Lawrence hosts Independent Film Series in Warch cinema

The new cinema at the Warch Campus Center has been busy this term. Along with faculty and student groups sponsoring film screenings, there is the ongoing Movies at Midnight on Fridays and the Independent Film Series that plays regularly on Wednesdays.
“We wanted to have a recurring series that had documentaries, foreign films and independents,” said Plantz RHD and Campus Life Programs Coordinator Marianne Griffin, “so that people knew that there were movies going on here all the time.”
Griffin chose the films that will be shown at the cinema from those shown at Sundance and the Wisconsin Film Festival. “I picked them all just to get it going on schedule,” she said. “We’re hoping that students will start giving their input from the next two terms onward or even completely take it over.”
The cinema is a great resource on campus for students, but it is also for the people in the Appleton community. “I think these films expand your horizons. There isn’t any venue in Appleton or in the Fox Cities area. If you wanted to see these films you would have to drive down to Madison or Milwaukee.”
Marianne picked movies that were very recent in order to give audiences a good taste of the kind of independent films that are out there.
The series kicked off Sept. 16 with the critically acclaimed documentary, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” about a Canadian heavy-metal band and the lives of the band members on the road. The film was directed by Sacha Gervasi, and it featured interviews from music legends Slash, former guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica’s drummer Lars Ulrich.
“The Garden,” a nominee for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s 81st Academy Awards, was shown Sept. 23. The film tells the story of a group of farmers who worked at the South Central Community Garden only to see it sold to a private contractor and bulldozed.
“Afghan Star,” screened Sept. 30, follows four contestants in an American Idol-style singing competition in Afghanistan. The film explores the tensions within a country that has its roots set in Islamic fundamentalism but that is growing into a free and modern nation.
“Sunshine Cleaning,” shown Oct. 7, stars Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Amy Adams, as a single mother who starts an unusual business – crime scene cleanup – with her sister in order to send her son to an expensive private school.
The following films will be shown at the Cinema in the coming weeks:
Oct. 21 – “FLOW: For Love of Water”
Irena Salina’s award winning documentary which investigates what many experts believe is the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century – the world water crisis.
Oct. 28 – “Sin Nombre”
A spanish language film that follows a Honduran teenager named Sayra who makes a dangerous journey to the U.S. with her father and uncle while being pursued by a violent street gang.
Nov. 4 – “Paper Heart”
In this independent ‘mockumentary’ a young screenwriter and filmmaker named Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest to answer one of life’s most puzzling questions: does true love exist?
Nov. 11 – “Bottle Shock”
Starring Chris Pine, Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman, this film tells the story of the events leading up to the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
Nov. 18 – “Cidade dos Homens”
In this independent film the friendship between two oprhans, Acerola and Laranjinha is put to the test as they discover the truth about their missing fathers amidst gang violence in a slum in Morro da Sinuca.