Film Season Is Now! 58th San Francisco Int'l. Film Festival - April 23rd - May 7th

The 58th San Francisco Int'l. Film Festival is taking place right now and running through May 7th.  I must say, this year's selection of films is the best I've seen in several years and I have more than 12 on my radar to see.  I am hopeful I will make at least half of them as this is a very robust effort on my part.  I am thrilled about the diversity in programming and applaud the SFIFF team for their selections this year.  From Nina Simone to an intimate evening in conversation with stellar actor Richard Gere, bouncing between the Kabuki and Castro Theaters is well worth the ride.

Opening night on April 23rd with the screening of Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (Doc) did not disappoint. Director and Oscar-winner Alex Gibney was brilliant in not just pulling together such an amazing story around the build-up of how many people live now, iLife, but the sprinkles of Jobs' life showing the audience how many strived to understand a man who was a volatile enigma even to those closest to him during most of his life as a tech giant.  Even to the point of, in the early days when he was worth $200M, only agreeing to pay $500/month in child support to the mother of his first born. How did a man who so valued enlightenment as he practiced Zen, act in often brutal self-interest when it came to work and family?  After seeing this film I was definitely convinced that people did not fall in love with Steve Jobs, but rather the products he created that enhanced and changed lives forever.

In Conversation With Richard Gere - Screening: Time Out of Mind.  On April 26th, the long lines of admirers started to form close to 2 hours before the highly anticipated arrival of Richard Gere at the Castro Theater, for what we all knew would be one of the most engaging conversations with an actor we would have in San Francisco. The evening with Mr. Gere, preceding the film screening of 'Time Out of Mind', was funny, enlightening, bold and above all genuine.  He remains, by far An Officer and a Gentleman we loved so much on screen over 20 years ago.  Richard has been a Buddish since his 20s and he came to learn about this religion while going through growing pains and wanting to have a deeper understanding of his place in this life.  He found comfort and answers for his life in the study of Buddism and Zen, and at 65 years old it remains a strong force in his life.  One thing Mr. Gere made clear, was that on the many occasions he has been with Dalai Lama, they have never talked about films.  A huge 'aaaahhhaaa' moment for the audience. Imagine that!  My favorite part of Richard's interview was when he mentioned that when searching for media consultants and interviewing many who represented high profile Democrats, he says, 'there was something unreliable about them'.  The crowd burst into laughter and as a media professional, I definitely 'got it'.  Mr. Gere went on further to say, that Roger Ailes was a solid in that area.

The film Time Out Of Mind is was about a homeless man trying to figure out how to pass the time when you have nowhere to go? How to get identification when you have none to start with? Disheveled and red-faced, George Hammond (Richard Gere) wanders New York’s cold streets, facing these questions The film exposes the bureaucracy of social services and a stirring glimpse into the lives of those on the margins.

 

Yves Saint Laurent - Wow! I was really and very much expecting to see much more glamour, fashion and couture, but the film was largely about the 'dark side' of the legendary Yves Saint Laurent.  Fashionistas, like myself, are very much aware of the drugs and alcohol abuse, which is somewhat common in the industry, so I was very hopeful that we would have an opportunity to see much more of the creative process, the design mind behind the genius designer and have take-a-ways to use in the field.  But watching a dog eat pills that accidentally made their way to the floor and watching that dog go into overdose and die was heart wrenching.  From a production perspective, film well done.  In the area of content, would have enjoyed seeing so much fashion.

There are a ton more films showing through May 7th so get your tickets NOW!  Purchase here: SFIFF

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“Head of Passes” Debuts at the Berkeley Rep - Running through May 24th

On Friday, April, 17th every seat at Berkeley’s Repertory Theatre (BRT) Thrust Stage was occupied when the West Coast premiere of the play “Head of Passes” debuted.  The theatre was absolutely packed and the audience was mesmerized.

Head of Passes, written by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by writer Tina Landau, both ensemble members at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, together, gave the crowd more than they expected, which included an array of emotions ranging from despair, angst, sadness, and surprisingly, a good dose of laughter.

McCraney, a MacArthur “Genius” Award winner, told a poignant and poetic story about the journey of family, faith, trials and tribulations. “It is a story about someone’s personal faith and how they use it as an aperture or a guide to try and understand the many, sometimes fraught, sometimes beautiful, often chaotic events in our lives,” said McCraney.

BRT’s Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone acknowledged that Tarell is a wonderful writer ‘who we’ve been yearning to work with for a long time’. Head of Passes chronicles a day in the life of this African American family that has to endure an unbearable amount of suffering,” said Taccone.  “It’s not about insurmountable loss but incomprehensible loss and unrelenting faith.”

What captivated the audience more than the play itself was the compelling and stellar performance by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, who played Shelah in the production.  “Shelah’s family gathers on a stormy night for her birthday, bringing ghosts and secrets of the past with them.”

“As her roof buckles under the weight of the rain, Shelah’s convictions begin to wash away, leaving her to excavate the truths buried below.” Bruce solely completed the last 30 minutes of Head of Passes as she poured out the pain, agony, and unyielding faith of her family’s lives.

At its world premiere in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune raved that “McCraney writes the richest dialogue of any scribe of his generation…it is the well-worth-seeing, must-be supported work of a extraordinary gifted and ambitious writer.  And the Chicago Now lauded Head of Passes as ‘a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and soul-stirring experience’.

McCraney’s plays include The Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, and Marcus: Or the Secret of Sweet.  His other plays include Choir Boy and Wig Out!

Other cast members in Head of Passes are Francois Battiste (Aubrey), Johnathan Burke (Crier), James Carpenter (Dr. Anderson), Brian Tyree Henry (Spencer), Sullivan Jones (The Angel), Nikkole Salter (Cookie), Kimberly Scott (Mae) and Michael A. Sheppard (Creaker).

Head of Passes runs through Sunday, May 24, 2015. Individual tickets start at $29 and can be purchased by phone at (510) 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org.

Written by: C.L. Williams

Talib Kweli Makes it Plain - INFORUM - A Commonwealth Club Presentation

March 20, 2015. Talib Kweli - INFORUM - Commonwealth Club.  “All good art takes cues from the community. It responds to our struggles,” said rapper Talib Kweli during his conversation, Race, Justice and Hip Hop, with Judge LaDoris H. Cordell on Friday night at the Commonwealth’s Inforum event held at the historic Castro Theatre. And to an audience of hip-hop fans, Commonwealth members and social activists spanning different age groups, races, religions and sexualities, Kweli explained that hip-hop is no different. He likened good hip-hop to that of negro spirituals, exploring how both genres are the lamentation of the black community’s discontent and pain due to systematic oppression in a white supremacist society. Kweli stressed that a good hip-hop artist’s voice should amplify, impact and and belong to the community.

This portion of the conversation reminded me of an MTV interview with Diddy several years back where he drew similar comparisons:

“I always relate hip-hop to our old Negro spirituals. They were sung in the cotton fields to help us get by, to help us not kill ourselves by going crazy under the word oppression in the world. The music, the soulfulness, the spiritual-ness expressed in song helped us get through another day. “That’s the same impact hip-hop has had on this generation. Hip-hop has helped us make it through our life in the inner cities.”- Diddy

Kweli, considered by many as a “conscious rapper” (although he is reluctant to be boxed in to the category), grew up in a Black Nationalist household with parents who were active in the Civil Rights era and has been outspoken on racial justice issues. But he knows that all Twitter talk and conscious, poetic verses can be cheap. Kweli is one of very few celebrities who visited Ferguson and marched alongside protesters in the name of Michael Brown and all the unarmed black men who came before and after him.

During his talk, Kweli noted that these injustices have deep roots, dating back to slavery when white supremacy was invented to justify the slave trade and it has since evolved to Jim Crow and then onto to the prison industrial complex and the unjustified shootings of unarmed black men.

When discussing his Ferguson trip, he explained, “We don’t stand up. We don’t protest because we hate cops or white people. We do it because we love ourselves.”

While Kweli shouted out rappers like Kendrick Lamar, whose recent album addresses collective pain while instilling black self-love, he admitted there are many rappers whose verses are damaging, misogynistic, homophobic and perpetuate negative stereotypes in the black community. However, he held a “take the good with the bad” attitude on conscious vs. “flashy” hip-hop music that plays into the capitalist mentality.  “It’s convenient to love hip-hop when it’s beautiful but both types go hand in hand,” said Kweli.  

Written by: Rahel Marsie-Hazen

Tech Talk: 91 Year Old Tech Designer | CODE 2040 | Toddler Tech | Pandora's Diversity Program

Toddler Tech: YouTube. Can you image your 3 year child being memorized for hours and hours by a bright screen with vibrant colors and lots of movement dancing across the screen?  Have we considered what this does from an educational learning perspective or even more importantly from a physical one?  When it comes to marketing, dollars and corporate brand, these questions, I would imagine, are nowhere close to the top of the list.  Google jumped into the world of toddler tech when it introduced YouTube Kids late last month, marking Silicon Valley's first big step in appealing to a lucrative and largely untapped demographic of mobile device users: kids under 5. Amazon launched a kid-safe tablet in the fall, and other companies are likely to follow.  YouTube Kids offers a solution to the problem of uncontrolled viewing with a timer parents can set. And by giving parents more control over what children watch, Google and other tech companies are trying to earn the keys to a well-protected kingdom.  Educators and healthcare professionals are chiming in on this conversation and I am sure we will be hearing more from these industries.  What in the world will happen to programs such as First 5 or Head Start?  Details at 11.

Founded in 2012, CODE2040 has a simple mission that dovetails with the growing and resounding message pressing Silicon Valley to use its significant brainpower to make tech less of an ivory tower.  CODE2040 provides college-age African-American and Latino students who have shown an interest in computer science with both an encouraging network of peers and, more pointedly, a summer internship program aimed at placing them at tech companies whose narrowly focused recruiting efforts often overlook them.  Tristan Walker, Co-Founder of CODE2040 and CEO of Walker & Company Brands, is quoted in USA Today saying "If you're a smart company, you'll want an ethnically diverse team empathetic about the needs of your diverse consumers. What we're doing at CODE2040 isn't charity work. We're trying to help tech organizations because there is a real business imperative here."

Pandora's Diversity Program.  Last year, Pandora, located in downtown Oakland, joined a wave of Silicon Valley companies that revealed the makeup of their workforces. The music streaming site said that about 70% of its U.S. employees are white, and 3% are African-American..  More recently the numbers have shown that nearly half of Pandora employees are women, a far better gender balance than most tech companies have achieved, but the majority of them are White.  This diversity in tech conversation will go on for many years, but it's important to track certain companies and their efforts in, at least, working on more diversity in the field.  When Lisa Lee, Diversity Program Manager, joined the company last spring, she spent her first month simply listening and learning about what people were already doing. “She asked them about some of the things they were proud of that had happened in the past and what else they would like to see in the future. Instead of instructing employees on what they should do, Lisa incorporated their opinions and insights as she drafted the company’s diversity strategy.  The strategy of empowering different employee groups so they can have a voice in the diversity dialogue, both in the company’s culture and the way it conducts business is critical to inviting employees to drive diversity initiatives. 

As a young girl, Barbara Beskind dreamed of becoming an inventor. Now, at 91 years old, she's seeing it through.  Beskind works as a tech designer for IDEO, a Silicon Valley design firm. Two years ago, she read an article about IDEO, which is famous for creating the first mouse for Apple, and decided to apply for a job, saying: Beskind primarily works on projects pertaining to aging. She feels like her coworkers can't always put themselves in the shoes of the elderly.

 

And go!

Out On The Town: Super Bowl 50 | $75M Donation to SF General | MoAD Opening Reception and more.....

Feb. 19. Super Bowl 50 Business Connect @ Scottish Rite Auditorium, Oakland, CA.  This Business Connects links the Bay Area's diverse business community to contracting opportunities to Super Bowl 50, the largest annual sporting event in the world.  This year it takes place in our own backyard, at Levi Stadium on February 7, 2016 and there will be weekof events starting Feb. 2nd.  The Business Connect 's goal is to increase contract opportunities for minority, women, disabled veteran and the LGBT owned business enterprises to conduct Super Bowl business. The application deadline  to be considered for these Super Bowl contracts is April 30th and you must have be certified.  Details and application process can be found at Super Bowl 50 Business Connect.  And go!

 

 

Feb. 12.  Hearts After Dark, A fundraiser for San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. 

Hearts After Dark brings takes place at AT&T Park and over 1,000 young professionals gather under a covered tent with music, complimentary drinks, unlimited desserts and the best small bites from various San Francisco restaurants.  The atmosphere of celebration is in the air given the recent announcement of a $75M donation to the hospital from Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) and his wife Priscilla Chan.

This event, in combination Heroes & Hearts, generates the Foundation’s largest source of unrestricted revenue which is used for improved patient care and have the potential to develop sustainable funding.   Read more about Hearts After Dark. {Photo: Franchesca Allan, 7x7 Magazine (Middle)}

 

Feb. 12. Ernst & Young's Annual Black History Month Executive Roundtable.  It's a rare chance to have a fireside chat with C-Suite executives to hear their journey of how they landed their positions.  EY creates a platform for young professionals and veteran executives to hear these dynamic and inspirational stories.  Through panel discussions, the audience heard stories of the career paths and achievements of several successful Black professionals, while participating in thought-provoking discussions and taking advantage of an abundant networking opportunities.  Moderator: Gracelyn Hodge – Partner, EY. Panelists: Daniel Boggan, Jr. – Interim Chief Executive Officer, Alameda Health System. Sheila Talton – CEO, Gray Matter Analytics, James White – CEO, Jamba Juice.

 

Feb. 3.  MoAD's Opening Reception - Artist Marie Johnson Calloway: Legacy of Color.  MoAD's exhibits are becoming more and more intriguing for me and certainly their opening receptions of new exhibits are 'must attend' events.  I had NO idea the legendary, talented and very graceful Marie Johnson Calloway was not only an Oakland resident, but the most exhilarating 94 years young woman I've ever met.  All the stops were pulled when celebrating Ms. Calloway's exhibit, 'Legacy of Color', during this opening reception and more than 300 attendees were thrilled to meet Ms. Calloway and happy to see many of her friends including Belva Davis, Willie Brown, Anette Harris, Pam Moore and the list goes on.

From vibrant painting to textile assemblage, Marie Johnson Calloway (b. 1920) uses various media and techniques to convey her experience as a Black female artist. Inspired by her family and the Bay Area, Calloway represents the rhythm and spirituality of Black life through color. With a life spanning over nine decades, Calloway’s contributions are celebrated as an educator and an artist.  Over the years, the artist has been actively involved in civic and civil rights activities, such as serving as president of San Jose, CA branch of NAACP, frequent lecturer and advisor on art and civil rights issues, participant in the Selma March, and serving on numerous civic and human relations advisory committees as well as public art selection committees.

Marie Johnson Calloway's exhibit is open at MoAD until April 5th. You will miss a treat if you don't see it before it's gone.  And go!

Photos from MoAD Opening Reception by Glass House Communications.

"Want more? Visit the THE BUZZ  for events and photos at theREGISTRYBayArea.com"

Dr. Sonia Bell, Owner of Avanti Sports Medicine & Fitness, Expands Services to the Theater and Music Industries

Dr. Sonia Bell, Owner of Avanti Sports Medicine & Fitness, is a San Francisco based sports medicine network of practitioners who provide performing arts medicine and therapy to the entertainment, theatrical and dance communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.  Avanti opened its doors in 1994 and is owned and run by Dr. Sonia Bell, who has 13 years experience studying and dancing with the renowned San Francisco Ballet. 

For more than 14 years, Dr. Bell, owner of Avanti, has remained the go-to physician in the sports industry.  Dr. Bell understands, first hand, the challenges the talent and production companies face in identifying practitioners that are able to service the unique needs of their performers, musicians and production staff while on the road. 

Dr. Bell is a Stanford Hospital trained sports medicine and performing arts physician with a stellar reputation for providing the industry with its medical and therapeutic needs. 

Avanti's team has provided services to members of: Dance and Theater: Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Cirque de Soleil, Dance Theater of Harlem, Dreamgirls, Metro Park Ballet, Motown the Musical, ODC Dance Collective, San Francisco Ballet, Scottsborough Boys and Smuin Ballet 

Sports Industry: ProCamp International Youth Camps sponsored by-49ERS-Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis, Giants- Buster Posey, Warriors- Stephen Curry and New York Yankee-CC Sabathia, USA Olympics, USA Track and Field, USA Gymnastics, US national Figure Skating League, Special Olympics, NCAA Track and Field, Stanford University Track and Field, UC Davis Rugby and AVP Pro Volleyball. 

Avanti Sports Medicine & Fitness can bring its team to you or allot time within the clinic schedule to accommodate your needs.  They are committed to keeping the performer healthy while on tour. 

Medical and Therapeutic Services:

·         Sports Medicine - Orthopedic and Non-Surgical Performing Arts Medicine

·         On-Call performing Medical Coverage

·         On-Call Chiropractic Therapy

·         On-Call Physical Therapy

·         On-Call Massage Physical Therapy

·         Personal Trainers and Athletic Trainers

What makes Avanti Sports Medicine & Fitness the ideal company to provide these services?  The Avanti physicians and therapists have all been former athletes, dancers, and/or performers themselves. Many of the providers are the appointed physicians or the therapists for the local dance and theater companies.

For more information visit www.avantifitsportsmed.com.  For media relations contact Y'Anad Burrell, Glass House Communications, yanad@glasshousepr.com, (510) 691-8687

 

19th Annual Art of Living Black - Over 75 Artists Featured - Exhibiting in Richmond and Oakland, CA

The Art of Living Black (TAOLB) Exhibiting at the Richmond Art Center.  TAOLB was founded 19 years ago by the late sculptor Jan Hart-Schuyers and late painter Rae Louise Hayward after their realization that black artists were not being represented by galleries in any significant way. This year’s exhibition at the Richmond Art Center (RAC), located at 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA, will showcase a broad range of works by more than 75 artists from throughout the Bay Area.

Artist Talks Sat, Feb 14, noon – 1:30 pm: Artists: Dania Frink, Alix Magloire, James Knox, Julee Richardson, Hilda Robinson, Arthur Norcome. Moderated by Raymond L. Haywood

 The Art of Living Black Open Studio Sat, Mar 7, 11 am – 5 pm.  A unique opportunity to meet a selection of artists and purchase their work in our main gallery.

Several artists will also be exhibiting at Oasis Gallery @ American Steel Studios, 1960 Mandela Parkway, Oakland (enter on 20th Street) on the follow days and times: Feb. 28th & Mar. 1st, 11 am - 6 pm, Mar. 6th - 6 pm - 9 pm and Mar. 7th, 11 am - 6 pm

Artists featured in the 19th Annual The Art of Living Black: Dana King, Latisha Baker, Doug Blanc, Timothy Bluitt, Lorraine Bonner, Cedric Brown, Marguerite T. Browne, Stephen Bruce, Lawrence Buford, Melanin Buford, Sydney “Sage” Cain, Claude Lockhart Clark, Duane M. Conliffe, Courageous, Kelvin Curry, Bill Dallas, Paula de Joie, Jim Dennis, Cheryl Patrice Derricotte, Gene Dominique, Ann Edwards, Jimi Evins, Dania W. Frink, Anjuelle D. Floyd, Naomi Floyd, Donna Gatson, Delores Gray, Renata E. Gray, Nannette Y. Harris-Jones, and many many more.

About The Richmond Art Center (RAC)

RAC is the largest visual arts center in the East Bay. Their four galleries and sculpture courtyard allow them to mount rotating exhibitions that display the works of emerging and established Bay Area artists. Throughout their long history they have showcased artists such as Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns, Jay DeFeo, Wanxin Zhang, Hung Liu, Ed Rossbach and Peter Voulkos.

Post by Glass House Communications.