The Scene: Year-End Screening

Be part of the winter episode of TheSceneA2.com by coming to a screening of the 2016 recap episode.

Meet the hosts of the show, mingle with other art lovers, and share your love for Ann Arbor! Light refreshments will be served.

Produced by award winning writer/director Christina Morales Hemenway, The Scene is an upbeat 30 minute monthly show about what's happening in arts and entertainment in Ann Arbor. It is presented by lively hosts Tanya Luz and Matthew Altruda and also includes family-friendly segments by Xander Hemenway.

The purpose of The Scene is to educate, entertain, and enroll the southwest region of Michigan into experiencing the richness of the arts and entertainment scene in Ann Arbor.

Film: YARN

Meet the artists who are redefining the tradition of knit and crochet, bringing yarn out of the house and into the world.

Reinventing our relationship with this colorful tradition, YARN weaves together wool graffiti artists, circus performers, and structural designers into a visually-striking look at the women who are making a creative stance while building one of modern art's hottest trends.

Starting in Iceland, this quirky and thought-provoking film follows a few international artists and knitters as they bring yarn to the streets and into our lives in new ways as we discover how yarn connects us all. The film takes us on a colorful and global journey to Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Hawaii, Cuba, the United States, and Canada exploring the endless possibilities of yarn in the world.

This 2016 film is not rated.

The 54th Ann Arbor Film Festival Tour

The Ann Arbor Film Festival touring program is a chance for people that missed the festival to catch up on some of the work that was presented.

For this event, the Festival has selected several unique films from the past year's screenings.

Established in 1963, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America. Learn more at aafilmfest.org

Special Film Screening: Lincoln Center Local: Mozart Celebration

Lincoln Center Local: Free Screenings, a program created by Lincoln Center Education and hosted by libraries and community centers, brings the best of Lincoln Center—world-renowned performances coupled with unparalleled educational resources—off its Manhattan-based campus and into communities anywhere.

Today's screening is a festive all-Mozart program featuring the exquisite Piano Trio in B-flat major, K. 502; the charming Horn Quintet in E-flat major, K. 407, and the exuberant Viola Quintet in C major.

This season-closing program, previously recorded at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in May 2013, is performed by pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, violinists Benjamin Beilman and Ani Kavafian, violists Lily Francis and Paul Neubauer, cellist Timothy Eddy, and horn player Radovan Vlatkovic.

This Lincoln Center program provides high-definition screenings from the growing digital catalog of the world’s leading performing arts center. These music, dance, theater, and opera performances come from recent live events at Lincoln Center, including the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center Theater, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and School of American Ballet, as well as past performances at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, American Song, and past broadcasts from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Live From Lincoln Center. For more information, please visit LincolnCenter.org/Local

Film and Discussion: Invisible Heroes: African-Americans in the Spanish Civil War

Many know the endeavors of the Lincoln Brigade. In 1936 two thousand eight hundred North Americans volunteered with the International Brigades to defend the Republic of Spain, joining their struggle to about 50,000 other volunteers coming from 54 countries across the world. But what most do not know is that among the American volunteers there were eighty-five African Americans who also answered that call, fighting in Spain against racism and for the civil rights that were denied to them in their own country. This is their story, an unknown page of the USA and Spain's history.

"Invisible Heroes: African-Americans in the Spanish Civil War" presents the deeds of these invisible heroes who fought for their freedom in a far away war. Following the screening of the film, co-director Alfonso Domingo will lead a discussion of themes presented in the documentary.

Based on interviews with the veteran African American volunteer James Yates and the participation of other veterans of the Lincoln Brigade, the documentary also includes interviews with historians and experts from Spain and the US. Seldom seen archival footage and new recordings produced in the historical sites in Mississippi, Chicago, New York, and several locations in Spain are included.

This 2015 74-minute documentary is not rated.

This LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester event is presented with support from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the University of Michigan Bicentennial Office. Additional support provided by the Department of History and the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies.

Film: Design Disruptors

The future of business is being written by companies and products that—intentionally or not—shake billion dollar industries.

In Design Disruptors, enter the world of 15+ industry-toppling companies—valued at more than $1 trillion dollars combined—with one unifying secret advantage: the transformative power of design.

Design Disruptors, a new documentary from InVision and directed by Catalyst, reveals a never-before-seen perspective on the design approaches of these companies and how they are overtaking billion dollar industries through design.

Click here to view a trailer for the film.

Black History Month Film & Discussion: Alice's Ordinary People

The 2012 documentary Alice's Ordinary People by Craig Dudnick features Alice Tregay, an ordinary Chicago woman who stood up to injustice in her community.

Alice’s life story reads like a history of the civil rights movement. She fought 'Willis Wagons,' second class structures built to relieve overcrowding in Chicago schools which served the African American community. In 1966, Dr. King came to Chicago; she and her husband marched with him. It was at this time that Dr. King joined Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend James Bevel, forming Operation Breadbasket.

Under the leadership of Reverend Jackson, the months that Alice and her “ordinary people” spent picketing led to real change. But it was through her Political Education class that Alice had her most significant impact. Over a four-year period, thousands were trained to work in independent political campaigns. This new force was integral to the re-election of Ralph Metcalf to Congress (this time as an independent democrat), to the election of Harold Washington as mayor of Chicago, and to making Barack Obama our first African American President.

Alice’s contribution is unique in American history.

Following the screening, the award winning director of the film, Craig Dudnick, will lead a discussion of the film’s themes and topics.

This 55-minute film is not rated.

Film & Discussion: “One: A Contemporary Journey Towards A Timeless Destiny" with Local Filmmaker Carter

Join Ann Arbor filmmaker, artist, and yoga instructor Carter for a screening and discussion of his film One: A Contemporary Journey Towards A Timeless Destiny.

Filmed in 2006, this documentary seeks to explore the meaning of life by asking the same 20 questions of teachers the world over, including Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hahn, Robert Thurman, and many more. The film explores spirituality, the meaning of life, and personal growth.

This screening not only marks the 10th anniversary of the film, but also the start of the film’s online streaming availability to AADL cardholders.

Film & Discussion: How to Let Go of the World And Love All the Things Climate Can't Change

Concerned about climate change?

This special screening of the latest film by Oscar-nominated director Josh Fox ([Gasland) focuses on the impacts climate change is having around the world. In "How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can't Change," Fox contemplates our climate-impacted future, focusing on the human qualities that global warming can't destroy.

"It's a fascinating, heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring ride." — Andrew O. Hehir, Salon.com

The screening will be followed by a brief discussion on global warming. This 127-minute film is not rated.

This event is cosponsored by the Ann Arbor Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby and 350 SE Michigan.

Film & Discussion: TINY: The Life of Erin Blackwell

The Washtenaw Housing Alliance cosponsors this screening of the 2016 film, "TINY: The Life of Erin Blackwell," as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. (November 12th–November 20th, 2016). The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q + A with members of local human service providers who work to end youth and adult homelessness in Washtenaw County.

The documentary provides an unflinching depiction of intergenerational poverty and the long-lasting impact of homelessness and addiction. The 87-minute film is not rated.

In 1984, director Martin Bell and acclaimed documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark spent over a year documenting the lives of homeless children living on the streets of Seattle. The film and photographic exhibition that they created during this time–both titled "Streetwise"–portrayed the challenges faced by homeless youth. The documentary film was nominated for an Academy Award.

Mary Ellen and Martin continued filming on and off with one of the film’s characters, Erin (a.k.a. Tiny), for the next 32 years, as Erin battled drug addiction and became a mother to 10 children, half of whom ended up in the foster care system. The filmmakers weave together thirty years of at times devastating footage, including never-before-seen sequences from the filming of "Streetwise," to intimately chronicle Erin Blackwell's complex story