19th Annual Documentary ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app
Why Art Matters
Sundays, 2 PM, Kerr McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business
NW 27th Street and McKinley Ave, ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app City, OK 73106
A discussion session follows each film for those who wish to stay
Free Admission, Donations Appreciated
Director: Dr. Tracy Floreani, [email protected]
For More Information, Call (405) 208-5707
March 26, 2016, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Marcie Begleiter’s new film Eva Hesse, 108 min
As the wild ride of the 1960s came to a close, Eva Hesse, a 34 year-old German-born, Jewish American artist, was cresting the wave of a swiftly rising career. One of the few women recognized as central to the New York art scene, her work was finally receiving both the critical and commercial attention it deserved. However, when she died in May, 1970 from a brain tumor, the life of one of that decade’s most passionate and brilliant artists was tragically cut short. Eva Hesse deepens our understanding of this extraordinary artist, not only in terms of her ground-breaking work, but also the life that provided the fertile soil for her achievements. The documentary not only traces Eva’s path but engages in a lively investigation into the creative community of 1960’s New York and Germany.
This special screening is co-hosted by The ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app City University School of Visual Arts and the .
April 9, 2016, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Nelson George’s A Ballerina’s Tale, 85 min
Few dancers make it to the highest levels of classical ballet. Of that already small number only a fraction of them are black women. Misty Copeland has pulled herself up the ladder at American Ballet Theater from the studio company to soloist. The only rung left to climb is principal dancer. However, her time to shine is cut through by six fractures in her left shin, leaving many wondering if she would ever dance again. A Ballerina’s Tale is an intimate look at the artist during this crucial period in her life, from the triumph of her lead performance in Stravinsky’s Firebird, the painful road back to dancing and to an unexpected third act where Misty not only returns to the stage but emerges as a pop star in the process.
April 23, 2016, Kerr McGee Auditorium, 2 PM
Mark Landsman's Thunder Soul, 83 min
In the late 1960s, musician and composer Conrad O. Johnson took a job as Music Director at the predominantly black Kashmere High School where he would go on to transform the school’s struggling jazz band into a full-fledged funk powerhouse. The Kashmere High School Stage Band and their dynamic leader would soon become legendary and world-renowned, culminating when the band won Most Outstanding Stage Band in the Nation at the highly prestigious All-American High School Stage Band Festival in 1972 – the very same year segregationist Governor George Wallace would announce a run for the presidency. Presented by Jamie Foxx, Thunder Soul follows the alumni from the band, who return home after 35 years to play a tribute concert for the 92-year-old band leader.
Admission to the documentary series is free, but donations help sustain the Institute's mission. Donations can be made at each film or mailed to the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Film Institute Endowment at ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app City University or the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Film Institute’s Designated Endowment in the Community Foundation of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app City University and the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund for the university’s Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature also support the Institute.
