PROSPER VERMONT: New Film Series at the Center for Vermont Independence (CVI)

Third Wednesday Film Series

Every third Wednesday of the month, come see a thought-provoking film at the Center. Right afterwards, join us for a roundtable dinner & discussion at the Hancock Hotel across the street. All films start at 5:00 PM unless by special arrangement. Rescreenings on request, if you plan your own event. If you wish to stay the night, affordable accommodations and hostel beds are available from the adjacent Gathering Inn. Click the film title below for more info about the film!

• March 16th: The End of Poverty?

...a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land and other natural resources as well as in forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies...

 

• April 20th: Mixed Nuts
...a screw-ball musical comedy with music from the 20s and 30s, and a cast of independence-minded eccentrics from the Vermont State Hospital who have prepared a vaudeville review directed by Dr. Elizabeth Darcy. The bizarre crew of entertainers is lead by a re-incarnated, unpredictable, and loveable Ethan Allen. Mixed Nuts premièred in August 2010 at the Unadilla Theatre. This is a compilation of home videos of the complete stage production, for those who missed it the first time around. Some behind-the-scenes professional footage by Independent Vermont filmmaker Teo Zagar will also be shown.

 

• May 18th The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
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When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis, which they call "The Special Period." The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis – the massive reduction of fossil fuels – is an example of options and hope.

 

• June 15th Zeitgeist Marathon



The history of "Zeitgeist: The Movie" is not what many assume. The original Zeitgeist was actually not a "film", but a performance piece, which consisted of a vaudevillian style multi-media event using recorded music, live instruments and video. The event was given over a 6-night period in New York City and then, without any interest to professionally release or produce the work, was "tossed" up on the Internet arbitrarily. The work was never designed as a film or even a documentary in a traditional sense - it was designed as a creative, provoking, emotionally driven expression, full of artistic extremity and heavily stylized gestures. Dinner & Discussion to follow Film 1. Films 2 & 3 of the trilogy, Zeitgeist Addendum & Zeitgeist: Moving Forward, will be screened after Dinner for those who choose to stay at the Gathering Inn overnight.



 

What do ancient myths, modern official truths and the Fed have in common? Come find out !

 

• July 20th TBA
• August 17th TBA
• September 21st TBA
• October 19th TBA

Have a film or some footage that you'd like to share on a future night? Want to request a rescreening on a different date? EMail film@vermontindependence.net with details and someone will follow up with you. Here's a google map that you can use to get directions: View the Map