Film explores environment from Mayan perspective

The film Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth, which explores environmental impacts from a Mayan perspective, will be shown Wednesday, April 8, at 7 pm at the Capitol Restaurant, Main St.

The film is sponsored the Bloomsburg Green Campus Initiative and the Exchange.

"The ancient Maya believed this present world would end and a new cycle arise after 5125 years,” begins the description from the film producers. "How does the story end? Does the water change color? Do the oceans collapse? Does the sky fall as the last tree is cut?” The multiple-award-winning film is free of charge and open to the public. The producers describe the presentation as being appropriate for everyone.

In the film, six young Maya from Chiapas and Guatemala show the contrast in their world view and that of many in the Western World. They reveal "through their daily and ceremonial life… their determination to resist the destruction of their culture and environment. As corporations go to the ends of the earth to extract all value, all resources, they put forth a wholly indigenous perspective in their own words, without narration. Each story touches upon a facet of the current global crisis.”

More information at www.heart-of-sky.com

Coming up: 

On Tuesday, April 28, in Carver Hall, Green Campus in conjunction with the International Faculty Association will present Gringo Trails at 7 pm. Gringo Trails shows the environmental impacts of expanding travel into the most remote parts of the world. The stories told reveal the effects of ever-increasing, unplanned and mismanaged growth in tourism. Another award winning presentation, the film has been heralded as “Required viewing for all thoughtful travelers,” by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Documentary 'Chasing Ice' to be shown

Bloomsburg University's Green Campus Initiative is screening of “Chasing Ice” tonight, Oct. 15, at 7:30 pm in Carver Hall’s Gross Auditorium.

The film has won numerous awards including an Emmy for its airing on the National Geographic Channel, an Academy Award nomination and it is a New York Time’s Critic’s Choice. The documentary chronicles the efforts of environmental photographer James Balog, whose National Geographic assignment was to bring back from the Arctic undeniable evidence of changes in climate. Through time-lapse photography in extreme conditions his amazing images tell the story of his quest.
The film is being screened with no admission fee, and Green Campus Initiative is inviting the public as well. More information at www.chasingice.com.

Film explores genetically modified seeds

The Green Campus Initiative at Bloomsburg University and the Moose Exchange are partnering to show two movies related to agriculture and nature.

Bitter Seeds will be shown Tuesday, April 8, at 7pm at St Paul's Episcopal church (at the corner of Iron and Main, Bloomsburg). India has more farmers than any country in the world, and they are in a crisis that is unprecedented in human history. Every 30 minutes a farmer in India kills himself in despair. In a village at the center of the suicide epidemic, a farmer and his family struggle to keep his land and a teenage girl makes her first steps to become a journalist and tell the world about the crisis. "Bitter Seeds" raises questions about the human cost of genetically-modified agriculture and the future of how we grow things. This is the third film in Micha Peled's globalization trilogy, following the award-winning Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town and China Blue.

Play Again will be shown on Tuesday, April 22, at 7 pm at St Paul's Episcopal church. Play Again investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature. At a time when children play more behind screens than outside, this documentary unplugs a group of tech savvy teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure, documenting the wonder that comes from time spent in nature and inspiring action for a sustainable future. 

Miscellanea: See the movie, meet the writer ...

Being Flynn, a film based on writer Nick Flynn's memoir, "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City,” will be shown Monday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 pm in BU’s McCormick Center, room 2303. The event is free and open to public. Flynn will visit campus on Wednesday, March 5, as part of the Big Dog Reading Series. The film stars Robert DeNiro, Paul Dano and Julianne Moore. The screening is open to the public free of charge, sponsored by BU’s English department.

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Sue O’Donnell, associate professor of digital art at BU, will explore the tangible nature of memory in her lecture, “Collective Memory,” on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 4:30 p.m. in the Warren Student Services Center, room 004. The lecture is based on O’Donnell’s book, “Collective Memory: Recollections from 203 West Main Street Bloomsburg, PA: a Workbook,” published in 2012. The book centers on the Moose Exchange, a well-known community center in downtown Bloomsburg that received heavy damage from a fire on Jan. 30. When O’Donnell rented studio space in the Moose Exchange, she heard people reminiscing over their times in the building for proms, weddings and holiday parties. O’Donnell collaborated with various community members to get those memories published.

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The Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary Inequality for All Thursday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 6:30 pm in the McCormick Center for the Humanities, room 1303. A panel of university faculty will discuss the problems of economic inequality at 4 p.m. in McCormick Center, room 1316. The event is free and open to the public.

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Student artwork will be exhibited in BU's Haas Gallery from Feb. 22 to March 6. On Feb. 27, a reception for the Student Art Show will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibit and reception are open to the public free of charge. The Haas Gallery of Art is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon until 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is closed Sundays and university holidays.

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The Bloomsburg University Players will present The 24 Hour Plays on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 pm in the Alvina Krause Theater, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and students from other schools. Advance tickets are available at the Haas Box Office at 570-389-4340.

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BU's Celebrity Artist Series will present Christopher O’Riley, who will perform his solo show, Out of My Hands, Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8 pm in Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. O'Riley is the host of the weekly National Public Radio program From the Top and is known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative artists such as Radiohead and Nick Drake. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children and BU students. For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at 570-389-4409.

A look at life "Under the Sea"

The film Under the Sea, narrated by Jim Carrey, will be shown Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 pm, at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St. The screening is sponsored by BU's Campus Green Initiative.

The film examines the impact of global climate change on the ocean wilderness as award-winning director/cinematographer Howard Hall (Into the Deep, Deep Sea 3D) travels from South Australia to the Indo-Pacific to teach viewers the importance of keeping our oceans clean for future generations.

Exhibits: Downtown and on campus

The Moose Exchange on West Main Street is hosting an exhibit of artists who are, or formerly were, connected with the Pajama Factory in Williamsport through Sept. 26. There will be a closing reception Thursday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 8 pm.

The exhibit covers a wide range of mediums by many artists and artisans, including Chad Andrews, Juan Arata, Rebecca Armstrong, David W. Becker, Lynne M. Becker, Valerie Beggs, Aaron Bellve, Rita Bower, Robert Bower, Steve Bower, Alex Callender, Lynn Estomin, Phil Evans, Casey Gleghorn, Tommy Grieco, The Williamsport Guardian, Jennifer Gunlock, Jeremiah Johnson, Laura Knorr, Jennifer Leidhecker, Todd Lim, Keeley Loy, Vaughn Mallery, John McKaig, Curt Miller, Lawrence C. Miller, Tim Miller, Ron Moreland, John Nicholson, Misako Oba, Jill Ostrowski, Liz Parrish, Matthew Parrish, Veera Pfaffli, Michael Pilato, Marsha Turner Pluhar, Holly Patton Shull, Brian Spies, Dave Stabley, Mark Stabley, Andrea McDonough Varner, Ralph Wilson, Mark Winkelman, and Luke Yocum.

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Sage Dawson will exhibit her work in BU's Haas Gallery through Oct. 11. In her show, Home Sweet Ruin, Dawson uses cartography as a visual metaphor and style. The gallery is open free of charge from 9 am. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays. A closing reception will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, with an artist lecture and presentation by Dawson at 3 pm. Dawson was recently featured in “From Here to There” published by Princeton Architectural Press and “Cosmologies of the Self” in Elephant Magazine.

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BU's Gender Studies Minor is sponsoring a series of six French films. The first film, La Vie en rose, will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in McCormick Center, room 2303. The film depicts the life of the French singer Edith Piaf, who lived from 1915 to 1963. This film series is free and open to the public.

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Open Mic Night, featuring a performance by host Griffen Alexander, will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in Bloomsburg University’s Scranton Commons Amphitheater. The rain location is the Kehr Union Fireside Lounge. Each act in this “unplugged” event must include at least one BU student, faculty or staff member. Open Mic Night is open to the public free of charge and sponsored by BU’s Program Board and Community Government Association.

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Justine Ayuk, a lecturer in the gender studies department at the University of Buea, Cameroon, will talk about Gender and Development in Cameroon at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, Bloomsburg University’s Andruss Library, Schweiker Room. Ayuk is one of four University of Buea faculty visiting BU during September. The lecture, open to the public free of charge, is sponsored by BU’s College of Liberal Arts and Gender Studies minor. 

The impact of Marcellus Shale ... in art, film and words

Just a reminder: The Moose Exchange on West Main is hosting a multi-disciplinary project focused on the impact of Marcellus Gas Shale on Pennsylvania communities. 

The extensive multi-disciplinary project includes an art exhibit, lectures, film screenings. Get the details direct from the Moose. 

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The Moose is also hosting a Mayoral Debate for the Town of Bloomsburg.

Miscellanea: Jazz in the afternoon ... film in the evening

Jazz in the afternoon

The Bloomsburg University Jazz Ensemble will perform Friday, April 12,  at 1 pm, and the John Vanore and Abstract Truth will play at 2 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The performances are part of BU's annual Jazz Festival for high schools and middle schools, but the public is invited.

Photos of the ensemble rehearsing and short video are at www.bloomufocus.com.

A film festival to celebrate women

LUNAFEST, a fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues, will be hosted Sunday, April 14, from 3 to 4:30 pm and 5:30 to 7 pm in BU's McCormick Center, room 1303. Three short films will be shown during each time. The screenings are sponsored by BU's WISE: Women Inspiring Strength and Empowerment There is a charge of $5 at the door to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, Columbia Montour Family Health, Inc. and WISE.

A cinematic look at moving to America

The film Amreeka will be shown Monday, April 15, at 7 pm in BU's McCormick Center, room 1303. The screening is sponsored by BU's department of languages and cultures and the Middle Eastern studies minor. Free and open to the public.

The American dream, translated

Anna Monardo, award-winning author of The Courtyard of Dreams and Falling in Love with Natassia, will visit Bloomsburg University on Thursday, April 11, for a lecture and question-and-answer session.

The lecture, "Translating the American Dream," will be at 7:30 pm in McCormick Center, room 1303; the question-and-answer session will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Warren Student Services Center, room 004. The events, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, Department of English and Gender Studies Minor (GSM), are free and open to the public.

Music on the horizon

John Vanore and Abstract Truth are special guest performers at Bloomsburg University’s Jazz Festival on Friday, April 12 in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Bands from middle schools and high schools will participate in master classes for each section and a full band clinic. The BU Jazz Ensemble will perform a free concert at noon.

BU student Kyle Moore, pianist, will give a free recital Saturday, April 13, at 5 pm in First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St.

Bloomsburg University’s Concert Band will perform Sunday, April 14, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

Democracy on Celluloid 

The move Recount, starring Kevin Spacey, will be shown Thursday, April 11, at 6:15 pm in Hartline Science Center, room G42. The screening is part of BU's Constitutional Freedom Film Series. The movie explores the human drama surrounding the 2000 presidential election. The film screening, sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Institute and the American Democracy Project, is open to the public free of charge. 

Cinema: Prepare to see a cold, white scary place

The horror film, The Last Winter, written and directed by Larry Fessenden, CEO of Glass Eye Pix, will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Bloomsburg University’s Warren Student Services Center, room 004.

The film is open to the public free of charge. Fessenden also will lead a roundtable discussion from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, open to interested students. For information or to reserve a space for the roundtable discussion, contact John Barrett, assistant professor, at jbarrett@bloomu.edu.

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The Bloomsburg University Players will present 12 Angry Jurors, an adaptation of 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm, Nov. 7 to 10, and Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 pm in Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg.Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and non-BU students; and free for BU students. For information, call (570) 389-2795.

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The 1993 French film, Blue, will be shown Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 pm in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Center, room 2303, as part of the Gender Studies Minor Foreign Film Series. The first of a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society, Blue centers on how the wife of a composer deals with the death of her husband and child. The series is sponsored by BU’s Gender Studies Minor, Department of English and College of Liberal Arts. Admission is free.

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The Bloomsburg University – Community Orchestra will present its fall concert Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2:3o pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The program will feature Festive Overture by Shostakovich; Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte by Ravel; The Moldau by Smetana; and Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre by Rodrigo. Admission is free. 

Documentary screening: Miss Representation

The documentary Miss Representation will be shown at Bloomsburg University Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 7 and 8, at 9 p.m. in the Kehr Union, Multicultural Center.

The award-winner released just this year focuses on the portrayal of women in mainstream media. The screening is sponsored by the university's Social Justice and Sustainability Living and Learning Center, the Women's Resource Center and students in the English 288 course.

Student filmmakers to show documentary 'Pakistan's Cave'

Two recent BU grads will screen a documentary, “Pakistan’s Cave,” on Thursday, April 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. in McCormick Center, room 2303. The screening is free and open to the public.

The 40-minute documentary is directed by Raeesa Khan, who majored in political science and philosophy, and edited by Andrew Protsko, who majored in mass communications/telecomm. The documentary parallels the history of Pakistan with the life of Raeesa Khan’s father, Saleem Khan, BU professor of economics and a native of Pakistan.

The film includes an interview with Khan’s uncle, who was held as a political prisoner at the notorious Lahore Fort after a coup in 1970s. Raeesa Khan also interviews Fatima Bhutto, niece of the late Pakistani leader and politician Benazir Bhutto.

Raeesa Khan explains that the title of the documentary is a reference to Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” from “The Republic,” in which prisoners see shadows on the wall that they mistake for reality. In Plato’s allegory, one prisoner escapes only to find the shadows are not real. When he returns to tell his former comrades, they do not believe him.

“By making this documentary,” she said, “I’m coming out of my ‘cave’ and trying to make sense of Pakistan’s history.”

The documentary also touches on the efforts of Saleem Khan and his brother to build schools in Pakistan. The Khans have funded the construction of several literacy centers, which offer day and evening classes to accommodate the schedules of children who must work. The brothers have also supported construction of a high school, which is nearing completion.