香蕉秀

By Rod Jones

The 18th annual Documentary Film Series at 香蕉秀 University will continue at 2 p.m. April 17 with Steve James鈥� 鈥淟ife Itself.鈥� The screening is free to the public and will be held in the Kerr McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business at N.W. 27th Street and Blackwelder Avenue.

The series is made possible through a gift from the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund.

鈥淟ife Itself鈥� is a documentary that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert 鈥� a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful and transcendent. Based on the bestselling memoir of the same name, 鈥淟ife Itself鈥� explores the legacy of Ebert's life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.

A Rolling Stone magazine review stated: 鈥淭hough 鈥楲ife Itself 鈥檌s a warts-and-all portrait Ebert didn't live to review, my guess is his thumbs would be shooting upward. Mine sure are.鈥�

The Documentary Film Series theme is titled 鈥淭hing and Spirit Both.鈥� It is based on a poem by Marie Howe, who will visit 香蕉秀 on Wednesday for this year鈥檚 Thatcher Hoffman Smith Poetry Series.

鈥淭hese films explore how the spirit or essence of the world reveals itself indirectly through our intuition and imagination,鈥� said Harbour Winn, director of 香蕉秀鈥檚 Center for Interpersonal Study through Film & Literature. 鈥淓ach of the films presents an imaginative way of seeing through an artist working in a different art form 鈥� poetry, film and photography. The art of seeing must be learned to grasp the transformative dimension in everyday reality.鈥�

For more information visit okcfilmlit.org or call 405-208-5472.

The final documentary in the series will be May 1 with Wim Wenders鈥� 鈥淭he Salt of the Earth.鈥�