Cinema Politica Finds Its Home

Looking around the room at Alchemy Farm in East Falmouth, the first question that comes to mind is, why would such a range of people, from young adults with funky eyeglasses to silver-haired locals, make the trip on such a chilly, icy Friday evening to watch a documentary about hip-hop?

As the film concludes and the lights go up, the answer to the question becomes clear. Joe Sullivan, a member of the local chapter of Cinema Politica, greets the audience and asks for their opinion on the film, prompting an impassioned discussion about hip-hop values and how they affect society. The discussion follows many twists and turns, with members of the audience agreeing and disagreeing with each other. The conversation addresses the broader scope of access to music in general, what options listeners feel they have and what solutions may be possible.

This community interaction and involvement is what makes Cinema Politica's film screenings different from simple entertainment. The documentaries, which cover a wide range of social, political and ecological topics, are vehicles for offering an alternative perspective to mainstream media, and the topics explored inspire conversations on global issues.

"It's not simply everyone nodding in agreement at every film," said Sullivan. "There's often pretty robust — friendly, but involved — discussion about the surprising things that audience members found about each subject matter in the film."

Cinema Politica, a Canadian organization which also has affiliates in Europe and Indonesia, came to Cape Cod in November 2008 by way of Falmouth resident Elise Hugus, who knew Cinema Politica's founders. Wanting to bring often overlooked perspectives and healthy debate to the area, the local chapter began screening documentaries in Woods Hole, but has since moved to Alchemy Farm, where the films are shown each Friday evening.

Although the group takes a break over the summer, the winter screenings have seen impressive attendance.

Chris Spannos, a member of the group, said that the films offer an alternative to staying at home.

"A great aspect of what we do is that it's also a public service in the wintertime when there's not a whole lot out to do, (especially) when you consider the things to do when you're a young adult or teenager," he said. 

In addition to films and discussion, Friday evenings with Cinema Politica often feature a speaker whose area of expertise is relevant to the subject matter in a given night's film. Featuring an expert perspective introduces an additional dimension to the film by bringing deeper understanding to the audience and generating further conversation.

This unique approach to expanding education and discussion on the films' subject matter has inspired a community to evolve around the screenings, which has cultivated a unique environment in which opinions and experiences are shared openly.

"There are so few places in which you can talk about these various subjects and feel safe, and that's what we've tried to do here," said Sullivan. "And that's mostly due to the audience members in the community that has built up around this." 

The Cape Cod affiliate of Cinema Politica shows films each Friday evening at 7:30 pm at Alchemy Farm, located at 237 Hatchville Road in East Falmouth. The screenings are free to attend, but donations are encouraged. Visit www.cinemapolitica.org/capecod for more information.