Credit: Richard Shotwell
Credit: Richard Shotwell
On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Little Art Theatre will host the new “We Want the Funk!” documentary followed by a Q&A with Emmy-winning director Stanley Nelson and co-director/producer Nicole London. The film traces funk music’s African and gospel roots from James Brown to Parliament-Funkadelic and beyond.
“A syncopated and star-studded voyage through the journey of funk music, the film delves into the genre’s influence on contemporary music, fashion, and freedom of expression as well as its role in the rise of hip-hop,” organizers noted in a press release.
The film features interviews with George Clinton, Questlove, Kirk Franklin and David Byrne among others. The event will feature an after party of funk music following the screening at The Foundry Theater.
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
On Sunday, Oct. 5, The Foundry Theater will host Beachler, the first African American to win an Oscar for production design (“Black Panther”). Her credits include “Creed,” “Fruitvale Station,” “Miles Ahead,” “Moonlight,” “Sinners” and Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.”
Beachler grew up in Centerville and studied film at Wright State University. She will partake in a conversation moderated by festival founder Eric Mahoney which will delve into her career and “explore the creative way in which she builds worlds on screen.”
In addition, the festival will kick off Thursday, Oct. 2 with A Tribute to Rod Serling at The Foundry Theater. The evening will include presentations from authors Anne Serling (Rod’s daughter), and Mark Dawidziak (“Everything I Need to Know I Learned from The Twilight Zone”), a live performance of a Serling radio play, screening of a classic “Twilight Zone” episode and a panel discussion.
Serling (1924-1975) is best known as the creator and host of “The Twilight Zone,” the landmark 1959-1964 fantasy anthology series for which he also was the principal writer (penning or coauthoring 92 of the influential show’s 156 episodes). Serling also attended Antioch College and later returned as a teacher spending many formative years in Yellow Springs.
Credit: Axel Bahnsen courtesy of Antiochiana, Antioch College
Credit: Axel Bahnsen courtesy of Antiochiana, Antioch College
Tickets for these events are on sale now and announcements for the full festival lineup will happen throughout August. For more information, visit ysfilmfest.com.
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