Remembering Helen Hill
p. 17
NICK MAG
Winter 2016-17
Media Education at the Nick
p. 20
Black Stories
p. 11
Issue 007
ABOVE: Come Around My Way student, 2016
Executive Director LE T TER FROM THE
January will mark the 10th
have their work shown on the
anniversary of my joining the
largest screens possible with
staff of the Nickelodeon. At
the most pristine equipment
the time, we had no idea that
available instead might find
2007 would also mark a dra-
their work being consumed
matic shift in our field, and
on a tiny screen during
arguably our entire culture,
someone’s commute to work.
through the introduction of the iPhone. In a rather short period of time, the role of the movie theater, the media arts center, and the film distributor were condensed into a device that nearly all of us carry with us everywhere we go. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center 68% of American adults now own a smartphone, and among 18-29 year olds that number
"The challenge
of being active makers and
tools of media production
Columbia Film Society (our
can result in the field being
legal name), we are launch-
simply passive
pushed in important new
ing a new venture, Indie Grits
directions. Even something
Labs, that will combine our
at the heart of all
as simple as vacation photos
education efforts with Indie
are now easily elevated to
Grits. Through this, we will
moving image montages.
further our commitment to
viewers, and not consumers, lies
of our education
supporting the filmmakers
programs and
In recognition of the rapidly
and artists in our community
changing ways in which we
while also utilizing their
create, share and consume
knowledge and creativity
further"
media, the Nickelodeon has
to grow our education
deepened its investment
programs. The coming years
in media education over
will see the rollout of a range
disturbing and fascinating.
On the other hand, the tech-
the last several years. The
of innovative Indie Grits Labs
We’ve all sat through
nology opens up seemingly
challenge of being active
programs that mobilize the
frustrating “conversations”
endless possibilities. The
makers and viewers, and not
talent in our creative commu-
with someone who is clearly
shocking live-streams of
simply passive consumers,
nity to address the needs that
paying more attention to
police violence and insider
lies at the heart of all of our
surround us. We can’t wait to
their Twitter feed than to
glimpses of political protests
education programs and now
get started.
what you’re saying, or
offer hints of a new form
we’re ready to take this even
begrudgingly crowded
of citizen journalism. Films
further.
together in front of someone’s
like Tangerine, shot entirely
selfie stick for a group photo.
on an iPhone, show that
Working together with the
Filmmakers who aspired to
democratizing access to the
board of directors of the
is a staggering 86%. The results of this dramatic increase in access to media tools have been at once
nickelodeon.org
now we're ready
to take this even
01
Letter from the Executive Director
Staff Andy Smith
Jessa Gaitor
Seth Gadsden
Anna Weller
Carrie Grebenc
Charlotte Johnston
Kaitlin McKnight
Theater Staff
Executive Director Managing Director Development Manager Operations Manager
Pedro LopezDeVictoria Programming Coord.
Savannah Taylor
Asst. Theater Manager Projectionist/Theater Staff
Quereshi Breaux
Steffi Brinkmann
Designer/Interactive Coord.
Bree Burchfield
Development Asst./ Programming Coord.
Alice Lith
Amada Torruella
Mahkia Greene
Adam Hoffbauer Torres Perkins
Education Instructor
Jessa Ross
Marketing Asst.
Adrian Williams
Pauline Arroyo
Sean Shoppell
Deborah Adedokun
Tobey Wilson
Interns Sarah Nichols
Board of Directors
Laura Smith
John P. Boyd
Asst. Theater Manager
Dalia Hussein
Anna Weller
Volunteers Adrian Addison
08
Happenings
11
Black Stories
15
Special Screenings & Events
17
Remembering Helen Hill
20
Media Education: Where Are We Going?
23
Sound & Vision
25
Foreign Focus
Lynn StokesÂ- Murray
27
Indie Grits: Visiones
Nick Mag Designer:
30
First Friday Lowbrow
President
Tracy Jones
Vice-President
Chris Controne Treasurer
Lemuel Watson
Veronica Addison
Secretary
Maddie Bennett
Judy Battiste
Barb Burton Maris Burton Zach Cardwell Sandi Castillo Jacory Frazier Cederick Gibbs Toure Greene Gayle Hazzard Lee Heckle Joe Kyle Tim Liszewski Caesar Nieto Justin Price Debria Robinson Mary Rogers Kara Shavo Maya Tisdale Maria Walrath
Contents
Asst. Theater Manager
Debbie Cohn Amos Disasa Nikky Finney Toby Goodlett Sam Johnson Melanie Joseph Robert Mason Scott Middleton Anne Postic James E. Smith Jr. Scottie Smith
Savannah Taylor
Nick Mag Editor:
Kristin Morris
Bart Walrath Debbie Yerkes The Nick serves Columbia, SC, as a focal point for critical dialogue anchored by films that showcase the diversity, challenges, joy and aspirations of its community. A center for enjoyment, enrichment, and education, the Nick provides its community the tools to make, interpret, appreciate, and teach the moving image in all its variety.
THE NICKELODEON THE ATRE 1607 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201 www.nickelodeon.org Office Phone Number: (803) 254-8234 Movieline: (803) 254-3433
02
WITH THE CARD ACCEPTED BY MORE HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS SouthCarolinaBlues.com
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
!
Happenings by Pauline Arroyo
GIVE THE GIFT OF MOVIES WITH A
Nickelodeon Membership ‘Tis the season of giving! What better gift than movies? With a Nickelodeon Theatre Membership, you receive a range of perks including complimentary tickets, discounts, and free popcorn! Call in, go online, or drop by the theatre to buy a membership for a loved one (or yourself)!
Holiday Series
Holiday Series We love tradition, but that
Wonderful Life and Miracle
can mean many different
on 34th Street (the original
things to many different
from 1947), and we’ll also
people. Some families enjoy
have screenings of Scrooged,
coming to the Nick every
starring Bill Murray, and
year and watching It’s a
Jingle All the Way starring
Wonderful Life with the
Arnold Schwarzenegger
kids and grandkids. Other
and Sinbad. We’ll see you
folks want to catch up with
in December with tons of
friends who are home for
popcorn and hot cocoa.
the holidays, grab a beer and watch something a little
SCHEDULE
more irreverent. We love being a part of your holiday tradition, wherever you fall within those experiences. host screenings of It’s a
Happenings
08
FRANK CAPRA
1947. USA. 130 min. PG. Sat December 17, 12:00 PM Sun December 18, 3:00 PM
Miracle on 34th Street
GEORGE SEATON
1947. USA. 96 min. NR. Mon December 19, 6:30 PM Sat December 24, 12:00 PM
Jingle All the Way
Scrooged
1996. USA. 89 min. PG. Sun December 11, 6:00 PM
1988. USA. 101 min. PG-13. Thur December 22, 6:00 PM
BRIAN LEVANT
This year we’ll (of course)
It’s a Wonderful Life
RICHARD DONNER
nickelodeon.org
Happenings by Pauline Arroyo
DOUBLE FEATURE:
Groundhog Day & Groundhog Day
THU FEBRUARY 02, 8:00PM & 10:00PM
Once the holiday season blows over, it’s easy for winter to turn into the same day playing on repeat of bitter cold with no promise of spring blooming. Best way to combat those winter blues? A double screening of the Bill Murray/Andie MacDowell classic about a news man who goes to report on
CLASS: How to Tell a Story Through Podcasting CL ASSES BEGIN TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07
Puxatony Phil and ends up getting stuck living the same day over and over again.
Red Carpet Awards Party
We’re living in a post “Serial” world and whether or not you listened to the podcast, it undoubtedly brought
SUN FEBRUARY 26, 7:45PM
audio storytelling back to center stage. Podcasts are
We’re coming up on the most wonderful time of the year again! That’s right, award season is just around the corner and what’s an award ceremony without a viewing party? Join us for a night of glamour, libations, and some good old-fashioned cheeky,
a wonderful avenue for accessible, engaging story telling, so why not share your story? We will be offering a four day course in February
always hilarious, commentary!
on learning how to write and produce your own narrative
Hosted by the inimitable Larry Hembree and Patti O'Furniture.
podcast. Instructor Cooper
Tickets at nickelodeon.org
McKim will teach you how to write scripts for audio, prepare for interviews, produce sound, and plan story structures.
nickelodeon.org
09
Happenings
MAGIC HOUR PRESENTS:
Photos courtesy of Michael Dantzler
Valley Maker WED JANUARY 4, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
Magic Hour has developed an affectionate niche at the Nick as a space for artistic experimentation both as makers and audience members. For this edition, Magic Hour presents SC native, Austin Crane who has come to amaze the nation with his minimalist, contemplative music under the moniker Valley Maker. On the verve of his latest release, “When I Was A Child,” he is touring the country with a set of intimate solo shows. Come to explore the mysterious beauty in life, love and
CLASS: Intro to Digital Photography
death, faith and doubt, time and space. Doors at 8pm, show at 8:30pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of the show.
CL ASSES BEGIN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08
Back by popular demand, Michael Dantzler’s Intro to Digital Photography class will return in February. Bring your DSLR or compact camera to One Columbia and get to know its capabilities, all the way from the auto settings you’re more comfortable with, to the wide world of manual. Truly learning how to use your digital camera can help you create high quality indoor and outdoor photographs, and engage your creative potential! $90 for members, $120 for nonmembers.
Happenings
10
nickelodeon.org
February 2017
BLACK STORIES
The Nickelodeon and SC Humanities have teamed up for Black Stories, a series that honors Black history and culture with film screenings and critical discussion. by Amada Torruella
nickelodeon.org
Black Stories captures
with other issues such as the
With the passing of time, we
moments that serve as
Vietnam War and the series of
find several chapters in the
milestones for an entire
political awakenings occur-
struggle for African American
movement and explores
ring all over the world. In the
civil rights that have marked
them from a local and global
1960’s and 70’s international
society. One defining moment
perspective. The series starts
journalists documented
is encapsulated in Fruitvale
with Freedom Riders, a
the Black Power movement.
Station. Ryan Coogler’s
documentary that retraces
With the accompaniment of
sensitive direction allows
the strides made by activists
present-day voice narrations
audiences to get to know
as they defied segregation
from artists and musicians
Oscar Grant III, a young
laws by riding interstate
such as Erykah Badu and
African American man who
buses in 1961 through the
Ahmir Questlove Thompson,
was fatally shot in January
American South.
The Black Power Mixtape
2009 by police. As the Village
1967-1975 tells a story of
Voice wrote in 2013, "Coogler
The international community
pride and resilience as it
dramatizes Oscar's last day
understood that the civil
compiles essential scenes
by choosing not to dramatize
rights challenges in the
shot by Swedish journalists,
it: The events unfold casually,
United States were central to
framing the events that gave
without any particular
and deeply interconnected
birth to a movement.
scheme. And yet because we
11
Black Stories
Black Stories
12
nickelodeon.org
PRE VIOUS: Freedom Riders, 2010
know how this story will end, there's a shivery, understated tension running beneath." The series concludes with The Fits. This film tells us the story of Toni, played by the mesmerizing Royalty Hightower. We get to know Toni as she struggles to fit in with her school’s all-girl dance group. The Fits plays with your imagination and immerses you in a profound love for what women represent in our universe. Anna Rose Holmer’s direction
ABOVE: Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, 2011
"Black Stories
the story unravels quickly as
Thanks to the partnership
captures
the girls on the dance team
with SC Humanities, we are
start having inexplicable
pleased to present all film
seizures. The sense of mystery
screenings for free to the
that serve as
created by these "fits" serves
public so our community can
as a metaphor for the lack of
come together to learn more
understanding that society
about key chapters in history,
for an entire
has about what it means to
honor Black leaders, reflect
be a woman of color. The
on current challenges that
which we will
film possesses pure magic
concern all of us and discover
and celebrates the power
characters that inspire us.
moments
milestones
movement,
explore from a
and worth of women of color,
perspective."
film essential viewing and a
local and global
which is something we rarely see in the media, making this perfect way to wrap up our Black Stories series.
is measured and detailed, but
nickelodeon.org
c o l u m b i a j e w i s h f i l m festival
13
Black Stories
SCHEDULE
Freedom Riders
More information at
Stanley Nelson 2010. USA. 117 min. NR.
nickelodeon.org
MONDAY FEBRUARY 6, 6:30 PM
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 Gรถran Hugo Olsson 2011. USA. Sweden. 100 min. NR.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 13, 6:30 PM February 2017
Fruitvale Station
ALL SCREENINGS ARE PRESENTED FOR FREE.
Ryan Coogler
2013. USA. 85 min. R.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 20, 6:30 PM
The Fits
Anna Rose Holmer 2015. USA. 72 min. NR.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 27, 6:30 PM
MADE POSSIBLE BY:
Black Stories
14
nickelodeon.org
nick fo r a m e r i c a
Special Screenings & Events
Dec
AT THE WAR MOUTH December 05
p. 20
Jingle all the Way
HOLIDAY SERIES
HOLIDAY SERIES
December 17 & 18
p. 08
Miracle on 34th Street
HOLIDAY SERIES
December 19 & 24
p. 08
December 11
p. 08
Jan
Education Fundraiser
It's a Wonderful Life
Our Little Sister
Mon Roi
FOREIGN FOCUS
FOREIGN FOCUS
January 11
December 14
p. 25
p. 25
Magic Hour Presents: Valley Maker January 04
p. 10
Gimme Shelter
SOUND & VISION January 28
p. 23
The Mutilator
FIRST FRIDAY LOWBROW January 06
p. 30 Limo Ride December 01
Silent Night, Deadly Night 2
Scrooged
HOLIDAY SERIES December 22
p. 08
Helen Hill Retrospective Screening January 10
p. 17
FIRST FRIDAY LOWBROW December 02
nickelodeon.org
15
Special Screenings & Events
Shakespeare in Love
VALENTINE'S SCREENING
Ebola Syndrome
FIRST FRIDAY LOWBROW February 03
p. 30
Groundhog Day & Groundhog Day February 02
p. 09
Fruitvale Station
BLACK STORIES February 20
p. 11
Magic Hour III: Love February 23
Mar
Feb
February 14
Buio Omega
FIRST FRIDAY LOWBROW March 03
p. 30
Red Carpet Awards Party
Fire at Sea
p. 09
p. 25
February 26
FOREIGN FOCUS March 08
Freedom Riders
BLACK STORIES February 06
p. 11
Rams
FOREIGN FOCUS February 08
p. 25
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
BLACK STORIES
The Fits
BLACK STORIES February 27
p. 11
SOUND & VISION March 25
p. 23
February 13
p. 11
Special Screenings & Events
Tupac: Resurrection
16
nickelodeon.org
Remembering Helen Hill
BY LAURA KISSEL Associate Professor of Media Arts and Film and Media Studies at the University of South Carolina
"YOU DON’T NEED LOTS OF MONEY OR THE LATEST DIGITAL GIZMO TO MAKE A GOOD FILM. YOU JUST NEED A GOOD IDEA."
– from the animated film "Madame Winger Makes a Film" by Helen Hill (1970-2007)
Columbia native Helen Hill was a gifted filmmaker and storyteller, but she was also a teacher who brought people together to learn about animation and filmmaking. In classes she taught in the U.S. and Canada, Helen introduced many to the art, history and technique of animation with film. She taught in a range of classrooms—at traditional institutions like the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design; and at community art centers like the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative in Halifax and the New Orleans Center for Creative Art. She offered film workshops at
LEF T: Still from Madame Winger Makes a Film, 2001.
the YMCA and held “film bees” in her home in New
ABOVE: Page from Recipes for Disaster: A Handcrafted Film Booklet, 2001. Still from Madame Winger Makes a Film, 2001.
Orleans, using her front parlor as a studio classroom. Tables filled the room and were covered with colorful nickelodeon.org
17
Remembering Helen Hill
LEF T: Florestine Collection process drawing, 2011. BELOW: Stills from The Florestine Collection, 2011. Helen Hill painting on 16mm film, 2011. Photo by John Porter.
filmmaking projects and supplies. There were scraps of film leader, splicers, tape and a projector for screening finished works; but also sand, glitter nail polish and ink, needle and thread— perfect tools for marking and drawing to produce camera-less animation, or for designing backgrounds and piecing together the arms, heads and legs of
all, how to be authentic and have a great deal of fun. Students loved watching Helen assemble these screenings and materials together in a mix that was decidedly her own. Her enthusiasm was matched by her clothing; she wore creatively put together dresses and brightly colored tights and spoke in a slightly lilting but rather unplace-
cutout puppets.
able accent. Helen’s students
In Helen’s classroom there
she showed them, and they
delighted in her, in the films
were always screenings— VHS tapes and DVDs with films on them that artists around the world had shared with her; the works of friends screened alongside the films of master animators from Eastern Europe and beyond. There was often a screening of Helen’s colorful Madame Winger Makes A Film (2001), an instructional animated film narrated by eccentric Southern belle, Madame Winger, who explains the filmmaking process—how to load a 16mm Bolex, a Super8 cartridge, recognize different film gauges, process and fix a film in your bathtub—and most of Remembering Helen Hill
18
nickelodeon.org
Helen Hill Retrospective
thrived in the classroom communities she designed and nurtured. Remarkably, before Helen’s students would gather for class in Halifax, she would call each of them the night before to tell them
ON JANUARY 10TH AT 7PM WE WILL HOST A RE TROSPEC TIVE OF HELEN HILL’S WORK .
how much she was looking forward to seeing them the next day. Quite simply, Helen loved animation and opening everyone up to its magic;
Please join us as we celebrate the
Helen’s students loved her,
filmmaker who we are proud to have
and the magic.
as the namesake for our education program and continue her legacy
Many artists and makers
through working with young filmmakers.
teach their skills to others. Helen was inspired
For more information
by animation in the 5th
and tickets head to:
grade at Brennan Elementary
nickelodeon.org
by visiting filmmaker Stan Woodward; after his workshop, she produced
the best advice at the end
her first Super 8 animation,
of Madame Winger Makes
The House of Sweet Magic
a Film, “Please remember
(1981). Several of Helen’s
that it is a good idea behind
own students now teach
a film, and not fancy
in universities and art
technology or a big budget
centers. And many filmmakers
that makes a great film. In
continue to learn from the
this new century of changing
DIY filmmaking book she
digital technology, you may
assembled from filmmaker
want to hide out in your own
contributions, Recipes for
homemade film lab bomb
Disaster: A Handcrafted Film
shelter, or you might take the
Booklet (2001; revised 2004
barest of materials into your
and 2005).
kitchen and make a lovely little flick about something
Teaching and learning,
you love. Filmmaking is fun,
filmmaking and community;
so get going!”
these things go hand-inhand. Helen Hill knew this
Sincere thanks to Heather
intuitively and she built a
Harkins and Courtney Egan,
rich life around these efforts.
Helen’s former students and
Helen’s Madame Winger
friends, for sharing their
offers aspiring media makers
memories about Helen’s life
ABOVE: Portrait of Helen Hill, 1993. Page from Recipes for Disaster: A Handcrafted Film Booklet, 2001. LEF T: Still from Madame Winger Makes a Film, 2001
as an educator. nickelodeon.org
19
Remembering Helen Hill
In assessing the state of education at the Nickelodeon, I began by asking instructors to describe some of their highest moments while teaching. It was apparent through their responses our education program is most successful when young students find empowerment and self-realization through storytelling.
Media Education:
While our programs are designed to teach 21st century media literacy and media production skills spanning a wide range of techniques and approaches to filmmaking, the driving force behind that design is the goal of transforming
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
students into critical viewers and thinkers of our growing and ever present screen
BY SETH GADSDEN
culture. These skills enable
Director of Indie Grits Labs
and seize control over the
students to recognize narratives defining their lives. To achieve these goals I
"There’s a lot of power and possibility in creating a space where young people have the opportunity to fail, to make mistakes, to learn through trial-and-error. It’s sort of taking back this feeling of being a failure and learning more about becoming empowered by the failure to conform."
set out to combine two of the Nick’s fastest growing programs: filmmaker/artist services and education. The rise of dedicated visual arts programming in Indie Grits has strengthened our relationship with local and regional media makers. Investing in these artists financially, helping them
– Keyes, 2015-16 TakeBreakMake Instructor
grow professionally, and keeping their talents in our city, we have invited
Media Education
20
them to be instructors and curriculum developers. The result has been a new experimental environment for creating educational programs that we are now calling Indie Grits Labs. Working with emerging media makers, Indie Grits Labs students gain access to fresh ideas and contemporary perspectives from working artists. Together they are creating spaces where each can learn and grow, achieve successes and embrace failures. Keyes, a videomaker and current doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University, is an excellent example of a young artist working with us to build new education programs. Now in its second year, Keyes created and developed TakeBreakMake into an after school program that explores new modes of storytelling with a focus on contemporary queer media and the history of queer youth culture. ”It was an experience of learning how to teach and teaching how to learn for the whole year,” said Keyes. “I was working with a group of students who for the most part had strived very hard not to fail. Not failure in terms of grades, but trying so hard not to fail at passing for someone they were not. And it was this moment, nickelodeon.org
discussing ‘the queer art of failure’ that for the first time, they learned there was power in not conforming to the expectations society sets out for us.” Come Around My Way is an afterschool program in its fourth year at C.A. Johnson High School. Working in documentary and experimental modes of filmmaking, students at the predominantly black, innercity school produced some of the most accomplished and diverse documentary
"The impact has been clear. The Nickelodeon served over 300 students and worked with over twenty local artists in our media education programs last year."
through Indie Grits Labs, we’re preparing to expand
RIGHT, BELOW: Come Around
this roster again through
My Way after school program, 2016. Instructor Mahkia Greene.
more filmmaking workshops for students and adults, summer camps, field trip programs and residencies. This has all been made possible through support from funders like the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Nord Family Foundation, Alliance for Full Acceptance, Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South Carolina, Richland School District One, and private
films in the program to date
donors including Becky and
under the instruction of Josh
Kevin Lewis.
Yates, our 2015-16 filmmaker in residence and Indie Grits
The new program for W.A.
Waterlines artist.
Perry Middle School is called
Building on the successes of
De Victoria developed the
last school year, we began looking for ways to deepen our relationship with C.A. Johnson and the surrounding community. Rather than expand the program at the high school level, or replicate it in another community, we decided to develop a new program in a middle school whose students feed into C.A. Johnson to see if we can foster media literacy and leadership skills in students before they reach our high-school program.
nickelodeon.org
Reading Media. Pedro Lopez
I recently hired Adrian Williams to join our part time theater staff. Within his first few months on the job he
curriculum for this new,
has assisted with a Reading
experimental year-long
Movies field trip program and
afterschool program that
co-taught a PSA filmmaking
fosters critical viewing, thinking and writing skills for all forms of screen culture including contemporary and historical films, music videos, news programs, commer-
workshop to a group of middle school students. It is remarkable because I first met this USC media arts sophomore four years ago in a small classroom at C.A.
cials and documentaries.
Johnson as a part of our first cohort of Come Around
The impact has been clear. The Nickelodeon served over 300 students and worked with over twenty local artists in our media education
My Way students. To see his potential growth as a leader in our education program and our community gives me hope that we are on the right
programs last year. Now,
path.
21
Media Education
H ELP S H AP E TH E F U TU R E O F I N D I E G R I T S L AB S ' I N N O VATI VE W O R K BY AT TEN D I N G O U R
Education Fundraiser Sponsored by John and Nancy Freeman with
additional support from Mike and Julie Brenan
FE ATURING Screenings of past student work Plans for Indie Grits Labs Food and signature cocktail from The War Mouth Music from the Sunrise Jazz Ensemble
Monday, Dec 5, 2016
6-9 PM
AT
A Silent auction! Auction items include a private event rental at the Nick, an autographed boxed set by Nikky Finney, signed artwork by Michael Krajewski, and much more!
The War Mouth
1 2 0 9 F R AN K LI N S T C O LUMBI A , S C
Tickets are $40 each and are available at nickelodeon.org or by calling 803-254-8234
Media Education
22
nickelodeon.org
SOUND & VISION Sound & Vision, a new series
1969 Altamont Speedway
and recited poetry, this film
launching in January, brings
Free Concert, the Rolling
illustrates the tragedy and
together siblings of form
Stones are seen on and
triumph of one of the most
through a new music docu-
off-stage within the context of
beloved hip hop emcees of all
mentary series in partnership
a concert that induced four
time. Not only is this con-
with DRIP (records). In
births, four deaths, and a
sidered the most exhaustive
addition to screening both
local chapter of Hell's Angels
doc in regards to his story,
repertory and contemporary
hired on as security.
it features a soundtrack
music docs, local bands will perform live before each film, bringing a bit more action to everyone's Saturday night. Each act will be chosen according to their relevance to the film, which, thanks to the eclecticism of Columbia's robust music scene, will be no challenge. The first two films in the series differ in terms of subject and form. The series kicks off in January with Gimme Shelter,
"In addition to screening both repertory and contemporary music docs, local bands will perform live before each film, bringing a bit more action to everyone's Saturday night."
the Maysles Brothers' 1970
That screening is followed
masterpiece. A model of verite
up in March with Tupac:
filmmaking, this film is a
Resurrection, a documentary
potent document of America's
directed by Lauren Lazin that
1960s counterculture
examines the life and career
and its painful recession.
of mythic rap artist Tupac
Unexpectedly capturing the
Shakur. Using interviews,
madness and violence of the
home movies, photographs,
nickelodeon.org
23
BY PEDRO LOPEZ DE VICTORIA
so packed, it has its own Wikipedia page. The marriage between two art forms can only remind us of a sentiment crooned by the late great David Bowie - that we be ever thankful for the gift of sound and vision.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DRIP (RECORDS)
Sound & vision
Gimme Shelter
LIVE INTRO PERFORMANCE BY DEBBIE AND THE SKANK S Albert & David Maysles 1970. USA. 91 min. R.
SAT JANUARY 28, 10:30PM
Tupac: Resurrection
LIVE INTRO PERFORMANCE BY FREE SOCIE T Y HIP HOP COLLECTIVE Lauren Lazin 2003. USA. 112 min. R.
SAT MARCH 25, 10:30PM
Sound & vision
24
nickelodeon.org
BY A M A DA T O R R U E L L A , S E R I E S C U R AT O R
As a place for cultural enrichment, we understand how essential it is to expose our audiences to different realities and perspectives. The Foreign Focus winter programming will showcase an array of stories from an explosive marriage to a strong sisterhood; from family relationships in an Icelandic landscape to the refugee crisis on the Italian coast. December will kick-off the winter line-up with France’s Mon Roi, an intimate and thrilling portrait of long-term relationships. While at rehab after suffering a skiing accident, Toni has several flashbacks from her time with Georgio, brilliantly played by Vincent Cassel. Her rehabilitation can easily be interpreted as a metaphor for the time we all need, in order to heal and pick up the pieces leftover from a chaotic love affair. When passion is intense, the lines between love and dependence get easily blurred and director Maïwenn masterfully showcases the various facets of a deep relationship, as well as the state of vulnerability all of us fear when in love.
decide to adopt and raise their teenage stepsister, making for an unconventional home where a strong bond among women reigns. Adapted from Akimi Yoshida's serialized manga comic, writer and filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda focuses on the story of a sisterhood, a story where the passion these women have for life outweighs their search for romance. In March we will explore the vast Icelandic countryside through Rams, a tale of family conflicts, brotherly love, and sheep. Grímur Hákonarson shares an odd story filled with humor and charm. Two estranged brothers manage to set their differences aside to save their flock of sheep and keep their farm secure. We will end the winter with Gianfranco Rosi’s moving documentary and Italy’s official 2017 Oscar submission: Fire at Sea. Rosi transports us to Lampedusa, the Sicilian island where migrants from Africa and the Middle East arrive to find a safe haven. The refugee crisis has completely shaken our world on a political, socio-economic and environmental scale, and
January unveils a small treasure: Our Little Sister, a wonderful Japanese film that captures the moments of happiness
through powerful visual storytelling, Rosi sheds light on one of the key chapters in this historic exodus.
and anguish of three adult sisters who
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M O N RO I MAÏWENN 2015. FRANCE. 124 MIN. NR. IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
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OUR LITTLE SISTER HIROKAZU KOREEDA 2 0 1 5 . J A PA N . 1 2 8 M I N . P G . I N J A PA N E S E W I T H E N G L I S H SUBTITLES.
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RAMS
GRÍMUR HÁKONARSON. 2015. ICELAND. 93 MIN. R. IN ICELANDIC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
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F I R E AT S E A GIANFRANCO ROSI. 2 0 1 6 . I T A LY. 1 1 4 M I N . R . I N I TA L I A N A N D E N G L I S H WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
F O R E I G N F O C U S I S S P O N S O R E D B Y: D R . G A I L M O R R I S O N , A A R O N A N D A N D R E A W E S T, PA U L A N D J E A N D E N M A N , D AV I D W H I T E M A N A N D L E E J A N E K A U F M A N
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Foreign Focus
R I G H T: O U R L I T T L E S I S T E R , 2 0 1 5
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Foreign Focus
APRIL 20-23, 2017
I have been an immigrant
explored cultural dissonance,
culturally and artistically,
since the moment my family
identity and relationships
I’ve spent much of my time
fled El Salvador’s civil war
with otherness.
connecting with other Latinxs in Columbia. I’ve
in the late 1980’s. Migration
BY AMADA TORRUELLA, VISIONES CO-CURATOR
Hapenings
has always been a huge part
I was lucky to find stable
been inspired by many
of who I am and has deeply
ground at the Nick where
organizations along the way
affected the way I see the
I started as a volunteer at
such as Palmetto Luna Arts,
world. In 2014 my husband
the 2014 Indie Grits. The
whose work in the community
was accepted into the
Nickelodeon has provided me
is invaluable. I realized early
University of South Carolina’s
with numerous experiences
on that Palmetto Luna could
biochemistry program and
and opportunities. Above
play a critical role in our next
we moved to Columbia,
all the organization has
Indie Grits venture. Palmetto
where he became the only
introduced me to community
Luna’s mission is to foster an
Latino PhD candidate in the
leaders, colleagues, artists,
understanding of Hispanic/
department. We moved far
Nick members, and volun-
Latino culture by promoting
away from our friends and
teers, who have taught me
artistic creation and
family to start over again,
the tremendous role art plays
generating spaces of cultural
to adapt and to make sense
in a community. The Visiones
expression for the community
of a new life. During my first
theme continued to evolve
in the state. As their Executive
few months in Columbia I
when I began collaborating
Director Ivan Segura explains,
struggled to find my place in
with Pedro Lopez De Victoria
“The Latino community in
the community and writing
a Puerto Rican musician,
South Carolina has long been
was key in helping me make
co-worker and creative
an underserved community.
sense of things. It was during
partner at the Nickelodeon.
Latinos experience several barriers to access educa-
this time that the Visiones theme began to grow from
As a Salvadoran working for
tional, social and health care
my observations, personal
an organization that seeks to
services. The opportunities to
pieces and poems that
make its environment thrive
participate in artistic
27
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Hapenings
28
nickelodeon.org
endeavors are even more
Viva Columbia and Appleseed
Visiones is about delving into
limited. During the last 10
Legal Justice Center. Visiones
the dream world of the Latinx
years, our organization has
is also about pushing the city
community. It’s about weav-
been developing artistic pro-
of Columbia to deepen its
ing together aspirations and
gramming to build a bridge
cultural exchange with Latin
stories interconnecting Latinx
between Latino artistry and
America. Over the past few
minds. It’s about magnifying
American culture.” The more
months, the Nick has built
Latinx experiences. It’s also
I work with Ivan and the
international relationships
about showcasing new works
Palmetto Luna board, the
with the Consulate of Mexico
of art that defy stereotypes
more I’ve come to realize how
in Raleigh and the Oaxaca
and celebrate Latin American
far our partnership could take
Film Festival in Mexico that
culture. Community has the
our community. Together we
will help shape the 2017
power to generate positive
will strengthen the creative
festival. Through this journey,
shifts in today’s narratives
platform for Latinxs across
Indie Grits has also created
and in April 2017 we will
South Carolina.
alliances with leaders in the
come together to transform
Southeastern filmmaking
those narratives. Honoring
For the Visiones project,
community such as O Cinema
Latinx heritage is important,
Indie Grits has also joined
Miami and Austin Film Society,
making our stories and
forces with other local
allowing for us to expand our
dreams visible is a must.
organizations such as PASOS,
filmmaking network.
Hapenings
29
MORE INFO AT: INDIEGRITS.COM nickelodeon.org
BY CHRIS BICKEL SERIES CURATOR AND HOST
FIRST FRIDAY LOWBROW CINEMA
EXPLOSION
SCHEDULE THE MUTILATOR
Buddy Cooper, John Douglass 1984. USA. 86 min. R.
JANUARY 06, 11:00 PM
EBOLA SYNDROME
Herman Yau 1996. Hong Kong. 98 min. NR.
FEBRUARY 03, 11:00 PM
BUIO OMEGA
Joe D’Amato 1984. Italy. 94 min. NR.
MARCH 03, 11:00 PM
ROAD HOUSE
Rowdy Herrington 1989. USA. 114 min. R.
APRIL 07, 11:00 PM
SPONSORED BY CAROLINE GUITARS, LLC First Friday Lowbrow
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THE NICKELODEON PO BOX 7063 COLUMBIA, SC 29202 return service requested
SUPPORT FOR THE NICKELODEON IS PROVIDED BY:
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