SENSIBLE CINEMA

Coordinator: Melvin Starks & Larry Danos

Mission

To provide informative and provocative films that speak to issues of social justice, serving UUSF and the community.

Program

Every third Friday of each month from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Check our our weekly newsletter, The Flame for information about upcoming events.

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

A Screening and Discussion of ‘SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL,’ a Movie by Carolyn M. Scott

Sunday, Feb 9, 12:30 pm, TSK Room

This short documentary, SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL, delves into the contentious proposal surrounding the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), a state-owned property situated in a rural area encompassing the towns of Eldridge and Glen Ellen. This region, nestled at the base of Sonoma Mountain, serves as a crucial wildlife corridor, which will be destroyed by this development. Also, this area is in a high fire zone area that has already experienced extreme fires, putting lives at risk during an evacuation.

The proposed development aims to introduce nearly 930 homes, 400,000 square feet of commercial space, and a luxury resort hotel complete with a conference center. However, concerns arise over the lack of infrastructure improvements, particularly regarding water scarcity and the existing narrow, two-lane roads that could impede wildfire evacuation efforts.

Lunch will be available for a nominal cost. After the screening there will be a discussion and Q&A with Carolyn Scott, director/writer, Dennis Richards, former VP of the SF Planning Commission, Stuart M. Flashman, public interest attorney and biochemist and Bean Anderson Ph.D, Engineer and co-author of the Sonoma Valley 100 Year Plan.

More info at https://smallisbeautifulmovie.org/

Learn More

JANUARY

Separated

Friday, January, 6:30 pm, On Zoom

Instead of showing a film in January about Dr. King, we will present a timely film about the impending and highly dangerous policy of mass deportation, which is being implemented by the new presidential administration. We will still honor Rev. King, though, by using his words on this topic, as he was "a builder of bridges, not walls." In fact, you could say that his nonviolent leadership was all about tearing down walls—walls of racial segregation and separation."

Dr. King's work was also about righting the wrongs of one of the darkest chapters of past American history, slavery. Our film this month, Separated, by filmmaker Errol Morris, is a hard-hitting exposé on another dark chapter of recent American history: that of family separation.

Based on the book "Separated: An Inside American Tragedy" by Jacob Sorboroff and through the skillful work of the filmmaker, Morris, the film merges bombshell interviews with government (turned whistleblowers) officials and a heart felt scenario tracing one migrant family's predicament.

With a looming mass deportation policy on the horizon and after viewing this film, viewers will see that the past and incoming Trump administration’s inhumane immigration policies are nothing more than a state-sponsored policy of cruelty, which is their main purpose.

Questions? Melvin Starks (melvinstarks734@yahoo.com) or Larry Danos (415-722-6480)

Dial in at +1 669 900 6833 US; Meeting ID: 937 7354 7229; Passcode: 283947

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