Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
(The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791)
In partnership with Silverpatch Library's Teen Summer Reading theme celebrating the Freedom to Read, the library will be hosting its 1st Annual First Amendment Film Festival.
A total of 9 films will be shown throughout the summer in the Krahn Theatre in the lower level of the Silverpatch Main Library. Following each film, a brief discussion led by students enrolled in the Film Studies Program at Silverpatch University will be held.
Thursday, May 31st: 6:30 p.m.
"The First Amendment Project," (Documentary) Taking freedom of speech as its collected theme, this series of short films offers a snapshot of life at the start of the 21st century and commentary on the erosion of First Amendment rights. Topics include the lawsuit filed against satirist Al Franken by Fox News for using their slogan in his book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right;" New Jersey Poet Laureate Amiri Baraka's account of the battles he encountered over his 9/11-themed poem "Somebody Blew Up America;" and a consideration of the public's right to protest versus the need for security, set against the backdrop of the 2004 national Republican convention. (2004, 67m, Sundance Channel/Court TV)
Wednesday, June 13th: 6:30 p.m.
"Footloose," filled with pop tunes still heard today, details the life of a city boy who moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned; he decides to stand up to the town and rallies his classmates to fight for the right to hold a senior prom with music and dance. (1984, color, 107m, Paramount Pictures)
Thursday, June 21st: 6:30 p.m.
"Inherit the Wind," director Stanley Kramer's stellar work based on the fictionalized Broadway play depicting the Scopes Monkey Trial and William Jennings Bryan's and Clarence Darrow's debate on teaching evolution in the public schools. (1960, 128m, United Artists/MGM)
Saturday, June 30th: 2:00 p.m.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," based on the book by Roald Dahl entitled "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which was removed from a locked reference collection at the Boulder, Colorado Public Library in 1988, where it had been placed because the librarian thought the book espoused a poor philosophy of life. Amazon.com describes this film as "a favorite film of children around the world...every bit as entertaining now as it was when originally released in 1971...Wonka gains an edge of menace and madness that nicely counterbalances the movie's sentimental sweetness. It's that willingness to risk a darker tone--to show that even a wonderland like Wonka's can be a weird and dangerous place if you're a bad kid--that makes this an enduring family classic. (1971, 100m, Warner)
Friday, July 6th: 2:00 p.m.
"Little Sisters vs. Big Brother," This documentary, filmed over a 10-year period, centers on the debate over censorship as it follows Vancouver's Little Sister's Bookstore and its 20-year struggle with Canada Customs over the seizure of books. In the face of bigotry, bombings and repeated book seizures, it wages the most important legal battle in history against Canada Customs. (2002, Canada, 71m, Weissman/Homeboy Productions)
Thursday, July 12th: 6:30 p.m.
"Pump Up the Volume,": Behind the microphone the shy teenager Mark transforms into "Hard Harry," the DJ of a pirate radio station whose uncensored commentary challenging the status quo infuriates the local high school principal. After one of the station's listeners commits suicide, a hunt for the pirate DJ starts and he ends up in jail. He then calls on other teens to "seize the air" and others follow his example. (1990, 105m, New Line Cinema.)
Tuesday, July 17th: 6:30 p.m.
"The Color Purple": Based on the book by Alice Walker, which was challenged as appropriate reading material for an Oakland, California High School honors class in 1984 due to the book's "sexual and social explicitness" and its "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality." This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was finally approved for use by the Oakland Board of Education after nine months of debate. Banned in the Souderton, Pennsylvania Area School District in 1992 as appropriate reading for tenth graders because it is "smut." Removed from the Jackson County, W. Virginia school libraries in 1997 along with sixteen other titles. (1985, 154m, Warner.)
Tuesday, July 24th: 6:30 p.m.
"The Lorax,": based on the book by Dr. Seuss, which was challenged in the Laytonville, California Unified School District (1989) because it "criminalizes the foresting industry." (1972, 52m, Universal Studios)
Tuesday, July 31st: 6:30 p.m.
"To Kill a Mockingbird," Based on the book by Harper Lee, which has been challenged quite a lot due to its racial themes. Challenged--and temporarily banned--in Eden Valley, Minnesota(1977); Challenged at the Warren, Indiana Township schools (1981), because the book "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of 'good literature'." After unsuccessfully banning the novel, three black parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council. Banned from the Lindale, Tex. advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book "conflicted with the values of the community." (1962, 130m, Universal Studios)
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment