Brothers on the Line
The 7th annual Mendocino Film Festival takes place June 1-3rd on the magical Mendocino Coast, with a trove of independent and locally connected films, sure to pack the house. This year films range from political documentaries, to off the wall, human interest stories to animal dramas.
Brothers on the Line documents the life and times of 3 successful union organizers, the Reuther brothers. Directed by grandson Sasha Reuther with local relatives on the coast, the film follows the brothers as they rise from militant shop-floor organizers in 1930s Detroit, winning unprecedented quality-of-life gains from the mighty Big 3 automakers, to visionary statesman in collective bargaining, civil rights, and international labor solidarity. Brothers on the line shows Sunday June 3rd 10am at Crown Hall.
Who Bombed Judi Bari? was added to this years roster at the last minute. The documentary produced by car bomb victim, Darryl Cherney chronicles the life and times of Earth First! organizer Judi Bari, Sunday 5:30 at Crown Hall.
People looking for more stories about heroines may want to check out the documentary Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines Saturday June 2nd, 12:30pm at Crown Hall. The film traces the fascinating birth, evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman and introduces audiences to contemporary fictional and real-life super heroines fighting for positive role models for girls.
Local ukulele fans will enjoy Jake Shimabukuro, a film about one of the worlds greatest ukulele performers, and the instrument itself. Local ukelele performers will provide musical accompaniment after the film, Saturday 8pm at Crown Hall.
Trimpin
Art fans interested in eccentric characters may enjoy the documentary, Trimpin: The Sound of Invention. Artist/inventor/engineer/composer Trimpin shuns the hype of the commercial art world – yet his freewheeling sculptures and outrageous musical experiments are cherished by museums all over the world.
This year, Ralph Arlyck will receive the Albert Maysels award for excellence in Documentary Filmmaking. Arlyck’s classic film Following Sean will be screened. The documentary introduces the viewer to a 4-year-old named Sean in 1969 who sat barefoot on a couch in San Francisco and talked about smoking pot, living with speed freaks, and watching cops bust heads. Ralph Arlyck made a short film of it all. Now, 30 years later, he returns to find Sean, his free-spirit parents, and communist grandparents to track the course of their lives.
Following Sean
This years festival is growing too. These Amazing Shadows, a documentary about how films impact people and how people view films, shows at the Coast Cinemas in Fort Bragg and Ten Short Films on Love screens at the Point Arena Theater in Point Arena. The remaining films will be shown at Crown Hall in Mendocino, Ca.
And, don’t forget the festival’s Opening Night Party and Screening, Friday June 1st, 5pm at Crown Hall in Mendocino. It’s an exclusive event for Friends of the Festival. In exchange for additional support to the Mendocino Film Festival, Friends get to meet and greet the film makers, producers, directors and the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to deliver a weekend of insightful and moving films to our divine corner of the west coast, each year.
People can find out more about the films at this years festival, the locations and learn how to become a Friend at mendocinofilmfestival.org.