1st Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute Black Heritage & Cinema Celebration
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute is hosting the 1st Black Heritage and Cinema Celebration during the weekends of July, which started July 12th in their historic Malco Theater at 817 Central Avenue, Hot Springs. The HSDFI Board is pleased to present this inaugural event, in collaboration with many of Hot Springs diversified community groups. Each weekend, a special presentation will pay homage to African-American cultural contributions in music, film, literature.
The presentation on Saturday, July 12th, the documentary from the American Master’s series,” Portraits of Creativity, The Musicians: Ella Fitzgerald” was screened at 6:45p.m. “Through this documentary, a comprehensive portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, the legendary singer is presented and it is narrated by Tony Bennett and tells the dramatic but true story of an ambitious girl who raised herself out of poverty to become the most accomplished vocalist of all time and offers a definitive look at her career, including never- before -seen performances, footage and interviews with many great musicians” Malinda Herr-Chambliss, HSDFI Executive Director said. After a short intermission, “The Many Faces of Billie Holiday, Lady Day” (90 minutes) also screened.
Saturday, the 19th, at 6:00 p.m., "Black Heritage and The Bible: The Gospel Across Cultures" dialogue was presented by the Reverend Clyde E. Hughley of Haven United Methodist Church in Hot Springs (organized in 1877). Gloria Dupree, also of Haven United Methodist Church, gave a brief overview of the history of spiritrual singing which was followed by a live performance of many of the Haven United Methodist Church gospel choir. After a brief intermission,The Story of Gospel Music, featuring Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973) was screened.
Saturday, the 26th, at 6:30 p.m. HSDFI and the Webb Community Center in Hot Springs presented a PBS documentary film, directd and narrated by Ken Burns and produced by David Schaye, Paul Barnes and Ken Burns entitled: Jack Johnson: The Unforgivable Blackness, The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. "This powerful documentary tells the story of the first African-American boxer to win the most coveted title in all of sports and his struggle in and out of the ring to live his life as a free man. Despite all of his struggles, Jackson was able to make his way up through the professional ranks and in 1908 he bacame the first African-American to earn the title Heavyweight Champion of the World" HSDFI Executive Director, Malinda Herr-Chambliss said.
Charles Smith, HSDFI Board Member and President of the Hot Springs Jazz Society said, “We are launching this 1st HSDFI Black Heritage Cultural and Film Celebration with a tribute to these two Jazz lady greats and invite everyone to come enjoy them and future July weekend’s presentations with us”.
The suggested donation for these events is $5.00 and delicious HSDFI popcorn and concessions will be available. For more information about these events call the HSDFI office at 501-321-4747.
Jazzing up the Princess
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute and the Hot Springs Jazz Society held a celebration for the restoration of the Malco Theater's Princess entrance. The event took place on Saturday, June 21st from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Broadway Street Malco entrance. The original Princess Theater was built in 1910, and then purchased in 1927 by Mr. Sidney Nutt, a long-term Hot Springs resident. The Broadway Street Princess entrance was utilized from 1929 until 1964, when the Civil Rights Act was enacted
As one of only two such entrances known to still exist in the United States, the HSDFI board has mandated its preservation as a reminder of America's civil rights victories. The Princess Theater was destroyed by fire in December of 1935, and was rebuilt as the Malco.
According to Charles W. Smith, president of the Jazz Society, "Generation Gap, featuring Fedett 'Lady J' Johnson, will perform along with many other special Jazz musicians and singers such as Clyde Pound and Shirley Chauvin Miller." Four ale selections from the new micro-brews of the Ouachita Brewing Company were available, as well as wine and light summer hors d'oeuvres. The recommended donation for admission was ten dollars and benefited both HSDFI and HSJS.
HSDFI Executive Director Malinda Herr-Chambliss said the collaboration with Hot Springs Jazz Society was obvious, "because both the Jazz medium and the Princess entrance represent the historical African-American experience in the United States." She added, "Jazz is a musical format that is rooted in the Blues, which many people forget developed its unique sound from the 'call and response' field songs of African slaves. It is so important for us to remember these historical milestones and to always improve upon them."
A special eight minute sneak preview of Kevin Clark's documentary film on Louis Jordan, legendary jazz musician and performer, was also shown.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute will begin a capital campaign in January 2009 for the complete restoration of the Malco Theater. The building is home to the documentary film festival and its library of 17,000 films. Future plans include expanded year round programming and expanded educational facilities. The 17th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival will be October 17-26th.
ASMSA in conjunction with HSDFI Presented
an Evening of Films and Food
On May 14th, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute hosted a showing of films from the first year of the Arkansas School For Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts' Documentary Film Class. ASMSA invited the public to a reception with the young directors at 6:00 pm followed by a screening of their work at the Malco Theater downtown. The one-hour program included music videos, short films, and documentaries filmed in and around Hot Springs.
"One of the remarkable aspects of this show is that not long ago, this class didn't exist," says Sean Chapman who teaches the course with James Katowich. Over the summer of 2007 the two teachers met with Malinda Herr-Chambliss, Executive Director of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute (HSDFI) and Ben Meade, a documentary filmmaker based in Kansas City and also the chairman of the HSDFI Board of Directors. Meade and Herr-Chambliss realized that a great partnership could develop between HSDFI and ASMSA and pitched the idea for the class to the teachers and administrators. "It really says a lot about the school," adds Katowich, "that they were able to recognize that the class would benefit ASMSA and were able to find funding quickly. We went from an idea to a classroom full of equipment in two months."
The students worked hard all year, and the evening showcased their original work. "The films that they've been able to create in such a short time are really impressive," says Chapman. James Katowich agrees. "These students have worked hard, especially over the last month to get a good selection of films finished by the deadline. The class has been very demanding of their time, especially with all the other pressures of finishing high school."
Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute Presented What's Up Docs? April 28, 29 and 30, 2008
Announcing the 9th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute presentation of "What’s Up Docs?"
For sixteen years, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute has brought outstanding documentary films and filmmakers to Arkansas during the annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival as well as throughout the year. One of the highlights of the Film Institute’s year-round programming schedule is the nine-year-old program, What’s Up Docs?, a three-day film festival for children at the historic Malco Theater in downtown Hot Springs.
April 28, 29, and 30
At the 2008 What’s Up Docs? program, students had the opportunity to watch fun and enlightening films. The one hour program included a selection of short, upbeat documentaries, animations, and narrative films from around the world. Films were chosen specifically for younger audiences on diverse topics, ranging from the environment to science to art.
What’s Up Docs? was open to the public and admission was FREE. School groups, youth groups, and individuals were invited to attend. Parents were encouraged to attend with their children.
A film by Benjamin Meade and Mike Adams played at the Historic Malco Theater Saturday, March 15 in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The film began at 6:30.
K-12 Arkansas Student Filmmaking Competition
The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and the Northeast Arkansas Education Cooperative sponsored the first K-12 Arkansas Student Filmmaking Competition 2008 held on Friday, February 29 - Saturday, March 1, 2008, in Hot Springs at the Historic Malco Theater hosted by the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute.
