UALR Public Radio, The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN), and William F. Laman Library invite the public to a free advance screening of "The Revolutionary Optimists" as part of Community Cinema Tuesday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m.
ABOUT THE FILM
“The Revolutionary Optimists” explores a workable solution to intractable problems associated with poverty, including preventable diseases and ineffectual governance. Former lawyer Amlan Ganguly works to empower children to become change agents, activists and educators, battling poverty and transforming their neighborhoods with dramatic results. Filmed over the course of three years, the documentary follows Ganguly and three of the children he works with on an intimate journey through adolescence as they challenge the idea that marginalization is written into their destiny.
The film focuses particularly on attempts to bring education and hope to the brick fields outside of Calcutta – where children live and work in unimaginable conditions that have remained unchanged for centuries – and on the children’s attempts to bring clean water to a Calcutta slum that has long been denied access. Meanwhile, within the city, children demonstrate how street theater, puppetry and dance can be used as weapons to battle disease and to transform their surroundings. Their impressive successes suggest that education and child empowerment are crucial keys to lifting entire societies out of hopelessness.
ABOUT THE SCREENING AND COMMUNITY DISCUSSION
The screening will be held in the auditorium of William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange Street, North Little Rock. A community discussion led by panelists Matt Dozier, president and CEO of EAST Initiative, and Roger Marlin, president of North Little Rock Rotary Club, will follow the screening.
FILM TRAILER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1iUApt7j5E