Rick Turner writes:
This Friday, Valentine’s Day, “Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies” we’ll be celebrating our 11th anniversary of showing social justice documentary films and hosting facilitated community discussions on a wide range of topics, every Friday evening. We are all-volunteer run and our venue is free and open to the public, so that anyone can attend (…donations kindly accepted). Our first films were shown here in Wallingford on Valentine’s Day 2003.
Typically, between 80 and 100 people attend each Friday evening, with attendance occasionally as high as 200 (and as low as 25). Documentary topics range from food and the environment to the economy, election reform, energy and sustainability. The over-arching theme is social justice, offering information that helps bridge the gap often left by our day-to-day media coverage. The underlying goal is to connect neighbors and build community. We often invite outside resource groups & individuals to join us to supplement the film topics, and to inform us about relevant information on the ground here in Seattle.
This coming Friday evening, Feb 14th, 7PM, we’re showing “DO THE MATH”, an amazing film about global warming and actions we need to take to save our planet. Our guests are members of the environmental group 350SEATTLE.ORG, along with a group of highly motivated kids from PLANT FOR THE PLANET (more information on the evening & guests below).
We have recently spun off a non-profit organization, The Meaningful Movies Project (also all-volunteer run), that focuses primarily on supporting other neighborhoods and groups who are doing or want to do similar film/discussion events. There are currently neighborhood film groups operating under the same model in Greenwood, West Seattle, Wedgwood, Renton, Kitsap and Kirkland; and soon in Shoreline, Ballard, Capitol Hill and elsewhere around the Puget Sound. These are all independent organizations that similarly operate with a ‘free and open to the public’ policy.
Please check out the upcoming schedule of films on our website (http://www.meaningfulmovies.
org), or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ MeaningfulMoviesProject), and you’re welcome to join our email list anytime. Here’s information on this coming Friday’s event (This is a very relevant film and evening for families):
Friday, February 14, 2014, 7:00 PM (but please come at 6:30 and visit with your neighbors)
FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE MEANINGFUL MOVIES presents Bill McKibben’s Film:
“DO THE MATH”
Following the film, join us for presentations and a conversation with our special guests:
- 350SEATTLE.ORG,
- and the Kids from PLANT FOR THE PLANET!
DO THE MATH (50 min, Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott, 2013) is a profoundly to-the-point documentary produced by 350.org which tells the story of the grassroots movements trying to change the tragic outcomes of climate change and their adversaries in the fossil fuel industry. Using simple math, this film reveals the hard facts about climate change.
In November 2012, Bill McKibben and 350.org hit the road to build a movement strong enough to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis. The DO THE MATH TOUR was a massive success in every corner of the country, and is this film documents the highlights. Great film! Join us following the film for a great discussion.
350SEATTLE.ORG is ramping up critical action to protest the KXL Pipeline, the exploitation of the Tar Sands, coal trains and global climate change. PLANT-FOR-THE-PLANET is a worldwide children´s initiative advocating for Climate Justice.
Event is FREE and open to the public, but donations are kindly accepted. The event takes place at the Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place North in Wallingford.