Danny’s Place Youth SErvices Event

Danny’s Place Youth Services + Communities Choosing Childhood invite you to a FREE screening of the award-winning documentary, Chasing Childhood in The Gallery at Villageworks.

Chasing Childhood is "a documentary that explores how free play and independence have all but disappeared from kids' lives, supplemented by relentless perfectionism leading to record rates of anxiety and depression, a situation now compacted by the pandemic." 

For more details and to RSVP, please visit the Danny’s Place event page.

Two Free Events, One Evening
5:30pm: Margaret Moody Puppets
6:30pm: ”Make Me Dance” Documentary

Come for one or stay for both.

Make Me Dance (65 min)
Tatyana Bronstein, Director | USA | 2016 | Doc

“Make Me Dance” is a documentary that takes an in-depth look at one of the most prestigious dance schools in the United States, The Boston Conservatory. World-renowned choreographer, Darrell Grand Moultrie, has chosen to hold the residency at the Boston Conservatory to craft his new work, “Winds of Now” for young students. The film documents Moultrie’s choreography and preparation for his piece from conception through rehearsals, culminating in the opening night at BoCo Theater.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACxMGYlk4Pg

Margaret Moody Puppets

Margaret Moody loves the way two hands and a few puppets can present a whole story. She studied with master puppeteer Li Tien-lu of Taiwan for three years, and continues to use the intricate puppets and choregraphy of Bu Dai Xi (‘cloth bag drama’) in performance. Margaret performs mainly for children and enjoys creating shows with fairies and other magical creatures. In addition to her solo work, Margaret performs with Dream Tale Puppets and Galapagos Puppets. margaretmoodypuppets.com

Click Here for the Full Event Listing

Watch Toy Story under the stars at Gardner Field Playground across the street from Villageworks!

But first... Pre-movie music and picnic @ 6pm
True West locally brewed BEER + WINE!
Legends Cafe grilled hot dogs and burgers.
New London Style Pizza.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair and find a space in front of the projector screen before showtime at 7:55pm. Lawn space for blankets and chairs is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please note, the movie showtime will begin +/- 20 minutes from 7:55pm depending on the light that evening.

Finally, while this is a no-admission-fee family event, it is a FUNDRAISER hosted by the Friends of Gardner Field Organization. This committee was established to revitalize this hidden gem of a park in West Acton. Over the past few months, we gathered feedback from Town of Acton residents on how we should improve Gardner Field. In the coming months, we will work with the Acton Recreation Department, park design professionals, and community members to craft a plan for the space. Our committee hopes to raise $100,000 to be used for Gardner Field improvements. Once we meet this goal, we will apply with the Town of Acton Community Preservation Committee for the additional funds needed to complete this project.

You can donate at: gardnerfield.org

Presented by The Friends of Gardner Field! Join your neighbors at Gardner Field across the street from Villageworks for a viewing of the film “SING”. Food will be available for purchase on the lawn beginning at 6pm. There will be hotdogs and hamburgers for sale, grilled by Legends Cafe. Pizza by the slice for sale, from our friends at New London Style Pizza.

Please bring a blanket or lawn chair and find a space in front of the projector screen before showtime at 6:30pm. Lawn space for blankets and chairs is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are in need of an accommodation to better attend this movie night, please contact us at: FriendsofGardnerField@gmail.com

The film “SING” has quite a few popular songs throughout the movie: the ABRHS Chorus will be on hand to lead the crowd in sing-along!

Finally, this is the FIRST FUNDRAISER hosted by the Friends of Gardner Field Organization. This committee was established to revitalize this hidden gem of a park in West Acton. Over the past few months, we gathered feedback from Town of Acton residents on how we should improve Gardner Field. In the coming months, we will work with the Acton Recreation Department, park design professionals, and community members to craft a plan for the space. Our committee hopes to raise $100,000 to be used for Gardner Field improvements. Once we meet this goal, we will apply with the Town of Acton Community Preservation Committee for the additional funds needed to complete this project.

Presented By The Arlington International Film Festival (AIFF)

Doors open at 7pm
$12/online • $15/door
Order your tickets here.
Feel free to bring snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

LETTER FROM MASANJIA
Leon Lee, Director | Doc | 2018 | 75 min
An SOS note scrawled in desperation in a Chinese labor camp. An American woman finds it in a package from Kmart, publicizes its message: “We’re being tortured.” The letter writer, now free, sets out to film the truth about life in China and tell his story — but can he outrun the secret police? Official selection of the Arlington International Film Festival, Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, and hotDocs Film Festival.

Q&A
There will be a short Q&A with the filmmaker following the film.

RAFFLE
All ticket holders will be entered into a raffle for an Acton Coffee House gift card!

SPONSORS
This showing is co-produced by AIFF and Fugitive Productions and is made possible, in part by contributions by West Acton Villageworks, Tables to Teapots, Acton Coffee House, and Jackie Normand.

THE ARLINGTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
AIFF fosters an appreciation for different cultures by exploring the lives of people around the globe through the independent film — to nurture the next generation of filmmakers. The Festival is a means for recognizing that such diversity enriches our communities. Their annual international film festival highlights core values and aspirations they share in common with their culturally diverse neighbors and with all members of the global human family. For more information, visit aiffest.org.

This documentary follows an international team of scientists, researchers and environmental activists as they set out to reveal an astonishing amount of plastic waste lurking beneath the surface of our waters. Plastic’s durability, one of its strongest aspects, is also one of its biggest problems. The common plastic bag disintegrates into microplastic pieces that never go away. A Plastic Ocean lays bare the extent of plastic waste killing the previously pristine oceans and raises worrisome implications for our future. See what plastic pollution is doing globally, and let’s think locally about steps we can take.

Ninety-one cites and towns in Massachusetts have banned single-use plastic checkout bags in retail stores and restaurants. A citizen’s petition has put a bag ban on the warrant for Acton Town meeting. Come and view this timely documentary to learn more.

Co-sponsored by Senator Jamie Eldridge, Ban the Bag Acton, and West Acton Villageworks.

Free admittance. Doors open at 6:45

The Arlington International Film Festival is coming back to Villageworks! AIFF fosters an appreciation for different cultures by exploring the lives of people around the globe through the independent film — to nurture the next generation of filmmakers. The Festival is a means for recognizing that such diversity enriches our communities. This screening of AIFF’s 2018 Animated Short Films is co-produced by AIFF and Fugitive Productions and is made possible, in part, by a contributions from The Gallery at Villageworks.

ANIMATED SHORT FILMS OF 2018

Featured Film
TREJUR Thomas Kim | Concord MA | 10 min
2018 AIFF Best Animation Short | High School
A modern woman remembers her wretched, toy-giving grandmother in this dark, hand-made, fantasy, stop motion animation. Trejur (pronounced "treasure") is a story that questions how desperation can transform us into something we never thought ourselves to be.

OTHER ANIMATED SHORT FILMS

CAGE | Pengpeng Du | 5 min | USA — The life of a concubine was bound; she is consumed by her man through both dream and reality.

HAPPY | Alice Saey | 7 min | France — The Egyptian goose seduces us and the flocks of geese with their desire torn between individuality and the urge toward group behavior.

WOODY & WOODY | Jaume Carrio | 13 min | Spain — A modest tribute to a great filmmaker from New York, with frenetic and ironic dialogs and vibrant drawings that seem to move to the rhythm of jazz.

HEZAR AFSAN | Asghar Safar & Jalai Yekta Abbas | 7 min — The white ogre attacks the city and kidnaps the king. Rostam is sent to find and return him.

STANZAS | Alicja Jasina | USA | 7 min — Based on a poem by Aldous Huxley, a stubborn narrator slowly breaks free of their limitations, allowing more fluidity into their thought process.

LOOK | Meinardas Valkevicius | Lithuania | 4 minHuman activity does not always have a positive effect on our planet. Look explores natural cycles of exchange between humans and animals…dare to look and change the world!

CORP | Pablo Polledri | Argentina | 9 min — Ambition, exploitation of labor, environmental pollution, human degradation, surplus value, corruption and much more in the amazing world of a free market!

PEARL | Patrick Osborne | USA | 6 min — Set inside their home, a beloved hatchback, Pearl follows a girl and her dad as they crisscross the country chasing their dreams. It’s a story about the gifts we hand down and their power to carry love. And finding grace in the unlikeliest of places.

PANIC ATTACK | Eileen O’Meara | USA | 3 min — This hand-drawn animation explores anxiety, obsession, and one woman’s slippery hold on reality.

GOOD BOY | Rachel Beltran | USA | 7 min — Is there a crowd on a blind date?

Doors open at 7pm • Showing starts at 7:30pm
Tickets $12/online (fgtiv.com/tickets) • $15/door
Online sales end at 4pm on day of show.

Tashi & The Monk is an award-winning documentary about a unique community in the foothills of the Himalayas created by Buddhist Monk Lobsang which rescues orphaned and neglected children. Lobsang has channeled his own unhappy childhood into an opportunity for other ‘uninvited guests of the universe’ to avoid a similar fate.

Sponsored by West Acton Villageworks, True West & Revolution Community Yoga, the documentary Screening will be followed by Q&A w/ Jhamtse International Executive Director & Board Members.

More info at the Event Facebook Page.

Presented by Acton-Boxborough Family Network, with support from Acton-Boxborough United Way. 

In Race to Nowhere, director Vicki Abeles unveiled the dark side of America’s achievement culture. In her follow up documentary, Beyond Measure, Abeles travels to public schools across the country as they embark on a journey to transcend the limits of our outmoded, test-driven education system and create a more equitable, empowering, student-centered education culture from the ground up. By putting research and innovative models into practice, groundbreaking school communities are transforming how and what they teach. In chorus with experts including Sir Ken Robinson, Linda Darling-Hammond, Yong Zhao, Alison Gopnik, Jo Boaler and Daniel Pink, the change makers in Beyond Measure prove that both a new vision and a higher purpose are within reach for American education.

Tickets: $10 in advance online / $15 at door

Order Your Tickets Online Now

Questions?  Contact Michelle Shoemaker at fundraising@abfamily.org

On May 10th, join thousands of organizations, companies, schools, museums, libraries and homes — anywhere people already gather — in a global conversation about what it will take to get to a more gender-balanced world in all sectors of society: business, politics, culture, home, and more.

The event will be facilitated by Kathy Elkind of elKind Nourishment.  The evening will consist of the following:

• Introduction to 50/50 Day: 10 mins
• Screening of short film: 20 mins
• Small or Large group discussion using age-specific questions: 30 mins
• Wrap-up: 15 mins

FREE and open to the public.  Please RSVP on Eventbrite so we know how many people to expect.  

Sponsored by elKind Nourishment, Wellness at Villageworks, and West Acton Villageworks.

Menswork Inc. presents "Out of Their Heads", a documentary film of the 20th Men’s Wisdom Council.  A moving film of interest for both men and women, the screening will also include a special presentation of Walt Whitman by guest artist Stephen Collins.

Bring your friends, your partner, your grown daughters to view and discuss this empowering documentary about women's self image. Wellness at Villageworks and elKind Nourishment present a community screening and facilitated discussion of the 2016 documentary Embrace.

"Despite being happily married and successfully juggling motherhood while running a thriving photography business, Taryn Brumfitt was privately struggling with crippling body image issues. Close to resorting to plastic surgery to ‘fix’ her post-childbirth body, Taryn decided that what she really needed to change was not in fact her body, but her attitude towards it."

Following the movie, Eating Psychology Coach Kathy Elkind will facilitate a community dialogue to share thoughts and reactions.

• Cash bar with wine, craft beer, tea, and coffee served by True West at 6:30pm
• Movie screening and dialogue begins at 7pm
• Tickets: $8 purchased in advance or at the door
• All ticket holders receive 10% off food at True West pre or post event.

Purchase your tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/embrace-community-screening-and-discussion-tickets-32172252072

Special screening of Tashi and the Monk t Revolution Community Yoga.

Film synopsis: On a remote mountaintop a brave social experiment is taking place. Buddhist Monk Lobsang Phuntsok was trained under the guidance of the Dalai Lama, but 9 years ago he left behind a life as a spiritual teacher in the US to create a unique community in the foothills of the Himalayas which rescues orphaned and neglected children. 5 year-old Tashi is the newest arrival. Her mother recently passed away and she’s been abandoned by her alcoholic father. Wild and troubled, Tashi is struggling to find her place amongst 84 new siblings. Lobsang has channeled his own unhappy childhood into an opportunity for other ‘uninvited guests of the universe’ to avoid a similar fate. But can the community’s love and compassion transform Tashi’s alienation and tantrums into a capacity to make her first real friend?  Learn more about this documentary at http://tashiandthemonk.com/.