The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College presents the new season of Community Cinema, now called Indie Lens Pop-Up. Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on the PBS seriesIndependent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics to family and relationships. Build community. Spark conversation. Inspire change.
Events take place October 2015 through June 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in Milliken Auditorium, FREE of charge. Each program features a documentary film followed by discussion with community leaders and scholars. Visithttp://www.dennosmuseum.org/events/indie-lens-pop-up.html for the full schedule. Two of the films this year were features as part of the Traverse City Film Festival, meaning you can see them again for free!
Films are screened with captions. Milliken Auditorium features a T-coil hearing loop for those with hearing impairments. Additional arrangements for a sign language interpreter can be made by contacting Jason Dake at jdake@nmc.edu or(231)995-1029.
Interested in being a panel member for a discussion? Contact Jason Dake, Curator of Education, at jdake@nmc.edu.
Thursday, October 8, 2015 – 7pm
Stray Dog by Debra Granik
From the director of the Oscar-nominated Winter’s Bone comes this portrait of a motorcycle-riding Vietnam veteran. There’s much more to Ronnie “Stray Dog” Hall than meets the eye; behind the tattoos and leather vest is a man dedicated to helping his fellow vets and immigrant family as he also comes to terms with his combat experience.
Thursday, November 5, 2015 – 7pm
Mimi and Dona by Sophie Sartain
For 64 years, 92-year-old Mimi has cared for her daughter Dona, who has an intellectual disability, and now faces the inevitable: to find Dona a home. This alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming film by Mimi’s granddaughter tells the story of a quirky and deeply connected mother-daughter duo, and their effect on three generations of a Texas family.
Thursday, December 10, 2015 – 7pm
Autism in Love by Matt Fuller
Four adults at different places on the autism spectrum open up their personal lives as they navigate dating and romantic relationships. Eye-opening, first-person portrayals show that despite many challenges faced by those with autism, love can find a way.
Thursday, January 14, 2016 – 7pm
In Football We Trust by Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn
In Football We Trust intimately follows four Polynesian high school football players in Utah struggling to overcome gang violence, family pressures, and poverty as they enter the high stakes world of college recruiting and the promise of pro sports. The odds may be stacked against them, but they’ll never stop fighting for a better future.
Thursday, February 11, 2016 – 7pm
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution by Stanley Nelson
A new revolutionary culture emerged in the turbulent 1960s, and the Black Panther Party was at the vanguard. Weaving together a treasure trove of rare footage with the voices of a diverse group of people who were there, Stanley Nelson tells the vibrant story of a pivotal movement that feels timely all over again.
Thursday, April 7, 2016 – 7pm
Peace Officer by Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber
The increasingly tense relationship between law enforcement and the public is seen through the eyes of someone who’s been on both sides: a former sheriff who established Utah’s first SWAT team, only to see the same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later. Now a private investigator, Dub seeks the truth in this case and other officer-involved shootings.
Friday, May 6, 2016 – 7pm
The Armor of Light by Abigail Disney
Two people of faith come together to explore the contradictions of a nation rife with gun violence: a famously anti-abortion evangelical minister risks losing followers when he questions the morality of gun ownership, while a grieving mother dedicates herself to creating change after the shooting of her unarmed teenage son.
Thursday, June 9, 2016 – 7pm
T-Rex by Zack Canepari and Drea Cooper
17-year-old Claressa “T-Rex” Shields came from the streets of Flint to reach the Gold Medal podium in London in 2012, the first time women were allowed to box in the Olympics, but as we see in this coming-of-age story, life outside the ring may be an even tougher fight.
The Dennos Museum Center is open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays until 8 PM, and Sundays 1-5 PM. For information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call 231-995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1410 College Dr., Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.