Edition No. 27
In this Edition
Arts and Culture
A highlight for movie buffs in Detroit, The 2021 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films are now available to view virtually through the Detroit Film Theatre.
More Arts and Culture
This week, experience the incredible sounds and melodies of a virtual organ concert, organized and streamed live by our friends at Christ Church Grosse Pointe.
American Democracy
Explore USA Facts, an online resource created to make existing government data more approachable and more useful to everyday American citizens.
2021 Academy Award® Nominated Short Films
It is no secret that Detroit has its fair share of movie lovers (and we are no different at The Patriot Theater). Each year, and often a highlight for the city, The Detroit Film Theatre hosts showings of all the short films nominated for an Academy Award. And even with a pandemic, this year is no different...just a bit more virtual! The films are available for at-home screenings and can be viewed from the comfort of your living room. The live screenings often sell out, with available tickets being a rare commodity. This year's new format allows the Detroit Film Theatre to reach movie buffs near and far.
The shorts are presented in three categories: animated shorts, live-action shorts, and documentary shorts. Tickets are available for $12 per category or $30 to view all three. You're able to watch the shorts before The Oscars air this Sunday, April 25, or enjoy them through May 14, after the envelopes have been opened. See below for the full lineup.
Click or tap here to purchase your tickets. A significant portion of ticket revenue will go directly to supporting the Detroit Film Theatre.
Documentary Shorts (118 minutes)
Colette – Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard (France/Germany/USA, 24 min.)
A Concerto Is a Conversation – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers (USA, 13 min.)
Do Not Split – Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook (USA/Norway, 20 min.)
Hunger Ward – Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman (USA, 40 min.)
A Love Song for Latasha – Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan (USA, 18 min.)
Animated Shorts (94 minutes)
Burrow – Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat (USA, 6 min.)
Genius Loci – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise (France, 16 min.)
If Anything Happens I Love You – Will McCormack and Michael Govier (USA, 12 min.)
Opera – Erick Oh (USA, 9 min.)
Yes-People – Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson (Iceland, 8 min.)
Plus a selection of additional animated shorts from the shortlist: The Snail and the Whale (UK/Germany, 26 min.), Kapaemahu (USA, 7 min.), To Gerard (USA, 8 min.)
Live-Action Shorts (125 minutes)
Feeling Through – Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski (USA, 19 min.)
The Letter Room – Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan (USA, 33 min.)
The Present – Farah Nabulsi (Palestine, 25 min.)
Two Distant Strangers – Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe (USA, 25 min.)
White Eye – Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman (Israel, 21 min.)
Soaring Sounds in a Sacred Space
The War Memorial believes in celebrating the talent of all our community partners and providing our patrons with access to incredible virtual performances whenever possible. During the pandemic, Christ Church of Grosse Pointe found unique ways to continue providing meaningful services and concerts to the community. Their virtual organ series, Soaring Sounds in a Sacred Space, continues this Friday, April 23, at 7:30pm, with the talent of Scott Hanoian.
Image courtesy of Christ Church of Grosse Pointe.
Scott Hanoian is the Associate for Worship and Liturgy, Director of Music and Organist at Christ Church Grosse Pointe where he directs the church’s Choir of Men and Boys, Choir of Men and Girls, the Christ Church Schola, the Christ Church Chorale, and oversees the yearly concert series and is active as an organist, accompanist, continuo artist, conductor, choral adjudicator, and guest clinician. Mr. Hanoian also serves as conductor and music director of the University Musical Society (UMS) Choral Union, a large community/university chorus that frequently appears with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and Toledo Symphony Orchestra and presents yearly performances of Handel's Messiah and other major works for chorus and orchestra. Click or tap here to view the concert program.
And if you have time, catch up on past concerts from Dexter Kennedy, and Todd Wilson below!
These concerts are free to stream and view on the church's Facebook page. Should you feel inclined to help support Christ Church and this concert series, you may give online, or text to give (any amount) by best CCGP to 73256 from your mobile device.
Making Facts Easier To Find
Every year, American units of government (federal, state, and local) produce a vast amount of reliable, high-quality, and very detailed data on a mindboggling range of subjects. As a result, there is no inherent reason why our public discourse about important issues of public policy has become so nearly fact-free.
While some participants in the public debate clearly just don’t care about facts, many more find government data confusing because it is scattered across multiple levels and departments of government or presented in ways that make it relatively difficult to use. USAFacts was created to make existing government data more approachable, hence more useful, to Americans. The full USAFacts statement of principles is long but the key part of that statement reads as follows:
USAFacts believes that facts deserve to be heard. Democracy is only successful when it’s grounded in truth. We’re here to provide that grounding with trusted government data that’s both easy to access and understand. We standardize data straight from government agencies and present it in plain language with helpful visualizations so you can understand the history of programs and policies. Americans deserve unbiased facts straight from the government to have serious, reasoned, and informed debate.
Inspired Thoughts is a collection of highly curated content that embraces the spirit and purpose of The War Memorial: arts and culture, community enrichment, leadership, and patriotism.
Derived from the notion that learning from others is the key to success, Inspired Thoughts is meant to shine a light on those making a difference in the world around them. This collection features artists, poets, writers, architects, and every thought leader in-between. Inspired Thoughts is the strongest reflection of what The War Memorial stands for, and what we aim to be.
The content featured on Inspired Thoughts is curated by War Memorial leadership — we also look forward to featuring special guest curators in the near future. If you are interested in providing content for Inspired Thoughts, please email our Communications team at jkaminski@warmemorial.org.