The Roswell Cultural Arts Center will screen “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise,” an independent documentary film on the life of Maya Angelou, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 12.
The film is a part of the Southern Circuit Film Series, a program for the organization, South Arts. Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts makes the Southern Circuit Film Series possible.
Theresa Hollingsworth, senior director of film and traditional arts for the Southern Circuit Film Series, said that now is an especially important time to see this definitive work on the life of Maya Angelou.
“As an artist and social activist, her work is timely now more than ever, if we look at what is going on in our world and our country,” Hollingsworth said. “There are so many things people might not be aware of about her. She was not only a singer and an actress but was very involved with civil rights issues. Just a remarkable woman.”
The objective of the Southern Circuit Film Series is to allow filmmakers to screen their movies for audiences that might not otherwise have had the chance to see their work. A member of the team always travels with the film to present the work, and there is a Q&A session after every screening.
“Bob Hercules, a filmmaker out of Chicago, is one of the two co-directors of ‘Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise’ and is touring with the film, so he will be at the Roswell screening,” Hollingsworth said. “We’ve had the honor of working with him previously.”
The Southern Circuit Film Series tour, which typically follows a traditional academic calendar, is hosted in nine southern states, with 21 films airing for the 2016-2017 season. Founded by the South Carolina Arts Commission in the mid-70s, South Arts picked up the Southern Circuit Film Series and first aired its films as a part of the 2006-2007 circuit.
“There is so much going on in the film industry in our region, so it’s a very exciting time to work with Southern filmmakers, as well as filmmakers from outside our region,” Hollingsworth said. “We want to develop independent film audiences in our region.”
New films are submitted for each yearly circuit, and submissions for the upcoming season still being accepted through March 20, 2017.
“There are so many terrific films, so much great art, and we want to work with as many filmmakers presenting their work as possible,” Hollingsworth said. “We have a multi-tiered evaluation process for submissions, but the communities and partners we’re involved with are a part of the process because they know their audience better than we do.”
The Southern Circuit Film Series has worked with multiple colleges and universities in the past, including the University of Oxford and Georgia Southern University.
“We would love for KSU to apply to be a screening partner,” Hollingsworth said. “Filmmakers also spend time in the classroom talking to and teaching students. It’s a really great opportunity.”
More information on submission guidelines can be found at southarts.org/touring-arts/southern-circuit/submit-your-film/. Tickets for “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” are just $10 and can be purchased at ticketalternative.com/event/maya-angelou-and-still-i-rise.
