St. John's Presbyterian, San Francisco
 


Every first Thursday of the month, 7 p.m.,
St. John’s brings independent and provocative films that highlight critical issues about peace and justice to us and our community. Admission is free.

Cinema - April 3

Promises — April 3, 2008

Documentarians Justine Shapiro and B.Z. Goldberg went to Israel to work on a project about children and conflict, interviewing Palestinian and Israeli kids ages 11-13 to get their views on living in a society afflicted with violence, separatism and religious and political extremism. The film culminates in an astonishing day when two Israeli children meet Palestinian youngsters at a refugee camp. A 2002 Oscar nominee for Best Feature Documentary.


Cinema - May 1

Nobelity — May 1, 2008

Turk Pipkin takes us around the world, discussing war, famine, ecology, medicine and technology with a raft of Nobel Prize laureates. Green Belt Movement founder Wangari Maathai, noted economist Amartya Sen and 1984 Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu top the list of articulate thinkers who discuss the human condition. Displaying boundless passion and intelligence, these Nobelists are both skeptical and hopeful about our will to improve the planet.


Cinema - June 5

The Bible Tells Me So — June 5, 2008

In this Sundance documentary, director Daniel Karslake goes to the Bible to examine the ways in which conservative Christian groups have used -- and sometimes exploited -- holy Scripture to deny basic human rights to gays and lesbians around the world. Highlights include interviews with V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion, and Chrissy Gephardt, the lesbian daughter of former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt.


St. John's Cinema

Paths of Glory — July 3, 2008

Writer-director Stanley Kubrick's powerful antiwar statement stars Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax, commander of a weary regiment of the French army along the western front during World War I. When French generals order the regiment to carry out what amounts to a suicide mission against heavy German fire, some of the men refuse. But when the army tries three of the soldiers on charges of cowardice, Dax acts as their defense attorney.


Family Summer Film Festival

July 12, 4-7pm

Family Summer Film Festival.

Cartoons and features for kids of all ages. Come enjoy the fun. Bring friends.


War Made Easy
War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (2007) NR - August 7
Based on Norman Solomon's revealing book and narrated by actor Sean Penn, War Made Easy exposes the government's and the media's purported history of deceiving the American people and leading us into war after war. Using archival footage of past presidents, including Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and both Bushes, and media correspondents like Walter Cronkite, the documentary sheds light on propaganda pushing and draws parallels between the Vietnam and Iraq wars.

The films we choose for St. John’s Cinema are intended to give our neighborhood insight or inspiration, maybe education, or perhaps just some joy. We hope the shared adventure of viewing these films will foster discussion and a new perspective. The views or opinions that may be expressed in these films are not necessarily those of St. John’s or its members. We encourage participants to form their own opinions.