3 Local films screen tonight in HMB

Coastside Film Society will screen 3 locally-produced documentaries tonight. The program will included two films on the redemptive power of music to heal by Suzanne Girot and Renato Frota.

IRVING NORMAN   (TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN) (27 mins)

Documentary by Half Moon Bay’s own Susan Friedman about the life and work of the social surrealist painter Irving Norman. Norman saw art as a medium for social reform, and his uncompromising visual criticisms of US socio-political structure rattled many of the important movers and shakers of the art world of his day. He spent the later years of his life working on larger and larger canvases in his studio just south of Half Moon Bay. Filmmaker Susan Friedman and Irving Norman’s wife Hela will attend and introduce the film.

MISTER SPAZZMAN (47 mins)

Two perspectives on how relationships evolve in the wake of a life-shattering event:

  1.) Two men and the evolution of their music;
  2.) Love between a man and woman withers as they realize the futility of a shared life.

GIRL BEAT—THE POWER OF THE DRUM (27 mins)

A documentary about the Brazilian Cultural Center for Music and Dance. Here young girls learn to appreciate their rich heritage. In doing so they transform the lives of their families. A film full of vibrant music and dance. GIRL BEAT profiles members of Banda Dida, an all-girl drumming and vocal group based in SALVADOR, BRAZIL. The music that this group plays grows out of the Portuguese colonial history of Brazil, and the African slave market that used to be held in the Pelourinho (slave square) in Salvador.

Although slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, an economic separation of black and white populations is still entrenched throughout the
country. The Dida Music School (A Brazilian Cultural Center) was established in Salvador to empower Brazilian blacks with their history, music, and a chance to succeed in the rich samba-reggae music scene that is currently popular in South America. Several members of the music group are interviewed, rehearsals of the group are shown, and discussions related to Brazilian black history and religion are interspersed throughout.

This film illustrates the power and importance of giving young people, especially those of ethnically and economically diverse backgrounds, the gift of learning about music. That makes their lives more meaningful and fulfilling. It provides some perspective on the current popular music scene in Brazil. In addition, the girls’ families were transformed by reconnecting with their Black
Heritage.

Director, Suzanne Girot will be on hand to introduce her two films and take questions. 

Community United Methodist Church Sanctuary
777 Miramontes (corner of Johnston) Half Moon Bay
Donation: $6.00
For directions, pictures and more details see the CFS website at www.hmbfilm.org