Examining the power of film to raise awareness of cultural and social justice issues, such as LGBTQ, trans, women’s reproductive choice, etc. The group selects a movie for the month, which we view prior to the meeting. Then we meet to discuss it and its possible impact. We meet via Zoom on the second Wednesday of the month.
The group is open to members and friends of the River. Anyone can join at any time. For more information contact Kathy or Steve at muuvies@riverofgrassuu.org.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Jackson available on Netflix Director: David France When Stonewall Veteran and beloved Greenwich Village personality Marsha P Johnson turned up dead shortly after Gay Pride in 1992, it was the latest in a series of murders, gay bashings, and "mysterious" deaths in the local gay community.Johnson is seen in footage at a political march shortly before this, at an action trying to draw attention to these hate crimes. Tragically, Johnson then becomes the next victim. Like the other suspicious deaths, Johnson's death is quickly dismissed as a "suicide", even though there is no evidence that Johnson was suicidal, and significant evidence that Johnson was harassed and stalked on that very night. Demonstrations are held to protest the lack of police investigation, but it is not until decades later that transgender crime advocate Victoria Cruz succeeds in getting some answers.
March 13
Stamped Fromthe Beginning available on Netflix Director Roger Ross Williams. Some Americans cling desperately to the myth that we are living in a post-racial society, that the election of the first Black president spelled the doom of racism. In fact, racist thought is alive and well in America, more sophisticated and more insidious than ever. And as award-winning historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi argues in "Stamped from the Beginning," if we have any hope of grappling with this stark reality, we must first understand how racist ideas were developed, disseminated, and enshrined in American society.
April 10
The Trial of the Chicago 7 available on Netflix Director Aaron Sorkin In Chicago 1968, the Democratic Party Convention was met with protests from activists like the moderate Students for a Democratic Society led by Tom Hayden and the militant Yippies led by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, which led to violent confrontations with the local authorities. As a result, seven of the accused ringleaders are arraigned on charges like Conspiracy by the hostile Nixon administration, including Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers who was not involved in the incident. What follows is an unfair trial presided by the belligerent Judge Hoffman (No relation) and prosecuted by a reluctant but duty-bound Richard Schultz. As their pro bono lawyers face such odds, Hayden and his fellows are frustrated by the Yippies' outrageous antics undermining their defense in defiance of the system even while Seale is denied a chance to defend himself his way. Along the way, the Chicago 7 clash in their political philosophies even as they learn they need each other in this fight.
May 8
Rustin available on Netflix Director George C. Wolfe In 1963 Bayard Rustin ,a political activist is influenced by the the speeches, thoughts and actions of Martin Luther King. When given the task of organizing and coordinating a freedom march of around 100,000 people to the White House he puts his heart and soul into it. His enthusiasm and infectious energy motivates his co workers to put in their best resulting in a successful walk for Civil rights.
June 12
Killers of the Flower Moon available on Amazon Direct produced and co-written by Martin Scorsee The story takes place in the 1920s around the Osage Indian tribe living in Oklahoma. Native Americans are being killed one by one after the tribe becomes rich by discovering oil. The Osage massacre attracts the attention of the FBI, which begins an investigation