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June 13, 2019
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Have you ever seen or heard about something and felt that it was calling to you on deep level? At the Clinton I work with lots of nonprofits, and I've always wondered why someone is a "bee" activist, while another can have a passion for Red Pandas, or anti-fracking, or sexual and reproductive rights. In times like these, with the world going to hell in a hand basket, so many important causes need and deserve our attention. But our energy and resources are limited, and we can only do so much with what we've been given.
Folks often ask me how I came to own the Clinton, but I rarely admit that when I saw the blurb in Craig's List saying that the theater was for sale, something tugged at my heart, something whispered in my ear, "This is what you need to do now." Although I had owned a small software company with my husband, Roger, and one other partner before moving to Portland, I had never done anything remotely like running a business that dealt with the public on a regular basis, and I didn't have a clue how to get movies or create events or get butts in seats on a regular basis.
I had heard that gentle whisper on other occasions--it was the impetus for taking a life-transforming trip to Antarctica in 2001, and it was what pulled me into joining a women's walking group in 2004 that supported me in the training necessary to complete seven marathons in the following three years. Hearing "this is what you must do now" propelled me into joining Aurora Chorus in 2009, and through singing with other brave and beautiful women, I was able to reconnect with a part of me that I had denied and thought lost. I followed the voice to film school, so it all made perfect sense when I saw the ad for the Clinton and I heard a new call. Deep inside me I knew that I needed to take a risk, borrow money, and open myself up to whatever challenges came next.
If this all sounds a little religious, it's probably because I'm a recovering fundamentalist. The altar call was the culmination of every church service, and as a sinner, you were called to be saved, as a backslider, you were called to re-dedicate yourself to God, and after that (if you were male), you might be called to special service--a deacon, a preacher or a missionary. I no longer believe in God, but I still love so many of the Bible stories I learned growing up and can find wisdom or solace in them depending on my situation.
In God’s revelation to Elijah written about in the book of I Kings, chapter 19, God said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
I believe we do have a "still small voice," but it doesn't come from outside ourselves. We have it with us all the time, but usually we are so busy simply for the sake of being busy, or talking for the sake of talking that we neglect to hear it. A dear priest/counselor/friend used to say, "Never resist a generous impulse." That "generous impulse" is your voice, too. Let's not make so much noise that we can't hear it. It is a still small voice after all. Take some time to listen carefully this week. Generous impulse? Open up your pocket book, sign up to volunteer, bring a shut-in some food, smile at a stranger, pay it forward, help someone with a door or packages or a young child.
Keep listening. You may be called to care about the bees, or reproductive rights, or any one of a million things that need your unique gifts and abilities. Keep listening. You'll know "what you need to do now."
Plain Advice
Jeff Gundy
Don’t be foolish. No, be foolish.
Each of these trees was once a seed.
Look down the road till it’s all mist and fumes:
Of course your journey is impossible.
It’s stupidly hot for September and yet here’s
an eddy, a gust, something to stir you
as the high leaves of the walnut are stirred,
as fine droplets touch you, touch the table
and the deck, no explanation, no design.
And beauty is like God, mystery
in plain sight, silent, hesitating
in leaves and the shadows of leaves,
in the carved fish painted and nailed
to the railing, in skeins of cloud
and searching fly and pale blue
scrim of sky and seas of emptiness
and dazzle, fusion and spin,
fire and oblivion and all that lies
on the other side of oblivion.
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK
NW Documentary D.I.Y. Docs
Thursday, June 13 @ 7pm. Tickets $5.
NW Documentary believes that stories create community. D.I.Y. Docs is a 2-times-annual event showcasing a series of varied documentary shorts produced by students in NW Documentary workshops & emerging local filmmakers & artists. Join us in sharing & celebrating local community, art, & storytelling! Stick around for a filmmaker Q&A following the screening.
OSIFF Shorts and Features
Oregon State International Film Festival was founded by film enthusiasts teaching international cinemas at Oregon State University.
June 14 & 15. Two screenings each day--one a shorts collection and one a feature.
Shorts Program 1 on Friday, June 14 @ 7pm--Contemplation
Feature Program on Friday, June 14 @ 9:30--FLESH CITY
Shorts Program 2 on Saturday, June 15 @ 6pm--Agitation
Feature Program 2 on Friday, June 15 @ 8pm--WILD HEART
I don't know much about hockey, but I watched this documentary last weekend, and while I still don't know much about how the game is played (except there's a big difference in how it is played in Canada and Russia), I loved the intrigue involved in bringing these players to the United States, I rooted for the Red Wings time and time again as they kept getting shut down by the Colorado Avalanche, I cheered for their subsequent Stanley Cup wins, and I cried when tragedy struck the team.
Whether or not you like hockey, this is an engaging documentary from start to finish. Saturday, June 15 & Sunday, June 16 @ 2pm. Tickets $8 suggested.
Free Arts NW: Youth Showcase
Free Arts NW is a local non profit that works with under-served youth through Portland. Each year they host a film camp during spring break where teens write, act, direct, film and edit their own short films. They offer this camp completely free of charge to the teens.
At Sunday night's premiere the youth have the opportunity to see their films on the big screen for the first time. It is a truly magical moment. Please come and share in it!
Tickets $10; doors at 6:30pm, show starts at 7.
Monday, June 17 @ 7pm.
Everything about this film feels like its inspiration, John Waters. Besides the lovably kooky characters and sets, every one of these kids is treated with the utmost care and love. Being gay is celebrated in this film, and in the most entertaining way possible. It's encouraging to see a film that isn't catty or acidic with its comedy and knows how to show teenage gay characters in a positive light.
Spencer S., Rotten Tomatoes Super Reviewer
Our nonprofit partner at this Resistance Series screening is Q Center. As the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Pacific Northwest, Q Center proudly serves the LGBTQ2SIA+ communities of Portland Metro and Southwest Washington. Their drop-in and event space on North Mississippi Avenue is a frequent first stop for new arrivals in Portland, and for longtime residents who are newly out or questioning their sexual or gender identity. Q Center also serves as an information hub for friends, partners, community, and family members of LGBTQ2SIA+ individuals. They take pride in their collaborative approach and seek out ways to share resources with other nonprofits and public institutions locally and statewide.
Free movie, but if you can, make a contribution to Q Center!
SECOND CHORUS
Starring the one and only Fred Astaire, along with Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith and jazz legend, Artie Shaw, SECOND CHORUS (1940) is a wonderful and hilarious musical comedy about a pair of trumpeters trying to get in Artie Shaw's band. Along the way, they also quarrel about women, music and everything else. The music is unforgettable and the dance numbers will thrill and delight people of all ages.
Enjoy SECOND CHORUS along with newsreels, cartoons and other treats from 1940! This is a donation based show so bring something or nothing, just come experience this classic with us.
Public Domain Xinema is curated by Ygal Kaufman.
Tuesday, June 18th, 7pm.
NIGHT TIDE & Other Films
Presented by Church of Film, Wednesday, June 19 @ 8pm. A young sailor, Johnny (a young Dennis Hopper), becomes entranced by a woman named Mora.
Mora plays a mermaid in a carnival sideshow… but is it just a show? Or is the mysterious Mora an actual mermaid?
NIGHT TIDE (1961) is a haunting oddity, an early independent feature by gay icon Curtis Harrington shot in Santa Monica and a crumbling Venice, California.
This screening of NIGHT TIDE will be accompanied by three of Harrington’s occult-laden experimental shorts, FRAGMENT OF SEEKING (1946), THE ASSIGNATION (1953), and THE WORMWOOD STAR (1955), made while Harrington caroused with avant-garde cliques with friends Kenneth Anger and Marjorie Cameron.
The Golden Rule S/V Fundraiser
The Golden Rule S/V, historical peace boat, is sailing once again for a nuclear weapons free world, and Veterans for Peace want you to join them this coming Thursday, June 20 @ 7pm for the screening of the award-winning documentary MAKING WAVES.
MAKING WAVES will screen along with the short film PHOENIX OF HIROSHIMA - An Odyssey Interrupted, the Golden Rule's sister ship that took over the mission in 1958 and sailed into the nuclear weapons test zone in the Marshall Islands.
Golden Rule S/V Crew Member and Project Ambassador, Zoe Byrd, will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
Free!!! Suggested donation $5-20 for the work of The Golden Rule S/V.
COMING SOON
Clinton Street Resistance Series: DESERT HEARTS, June 24.
Vivian: I wouldn't know what to do.
Cay: You can start by putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door.
This is the last Resistance Series screening until we return in September with lots of great films to watch and great nonprofits to support.
How many Pride movies can you watch at the Clinton in June? New indie feature INTO THE MIRROR is Friday, June 21 @ 7pm, cult classic THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT is Saturday, June 22 @ 8pm.
Movies in the Dark presented by Projekt Records brings ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE to the Clinton on Friday, June 21 @ 9:30pm. Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic says, " This is a film that finds horror not in the extreme, but in the mundane. That alone makes it a worthwhile entry in a genre that it both inhabits and rises above."
Castle Thunder Cinema presents WEIRD WESTERNS! on Tuesday, June 25 @ 7pm. A special DOUBLE-FEATURE showcasing strange visions of America’s WILD WEST! SEE a western completely cast with LITTLE PEOPLE! WATCH cowboy crooner Gene Autry descend into a strange SCI-FI UNDERWORLD populated by the LOST TRIBE OF MU and robots wearing steel hats! Wondrous, weird AMERICANA from the Depression Era!
The Worst Idea of All Time is coming back to Portland on Wednesday, June 26! Guy and Tim have been watching and reviewing Sex and The City: The Movie twice a week for close to six months and we want to see you as we approach the home stretch. Our brains are mush, but our hearts are open. Catch the Frosty Fellas in the room with a special screening that’s not to be missed.
Join KBOO and Ko-Falen Cultural Center for an extraordinary documentary of Mali’s musicians, THEY WILL HAVE TO KILL US FIRST, as they fight for their right to sing. Thursday, June 27 @ 7pm, doors open at 6:30pm. Listen to the Desert Sounds of Mali musicians while you peruse Malian Arts & Crafts and mine information on Ko-Falen Cultural Center—-a nonprofit doing work in Mali and the US. The documentary film is preceded by a Ko-Falen short film "Spinners of Stories: Women Storytellers of Baroueli." A Q&A with Malians Baba Wague Diakite and Ibrahim Kelly will follow the film.
Fitzofhorror.com called him the “King of Indie Horror Anthologies,” and director Joe Sherlock says, “Since I’m in my third decade of making fun b-horror flicks and many of them are anthologies, I’ll take it!” Sherlock’s latest is DARK ZONE THIRTEEN and it has its Portland Premiere on Saturday, June 29 @ 7:30pm.
Meet the iconic Tramp character who conquered the world with his comic antics. Charlie Chaplin was the first truly global superstar, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands wherever he traveled. This entertaining and informative presentation by Dan Kamin will be illustrated with rare and fascinating images, music and pristine restored film from the period, including Chaplin’s blockbuster war comedy Shoulder Arms, released while World War One was still raging. Don’t miss this excursion into the public and private worlds of the comic legend whose films still make audiences roar with laughter. ONE NIGHT ONLY--July 6th!!
Local-produced indie Feature ZILLA AND ZOE has a 3-day run in July! ZILLA AND ZOE started with a script that was quarterfinalist in Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Screenwriting Contest and now filmed has turned into a movie that critics say "has the potential to become a classic family film" and "is a great first effort from a director ...of creativity and talent with …potential for future success". In the film, 10-year old Zoe is obsessed with making horror films. Sound familiar?
The 2019 Portland Pride Waterfront Festival takes place at Tom Mcall Waterfront Park Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16. The Pride Parade kicks off at 11am on Sunday, June 16. Come cheer our own Clinton Street Cabaret as they strut their stuff on the streets of downtown Portland and visit their booth at the festival.
Stay safe out there!!! From Jun 14 at 4 PM – Jun 17 at 3 AM, the Safe Ride Home program is offering folks discounted travel options city-wide and at the Portland Waterfront!
Portland Summerfest Opera in the Park, in collaboration with Portland Parks & Recreation presents VIVA VERDI! AN OPERATIC EXTRAVAGANZA on Sunday, August 4.
We have less than a dozen pics on our instagram account, and we used to have more than 1,000. It's a sad tale of loss and betrayal, too long and ugly to share here, but our Intagram account was hijacked (twice), and we've lost all of our photos and followers. If you've ever shared pics of the Clinton Street Theater and our events or you want to share some now, the new official instagram account is cst_pdx. Thanks.
Another group in town is using Portland Underground Film Festival in its name, but DON'T BE FOOLED BY IMITATIONS!!! Since its inception in 2004, the Portland Underground Film Festival has been part of the fabric of the Clinton Street Theater. We do not charge a fee for submissions and our tickets for the festival are "pay what you can." We don't focus on horror, grindhouse, or whatever genre "gross-out" might be, although we always have one or two shorts programs that focus on these gory gems. Our primary intent is to honor those films that excel in pushing the boundaries of the cinematic arts to create a new audio-visual language. SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN NOW, and the true PUFF is coming the weekend of October 17 to 20.
I'm proud to announce that this year the Clinton Street Theater is one of the Pickles sponsors! Never heard of the Pickles? Go to the website and find out more!
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”
― Émile Zola
Don't be a stranger. Come see us soon.
Kind regards,
Lani Jo
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