens the viability of the American workforce and the foundation of democracy itself. In this Inconvenient Truth for the economy, Reich uses humor and a wide array of facts to explain how the issue of economic inequality affects each and every one of us; screenings presented by NC Justice Center Working Films was inspired to pursue this series by the unprecedented civic engagement sparked by the Moral Monday demonstrations that began at the NC state capitol last year. As an organization that has worked nationally for over a decade to use film to raise awareness and catalyze community and civic engagement, Working Films sees an opportunity to use great films to inspire community dialogue and citizen action around the critical issues at play in our home state. Below is a list of all MORAL MOVIES Screenings across the state, organized by city. Freedom Summer: Tuesday, June 24th, 6:30pm Asheville Unitarian Universalist Congregation (131 Oakmont Dr.) Hosted by The Mountain People’s Assembly American Winter: Thursday, May 29th, 7pm Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville (1 Edwin Place) Freedom Summer: Thursday June 26th, 7pm International Civil Rights Center and Museum (134 S Elm St.) Inequality for All: Thursday, July 31st, 7pm Central Library Nussbaum Room