By now you've noticed that, during the last couple of years, Rocky
Mountain PBS has placed great importance in hosting free public
screenings and discussions of programs that will later be on TV.
Although television is our medium, public screenings give our viewers a
chance to meet each other, learn more about a program, hear from
experts and share ideas with others.
By the time April ends, we will have hosted a grand total of six public screenings this month – taking on topics such as
organ donation,
health care in other capitalist democracies, life on an
aircraft carrier and hate crimes toward
Sikh Americans.
In the last year, we've met & greeted hundreds of Coloradans at screenings and discussions about topics such as amateur astronomy; World War II, democracy in America, China and Liberia; stem cell medicine, racial cleansing in America; the Miss Navajo Nation pageant; and agriculture in the U.S. Post-screening discussions are lively, sometimes heated, and always thought-provoking.
This week we're hosting three screenings – two in Denver, one in Grand Junction – of "Carrier," the new 10-part series that follows the crew of the USS Nimitz. At each screening, military personnel who have served on carriers will share their life experiences and answer audience questions. At Thursday's screening at Wings Over the Rockies, "Carrier" filmmakers Maro Chermayeff and Deborah Dickson will be part of the discussion as well as one of the USS Nimitz crew who appears in the documentary. The screening schedule and TV schedule for "Carrier" is at
rmpbs.org/carrier.
Next Wednesday, April 30, is "
A Dream in Doubt," part of our ITVS Community Cinema series, which is a preview of documentaries that air on "Independent Lens." This film tells the story of a Sikh man in Mesa, Arizona, who moved to the U.S. from India to pursue the American dream – only to be murdered by a local man targeting "anyone in a turban" in the days following the September 11 attacks.
The film attempts to educate viewers on Sikhism, a religion practiced by 23 million people worldwide (and approximately 250,000 people in the U.S.). An important theme of "A Dream in Doubt" is the strange position many American Sikhs found themselves in after 9/11, when assumptions were made about their turbans and beards: They had to explain to their neighbors that Sikhs are not Muslim, while also being careful not to fuel anti-Muslim sentiments.
For the "Dream in Doubt" panel, we have at least four representatives of Denver's Sikh community. Three are originally from India, where Sikhism originated 500 years ago. One is from Singapore, a primarily Muslim country. Also on the panel is a political science professor who focuses on Indian politics and a member of Colorado's Interfaith Alliance. You can RSVP for this free screening
here.
If you haven't come out for a screening, I urge you to join us. In this day and age, getting together with a roomful of people to share ideas is rare and wonderful. And it's much more fulfilling than talking to the TV screen.
If you
have been to a Rocky Mountain PBS screening, what did you think? Which one did you attend? Did you learn anything? Do you have any suggestions for future events? We hope to do more in the future and your feedback helps.
See you out there,
-Allison, Rocky Mountain PBS
