HOT LIST FILM RECOMMENDATIONS: SOME FOR THIS WEEKEND!

Last year's THROUGH THE TUNNEL told a remarkably moving story that engaged a huge audience and illuminated an important part of African American history that unfolded in our area. This year VETERANS OF COLOR does all that and more. This is a must-see documentary telling the stories of what African American veterans faced upon returning home after their service in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. And all the subjects live in our area. These are the amazing stories of your neighbors and you must hear them firsthand. This is a movie everyone will be talking about this weekend, so get your tickets now! Filmmaker Mark Parry is scheduled to appear for after screening Q&As!

VETERANS OF COLOR screens this Saturday at 7:15 PM and encores Tuesday, April 17th at 5:30 PM.

Coming up in just a moment is an exclusive interview with VETERANS OF COLOR director Mark Parry. Before that, take a quick look at—

A LOT LIKE YOU	ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT	GIMME THE LOOT	RHYTHM OF STRUCTURE: BOWERY AND BEYOND	WELCOME TO PINE HILL
Activist turned filmmaker Eliaichi Kimaro, goes in search of her identity and discovers long held family secrets.	In the 1960’s, a lynch mob in a small Georgia town confronted a young man named Winfred Rembert during a civil rights march....	Malcolm and Sofia are graffiti loving teenagers on a mission; they want to tag the ultimate New York City target...	Over the last decade, Sarasota artist John Sims has developed a form of art that draws on music, poetry, per-formance and the visual discipline...	Shannon  is trying to get his life in order; having left behind the hustle of the streets for the relative comforts of life as an insurance claims adjuster, but...

CLICK ON THE FILM TITLES BELOW TO BUY TICKETS NOW!

A LOT LIKE YOU — THIS SATURDAY, April 14. 3:00 PM, encore Wednesday, April 18, 1:00 PM — FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE FOR Q&A AFTER SCREENINGS!

ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT — THIS SATURDAY, 5:00 PM, encores THIS SUNDAY, 1:45 PM —  FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE FOR Q&A AFTER SCREENINGS!

GIMME THE LOOT — THIS SATURDAY, 9:15 PM, encore Monday, April 16, 6:45 PM — FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE FOR Q&A AFTER SCREENINGS!

RHYTHM OF STRUCTURE: BOWERY AND BEYOND — Wednesday, April 18, 7:30 PM, encore Sunday, April 22, 3:30 PM — FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE FOR Q&A AFTER SCREENINGS!

WELCOME TO PINE HILL — Wednesday, April 18, 7:30 PM, encore Friday, April 20, 3:30 PM — FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE FOR Q&A AFTER SCREENINGS!

That''s right, filmmakers  are attending everyone of these great movies! And speaking of fantastic filmmakers, I give you Mr. Mark Parry, the illustrious auteur behind VETERANS OF COLOR!

THE INSIDER: How did this project begin?

MARK PARRY: The project started four years ago when the Manasota branch of ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) contacted me through Ringling College of Art and Design. ASALH wanted to film a series of interviews with local black veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  The idea was that the footage would be supplied to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. I thought it was a great idea and I agreed to direct the project.  Overall, we shot 31 interviews including several Tuskegee airmen.

THE INSIDER: Then something happened?

MARK PARRY: About two-thirds through producing the interviews, I knew that we had captured some really compelling stories, so I pitched the idea of making a feature to the ASALH committee. They said, 'Okay, what's it going to take?' I told them we would need some time and some money. They were able to come up with a bit of both and I went about making the movie.  My job was really about understanding all of the interview footage, selecting the best material and structuring it in a way that brings the experiences of these veterans to an audience in a compelling way.

THE INSIDER: Tell us about the material the veterans supplied.

MARK PARRY: Many of the veterans had photographs from their time in the military. The images are personal and provide a view back into another time.  The project also covers the period after the veterans were out of the service, what happened to them when they came home. These people were able to accomplish some extraordinary things. One veteran became one of the first black executives of a major corporation in the United States. Another went on to serve on three presidential commissions, one for LBJ, one for Jimmy Carter and one for Bill Clinton.  Another became the first black police captain in New York City.

THE INSIDER: Did you travel far and wide to conduct these interviews?

MARK PARRY:  The great thing was that these people were all here in the Sarasota area.  The film took about a year and a half to complete once we had funding and I'm looking forward to audiences seeing it.

THE INSIDER: What do you hope audiences will take away from the movie?

MARK PARRY: The real hope is that people begin to understand what African American veterans went through. They were serving their country, they were in harm's way, but they were not treated as regular citizens when they were at home. This film reveals the challenges they faced from a very personal perspective.

The Insider

Wanted by motion picture executives for revealing industry secrets to a public with the Right to Know, "The Insider" has spent over 15 years working behind the scenes in almost every aspect of "The Biz" developing a secret network of contacts, spies, moles, and highly trained counter-intelligence operatives and movie ninjas whose only goal is to inform and entertain you-and help you make this the best year of the Sarasota Film Festival ever!