Films are shown on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. in Shepherd University’s Reynolds Hall. Admission is free and each showing is followed by a discussion.

February 12: “Daughters of the Dust” (1991, 112 minutes, directed by Julie Dash). Set in 1902 on St Helena Island, South Carolina, this film explores the roots and development of the Gullah culture on the sea islands along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia through the lives of three generations of Gullah women. Isolated from the changes of the post-Civil War South, the Gullah people maintained African folk-ways in language, story telling, food and community well into the last century. The film was placed in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board in 2004. Not rated. This is a special presentation as part of Shepherd University’s Black History Month program and is co-sponsored by Multicultural Student Affairs. The post-film discussion will be led by Dr. Sylvia Shurbutt, Professor of English at Shepherd University.

February 26: “The Garden” (2008, 80 minutes, directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy). This film documents a 14-acre neighborhood garden in South Central Los Angeles that arose from the devastation of the 1992 riots. The garden grew and prospered, providing fresh, wholesome food and building community. Then it faced the threat of destruction from industrial development. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. Not rated. This is a special presentation as part of Shepherd University’s
Common Reading Program’s One Book, One Community Program. This year the university’s common reading is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The post-film discussion will be led by Elizabeth Wheeler.

For further information about the Society and its films, visit www.shepherdstownfilmsociety.org. or contact Lisa Welch at 304-876-1837 or lmwlech@frontiernet.net or Mina Goodrich at 304-876-2159 or larrymina@aol.com.