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B section
wednesday, february 3, 2010
Wildlife
Steven Kwan Arts Editor 520•621•3106 arts@wildcat.arizona.edu
Stories in black and white
THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
Symposium to present little-known history of black cinema
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3
Representation of Race in the Media – showing of “Midnight Ramble: Oscar Micheaux and the Story of Race Movies” with guest filmmaker and scholar Pearl Bowser. Marshall Building, 845 N. Park Ave., Room 212 4 - 6 p.m.
By Ada Dieke Arizona Daily Wildcat It may be your first time watching a film shown with a film projector. Today through Saturday, the UA Hanson Film Institute and the School of Media Arts will host a symposium, “In Our Own Voice: African American Film Makers Oscar Micheaux, Spike Lee and Noland Walker.” This free, four-day event features screenings and discussions with guest film scholars as well as an anniversary-celebration screening of Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed movie “Do The Right Thing.”A 35mm copy of the film will be shown in the Gallagher Theatre at the Student Union Memorial Center. Vicky Westover, symposium organizer and director of the Hanson Film Institute, said that this event is the first of its kind on campus.“But, every year, we try to do something that focuses on African-American film.” The symposium came about after a brainstorming session between Westover and her colleague, Pearl Bowser, a Hanson Film Institute program advisory board member and expert on the works of Oscar Micheaux, the first Black feature filmmaker in the United States. “Not many people know about Oscar Micheaux. He not only was the father of Black filmmaking, but also the father of independent filmmaking. Film historians need to know about him,” Westover said. Amidst the rampant racism of the times, Micheaux created more than 40 films, his first nearly a century ago in 1919. His classic works will be shown at this symposium. The symposium is a fantastic tie-in to Black History Month, but its greater significance is two-fold. Not only will the guest scholars guide attendees through the works of the Black filmmakers Micheaux, Lee and Walker, they will also provide a glimpse into Black history and the portrayals of life at that time. Bowser will screen and discuss “Midnight Ramble: Oscar Micheaux and the Story of Race Movies”today. Bowser and Dr. John Howard, who had just completed a book about Micheaux, will discuss Micheaux’s silent film,“Body and Soul” on Thursday. According to Westover, a reel of this movie will be accompanied by live music, just the way it was done in the silent film era. Dr. John Howard will be at the screening Friday to present and sign copies of his book,“Faces in the Mirror: Oscar Micheaux and Spike Lee.”Immediately afterwards, Lee’s“Do the Right Thing,” will be screened. The movie was groundbreaking at the time for its confrontation of
BEFORE YOU GRADUATE
THURSDAY, FEB. 4
Screening and discussion of Oscar Micheaux’s “Body and Soul.” Discussion led by Pearl Bowser and film scholar Dr. John Howard. Holsclaw Hall, 1017 N. Olive Rd., Room 100A 4 - 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 5
Presentation and book signing of “Faces in the Mirror: Oscar Micheaux and Spike Lee” with Pearl Bowser and Dr. John Howard ---A free screening of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” will follow the presentation Gallagher Theatre, Student Union Memorial Center 4 - 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 6
Oscar Micheaux race relations and was even nominated for an Academy Award in 1989. To cap off the symposium, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Noland Walker will be on hand Saturday to discuss and show clips of his films including “Citizen King,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and documented the last five years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. The symposium brings together discussion, history and education on Black filmmaking, which is sure to be a scholarly treat.
Filmmaker Noland Walker discusses and show clips of his work: “Citizen King,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple” and “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story.” Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering building, Room 202, 1130 N. Mountain Ave. 4 - 6 p.m.
Spike Lee
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Noland Walker, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, will be at the UA Saturday to discuss and show clips of his films at the symposium,“In Our Own Voice: African American Film Makers Oscar Micheaux, Spike Lee and Noland Walker.” Among the films he will be discussing is“Citizen King,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and documented the last five years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. Walker explains that in those years, King became increasingly critical of what the U.S. needed to do to achieve change. “This is about real equity in all
Encounter real wildlife
Tucked away in the very heart of Tucson, the 17-acre campus of Reid Park Zoo is home to hundreds of the world’s most striking animals. In just one day, you can travel to the far reaches of the globe. Journey to South America to see a capybara and a Baird’s Tapir, pass through the forests of Asia that serve as the home of the lion-tailed macaque and even see if you can spot a muntjac, which is commonly referred to as the barking deer. And the best part: you can even get home by dinner time. Reid Park Zoo 1100 S. Randolph Way Tucson, AZ 85716 791-4022 http://www.tucsonzoo.org/
Get an up-close look at our native creatures
If you have never seen a javelina, you need to take a trip out to the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum. The 21-acre natural history museum allows you to experience the sights and sounds of the Sonoran Desert as you walk through the reconstructed habitats of the region’s many reptiles, birds and mammals. Featuring such exhibits as a walk-in aviary, an artificial cave experience and the Desert Loop Trail, you are sure to get a firsthand look at Tucson’s natural wildlife. You can even enjoy a desert delicacy such as a Sonoran cheesesteak or a chicken sandwich with prickly pear plum sauce at the museum’s Ironwood Terrace Restaurant. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N. Kinney Rd. Tucson, AZ 85743 883-2702 http://www.desertmuseum.org/
Walk into a cowboy gun fight Illustrations by Ken Wright/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Noland Walker
Check out dailywildcat.com/wildlife for a calendar of Black History Month events on and around campus
Filmmaker to discuss documentary on Dr. King’s life By Ada Dieke Arizona Daily Wildcat
Since we stay focused and dedicated to our studies all week long, when the weekend finally rolls around, we need a vacation. Scratch that, we deserve one. But what is there to do? Two days do not leave much time for travel, and while Tucson does have spectacular weather, hanging around campus or going to the movies hardly seems like a vacation. Plus, it doesn’t take long before that popcorn starts to lose its pizzazz. So what can you do to escape the hum-drum of monotony? Well, why not act as a tourist for a day? Gain a new perspective on Tucson by visiting the many sites and attractions that intrigue sightseers far and wide.
regards,”said Walker of King’s final wishes. He feels King began to see that the already complex problems were even bigger than he thought. When asked if Walker himself had any hope for change with the current national problems, he said, “Yes … (progress) is the cumulative works of all the people whose names we may or may not know. In order to make progress forward, you have to know what came before.” Raised in Memphis, Tenn. and currently living in Philadelphia, Pa., Walker got his start working in the late ’80s with Blackside Productions after seeing their release,“Eyes on the Prize I.” Blackside Productions was what Walker thought a production company should be about: paying close
attention to detail, checking the facts and scholarship. The company was a gem in those days when, according to Walker, blacks were considered “biologically inferior.”A couple of meetings later and with a new appreciation for the collaborative nature of filmmaking, Walker began working with Blackside for “Eyes on the Prize II” and expanded his “understanding of what had happened in the world.” Amidst the newer fads of documentaries, in which the characters’ lives tell the story, Walker maintains that the director is still the storyteller. He personally enjoys documentary styles that use archival footage — “making films with things that already exist,”he said. “I try to get you to consider the subject matter … in ways you may not have
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thought of before. ” Walker won an Emmy for coproducing and co-directing “A Day in the Life of Jeremiah Burke,” a documentary about an urban high school, filmed similarly to MTV’s “Real World” series. Experiences such as these helped shape Walker’s beliefs about filmmaking. “What’s important is what is the story you’re telling and how are you telling it,” he said. Walker is especially excited to be a part of this symposium because he feels that it was in the college environment where he learned about films that inspired him.“Colleges and universities play a unique role in showing the many paths people can take in life,”Walker said.
Get ready for cowboys, gun shows and saloons when you take a trip out west to see one of Tucson’s most popular tourist attractions, Old Tucson Studios. Not only can you walk around the site of many of Hollywood’s most beloved films and television series, including “Little House on the Prairie,” “Bonanza,” “¡Three Amigos!” and “Joe Kidd,” but you’re also offered a variety of stunt shows and musical acts to make you feel like you have traveled back in time to the days of brawny cowboys and rowdy duels. Old Tucson Studios 201 S. Kinney Rd. Tucson, AZ 85735 520-883-0100 http://www.oldtucson.com — Dallas Williamson
Is there something that you think we should do before graduating? Send your sugestions to arts@wildcat.arizona.edu. Please include your name, major and year.
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New mash-up album exalts two groups
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