The Gem Theater

Date: Friday, October 14, 2022
Show Time: 7:00PM
Doors: 6:00PM
Admission: $15
Location: The Gem Theater- 48 Cross St, Bethel, Maine 04217
Presented by: The Gem Theater
Program Notes: The film program will last about two hours, including a 10-minute intermission.

Scheduled Program:

MORNING ZOOM – 5.2 minutes – by Jesse LaFountaine, Mercedes Mehling – from Maine – Short synopsis: It’s Monday morning. Tom is getting ready for his Zoom meeting at 8am. A text from a coworker buzzes on his phone – “Boss just called. The meeting got pushed back until 9.” Tom has an extra hour. And he knows exactly what to do with it.

SKI TOGETHER – 8.85 minutes – by Greg O’Connor – from Maine – Short synopsis: Zach McCarthy moved back to Maine from Boston and has found purpose in sharing his love of ski touring with others.

ATTACK & RELEASE – 15 minutes – by Tom Attwater – from Montana – Short synopsis: After Ranga Perera’s family moved to the U.S. from Sri Lanka, he tragically lost his father to an unexpected heart attack. While coping with the loss of his father, he found himself in Montana where he was drawn to the magic of fly fishing and the solace of the river. Throughout his journey, he struggles to rediscover his childlike wonder and finds comfort in his time spent on the water. After a confrontation with his own mortality, Ranga learns the importance of mindfulness and living life with an open heart.

THE EPHEMERAL ARENA – 13.2 minutes – by Rob Motley, BJ Klophaus – from Wyoming – Short synopsis: Joe Kelsey’s definitive guidebook, Climbing and Hiking in the Wind River Mountains, states “The Wind Rivers are not an ice climbing arena.” Beginning in 2019, a small group of amateur climbers from Lander, Wyoming took that as a call to action. Together they set off into their own backyard in search of first known ascents throughout the rugged 100-mile long range.

MARDI & THE WHITES – 11.45 minutes – by Paula Champagne – from Massachusetts – Short synopsis: Mardi has a rich relationship with nature that has evolved and deepened throughout her life. In the last 20 years she’s dedicated much of her time to exploring the landscape in the White Mountains (unfortunately coined “The Whites” by New Englanders) on Abenaki land. In that time Mardi summited all forty-eight 4,000 footers multiple times, often as the only Black person on the mountain. She has experienced great joy from communing with this landscape, but the overwhelmingly white hiking community that is so seeped in white supremacy and colonialism complicates her experiences. Recently, she has focused on creating more opportunities for Black folks to join her in appreciating this magnificent wilderness. Enjoying this land with her community has been a liberating balm that has strengthened her sense of identity as an outdoorswoman.“Mardi & the whites” is a peek into Mardi’s relationship with the White Mountains, the great outdoors, and the community that surrounds them; Above all, it’s a celebration of Black liberation in the wild.

INTERMISSION

KEEP IT A SECRET – 61.15 minutes – by Sean Duggan – from New York – Short synopsis: Keep It A Secret recounts the inspiring true story of the dawn of Irish surfing and how the sport’s brave pioneers found peace in the surf during the most violent years of The Troubles conflict. In 1972, every international sporting event in Ireland was canceled, except for one. Teams from around the world were terrified to travel to Ireland amid the height of The Troubles, the conflict between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland that had plunged the island into chaos and violence. The only group of athletes bold enough to risk traveling in Ireland at this turbulent time were surfers.