Stories in Action

Congratulations to filmmakers Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Dawn Valadez, whose California Documentary Project film “Going On 13” just won the award for Best Documentary at the La Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles. Alert to Bay Area moviegoers: The film is being shown this weekend as part of the San Francisco Documentary Festival: 7 pm, Sunday, November 2, 2008, Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley.

Over the past year, as part of a California Story Fund project in the Bay Area, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, a visual artist and anthropologist, interviewed members of the Chilean community in the Bay Area to elicit their memories of migration. Using the interviews as subject matter, she then created maps and other artwork depicting the journeys of the subjects. Now you can view Degarrod’s work and listen to her interviews at “Geographies of the Imagination,” an exhibit at the Oliver Art Center of the Oakland campus of the California College of the Arts. An opening reception will take place Wednesday, October 29, 5:30 to 7:30. The exhibit will be on display through November 21. More.

“A Choice of Weapons,” an entirely youth-produced feature film about the impact of redevelopment on San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point community, will premiere in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 29 at the Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street. The film project is one of eight funded by the Council as part of its How I See It: Youth Digital Filmmakers program. More.

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“Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East L.A” will have a benefit screening at the historic Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles on October 9. More. The film will be broadcast on PBS later this year.

“Going on 13,” a California Documentary Project film about four years in the lives of four San Francisco Bay Area girls, is featured at the upcoming 7th Annual San Francisco Documentary Festival. 5 pm, Sat., Oct. 18, and 7:15 pm, Wed., Oct. 22, at the Roxie Cinema (panel discussion to follow the Oct. 18 showing); and 7:15 pm, Sun., Nov. 2, at Shattuck Cinemas, Berkeley. http://www.goingon13.com.

On Sun., Oct. 12 there will be a special screening of Paperback Dreams at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park to mark the 53rd anniversary of the beloved bookstore. The California Documentary Project film, directed by Alex Beckstead, captures the spirit of independent bookstores and their struggle to survive in the digital age. 6 pm wine reception, 7 pm screening, 8 pm community conversation. Please RSVP to rsvp@keplers.com. You can also catch the film on PBS stations, including KPBS San Diego (Oct. 14) KCET Los Angeles (Oct. 23), and KQED San Francisco ( Nov. 16).

Join the people of Allensworth, the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans, as they celebrate the town’s 100th anniversary on Oct. 11 and 12. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in Southern San Joaquin Valley will host the two-day event. More.

“Remembering Our Manongs,” - documentary film on Sonoma Country’s Filipino history. 1 pm, Sat., Nov. 1 Rohnert Park Community Center, 5401 Snyder Lane. Also 1 pm, Sat., Nov. 8, Sonoma Country Office of Education, 5340 Skylane Boulevard, Santa Rosa; and 1 pm, Sat., Nov 15, Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Avenue, Santa Rosa. More.

San Francisco Croatian Festival: dancing, singing, food and the world premiere of the documentary film “Croatian Stories.” Saturday, October 18, 2008, 7:30 PM. Performers include the Koraci Croatian Dance Ensemble. More.

Southern California history comes alive on Sat., Oct. 25, at the 3rd Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar. Browse rare collections, consult with experts, learn about family genealogy, preserving your own history, and more. And be sure to stop by the Council’s booth. Book signings with Los Angeles authors will take place, and three Council-supported films will be screened: “Chicano Rock,” Jon Wilkman’s film tracing the history or rock ‘n roll and Latino identities in East Los Angeles; the “The Eastsiders,” about the historic Central Avenue area before 1965; and “The New Los Angeles,” documenting the city’s recent political and social history. 10 am to 5 pm. Free Admission. USC Davidson Conference Center, 3415 South Figueroa Street (at Jefferson Boulevard). Parking is available for $8 at USC Parking Structure D next to the Davidson Center. More.