Wednesday, June 19, 2013 • 6:30 p.m.
Columbia Public Library, Friends Room

“Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars” (78 min.) follows a reggae band born in the camps of West Africa, representing a real-life story of survival and hope. The six-member musical group came together in Guinea after civil war forced them from their native Sierra Leone. Traumatized by physical injuries and the brutal loss of family and community, they fight back with the only means they have-music. The result is a tableau of tragedy transformed by the band’s inspiring determination to sing and be heard. This documentary by Banker White and Zach Niles is shown in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series. The film showed at the True/False Film Fest in 2006.

Thanks to everyone who came to the “Buck” showing at the Columbia Public Library. Here are some questions about the film that you can respond to in the comments section of this blog post:

1. What quality do you like most about Buck?
2. How do you think Buck’s childhood had an effect on his horse training?
3. Do you think differently about animals after watching this film?

We recently added “The Story Of Film: An Odyssey” to the DBRL collection. The DVD set that includes 15 hour long episodes currently has a rating of 93% from audiences at Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s a synopsis from our catalog:

The story of film: an odyssey, written and directed by award-winning film-maker Mark Cousins, is the story of international cinema told through the history of cinematic innovation. Five years in the making, The Story of Film: An Odyssey covers six continents and 12 decades, showing how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. It provides worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made; an epic tale that starts in nickelodeons and ends as a multi-billion dollar globalised digital industry. Described as a ‘love letter’ to the movies, Cousins visits the key sites in the history of cinemal from Hollywood to Mumbai; from Hitchcock’s London to the village where Pather Panchali was shot, and features interviews with legendary filmmakers and actors including Stanley Donen, Kyoko Kagawa, Gus van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Claire Denis, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Towne, Jane Campion and Claudia Cardinale.

Check out the film trailer or the official film site for more info.

May 22: “Buck” 6:30 p.m. at Columbia Public Library, free. (via)
May 22: ”Titicut Follies” 6:30 p.m. at Ragtag. (via)

We recently added “They Call It Myanmar” to the DBRL collection. The film currently has a rating of 100% from critics at Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s a synopsis from our catalog:

Shot clandestinely over three years by best-selling novelist and filmmaker Robert H. Lieberman, this film with its stunning footage provides an astonishing and intimate look inside what has been one of the most isolated countries on the planet With an exclusive perspective provided by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, this film brings a human dimension to a country that remains a mystery to much of the world.

Check out the film trailer or the official film site for more info.

We recently added “Side by Side” to the DBRL collection. This film currently has a rating of 95% from critics at Rotten Tomatoes.  Here’s a synopsis from our catalog:

Join Keanu Reeves on a tour of the past and the future of filmmaking in Side by side. Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters.

Check out the film trailer or the official film site for more info.