Erase Hate film pic
Can the emotive power of cinema help to solve the problem of violence and intolerance? The first Gig City Film Fest, dubbed “A Season for Nonviolence,” hopes to provide context to that probing, unrelenting question.
On Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Heritage House in East Brainerd, the festival will screen five films—“The Interrupters,” “Kinyarwanda,” “Bully,” “Erasing Hate,” and“The Intouchables”—all debuting in 2011 and each focusing on the issue with unique perspectives.
Sponsored by the Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture, the festival addresses one of the most pressing issues of today and hopes to create an interactive, cathartic experience for its audience, according to Kris Jones of the Heritage House.
A mayoral proclamation issued during Dr. Arun Gandhi’s (grandson of the late Mahatma Gandhi) visit last September to Chattanooga marked the city’s commitment to becoming a “Season for Nonviolence” city this month.
Working in conjunction with the Nashville Film Festival, the Tennessee Film, Entertainment & Music Commission and the National Coalition of Independent Film Organizations, the festival’s theme seeks to build tolerance and understanding and guide a community conversation.
The all-day festival runs from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. with breaks.An all-day pass is $15; individual tickets are $5, available at the Memorial Auditorium Box Office or online at chattanooga.gov. For more information, visit chattanooga.gov or Facebook at facebook.com/gigcityfilmfestival.