I have attended two Indie Lens Pop-Up events at the Pine Hills branch of the Albany Public Library. What’s that?
“Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together…for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics and social issues, to family and community relationships.”
Here’s a list of screening partners. The one for my area is the local PBS television station, WMHT.
The first event on December 6, 2023, was the showing of the first part of A Town Called Victoria. “A south Texas town is thrown into the national spotlight when a local mosque is burned down in an apparent hate crime.” I remember the event. One dynamic shown in the film involved the ethnic tensions of the black, white, Hispanic, and Muslim communities.
The showing was followed by a conversation with the roughly two dozen viewers. A couple in the audience had regularly visited Victoria, so their insights. It was an excellent interaction.
The entire three-hour documentary is available from your local PBS station through mid-April.
On January 3, Razing Liberty Square was presented. “The Liberty Square public housing community in Miami becomes ground zero for climate gentrification.” This was a function of the fact that Liberty City was built on higher ground than the Miami coastal areas. Black people weren’t initially allowed to live on the coastline. With global warming making coastal Miami vulnerable, developers and politicians suddenly targeted the long-neglected area.
It was a good conversation. Sadly, there were only four in the audience, plus the facilitator. The film started airing on PBS starting on January 29.
Upcoming
The following films at the Pine Hills branch of the Albany Public Library, 517 Western Avenue, near Allen Street, will be:
Wednesday, February 7, 6 pm: Breaking The News. Women and LGBTQ+ journalists launch startup The 19th* to buck a broken news media system.
Wednesday, March 13, 6 pm: Matter Of Mind: My Parkinson’s. Three individuals navigate their lives with determination in the face of Parkinson’s disease.
Wednesday, April 24, 6 pm: The Tuba Thieves. What does it mean to listen? An exploration of musicality set against a theft.