South Carolina State University's I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium will present the fourth annual Stanback Film Series, which includes the Southern Arts Federation's Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, beginning Thursday, Sept. 17, at the museum.

Films featured in the 2009-2010 series are:

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 -- "Dare Not Walk Alone" (darenotwalkalone.com)

Directed and produced by Jeremy Dean, "Dare Not Walk Alone" tells "the greatest civil rights story never told." Set to a soundtrack that flows from gospel to hip-hop, the film places the struggle for civil rights in the context of current conditions in a place where those struggles were fought. The film was conceived in 2003 by Dean while he was living in "America's oldest city," St. Augustine, Fla. When Dean volunteered to restore the stained glass windows in a historically black church, he learned of the events of 1964 -- protests, beatings and a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience that led to the passage of the first civil rights act.

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 -- "Pants on Fire" (myspace.com/pantsonfiremovie)

Directed and produced by Colin Campbell, "Pants on Fire" tells the story of Brad Spoofer, a pathological liar on a quest for glory. Brad quits the Feed Barn, Etc. back in Nebraska and moves to Los Angeles to become a movie star. His Hollywood career, however, continues to be a failure. To save face, he's been telling his friends back home that he's in a blockbuster movie about to be released in theaters. When his buddies decide to surprise him with a road trip to visit him in L.A., he has to scramble to prop up the illusion. Luckily, he scores a house-sitting gig for a wealthy couple in Bel Air and is able to keep the lie going.

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 -- "Milking the Rhino" (milkingtherhino.org/film.php)

Directed and produced by David E. Simpson, "Milking the Rhino" examines the conflict between humans and animals in an ever-shrinking world. It is the first major documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live with wild animals. Shot in some of the world's most magnificent locales, "Milking the Rhino" offers intimate portraits of rural Africans at the forefront of community-based conservation: a revolution that is turning poachers into preservationists and local people into the stewards of their land.

"The Southern Circuit Tour, in conjunction with the Stanback, continues to provide an opportunity for S.C. State and area film enthusiasts to view new films and interact with the makers of each film," said Ellen Zisholtz, director of the Stanback.

Stanback students served as the only student participants on the film review panel in Atlanta for the second consecutive year.

The screenings are free and open to the public. Each filmmaker will engage the audience in a discussion about the film and their role as a filmmaker. A reception with the filmmaker will immediately follow each film.

The filmmakers' participation is being funded by a grant to the Stanback from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Southern Arts Federation.

For more information about the Stanback Film Series and other museum programs, call 803-536-7174, or visit the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium or scsuCRASH.blogspot.com.

You must be logged in to comment.