Rose Foundation and The New Parkway Host Film Festival Celebrating Activism
CONTACT:
Marion Gee, Communications Coordinator, Rose Foundation, (949) 378-5253, mgee@rosefdn.org
Oakland, CA, April 11, 2013: Local funder to grassroots organizations teams with community movie theater to host Action! Movies that Motivate Change
On May 4, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment and The New Parkway host Action! Movies that Motivate Change, a film festival focusing on activism and the environment. Part of the Rose Foundation’s 20th anniversary celebration, the festival features 16 Seeds, A Fierce Green Fire, and newly released Trashed starring Jeremy Irons. Directors Melinda James of 16 Seeds, and A Fierce Green Fire’s Mark Kitchell (who made Berkeley in the Sixties) will be on hand for audience discussion. Filmmakers will also attend the pre-screening party and silent auction, fundraisers for the Rose Foundation.
A much-beloved local institution, the previous incarnation of The Parkway regularly featured community-oriented film series and events to support local non-profit organizations. Hosting the Rose Foundation’s anniversary celebration, The New Parkway carries on this tradition. Rose Foundation’s activist-oriented grant-making centers on helping grassroots organizations get off the ground, and on giving communities and youth the tools to have a real voice in making change. Over its two decades, Rose has established a unique presence in Bay Area and West Coast philanthropy.
Cycles of Change, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, and City Slicker Farms are just some of the local groups that have received grants from Rose. “Most of the big foundations don’t give money to grassroots organizations because they seem too new or too risky,” says Tim Little, Rose Foundation’s Executive Director. “But we think grassroots groups are incredibly important for the kinds of environmental change we need to see, the kinds of consumer protections we need to have. These groups have vision, they have passion, and all they need is the support that helps them get started.” The foundation also runs New Voices Are Rising, a program that helps youth in underserved and environmentally hard-hit neighborhoods in West Oakland and Richmond become knowledgeable and confident advocates for their communities. “We don’t have an endowment, and we give away virtually all the money we raise, but we give out as much money as some of the big funders. And we give it all to grassroots groups,” says Little.
In keeping with Rose Foundation’s mission, the selected films showcase and celebrate activism. 16 Seeds looks at black community farmers in the food justice movement in Oakland. A Fierce Green Fire documents the rise of the U.S. environmental movement. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. And in its East Bay debut, Trashed takes a stark look at what human garbage is doing to the planet, its people, and our health, and makes a compelling pitch for what we can all do to transform our entire approach to the material stuff we use.
Hosting the Rose Foundation event aligns with the spirit of The New Parkway’s commitment to support local non-profits. The original Parkway regularly hosted fundraisers and events supporting local groups, a tradition The New Parkway owner, J. Moses Ceaser, has fully embraced. This commitment is one piece of what makes The New Parkway, like its predecessor, not just a business but a part of the community.
The film festival starts at 6:30 PM and runs approximately three and a half hours. It includes shorts, audience discussion with two of the filmmakers, and features a full screening of Trashed. Tickets are $15. The pre-festival party, with filmmakers in attendance, a silent auction and food and drink catered by local food truck Streatery, runs from 3:00-6:00 PM. Tickets are $75 per person or $100 for two, and include tickets to the film festival.
Tickets to Action! Movies That Motivate Change and to the Party are available at: rosefdn.org/20years