Join Sundance Institute's FILM FORWARD: Advancing Cultural Dialogue on September 3 - 7 for the free screening of eight films with moderated discussions hosted throughout Tacoma. Filmmakers traveling with the program are Julia Meltzer (The Light in Her Eyes) and Jerry Rothwell (Town of Runners). FILM FORWARD, a partnership of Sundance Institute and four U.S. federal cultural agencies, is a touring program that offers film screenings, workshops and discussions designed to foster dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. It uses the power of cinema to promote broader cultural understanding, inspire curiosity and enhance awareness of shared stories and values across generations, language, education and borders. Here's the film lineup for today: Thursday, September 5, 2013 [cid:image003.jpg@01CEAA39.1774C730] Bones Brigade: An Autobiography Time: 3:30 PM Location: Tacoma Public Library, 1102 Tacoma Avenue South Cost: Free Post film discussion: Ryan Spence, skateboarder and skate park designer; Robert Boyle and Kevin Carlton, Grit City Grindhouse<http://gritcitygrindhouse.com/>; Ben Warner, Alchemy Skate Center<http://www.alchemyindoor.com/>; moderated by Taylor Woodruff, Grit City Grindhouse<http://gritcitygrindhouse.com/> Bones Brigade: An Autobiography<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzQ2rzsHRQk&feature=youtu.be> Director: Stacy Peralta A gang of disenfranchised kids reject mainstream culture, channel their controlled desperation into a loser activity and redefine winning in the process. Mentored by a former world champion skateboarder, the "Bones Brigade" became history's most influential skateboarding team. Their countercultural impact continues to affect change with bestselling video games and books and millions of kids who embrace skateboarding around the world. Reception Time: 4:30 PM - 5 PM Location: Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, 1500 North Warner Street Cost: Free Meet Julia Meltzer, director of The Light in Her Eyes, and enjoy the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf and Book Art Exhibit, "Al-Mutanabi Street." Light refreshments served. [cid:image002.jpg@01CEA978.C5F76EA0] The Light in Her Eyes - special screening with director Julia Meltzer Time: 5 PM Location: Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, 1500 North Warner Street Cost: Free Post film discussion: Julia Meltzer<http://thelightinhereyesmovie.com/about/filmmakers/>, director for The Light in Her Eyes; moderated by Dr. Turan Kayaoglu, Professor of Middle East Studies at University of Washington Tacoma The Light in Her Eyes<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkvSOjgpC7A&feature=youtu.be> Directors: Julia Meltzer and Laura Nix Houda al-Habash, a conservative woman preacher in Damascus, Syria, calls girls to the practice of Islam, teaching them that pursuing their ambitions is a way of worshipping God. Shot right before the uprising in Syria erupted, The Light in Her Eyes offers an extraordinary portrait of a leader who challenges the women of her community to live according to Islam, without giving up their dreams. [cid:image004.png@01CEAA39.1774C730] Town of Runners - special screening with director Jerry Rothwell Time: 7:30 PM Location: The Grand Cinema, 606 S. Fawcett Avenue Cost: Free Post film discussion: Jerry Rothwell<http://www.townofrunners.com/film/Film_Makers/Jerry_Rothwell>, director of Town of Runners; moderated by Dr. Bill Kunz<http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/directory/employee_profile.cfm?employee_ID=11>, University of Washington Tacoma Town of Runners<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dof6l7eHg4k&feature=youtu.be> Director: Jerry Rothwell Town of Runners is a feature documentary about young people from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, whose runners have won 10 Olympic Gold medals in the last 20 years. The film tells the story of three teenagers who want to follow in their heroes' footsteps, as they move from school track to national competition and from childhood to adulthood, trying to run their way to a different life. Naomi Strom-Avila Cultural Arts Specialist City of Tacoma 747 Market Street, Room 900 Tacoma, WA 98402 253.591.5191