San Marcos Cinema Club hosts free racial-justice film series

A free film series exploring the experience of Black Americans in the criminal legal system of the South restarts Friday night on the historic Courthouse lawn, after a COVID-19 spike in July prompted San Marcos Cinema Club to postpone.

"We're in This Together" is the title of the film series, an idea that sprouted among the nonprofit's members in the wake of George Floyd's tragic killing. 

The group has pledged since its 2015 founding "to be a film society that cares both about film and society" with cinematic content that often stokes conversation on modern life.

Tonight and tomorrow night, films will commence at sundown, with live DJ sets underway beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to pick up takeout from a locally owned eatery, such as AquaBrew, Gil's Broiler or Root Cellar Cafe –– who are sponsors of the club's fourth annual Lost River Film Fest, Nov 5-8 –– and enjoy the twilight music while picnicking beneath the ground's stately pecan trees on a blanket brought from home.

All attendees must adhere to social distancing and wear a mask; sanitizer will be available.

When darkness sets, the music subsides and the illuminating films begin.

Tonight, deejay In D Sunshine will provide tunes prior to the feature screening of "For Ahkeem" and the short film "Dear Bruh," presented by director Ya'Ke Smith, who teaches Radio/TV/Film at the University of Texas in Austin.

"For Ahkeem" begins one year before the fatal police shooting of Mike Brown, a Black teen in nearby Ferguson, and chronicles the coming-of-age story of Daje Shelton, a 17-year-old in St. Louis. Placed in an alternative high school, she navigates her marginalized neighborhood, biased juvenile court system & economic devastation –– attending friends' funerals & reacting to news of her pregnancy –– in a tale dubbed "THE millennial documentary on Black girlhood" by Jet Magazine, and in the Top 10 Lists in 2017 for People Magazine & Entertainment Weekly.

In this star-studded biopic, Stevenson, upon graduating Harvard, heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or denied proper representation, such as Walter McMillian: sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism as well as legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian's life. 

The "We're in this Together" series is free to the community and made possible by the generous contribution of the San Marcos Arts Commission.