Documentaries by Remy Auberjonois, E.G. Bailey, D.A. Bullock, Karl Jacob, Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Picket, and Norah Shapiro

Part of Cinema of Urgency

Part of a dynamic series posing critical questions about today’s most pressing issues, this month’s Cinema of Urgency showcases a selection of contemporary works (some in progress) by Minnesota filmmakers. The evening includes excerpts of documentaries that tell the stories of the rise of progressive political star Ilhan Omar (who recently won a historic primary election) and Winona LaDuke’s environmental activism and defense of the White Earth Reservation. Featured works also address the topics of police violence, forgiving the unforgivable, and more. The program includes works by Remy Auberjonois, E.G. Bailey, D.A. Bullock, Karl Jacob, Dawn Mikkelson, Keri Picket, and Norah Shapiro. All digital format. Program length: 120 minutes.

A panel discussion with the filmmakers will be held after the screening.

Cinema of Urgency is programmed in partnership with Full Frame Documentary Festival.

Program of Films

• New Neighbors
  Directed by E.G. Bailey

New Neighbors tells the story of a mother who is determined to keep her family safe in the face of the assaults on black lives, after they have moved to a new neighborhood. (2016, short film)

• First Daughter Black Snake
  Directed by Keri Pickett

Using an out-of-the-box approach to environmental protection, Native American activist and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate Winona LaDuke focuses on Enbridge’s pipelines for fracked oil, calling attention to its dangers and ways that the shale oil boom is adversely affecting the land. (work in progress, excerpt)

• Cold November
  Directed by Karl Jacob

A 12-year-old girl raised within a matriarchal household is taken through the right of passage of killing a deer for the first time. Expectations dissolve into chaos, and she finds herself alone, relying on instinct and training to follow through with her decisions and face becoming an adult in the North American wilderness. (2016, excerpt)

• Time for Ilhan (working title)
  Directed by Norah Shapiro

Rising progressive political star Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee and mother of three, challenges a longstanding, successful incumbent for the Minnesota State Legislature, vying to be the first Muslim African-born woman elected to state office in the United States. (work in progress, excerpt)

• Killing Mookie
  Directed by D.A. Bullock

Killing Mookie is the story of Terrence Franklin, a black man killed by the police before the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The film is a portrait of a failure of justice with little response and no systemic change. (work in progress, excerpt)

• Blood Stripe
  Directed by Remy Auberjonois

Our Sergeant returns home to a small town in Minnesota after a third tour with the US Marines in Afghanistan. Unable to sleep, wracked by paranoia and anxiety, it is clear that she carries unseen wounds in addition to the scars she bears on her torso. When a boisterous homecoming party provokes her into an explosive outburst, she runs … deep into the North Woods, but finds she can’t outrun her own heart of darkness. (2016, excerpt)

• Risking Light
  Directed by Dawn Mikkelson

From a mother’s meeting with her child’s killer to a genocide survivor’s decision to reject vengeance, Risking Light explores the complex and unique emotional journeys of four remarkable people from the United States, Cambodia, and Australia who have forgiven the unforgivable. (work in progress, excerpt)
Free tickets are available at the Hennepin box office from 6 pm.