Racial Justice Film Series launches at courthouse

The San Marcos Cinema Club, San Marcos Art Center and Lost River Film Fest launched a film series for unity and racial justice in the criminal legal system, which began Tuesday evening.

The event “We’re in this together” will host a socially distanced gathering on the open-air courthouse lawn to screen films every remaining Tuesday in June in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Each film examines the impact of the criminal legal system on people who are Black. Before each film, the cinema club will speak about efforts in local government to address policies related to the local criminal legal system.

Attendees are invited to enjoy a live DJ set from 7-9 p.m. over snacks or drinks within “a 6-foot safety bubble.” Masks are highly encouraged for everyone’s safety. 

San Marcos Cinema Club said in their event description, “Please wear masks and take this pandemic seriously, or you may be lovingly asked to leave, as cases are skyrocketing and it's a delicate dance to preserve our collective mental health and moral responsibilities through periodic safety-conscious and educational community events. We also must absolutely prevent the spread of this horrible virus.”

Last night’s launch of the event featured “13th” and a DJ set from Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice. 

On Tuesday June 23, “Just Mercy” will be screened after DJ In D Sunshine. An excerpt on the film: "Upon graduating Harvard, Bryan Stevenson 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 and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian's life. Rooted in real-life events."

The final screening scheduled for June 30 will show “For Ahkeem” after Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice’s DJ set. An excerpt on the film: "Beginning one year before the fatal police shooting of Mike Brown, a Black teen in nearby Ferguson, 'For Ahkeem' 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 and economic devastation, attending friends' funerals and reacting to news of her pregnancy in a tale dubbed 'THE millennial documentary on Black girlhood'" by Jet Magazine, and placed on the Top 10 Lists in 2017 for both People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly."