Every Friday at 7 p.m., Keystone Congregational Church opens its doors to the Wallingford community for Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies, presented by the Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice.
The free weekly event includes a film on a particular issue of social justice. The movies are usually up to an hour long, followed by a discussion with a guest speaker that ends the evening around 9:30 p.m.
"It's a community-based effort," said Richard Gamble, pastor at Keystone church. "Primarily, what we hope to do is help other neighborhoods do the same thing."
Currently, West Seattle, Ballard, Beacon Hill and Fremont offer a similar film series.
"It's about helping build a special community," Gamble said.
"I think people in this country need some catalyst to come together as neighbors," agreed Rick Turner, a member of the Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice who organizes the event.
An eclectic mix of films, people
The Wallingford movie series started more than two years ago with about five members of the Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice viewing "A Force More Powerful," a movie about creating political change without violence. Now, audiences vary from 50 to 90 people.
"Slowly, it's been increasing over time," Gamble said. "We never can tell which film is going to bring people out."
The series drew its largest audience, of about 200 people, for the movie "Outfoxed," about propaganda in the media.
Movies by local filmmakers are often featured. "There's so much talent in this city and there's so much going on that there's so many resources readily available," Gamble said.
The film,"Voices in Wartime" was shown in the series two weeks before it was released at the Guild 45th.
"We always have a long list of films to choose from," Turner said. The film group has developed a library of about 130 films.
"It's the films that usually bring people in, but the true value and richness of the evening is from the discussions afterward," he said.
The movies usually have a political bent toward peace, justice, preservation toward the environment and sustainability, Turner noted.
"We generally try to present information that people aren't getting," he said. "The topics cover an entire range, from left to right."
Upcoming films
"Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" will show on Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m. The 1939 Frank Capra film stars Jimmy Stewart as Jefferson Smith, a young senator who believes in democracy and becomes disillusioned by the corruption he sees in Washington.
A special presentation on the Republican-proposed Nuclear Option will follow the film.
On May 13, the film "Salt Of The Earth," by Herbert Biberman and Paul Jarico, will be shown. It was produced, written and directed by filmmakers who were still blacklisted when the film was made in 1953, during the anti-Communist movement of the McCarthy Era.
On May 20, "Bike Like U Mean It," a counterculture documentary that celebrates the iconoclastic bike community of Austin, Texas, will be shown.
On May 27, Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies will present "A Closer Walk," a film narrated by Glenn Close and Will Smith, about the AIDS epidemic.
The event's 100th film, "The Future of Food," will be shown on June 3. The film is about genetic engineering and the world's food supply.
The films are free, but donations are accepted.
Jessica Davis writes about arts and entertainment for the Herald-Outlook. She can be reached via e-mail at needitor@nwlink.com.
[[In-content Ad]]
