DEAF JAM by Judy Lieff

We've all heard of poetry slams, but Judy Lieff's DEAF JAM (70 min) takes us in an entirely different direction: she follows a group of deaf teens who use American Sign Language (ASL) to perform poetry in a dramatically visual way. Among the teens is Aneta Brodski, an Israeli immigrant, who goes on to become one of the first deaf competitors in a National Poetry Slam.

In an unexpected twist, Aneta then meets Tahani, a hearing Palestinian slam poet. The two young women embark on a hearing/deaf collaboration, thereby creating a performance duet that is a metaphor for the complex realities they share – generating a new form of slam poetry that speaks to both the hearing and the Deaf.

Co-presented with ITVS Community Cinema, Independent Lens and WTTW.

Wednesday, October 26 • 7pm • free admission Evanston Public Library

SCRAPPERS by Brian Ashby, Ben Kolak, and Courtney Prokopas Named by Roger Ebert as one of the "Best Documentaries of 2010", SCRAPPERS (90 min) is a revealing portrait of Oscar and Otis, two metal scavengers searching for a living with brains, brawn, and battered pickup trucks.

Set in Chicago’s labyrinth of alleys, SCRAPPERS opens a window on the daily struggles faced by these original "recyclers" and their families, especially as they deal with the ripple-effect the financial crisis has on scrap metal prices.

Filmmakers in person!   Co-presented with the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse, a great new resource in Evanston that promotes reduction of waste in landfills through sustainable deconstruction and renovation building practices.

Percolator Films needs a home!

As a start-up non-profit, we have done all of our work on the Reeltime series and the Talking Pictures Festival out of our homes. But as we are growing and gearing up to work on the 2012 Talking Pictures Festival, we need a more publicly accessible office space.    If you have any leads on a free or very affordable space (temporary or permanent; shared ok), please get in touch! Festival tickets and our undying gratitude will be yours!    Please contact Ines Sommer at: filmvideoforum@yahoo.com • 847.371.2804

About Percolator Films...

Percolator Films is a new 501c3 non-profit film arts organization that was founded by independent filmmakers Kathy Berger and Ines Sommer.  Percolator Films presents and produces independent films that challenge, entertain, intrigue, engage, and inspire –  in short, films that provoke thought and discussion.

 

We currently do this through the free REELTIME series, the annual Talking Pictures Festival, and other cultural events.  As a grassroots non-profit, we do all of this on a shoestring budget and through much volunteer support.