Rhode Island

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Ashley Bryan’s World

Sep 2017

Ashley Bryan’s World
2016 | Directed by Richard Kane

I Know a Man … Ashley Bryan by Richard Kane and Robert Shetterly is a new documentary film about this 94 year old artist who skips and jumps in his heart like a child, yet is a spiritually deep creative genius and poet of 50+ children’s books, maker of magical puppets and sea glass windows from found objects inspired by his African heritage. Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Ashley’s talent was nurtured by artist Romare Bearden. Ashley was drafted out of art school into the segregated US army at age 19. He served in an all-Black battalion during World War II and preserved his humanity by drawing, stowing supplies in his gas mask. Ashley now lives on the remote Cranberry Islands, Maine, and has been using art his entire life to celebrate joy, mediate the darkness of war and racism, explore the mysteries of faith, and create loving community. He quotes Marian Anderson admonishing “to keep another down you have to hold them down, and therefore cannot … soar to the potential within you.” He spreads beauty and joy through his linocut prints exhorting “Let My People Go” to the tune of the Spiritual Oh Mary Don’t You Weep, a song composed by slaves, sung by Kim and Reggie Harris with Bernice Johnson Reagon. His life story and the art he makes from this wellspring of experience is an inspiration to people of all ages.

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Swimming Into Darkness

Sep 2017

2016 | Directed by Keith Boynton

An orphaned astronaut goes on a journey to discover the true nature of the universe in this epic, evocative animated short.

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The Edge

Sep 2017

2016 | Directed by Carlos Toro

Sharks have fascinated Joe Romeiro since childhood. He learned to dive as a tool to experience the power and mystery of sharks first hand. Joe wants to use their experiences to help show others that many species of sharks are threatened, and some even face extinction. He portrays sharks the way they see them, as beautiful and awe inspiring creatures that are an important and critical element of our oceans eco-system.

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Branch

Sep 2017

2016 | Directed by Eric Latek

Living in isolation, Branch only communicates with the portraits he has created. His reality begins to break down when Branch is met by a mysterious voice outside his apartment door. As bizarre circumstances begin to unfold before his eyes, Branch tries to decipher reality from delusion, and discover the truth of who or what he really is.

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The SHIVΩRING

Sep 2017

2017 | Directed by Eric Latek

The SHIVΩRING is the story of a retired police officer who, after 50 years, decides to confront the horrors of his past.

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Dare to Be Remarkable

Sep 2017

2016 | Directed by Justin Andrews and Andrew Drachman

A disabled philanthropist fights against a deadly disease that was predicted to take her life at eighteen months. Now one of the oldest survivors of the condition, she works toward a cure with her organization, Working on Walking.

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Tick Days

Sep 2017

2017 | Directed by Marnie Crawford Samuelson & Shane Hofeldt

At ground zero of a deepening health crisis of tick-borne diseases, bug guy Larry Dapsis is fighting to protect his Cape Cod neighbors.

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Imagine Kolle 37

Sep 2017

2017 | Directed by Michele Meek

“Imagine Kolle 37” is a short documentary/narrative hybrid film about two girls who imagine their way to Kolle 37, a real adventure playground in Berlin, Germany.

Recently called “the mother of all Berlin playgrounds” by The New York Times, Kolle 37 enables children to build and climb three-story wooden structures, make fire, and use hammers, saws and axes. Founded in 1990, Kolle 37 invites young people ages six through sixteen, without their parents, to embrace risky play in the “adventure playground” under the loose supervision of playworkers.

Although about 1,000 adventure playgrounds exist in Europe, there are only a few in the U.S. where the concept of “free play” is becoming an endangered concept. But adventure playgrounds not only encourage young people to play outdoors in all seasons, they also provide children a chance to face risk, learn skills, and build confidence.

Ultimately, “Imagine Kolle 37” poses the question—can we, as Americans, imagine Kolle 37, which in fact is a real children’s playground in Berlin?

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Meredith’s Medicine

Sep 2016

Meredith’s Medicine
2015 | Directed by Andrew Burgess

Meredith has always harbored a deep connection with her favorite ski resort, but after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, her relationship with the mountain entered a whole new level.

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Knightsville

Sep 2016

2015 | Directed by Aly Migliori

In returning to home to celebrate a Catholic feast, Sara faces a family that now feels foreign and a culture she no longer understands. Knightsville examines the painful disconnect, and deep connection, one has towards home. It is a coming-of-age story unique to none, but set within the distinct backdrop of Rhode Island Italian American culture.