SMC Presents Green Screen Series

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College (SMC) is pleased to present the Fall 2019 Green Screen Series, an informative series of free film screenings and discussions hosted by SMC adjunct professor Sheila Laffey as an extension to her course, Green Screen: Films on the Environment and Transformation.

All presentations in the series are free and will be held in Auditorium 180 of the SMC Center for Media and Design (CMD), located at 1660 Stewart Street, Santa Monica. The Green Screen Series is sponsored by SMC Global Citizenship. Seating is strictly on a first-arrival basis.

Limited public parking for the Green Screen Series is available at the Center for Media and Design. Street parking in the area is extremely limited. Attendees are encouraged to arrive via the Expo line, the bus, or a ride-sharing service.

The Fall 2019 Green Screen Series lineup is:

• September 23 at 4 p.m. – Documentary Film Screening and Talk: “Filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell: The Earthing Movie.” The Earthing Movie (2019, 75 minutes) explores the effects on human physiology and health of connecting one’s skin to the ground for extended periods of time, which can significantly reduce inflammation, leading to often dramatic health benefits. Adjunct professor Sheila Laffey, host of the Green Screen Series, leads a discussion with award-winning filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell after the screening.

• October 7 at 4 p.m. – Film Screening and Talk: “Green Screen Series Host Sheila Laffey: Bringing It Home.” Hemp — it's not just for hippies anymore. Today, it’s found in everything from salad dressings to construction materials. Industrial hemp is a nonpsychoactive plant grown in 31 other countries but prohibited until very recently in the United States. Directed by Linda Booker, Bringing It Home (2006, 60 minutes) uses animation, archival images, and interviews with hemp business leaders and growers, to explore a crop with so many widespread benefits. A discussion led by adjunct professor Sheila Laffey, host of the Green Screen Series, follows the screening.

• October 28 at 3 p.m. – Film Screening and Talk: “Producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Jenny Lew Tugend: Free Willy.” Free Willy (1993, 102 minutes) is a feature film about a boy who befriends a captive Orca whale. The film drew attention to the real-life captive whale Keiko, who was released thanks to the efforts of the film’s producers, and was enormously successful, grossing $153 million from a $20 million budget, and spawning three sequels, a videogame, and a TV series. Adjunct professor Sheila Laffey, host of the Green Screen Series, leads a discussion with the film’s producers — Laura Shuler Donner (co-owner with director Richard Donner of The Donners’ Company, producer of all 12 films in the X-Men series) and Jennie Lew Tugend (producer/co-producer of the Lethal Weapon and HBO’s Tales from the Crypt franchises) — after the screening.

• November 4 at 4 p.m. – Film Screening: “Poisoning Paradise.” Executive produced by Pierce Brosnan and produced and directed by Keely Shaye Brosnan and Teresa Tiko, Poisoning Paradise (2018, 75 minutes) looks at the seemingly idyllic world of native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides, and presents the insights of activists, scientific experts, and healthcare professionals on the effects of environmental injustice and what it means for the future of food, sustainable farming practices, and the health of our planet. A discussion led by adjunct professor Sheila Laffey, host of the Green Screen Series, follows the screening.

All programs are subject to change without notice, and new events may be added to the series. Up-to-date details are posted at smc.edu/eventsinfo and available by calling 310-434-4100.