2009 South Side Film Festival begins July 10

Wednesday, June 24, 2009, By News Staff

2009 South Side Film Festival begins July 10June 24, 2009Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

The Syracuse University South Side Initiative and the Southside Community Coalition will sponsor its third annual South Side Film Festival in July. Other sponsors of the event include Key Bank and Visual Technologies.

A film will be shown each Friday beginning July 10 at 8 p.m. in the Key Bank parking lot, located on the corner of South Salina and Colvin streets. The showings are free and open to the public. Those attending should bring chairs or blankets. Refreshments will be available for purchase; no coolers, alcohol or glass bottles will be allowed on the premises.

The films to be shown are:

  • July 10: “The Secret Life of Bees” (2008)-Lily, a young girl, who has lost her mother, and her caregiver flee to Lily’s mother’s hometown in South Carolina, where they are taken in by a family of sisters and find solace in their world of beekeeping.

  • July 17: “The Express” (2008)-The inspirational true story of Syracuse University running back Ernie Davis, the first African American to win Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in collegiate football.

  • July 24: “The Longshots” (2008)-A down-on-his luck former high school football star turns his niece into the quarterback of the local Pop Warner team, and he becomes the coach. The team wins the Pop Warner Super Bowl and their small town is overtaken with team spirit, pride and glory.

  • July 31: “The Boys of Baraka” (2005)-Four 12-year-old African American boys from one of the most violent ghettos in Baltimore, are taken 10,000 miles away to an experimental boarding school in rural Kenya, to try to take advantage of the educational opportunities they can’t get in their own country.

Charlie Pierce-El, a South Side resident and president of the Southside Community Coalition, says the festival has been a great success in past years, giving the community-ranging from the youngest members to seniors-an opportunity to mingle in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. “I think we have really hit a home run with this concept,” he says.

For more information on the South Side Film Festival, contact Margie Gantt at (315) 443-1916.