- This event has passed.
Face-to-Face with the Filmmaker: HE HAD WINGS
July 23 @ 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Face-to-Face with the Filmmaker: HE HAD WINGS on Tuesday, July 23, 6:30 pm
Did you miss the last Best of Bernal season finale — where all four award-winning films were screened? You’re in luck. The next two Face-to-Face with the Filmmaker screenings will feature a re-dux of the award screening alongside the filmmakers for a special Q&A.
On Tuesday, July 23, we’ll feature the Spirit of Bernal Award winner, HE HAD WINGS, with filmmakers Jeanne Marie Hallacy, followed by the Bernal Bright Star winner, JOSS LOTUSES TO GRANDMA, by Stefie Gan.
Seating is limited in the Bernal Branch Library, so please register on Eventbrite to reserve a spot. NOTE: We start promptly at 6:30 p.m., and the Doors open at 6:00.
He Had Wings, the 2023 “Spirit of Bernal” award winner, shares the resilience of artist Ronnie Goodman’s journey as one of thousands experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. Along the way, we learn about Ronnie’s creative activism in using his art to stand for social justice, and we are offered a view into how people like him and his friend, “Coach” Alton McSween, can positively impact those who battle addiction and political apathy in the crisis affecting the City.
Director Jeanne Marie Hallacy will join the audience for Q&A post-screening.
Jeanne Marie Hallacy divides her time between Southeast Asia and San Francisco, making documentary films about human rights and social justice issues. Her award-winning films are used as advocacy tools by civil society and educational institutions.
In 2022, Jeanne founded Joy House, an arts healing center for Myanmar refugees in Thailand, and is the Co-Founder of Kirana Productions. She is the former Director of Programs at Thailand’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club.
JOSS LOTUSES TO GRANDMA, the 2023 “Bernal Bright Star” award-winning film directed by Stefie Gan, begins the evening’s program. Beautifully illustrated, this animated film relates the story of a girl who returns to Malaysia after her grandmother’s death. The film explores their bond, the biculturalism of immigration, and the cultural rituals that can help heal grief and the loss of separation.
Stefie Gan’s films have been exhibited in over twenty-five countries. Her film, PLASTIC ECOSYSTEM, using found plastic objects, received second place at the Oscar-qualifying Odense Film Festival. The Getty Museum featured her work confronting Asian Hate during COVID-19. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Animation from the University of Southern California and her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College, Columbia University. Stefie is First-Gen, and her films include social activism and cultural heritage themes.