Recognition and Response - Film Series
National Nurses United art, film, and activism series 2019
Three documentaries will screen outside on the plaza at National Nurses United headquarters at Lake Merritt Tower, 155 Grand Ave., Oakland. The art exhibition "Recognition: Labor Meets Art in Explorations of Social Justice and Identity," will be open to the public during the screenings. The films feature three locations where Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) volunteers have deployed to provide direct relief and response to humanitarian, environmental, and social injustice: Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Standing Rock, and rural Arizona. RNRN volunteers will introduce the films with stories of how RNs have intervened to provide direct care in support of social justice.
Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m., Big Charity: The Death of America’s Oldest Hospital
This documentary by Alexander Glustrom tells the story of Charity Hospital, from its roots in 1736 as a hospital for the poor to its controversial closing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The film features firsthand accounts of healthcare providers and hospital employees who withstood the storm inside the hospital and interviews with key players involved in Charity’s closing. Today the towering art deco building stands empty, and the community continues to suffer devastating consequences from its absence. Screens as part of “Recognition and Response,” National Nurses United’s fall outdoor documentary film series.
Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock
The Water Protectors at Standing Rock captured world attention through their peaceful resistance. This award-winning documentary chronicles the story of Native-led defiance that forever changed the fight for clean water, the environment, and the future of the planet. AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock is a collaboration between indigenous filmmakers, director Myron Dewey, executive producer Doug Good Feather, and environmental Oscar-nominated filmmakers Josh Fox and James Spione. It screens as part of “Recognition and Response,” National Nurses United’s fall outdoor documentary film series.
Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Undeterred: Border Militarization and Community Resistance
Undeterred is a documentary about community resistance in the rural border town of Arivaca, Arizona. Since NAFTA, 9/11, and the Obama and Trump administrations, border residents have been on the frontlines of the humanitarian crisis caused by escalating border enforcement. This intimate portrait shows how Arivaca residents have mobilized to provide aid to injured, oftentimes dying people traveling across the desert. Directed by Eva Lewis, an Arivaca resident and member of People Helping People in the Border Zone (PHP). Screens as part of “Recognition and Response,” National Nurses United’s fall outdoor documentary film series.