April is Education Month at the American Cultural Centre. The public is invited to the free screenings in the American Cultural Centre Auditorium of the following movies on the following dates below. Screenings start at 17h30 and admission is free.
April 2 – Remember the Titans
Suburban Virginia schools have been segregated for generations, in sight of the Washington Monument across the river from the nation’s capital. One Black and one White high school are closed and the students are sent to TC Williams High School under federal mandate to integrate. The year is seen through the eyes of the football team, where the man hired to coach at the Black school is made head coach at the integrated school. Based on the actual events of 1971, the team becomes the unifying symbol for the community, as the boys and the adults learn to depend on and trust each other.
April 16 – Heroes
This powerful and inspiring series hosted by Robert Redford profiles “social entrepreneurs,” individuals who bring innovative solutions to social problems all over the world. Audience members at the screening of the first two episodes on January 30 commented that Namibia has its own “social entrepreneurs.”
The third episode entitled The Power of Enterprise looks at how social entrepreneurs are working to break the cycle of poverty by empowering people to earn a living. Featured are Muhammed Yunus who is known as “the banker to the poor” in Bangladesh, and Albino Ruiz Rios who has been forming micro-enterprises to clean up garbage in Peru. Also featured is a sewing cooperative in violence-plagued Rio de Janeiro slums that creates clothing seen on high-fashion runways all over the world.
In the fourth and final episode, The Power of Knowledge, examines the reality that poor children in many societies are often left to fend for themselves. Sompopo Jantraka’s school to save young Thai girls from prostitution and Dina Abdel Wahab’s schools for the disabled in Egypt are featured. The episode also profiles an educational effort on India’s railway platforms to reach the children who beg in the train stations.
In-depth information on the work of these and other social entrepreneurs is available at the companion web-site www.pbs.org/thenewheroes. In addition, the website features a “build a business” game that lets site visitors try to run a socially-conscious business, as well as a parents’ guide to raising children who care about others.
April 23 – Madea Family Reunion
The fireworks begin when Madea’s family gathers for her granddaughter’s wedding. As usual, Madea (Tyler Perry) rules the roost, as she and her neighbor, the wacky Mr. Brown (David Mann), deliver nonstop laughs. Live, Love, rejoice…it’s Madea’s Family Reunion!
April 30 – Akeelah and the Bee
This inspirational drama is the story of Akeelah Andrson (Keke Palmer), a precocious 11-year-old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite the objections of her mother Tanya (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters various spelling contests for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), her principal Mr Welch (Curtis Armstrong), and the proud residents of her neighbourhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her an opportunity to compete for a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and in turn unites her neighbourhood, who witness the courage and inspiration of one ama-zing little girl.