Listen up: you have the opportunity to see life-changing independent films before most of the general public.
The Gnu's Room, in conjunction with the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts, will be previewing episodes of the famed Public Broadcasting Service program "Point of View."
According to the PBS website, "Point of View," commonly known as POV, is television's longest-running showcase for innovative independent films.
Each year PBS selects local partners throughout the United States--The Gnu's Room being the only one chosen in Alabama--to preview almost 500 screenings of episodes covering a variety of contemporary social issues before they air.
"Someone in (PBS's) office had discovered our website and felt that because of all the things we do for the community, we would be a great fit as a venue for their films," said Gnu's Room owner and manager Tina Tatum. "It is an honor for The Gnu's Room to have been chosen as a venue for the screenings, and students and residents should take advantage of the wonderful opportunity we have been given."
Jay Lamar, director of the CMDC, approached The Gnu's Room about being a community partner.
"(POV) brings to us people, places and events that we would not otherwise know about," Lamar said. "They are provocative, enriching, thoughtful documentaries, and the discussion following the screening opens up all kinds of ideas, dialogue and chances to learn and share."
Those at the CMDC especially encourage students to attend the screenings.
"What the partnership has helped us with in the short term is getting the word out about the community events we cosponsor with the Arts & Humanities, such as book talks and film screenings," Tatum said.
POV previews began Aug. 12 with a showing of "Biblio Burro." The film follows a teacher traveling to remote villages in the violence-ridden country of Columbia to deliver books and teach children to read.
"This is a great opportunity for the Center for the Arts & Humanities to partner with The Gnu's Room to offer the Auburn community a unique chance to see and discuss POV films before they air," said Maiben Beard, the center's outreach associate.
The next screening at The Gnu's Room will be Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. of the film "Sweet Grass."
According to the POV website, "'Sweet Grass' offers an unprecedented record of a cowboy way of life at the moment of its disappearance and a magnificently filmed portrait of a world in which nature, culture, animals and humans are on intimate terms--and sometimes violently at odds."
All POV films shown in The Gnu's Room will be screened 30 days prior to airing on PBS.
The films are being shown once a month Thursdays or Fridays at 7 p.m., and future screenings will be announced through The Gnu's Room's website and through the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities.
To find out more about the series, visit www.pbs.org/pov.
The POV screenings at The Gnu's Room are free and open to the public.
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