If you're not already attending Temescal Street Cinema on Thursday nights you're missing out. Every week during June and the first part of July they set up some chairs on 49th near Telegraph and project work by local filmmakers right onto the side of the Bank of the West there, and best of all it's completely free. Last night's installment kicked off with some excellent music from indie folk act Ash Reiter while people found their seats and settled in with treats from Guerrilla Grub and Butterfat Bakery. After the band my fave Oakland gallery Royal Nonesuch (who helps curate artist-produced shorts for the Cinema) presented a gorgeous stop-motion film by Vanessa Woods called The Chambered Nautilus that featured sea life, ancient architecture, and a killer noise soundtrack. The main event, however, was Nancy Kelly and Kenji Yamamoto's film Trust, a documentary about a theater program in Chicago that enpowers at-risk youth to perform in plays of their own making. Watching how the tragic story shared by one Honduran immigrant is turned into something truly beautiful by the young actors is moving beyond words, and inspiring besides. Temescal Street Cinema runs for a few more weeks, and upcoming programs feature experimental animation and more awesome documentaries. Just bring a blanket and a warm hat to guard against cold Bay Area summer nights.
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