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Film is in a unique position to shine a light on issues and events, helping us to bear witness to our times. Citizen made media is more immediate than film and has, once again in the past few weeks, illuminated atrocious acts perpetrated on Americans by the very systems that are supposed to protect us. We cannot publicly ignore or unsee what we have seen.
Pickford Film Center stands in solidarity with Black communities across America to say enough is enough. Black lives matter. Without justice there is no peace and if we remain silent in light of current events we are complicit in their perpetuation.
We call on our community to get educated about the history and current manifestations of racism in America, to speak up, and to be generous to the people and organizations that are fighting against its malignance.
In this spirit, we share with you a list of films on the subject and some organizations that are working on behalf of justice.
Black Lives Matter Black Visions Collective American Civil Liberties Union
Northwest Community Bail Fund Southern Poverty Law Center National Bail Out
ANTI-RACIST FILM RESOURCES
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IN THE PICKFORD’S VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOMS
Ghost Tropic
STARTED, SEPTEMBER 11 dir. Bas Devos, 2019NR, 85 min, Belgium & Netherlands in Dutch, French with English Subtitles WATCH TRAILER “A cleaning lady falls asleep on the last subway after working late in Ghost Tropic, and this seemingly mundane mistake is the...
Buoyancy
Bouyancy dir. Rodd Rathjen, 2020 NR, 92 min, Australia, in Khmer and Thai with English subtitles.This story of a Cambodian teenager sold into forced labor on a Thai fishing boat is a passionate testimony against social injustice and a moving coming-of-age tale about...
Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin
STARTED, SEPTEMBER 4 dir. Werner Herzog, 2019 NR, 90 min, UK, in English, German and Aboriginal WATCH TRAILER When legendary writer and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was dying of AIDS, he summoned his friend and collaborator Werner Herzog, asking to see his recent film...
Beau Travail
STARTED, SEPTEMBER 4 dir. Claire Denis, 1999 NR, 92 min, France in French, Itialian, Russian WATCH TRAILER With her ravishingly sensual take on Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, Claire Denis firmly established herself as one of the great visual tone poets...
Epicentro
STARTED FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 dir. Hubert Sauper, 2020NR, 108 min, Cuba, in Spanish with English subtitles. WATCH TRAILER An immersive and metaphorical portrait of post-colonial, "utopian" Cuba, where the 1898 explosion of the USS Maine still resonates. This Big Bang...
Vinyl Nation
STARTED FRIDAY, AUG 28 dir. Kevin Smokler & Christopher Boone, 2020NR, 92 min, USA, in English. WATCH TRAILER The vinyl record renaissance over the past decade has brought new fans to a classic format and transformed our idea of a record collector: younger, both...
Made in Bangladesh
STARTED FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 dir. Rubaiyat Hossain, 2019NR, 95 min, Denmark, Bangladesh, in Bengali with English subtitles. WATCH TRAILER Shimu, 23, works in a clothing factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Faced with difficult conditions at work, she decides to start a union...
Desert One
STARTED FRIDAY, AUG 21 dir. Barbara Kopple, 2020NR, 107 min, USA, in English and Persian with English subtitles WATCH TRAILER In April 1980, the US government launched the Operation Eagle Claw, their response to the hostage crisis that was happening in Iran at that...
Martin Margiela: In His Own Words
STARTED FRIDAY, AUG 21 dir. Reiner Holzemer, 2020 NR, 90 min, USA, France, in English and French w/ English subtitles WATCH TRAILER One of the most revolutionary and influential fashion designers of his time, Martin Margiela has remained an elusive figure the...
Jazz on a Summer’s Day
dir. Bert Stern, 1959 NR, 85 min, USA, in English WATCH TRAILER Filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and directed by world-renowned photographer Bert Stern, Jazz on a Summer's Day features intimate performances by an all-star line-up of musical legends including...
Represent
dir. Hillary Bachelder, 2020NR, 93 min, USA, in English. WATCH TRAILER Equal parts personal and political, Represent follows three women on both sides of the aisle who share the singular goal of improving their community through public service. Myya attempts to spark...
Sunless Shadows
dir. Mehrdad Oskouei 2019 NR, 74 min, Iran, in Persian w/ English Subtitles WATCH TRAILER In an Iranian juvenile detention center, a group of adolescent girls are serving time for having murdered their father, husband or another male family member. With each...
CREEM: AMERICA’S ONLY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MAGAZINE
dir. Scott Crawford, 2019 NR, 75 min, USA, in English WATCH TRAILER Capturing the messy upheaval of the '70s just as rock was re-inventing itself, the film explores CREEM Magazine's humble beginnings in post-riot Detroit, follows its upward trajectory from underground...
Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind
dir. Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni, 2019 NR, 91 min, Canada, in English WATCH TRAILER Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind is an exploration of the career, music and influence of legendary Canadian musical icon, Gordon Lightfoot. With unprecedented...
Sundance Shorts 2020
dir. see below 2020 NR, 80 min, Global, various languages with English subtitles WATCH TRAILER The 2020 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour (Virtual Version) is a 80-minute theatrical program of 6 short films selected from this year’s Festival. Widely considered...
Flannery
dir. Elizabeth Coffman & Mark Bosco 2020NR 13, 97 min, USA, in English WATCH TRAILER A very important national conversation is underway, one as urgent as it is needed. As noted by the New York Times critic Wesley Morris, her 1965 short story, “Everything That...
John Lewis: Good Trouble
NOW PLAYING dir. Dawn Porter, 2020 PG, 90 min, USA, in English WATCH TRAILER Using interviews and rare archival footage, John Lewis: Good Trouble chronicles Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun...
Marona’s Fantastic Tale
NOW PLAYING dir. Anca Damian, 2020NR, 90 min, France / Romania, in French with English subtitles This poetic and touching film from director Anca Damian follows an optimistic stray dog named Marona as she looks back on the human companions she has loved throughout...
Yourself and Yours
NOW PLAYING dir. Hong Sangsoo, 2016 NR, 86 min, South Korea, in Korean with English subtitles WATCH TRAILER One of Hong Sangsoo’s most delightful comic mysteries is now available in the U.S.! When painter Youngsoo (Kim Joohyuk) learns that his girlfriend,...
The Storyteller’s Seasonal: Spring 2020
NOW PLAYING The Storyteller’s Seasonal was established provide a supportive venue where the creatives, filmmakers, and storytellers can practice their craft and display their work, with the basic prompts of a theme and a prop as their challenge parameters. All levels...
The Grey Fox
NOW PLAYING dir. Phillip Borsos, 1982 PG, 110 min, Canada, in English After decades in prison, stagecoach robber Bill Miner (Richard Farnsworth) emerges in 1901 a free man without a place in 20th century society... until he sees The Great Train Robbery and is...
Lucky Grandma
NOW PLAYING dir. Sasie Sealy, 2019 NR, 87 min, USA, in English, Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles In the heart of Chinatown, New York, ornery, chain-smoking, newly widowed 80-year–old Grandma (Tsai Chin) is eager to live life as an independent woman,...
Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy
NOW PLAYING dir. Elizabeth Carroll, 2019 NR, 81 min, USA / Mexico, in English Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy is a feature-length documentary offering a candid look into the world of 92-year-old British chef and cookbook author Diana Kennedy, widely regarded as the...
My Dog Stupid
dir. Yvan Attal, 2020 PG 13, 106 min, France, in French subtitled in English WATCH TRAILER Henri is a middle-aged writer with fading inspiration. Feeling increasingly misunderstood by his family, he dreams of running away to start over again. Yet when he discovers...
The Fight
NOW PLAYING dir. Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman, 2020 PG 13, 96 min, USA, in English WATCH TRAILER The Fight is an inspiring, emotional insider look at how these important battles are fought and the legal gladiators on the front lines fighting them. Directors Elyse...
Rebuilding Paradise
NOW PLAYING dir. Ron Howard 2020 PG 13, 95 min, USA, in English WATCH TRAILER On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, a spark from a transmission line in Northern California, coupled with climate-impacted conditions, quickly grew into a devastating firestorm that...
Out Stealing Horses
OUT STEALING HORSES dir. Hans Petter Moland, 2020NR, 123 min, Norway | Sweden | Denmark, in Norwegian | Swedish Adapted from the bestselling novel, Out Stealing Horses follows 67-year-old Trond (Stellan Skarsgård) in the winter of 1999, still grieving the death of his...
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2040
2040 SHOWING AS PART OF CLIMATE ACTION WEEKSEPTEMBER 21-27, 2020 dir. Damon Gameau, 2020NR, 92 min, Austraila, in English | Bengali | Swahili | Swedish Award-winning director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look...
We Are Many
We Are Many dir. Amir Amirani, 2015NR, 110 min, UK, in EnglishWatch the premiere on the LIVESTREAM on Monday, September 21 at 5pm Presented by the Whatcom Peace + Justice Center as part of the 2020 International Day of Peace weekend events. 40% of ticket sales from...
Thank You To Our Funders
Thank You To Our Funders
On behalf of the Pickford Film Center staff and board we would like to acknowledge that we are located on the traditional, ancestral lands of the Lhaq’te’mish (Lummi Nation) and Nuxwsá7aq (Nooksack) Tribe, as well as all other Salishan families who, from time immemorial, share the ancestral homelands and salt waters of Whatcom County and the Salish Sea.