From Word To Word » Dinner and a Doc

Dinner and a Doc on Hiatus

jeremylukehill — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:05:48 +0000

Our family has had a difficult last few months. A few weeks before Christmas, we learned that we will not be able to adopt the baby girl we have been fostering, and though she will be going home to a good situation, we are all very saddened that she will not be a part of our family. Then, just after Christmas, my wife’s grandfather passed away, expectedly, but still painfully, and our home was saddened once again.

Because of these and other things, my wife and I have decided that our family needs to take a break from some of our activities so that we can have a chance to take care of each other and to recover ourselves a little. So, at least for a few months, we will not be holding our Dinner and a Doc events. Hopefully, at some point, we will resume them, or something like them, but for now we feel that it is best for us to have our attention on more important things.

We really appreciate all those who have attended the events over the years. We have fond memories of sharing those times with you. And, of course, if any of you need your documentary fix, feel free to drop by any time.

Dinner and a Doc, November 12th

jeremylukehill — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:46:50 +0000

We will be screening Paul Saltzman’s Prom Night in Mississippi for Dinner and a Doc this November the 12th. The film portrays the story of the 2008 prom at Charlston High School in Mississippi, which Morgan Freeman offers to fund if it will be the first racially integrated prom in the school’s history. In the course of events, the film also explores the current state of race relations in the American south. Here are a few links for those who would like to see more about the film:

1) The official website for the film;
2) An interview with director, Paul Saltzman; and
3) An interview with Morgan Freedom.

We will meet as usual at First Baptist Church, Guelph, which is located at 255 Woolwich Street, eating at 5:30 and beginning the film at about 6:00. There is no childcare, so children are only welcome if their parents will supervise them during the film. Please post a comment or send me an email to let me know if you will be coming and if you would like to bring something to contribute to the meal.

Here is the schedule for upcoming months:

December 10th – Off for Christmas
January 14th – South of the Border by Oliver Stone
February 11th – Vernon, Florida by Errol Morris

Dinner and a Doc, October 15th

jeremylukehill — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:38:12 +0000

Dinner and a Doc will resume this October the 15th. We will be screening Brett Morgan’s Chicago 10, which tells the story of the eight people who were charged in relation to protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the two lawyers who represented them. The film is unique as a documentary because it works extensively with written transcripts of the trial that are read by voice actors and then animated. Here are a few links for those who would like to see more about the film:

1) The official trailer for the film;
2) The official website of director Brett Morgan; and
3) An inteview with director Brett Morgan.

Because of the very new addition of a baby girl to our family, my wife will not be available to run any activities for children this year, so children are only welcome if parents are willing to supervise them during the film.

We will meet as usual at First Baptist Church, Guelph, which is located at 255 Woolwich Street, eating at 5:30 and beginning the film at about 6:00. Please post a comment or send me an email to let me know if you will be coming and if you would like to bring something to contribute to the meal.

Here is the schedule for upcoming months:

November 12th - Prom Night in Mississippi by Paul Saltzman
December 10th – Off for Christmas
January 14th – South of the Border by Oliver Stone

Dinner and a Doc

jeremylukehill — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:29:49 +0000

I will need to postpone Dinner and a Doc this month. I apologize for leaving the announcement so late, but I was hoping that some family matters (good and exciting matters, but still time consuming) might clear up in time to hold our screening on its usual date. Unfortunately, our family’s schedule remains very much unclear, and would be impossible for me to schedule something else this weekend. I will announce the new date as soon as I can, and I am sorry if I have inconvenienced anyone by canceling so close to the date.

Dinner and a Doc, June 11th

jeremylukehill — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:23:33 +0000

On June 11th we will have our last Dinner and a Doc before the summer break. We will screen Pietra Brettkelly’s The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins, which follows Vanessa Beecroft, an installation artist who works primarily with the human form, as she goes through the process of adopting two orphaned Sudanese twins, Madit and Mongor Akot, exploring how this decision changes her art. Just as a warning to parents, the film does contain some nudity. Here are a few links for those who would like to see more about the film:

1) The official trailer for the film;
2) The official website of the film; and
3) One of Vanessa Beecroft’s art installations – VB61.

We will be meeting at First Baptist Church, Guelph, which is located at 255 Woolwich Street, eating at 5:30 and beginning the film at about 6:00. Please post a comment or send me an email to let me know if you will be coming and if you would like to bring something to contribute to the meal.

Here is the schedule for upcoming months:

July/August – Off for the summer
September 10th – Chicago Ten by Brett Morgan
October 8th - Prom Night in Mississippi by Paul Saltzman

Dinner and a Doc, May 14th

jeremylukehill — Tue, 10 May 2011 02:56:39 +0000

For May 14th’s Dinner and a Doc we will be screening For the Bible Tells Me So by Daniel Karslake. The film explores the intersection of religious belief and homosexuality in America through the experiences of what the website describes as “five very normal, very Christian, very American families.” Here are a few links for those who would like to see more about the film:

1) The official trailer for the film;
2) An interview with director Daniel Karslake; and
3) The official website of the film.

Here is the schedule for upcoming months:
June 11th – The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins by Pietra Brettkelly
July/August – Off for the summer
September 10th – Chicago Ten by Brett Morgan

Dinner and a Doc, April 9th

jeremylukehill — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:43:51 +0000

April’s edition of Dinner and a Doc is this coming Saturday the 9th. We will be screening Capturing Reality by Pepita Ferrari, a film that explores how documentaries are made and the function that they play in our culture us understood by those who make them, including interviews with documentary filmmakers like Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, Albert Maysles, Jennifer Baichwal, and Nick Broomfield. Here are a few links for those who would like to see more about the film:

1) The offcial website of the film with additional interview footage and other material;
2) The official trailer for the film; and
3) An interview with the director Pepita Ferrari conducted by Colin Marshall.

Here is the schedule for upcoming months:
May 14th – For the Bible Tells Me So by Daniel Karslake
June 11th – The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins by Pietra Brettkelly
July/August – Off for the summer

Dinner and a Doc, March 12th

jeremylukehill — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:08:42 +0000

On March 12th for this month’s Dinner and a Doc we will be screening three short films by Michael Ondaatje: The Clinton Special follows the production of The Farm Show, a grassroots experimental play developed in a rural Ontario community by Paul Thompson and Theatre Passe Muraille; Sons of Captain Poetry investigates the life and work of Canadian poet bpNichol; and Carry on Crime and Punishment is a docu-drama that follows two Canadian poets as they kidnap a dog.

Here are some of the films we will be showing in upcoming months:
April 9th – Capturing Reality by Pepita Ferrari
May 14th – For the Bible Tells Me So by Daniel Karslake
June 11th – The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins by Pietra Brettkelly

Dinner and a Doc, February 12th

jeremylukehill — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:00:35 +0000

We will be screening White Light / Black Rain by Steven Okazaki on February 12th for this month’s Dinner and a Doc. We will be meeting at First Baptist Church, Guelph, which is located at 255 Woolwich Street, eating at 5:30 and beginning the film at about 6:00. Please post a comment or send me an email to let me know if you will be coming and if you would like to bring something to contribute to the meal.

White Light / Black Rain interviews fourteen survivors of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki along with several Americans who witnessed the bombings. Okazaki selected the interviews from more than one hundred that he conducted and from hundreds of hours of footage. The result is a moving and deeply personal account of the bombings.

Here are some links for those who would like some further information:

1) an excerpt from the film;
2) an interview with director Okazaki;
3) a review by C. W. Rogers on wsws.org.

Lastly, here are some of the films we will be showing in upcoming months:
March 12th – The Clinton Special by Michael Ondaatje
April 9th – Capturing Reality by Pepita Ferrari
May 14th – Exit Through the Gift Shop by Banksy

January Dinner and a Doc Cancelled

jeremylukehill — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:10:42 +0000

Dinner and a Doc will be cancelled for January. I have a conflict January 8th, which would have been our normal night, and I have been unable to find a suitable alternative. I apologize for the inconvenience. We will bump the schedule back a month and resume on February 12th.

Here is our new schedule:
February 12th – White Light / Black Rain by Steven Okazaki
March 12th – The Clinton Special by Michael Ondaatje
April 9th – Capturing Reality by Pepita Ferrari