Scribe Video Center, the West Philly-based non-profit organization with a nearly 35-year-old history, is moving from 42nd and Chestnut to a new location this month. Beginning Jan. 17, Scribe will be located at 4035 Walnut St., according to information posted on the organization’s website and social media pages.

Here are some other exciting news and happenings at Scribe, which offers film screenings and educational opportunities to individuals and communities who want to learn media making and explore the use of video.

Last month, Scribe received a $25,000 Art Works grant for 2017 from the National Endowment for the Arts. The grant will go towards a collaborative project, curated by Patricia R. Zimmermann, to highlight community-produced media work from across the country. The goal of the project is to collect works of artistic and historical value and then go on tour with the exhibits.  Continue Reading

Award-winning filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe will screen and discuss the autobiographical account of his change from an honors student to a 16-year-old convicted bank robber tonight at International House Philadelphia (3701 Chestnut St.).

Evolution of a Criminal, which was featured on PBS earlier this year, recounts the story of a bank robbery by a group of Texas high school students, including Monroe himself. The film takes the audience back to his neighborhood and includes interviews that present the crime and its consequences from multiple aspects and raises profound questions about crime, the criminal justice system and redemption. Spike Lee is the film’s executive producer. A Q&A with Monroe will follow the film.

Tonight’s program is part of Scribe Video Center’s Producers’ Forum series. It also includes a screening of Stolen Dreams II:Breaking the Cycle of Youth Trauma, Violence & Imprisonment, a short film examining the transfer of juveniles into the adult system as a response to youth crime. The film grew out of the Youth Art and Self Empowerment Project (YASP).

The program starts at 7 p.m. and tickets ($10/$7 for students and seniors) are available online or at the IHP Box Office.

Here’s the trailer for Evolution of a Criminal:

A number of great art and art education events are happening this month in the area, including exhibitions by local artists and Tibetans in Philadelphia, independent film screenings, and a master class by a renowned cinematographer. We compiled a list of the venues hosting them and more details about these events. Please visit our Events page for more upcoming events.

Exhibition, film screenings and master class at Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut St, 3rd floor)

• Stop by Scribe Video Center to check out Landscape Renewal, an exhibition featuring the works of seven artists working in diverse media: Richard Watson, Ted McGhee, Jonathan Pinkett, Alvin K.Nurse, Amir Lyles, Asaake Denise Jones, and Jerry Puryear. The exhibit kicked off on Thursday, April 2 and will go on until April 29. The opening reception will be held on Monday, April 6, 6-9 p.m. More details are here.  Continue Reading

Two great local community resources, Scribe Video Center and KEYSPOT, are hosting open houses on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

KEYSPOT, a project by the Freedom Rings Partnership that has over 70 centers with computer labs, free internet access and training throughout Philadelphia, has recently opened a new location in West Philly – at Drexel University’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. This Tuesday, community members are invited for an evening of mingling and refreshments at an open house at this location. There will be opportunities to:

• Learn about free computer access, education, and job preparation resources
• Participate in a Q&A session with KEYSPOT staff and clients
• Enter a raffle to win a netbook computer
• Discover how these KEYSPOTs are helping put Philadelphia’s job-seekers to work

The open house will be held from 4 to 7 p.m.. Dornsife Center is located at 3509 Spring Garden Street. The event is free and open to the public.

Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut St) will host an open house on Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m.. It’s a great networking opportunity for emerging and experienced video makers. You can also learn about membership, workshops and programs at the center, tour the facilities, and check out the equipment! Light refreshments will be served.

Founded in 1982, Scribe Video Center provides training in all aspects of film, video and audio production by offering classes and workshops. It also hosts a wide variety of programs and event series, including Community Visions, the Producers’ Forum, Muslim Voices of Philadelphia, Street Movies!, and more.

West Philly-based Scribe Video Center kicks off its annual, month-long Street Movies! series on Thursday, Aug 1. Street Movies!, which is now a citywide event thanks to Scribe’s collaboration with community groups in various sections and neighborhoods in the city, will again bring entertaining as well as thought-provoking independent films and live performances outdoors.

Street Movies! uses short films as “a springboard to facilitate audience discussion about issues like immigration, the environment, and education,” according to Scribe Program Associate Jonathan Farbowitz.

This year’s lineup of animated, documentary and narrative shorts focuses on youth-produced videos and features films about refugees, the environment and the arts heritage of Philadelphia. The Street Movies! program also includes short animations from Nigeria and Kenya, as well as from New York-based StoryCorps’ oral history series.

In addition to film, select Street Movies! events open with a live performance. This year’s featured performers include renowned poet Ursula Rucker and guitarist Tim Motzer, musicians from Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, the South East Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition (SEAMAAC)’s Hip-Hop Heritage B-Boy Crew, and the all-female drumming group Music Over Matter. Notable media personalities and community leaders serve as emcees for each Street Movies! event, and facilitate post-screening discussions with the audience.

All events start at 7:45 p.m. and are free, open to the public and family-friendly.

In West Philly, there will be two screenings: in the Haddington section on Thursday, Aug 1 and in Cobbs Creek on Wednesday, Aug 21. More details below.

Thursday, August, 1
Haddington
Host: Urban Tree Connection
Location: The Memorial Garden
536 North 54th Street
Screening: Can’t Hold Me Back, about a first-generation high school graduate, youth-produced Messages in Motion films, and other shorts about the environment and other issues affecting youth.
Opening performance: Ursula Rucker and Tim Motzer
Rain Date: Monday, August 5

Wednesday, August 21
Cobbs Creek
Host: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center (CCCEC)
Location: CCCEC
700 Cobbs Creek Parkway (63^rd Street and Catherine Street) by the creek
Screening: Plastic Bag by Ramin Bahrani, a short film about the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag (voiced by Werner Herzog) searching for its lost maker.
Emcee: Serena Reed
Rain Location: CCCEC Building

For more information, please visit: http://www.scribe.org/streetmovies or the Street Movies! Facebook page.

Haile Gerima, a renowned Ethiopian filmmaker and a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, will stop by West Philly to host the Philadelphia premiere of his film Teza at International House tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 25) and to teach a Master Class on Saturday at Scribe Video Center. Both events are part of Scribe’s Producer’s Forum Series, which brings distinguished independent filmmakers to present their work. Teza is also presented in conjunction with the nationally touring film series, L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema, which has been running at International House this month.

Teza examines the displacement of African intellectuals and has achieved widespread popularity. It won numerous awards at festivals and screenings around the globe, including the Special Jury Prize and Best Screenplay award at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival.

Here’s more details on both events.

Teza (2008, Ethiopia/ Germany/France, 140 min) with director Haile Gerima
Friday, Jan. 25, 8:00 p.m.
International House, 3701 Chestnut St
Tickets: $10, $8 students/seniors, $5 Scribe members, Free for students, faculty, and staff of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University

Master Class with Haile Gerima
Saturday, Jan. 26, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Scribe Video Center, 4212 Chestnut St, 3rd Floor
Registration: $25, $15 for Scribe members
Tickets: $25, $15 for Scribe members